Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-and-entertaining/our-25-favorite-halloween-ideas/pictures/index.html
Friday, October 28, 2011
As the serious business of drilling down into the essence of yesterday's much heralded euro-zone debt deal gets underway the euphoria that drove a sharp rally in global stock prices and bounced mortgage interest rates higher is slowly beginning to give way to disillusionment as it becomes increasingly evident a convincing fiscal and political solution to the European crisis has yet to be developed.
Against this backdrop stock markets are growing exceptionally vulnerable to a November slide - a condition almost certain to support the prospects for steady to perhaps fractionally lower mortgage interest rates!!
In other news of the day - according to Commerce Department figures sluggish growth in consumer income lead households to dip into savings to increase their spending, a condition casting doubt on the durability of the third-quarter economic growth spurt and further eroding expectations for accelerating corporate earnings for the fourth-quarter.
With consumer income edging up a very thin 0.1% last month, the 0.6% increase in spending obviously came at the expense of savings - a "burn rate" that is not sustainable for an extended period of time. The saving rate (the percentage of disposable income socked away) fell to 3.6%, the slowest since December 2007, from 4.1% in August. The bright spot of this report was found in the core personal consumption expenditure component -- the Fed's favorite measure of inflation at the consumer level -- which showed no overall change last month.
The two major items on the coming week's calendar are the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd -- and Friday's scheduled release of the October Nonfarm Payroll figures. Mortgage investors currently expect both events to be mortgage interest rate neutral.
Against this backdrop stock markets are growing exceptionally vulnerable to a November slide - a condition almost certain to support the prospects for steady to perhaps fractionally lower mortgage interest rates!!
In other news of the day - according to Commerce Department figures sluggish growth in consumer income lead households to dip into savings to increase their spending, a condition casting doubt on the durability of the third-quarter economic growth spurt and further eroding expectations for accelerating corporate earnings for the fourth-quarter.
With consumer income edging up a very thin 0.1% last month, the 0.6% increase in spending obviously came at the expense of savings - a "burn rate" that is not sustainable for an extended period of time. The saving rate (the percentage of disposable income socked away) fell to 3.6%, the slowest since December 2007, from 4.1% in August. The bright spot of this report was found in the core personal consumption expenditure component -- the Fed's favorite measure of inflation at the consumer level -- which showed no overall change last month.
The two major items on the coming week's calendar are the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday, November 2nd -- and Friday's scheduled release of the October Nonfarm Payroll figures. Mortgage investors currently expect both events to be mortgage interest rate neutral.
Monsters, goblins and super-heroes will soon be descending on homes everywhere and while Halloween is a time for fun and treats, certain dangers abound.
The key to keeping kids safe this year, and every year, is close parental supervision and a few trick-or-treat precautions.
Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and experts in the Drug and Poison Information Center offer these tips to make this year's holiday a safe one.
Costumes
Avoid potential burn injuries: Look for flame-resistant materials for costumes and be particularly aware of open flames in jack-o-lanterns.
Choose costumes that do not have sharp objects as accessories.
Beware of costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.
Make sure masks allow for full vision.
If your child wears a hat or scarf, make sure it fits securely and provides adequate ventilation.
Apply non-toxic face paint or cosmetics as an alternative to masks.
Make sure children wear properly fitting shoes.
Plan costumes of highly visible colors.
Adhere reflective tape or stickers to costumes or treat bags or have the child wear a reflective bracelet.
Attach each child's name, address and phone number to their clothes in case they become separated from adults.
Trick-or-treating
The most important thing to remember is to make children visible to automobile drivers. A child is four times more likely to be hit and killed by a car on Halloween than any other time.
Give kids flashlights to carry.
Accompany children under age 10.
Allow children to travel only in familiar areas.
Remind children to follow rules of crossing streets - look both ways and cross only at intersections and crosswalks.
For people who are giving out treats, healthy food alternatives for trick-or-treaters include packages of low-fat crackers with cheese, single-serve boxes of cereal, packaged fruit rolls, mini boxes of raisins and single-serve packets of low-fat popcorn.
Non-food treats may include plastic rings, pencils, stickers, erasers and coins.
Battery powered jack-o-lantern candles are preferable to a real flame. If adults who are passing out treats do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
Candy
Feed kids a good meal before trick-or-treating so they don't get cranky or hungry half-way through.
Do not allow children to eat any treats until they've been sorted and checked by an adult at home.
Throw candy away if it appears to have been unwrapped and re-wrapped, or appears suspicious in any way.
Do not allow young children to have any items that are small enough to present a choking hazard or that have small parts or components that could separate during use.
Children's fears
Halloween can sometimes be a frightening holiday for young children. To help ease the fright of "monsters" and unfamiliar sights, child psychologists at Cincinnati Children's say parents should help their children interpret Halloween as a make-believe situation.
Show children that someone is just wearing a mask by asking that person to remove it. Parents should also have small children try on their costumes before Halloween.
This exercise will give them time to get used to how they look.
The key to keeping kids safe this year, and every year, is close parental supervision and a few trick-or-treat precautions.
Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and experts in the Drug and Poison Information Center offer these tips to make this year's holiday a safe one.
Costumes
Avoid potential burn injuries: Look for flame-resistant materials for costumes and be particularly aware of open flames in jack-o-lanterns.
Choose costumes that do not have sharp objects as accessories.
Beware of costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.
Make sure masks allow for full vision.
If your child wears a hat or scarf, make sure it fits securely and provides adequate ventilation.
Apply non-toxic face paint or cosmetics as an alternative to masks.
Make sure children wear properly fitting shoes.
Plan costumes of highly visible colors.
Adhere reflective tape or stickers to costumes or treat bags or have the child wear a reflective bracelet.
Attach each child's name, address and phone number to their clothes in case they become separated from adults.
Trick-or-treating
The most important thing to remember is to make children visible to automobile drivers. A child is four times more likely to be hit and killed by a car on Halloween than any other time.
Give kids flashlights to carry.
Accompany children under age 10.
Allow children to travel only in familiar areas.
Remind children to follow rules of crossing streets - look both ways and cross only at intersections and crosswalks.
For people who are giving out treats, healthy food alternatives for trick-or-treaters include packages of low-fat crackers with cheese, single-serve boxes of cereal, packaged fruit rolls, mini boxes of raisins and single-serve packets of low-fat popcorn.
Non-food treats may include plastic rings, pencils, stickers, erasers and coins.
Battery powered jack-o-lantern candles are preferable to a real flame. If adults who are passing out treats do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
Candy
Feed kids a good meal before trick-or-treating so they don't get cranky or hungry half-way through.
Do not allow children to eat any treats until they've been sorted and checked by an adult at home.
Throw candy away if it appears to have been unwrapped and re-wrapped, or appears suspicious in any way.
Do not allow young children to have any items that are small enough to present a choking hazard or that have small parts or components that could separate during use.
Children's fears
Halloween can sometimes be a frightening holiday for young children. To help ease the fright of "monsters" and unfamiliar sights, child psychologists at Cincinnati Children's say parents should help their children interpret Halloween as a make-believe situation.
Show children that someone is just wearing a mask by asking that person to remove it. Parents should also have small children try on their costumes before Halloween.
This exercise will give them time to get used to how they look.
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