Congratulations! You have just witnessed and survived over a year's worth of financial ruin, agony, and deterioration of the US economy. It has roughly been one year since the collapse of the mortgage and credit market started being heavily noticed and advertised by the media organizations of this country.

In August of 2007, American Home Mortgage, a once largely successful and publicly traded company under the ticker symbol AHM, filed for bankruptcy protection. During this painful week, American Home Mortgage announced that it was unable to repay its $800 million in debt due to its lenders who funded its mortgage transactions. As a result, the bankruptcy was filed and nearly 7,500 employees were laid off. American Home Mortgage was once one of the top 10 institutional retail lenders in the US mortgage lending industry.

This ordeal, however, began long before the media began its magnifying-glass observations onto the mortgage industry. In March of 2007, New Century Financial, one of the largest subprime lenders in the US, ceased its operations. The company had received a margin call of $150 million from its lenders who simply wanted their money back. New Century Financial was unable to deliver. As a result, New Century received everything from cease-and-desist demands, to demands for repayment of money due to lenders, to a formal SEC notice of investigation. The end result was the oh-so predictable bankruptcy protection the company filed for. How could this be?

How could a company that was once had a net income of $417 million in 2005 simply lose its capital? How does that much money simply vanish? New Century Financial, American Home Mortgage, and the likes of 280 other national lending institutions are among the fallen victims that are today joined by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Yes, 280 national lending institutions have gone belly-up. And yes, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have joined that list.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government sponsored enterprises (hybrids between lenders and government controlled entities), will soon be taken over by the Federal Government. The Bush Administration and the Fed have been tinkering with the idea of controlling the two GSEs for months now, since their stock values have collectively dropped roughly 80% since last year, costing the shareholders tens of billions of dollars. However, senior officials of the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve announced Friday, September 5th, 2008 that the two entities would be placed under a conservatorship. This will essentially diminish the stock value of both GSEs and will take away shareholder stake and control within the companies. Under the conservatorship, the two companies would simply have news slates with debts wiped clean and with a new fleet of management, as current executives will be let go from the companies.

This is shocking news in its simplest form simply because one must question how and why two government sponsored entities have failed? The entities bred by the government plainly collapse? How did the government allow this to happen? Why did Greenspan announce that adjustable rate mortgages were favorable mortgages for Americans? Why was Wall Street allowed to sell off exotic and dangerous mortgages as investments without government involvement? Why will taxpayers have to pay for this mess that was caused by Wall Street, our government, and the lenders working under a false sense of civic responsibility? The end result will be that taxpayers will indeed pay tens of billions of dollars, if not more, for all of this. There is no mistake in that. But why? Why did Richard Syron, the chief executive of Freddie Mac, make upwards of $38 million since joining the company in 2003?

With no answers to these valid questions, it seems like there is a lack of accountability for the devastation caused in today's economy. There is something inherently wrong with the outrageously high dollar values once boasted by these companies compared to the utter mess they have left us with today. There is a black (financial) plague that has haunted this economy for a year and will continue to do so until equilibrium is reached.

Aside from the proposed rebalance to come with the Fed seizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there are so many more important issues our economy faces today. For one, the rate of savings for Americans is at devastatingly low levels. Savings are being depleted more and more, as statistics show more Americans are working into older years. Retirement today is a scary thought for many citizens of this country. The unemployment rate is at its highest level in the past five years; it is up to 6.1% as recently reported. Just in August of 2008, over 84,000 jobs were cut from sectors not including farming. The cost of living continues to rise, with food prices and the cost of fuel topping levels seen in previous years. Inflation continues to rise, as most Americans cannot afford to live with their stagnant income levels.

Taking a long hard look at these factors and the $9 trillion in outstanding public debt the government currently holds, one may fathom them as the brewing of a perfect storm. Moreover, it is almost negligent to think that a bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be of prudent disposition. The Federal Government capturing these GSEs may actually lead to more inflation, since there will be more pressure to print more money in order to inject more capital into the markets and lend more money for mortgages. The solution is not that simple and more may just not be better.

America must rebuild the way it lives. America must redo its budget, its balance sheet, and its lifestyle. The years of building debt and borrowing more to cover that debt have caught up. This is something that has caught up to the modern-day citizen. More importantly, though, it has caught up to the US Government, as it currently has over $9 trillion in outstanding public debt–a debt American taxpayers will inevitably have to pay for.

We should all expect an official announcement on the conservatorship arrangement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sometime in the next few days. We should also expect a bumpy ride to come, with many more hurdles to conquer. This great country has done it before, and it can surely succeed again this time around. This country is founded on the notion of triumphant victory. Hopefully, we all learn a much needed lesson from the horrible actions etched in our time period, characterized by Arthur Anderson and Enron, Angelo Mozilo and Countrywide, and all of the modern-day financial catastrophic events that have plagued our today.

In closing, it is important to remember: challenge does not build character, it simply reveals it. Hopefully, this time period will do just that!

On December 12, 1804, the Georgia Legislature passed an Act establishing Milledgeville as the state’s capital. At the time, Milledgeville was more a dream than a reality. An 1803 survey had established the town’s location on the West bank of the Oconee River near Rock Landing, the head of navigation on that river. The site was on the edge of the frontier on land only recently acquired from the Creek Indians. The first Statehouse was completed in 1807, at a cost of around $60,000, and the Legislature held its first meeting there on November 2 of that year. Milledgeville remained the capital of Georgia until 1868, when the new state Constitution, required for the state’s readmission into the Union, named Atlanta as the seat of government. Milledgeville has a rich and colorful history which includes visits by the Marquis de Lafayette and General William T. Sherman, who behaved with commendable restraint and left after two days without damaging much at all. The town has also been home to many illustrious Georgians, including Flannery O’Connor, widely held to be one of America’s best writers, and Carl Vinson, Congressional Representative from the district for 52 years and long-time chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Though Milledgeville has changed a lot over the past 200 years, it retains its small-town character, and many of its historic sites have been zealously preserved. Visitors are always welcomed with classic Southern hospitality, and the Convention and Visitors Bureau has tour maps and other information of interest available. Their address is: Milledgeville Convention and Visitors Bureau 200 W. Hancock St. Milledgeville, Ga. 31061 For further information, visit their Web site.Among the attractions you can find in Milledgeville are: The Old Capitol Building – First completed in 1837, this Gothic Revival building has burned and been rebuilt twice. A recent remodeling restored the building to its original layout. The Old Capitol Building is part of Georgia Military College. The Old Governor’s Mansion – Completed in 1838. This Federal style mansion is owned by Georgia College and State University and is open for tours. Georgia College and State University – Opened in 1891 as the Georgia Normal & Industrial College. The campus contains several beautiful buildings. The College was built on the site of the original State Penitentiary. The Ina Dillard Russell Library is home to the Flannery O’Connor room, which houses furniture and original manuscripts of the famous author. Memory Hill Cemetery – The first burial here was in 1804. Many former Georgia Governors and other famous people are buried here. Liberty Street – Connects the GC&SU campus with Memory Hill Cemetery. Legend has it that the street got its name because it was the only way out of the Penitentiary. This quiet, shady street is a showcase of Greek Revival and Victorian homes. Large numbers of Greek Revival homes are located around the town and the surrounding countryside. Central State Hospital – Opened in 1841 as the Georgia Lunatic Asylum, CSH was at one time the largest insane asylum in the world, housing over 20,000 inmates. The CSH Museum contains a fascinating collection of artifacts. Andalusia – The farm where Flannery O’Connor and her mother, Regina Cline O’Connor, lived until Flannery died in 1964is now open to the public and is operated by the Flannery O’Connor – Andalusia Foundation, Inc. The Foundation’s Director, Craig Amason, also maintains a Milledgeville Chronology which can be found on the Twin Lakes Library System’s Web page under “Reference Resources”. Lake Sinclair – Just North of Milledgeville is a 15,000-acre lake which offers good fishing, boating, and water sports. To make the most of your visit to Milledgeville, take the Trolley Tours offered by the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Several Milledgeville history books and collections of genealogical information are available for purchase on the Twin Lakes Library System’s Web page. Milledgeville is conveniently located on U.S. Highway 441 about 30 miles NE of Macon. A wide variety of hotels, motels, and restaurants are available, and the downtown streets are lined with interesting and fun places to shop. Web sites for further information:Milledgeville Convention and Visitors Bureau Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce Union-Recorder (newspaper) The Baldwin Bulletin (newspaper) The Flannery O’Connor – Andalusia Foundation, Inc. Central State Hospital Lockerly Hall and Lockerly Arboretum Twin Lakes Library SystemGeorgia Military College / Old Capitol Building Georgia College & State University / Old Governor's Mansion

Phones lack Zs
But have * and #
How profound

The tragic event of the death of a 10 year old South Carolina boy has brought to light the phenomenon called 'dry drowning'. Never heard of dry drowning? You are not alone, the majority of us have never heard of it until recently. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 3,600 people drowned in 2005 and 10 to 15 percent of those drowning were classified as dry drowning.

Parents need to know the three warning signs of dry drowning, since dry drowning occurs most often in children and the small amount of water necessary to claim another victim to dry drowning can be inhaled during a child's bath time.

The three important signs parents need to look for after their child has been in water are: Difficulty in breathing, extreme tiredness and behavior changes. All three of the signs of dry drowning are due to a reduced flow of oxygen to the brain.

According to Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician from New York University Langone Medical Center, these three important signs can easily be overlooked or misinterpreted.

Dr. Daniel Rauch continued to say in his interview with TODAY'S Meredith Vieira, that for reasons not completely understood, a small amount of inhaled water can have a delayed reaction in some people.

The young dry drowning victim in South Carolina had been swimming in a pool and walked home with his mother after the swim. At some point during the swim, the young boy inhaled a small amount of water in his lungs, yet he was still able to talk and walk, showing no signs of respiratory distress.

The young boy did show two of the three signs indicating dry drowning, his mother however, being unaware of dry drowning or it's warning signs, attributed the signs to something else.

The young boy soiled himself in the pool, that was a behavioral change for the 10 year old. After the soiling incident, the young boy, his sister and mother walked home from the pool. The mother says she bathed her son and he said he was sleepy, he goes to bed, never to awake again. A victim of dry drowning.

After bathing or swimming, be alert to your child's behavior, the process of dry drowning takes awhile to occur. When a small amount of water has been inhaled, the brain does not get enough oxygen, and the child (or possibly an adult) will begin to do things differently, breathing will change, behavior will change or they will be excessively tired.

If the dry drowning warning signs are caught early enough, the child can be treated and saved. A breathing tube is inserted and pressurized oxygen sent to the lungs and the lungs will heal.

The three warning signs of dry drowning parents need to know: Difficulty in breathing, extreme tiredness and behavioral changes.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24982210/

The other day I got a very interesting question from my small nephew. He asked me what happens to people who have heart burns. He asked how they survive after that. I asked him why and he told me that their teacher had told them that the heart is the central organ in a human being which a person cannot live without. According to him, he wanted to know how they survive after their hearts get burnt. This prompted me thinking about the misconception that is usually there with heartburns. I therefore set out to explain everything to him. To avoid such questions or misconceptions in the future, I decided to write this article.

Heartburn is also refereed to as pyrosis. Most people suffer from heartburn. This is an uncomfortable painful feeling of burning or warmth in the lower chest. It is caused by excessive production of gastric acid in the stomach. The feeling can sometime last for hour or a few minutes. It usually occurs after heavy meals. It may also occur as a result of pregnancy, smoking, obesity or because of wearing tight clothes around the waist like tight trousers or skirts. Despite the name heartburn, it does not in any way affect the heart.

The main symptom of a heart burn is the burning feeling in the lower part of the chest and belching. Heartburn is a common health condition. Studies reveal that it affects 30% of adults from time to time and 10% of people suffer from it on a day to day basis. In , it is estimated that 20% of people suffer from heartburn every week.

Sometimes, frequent attacks from heartburns can be a symptom of a more serious health condition called GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). It is also called acid reflux disease. GERD is a condition in which stomach acid regurgitates or flows back into the food pipe (esophagus) sometimes causing an inflammation of the esophagus though this is limited to few individuals. It may also lead to damage to the vocal cords. GERD affects at least an estimated 5% to 7% of the world population.

There are several ways through which heartburns are treated. The most common and efficient treatment is by avoiding what may cause heartburn to you. The following are some few tips that may help you avoid heart burns.

Ensure you have adequate time between your meals and your bed time. Take your meals like 2 hours before going to bed.

Eat high-protein, low-fat meals.

Avoid foods that make you have a heart burn

Avoid wearing tight clothes especially skirts, trousers and tight belts.

Loose weight if you are overweight.

But if you have heart burn, then you may buy antacids. These are drugs that are used to treat acid-related symptoms, like heartburn or indigestion. They neutralize the acid in the stomach. However, they are not recommended to treat the frequent heartburn suffered by people with GERD. In extreme cases, the best and most effective long-term solution is surgery.

When you think about great places to bring a first date in Natick, MA. you probably almost automatically picture the part of Natick that sits astride Rt. 9.  Truth be told, there are many great places in Natick to bring a first date that have nothing to do with Rt. 9.  Depending on the season of the year and your personal taste, you can pick and choose great places to bring a first date in Natick.  These three great places to bring a first date in Natick will give you a place to start.

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary  Massachusetts Audubon Society has unintentionally established forty two great places to bring a first date and scattered them all across MA. They are called Wildlife Sanctuaries and one of them is located in Natick,MA  and it is truly a great place to bring a first date.  

At Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, you and your date will find nine miles of trails to explore and lots of opportunities to see wildlife and birds in the diverse habitats found in the sanctuary.  Admission to Broadmoor is only $4 unless you happen to have an Audubon membership card with you and then admission is free.  You can bring a first date to this great place inexpensively and in any season of the year.  There is always something new to see and investigate and great paths to wander.
  
Bringing a first  date to Broadmoor gives you plenty of alone time in a place where being quiet may well add to the charm of the place.  Broadmoor is a place where you can spend an hour or the better part of the day together.  You can add to the experience by taking a tape recorded tour of the sanctuary's nature center , especially interesting if you or your date are into environmental issues.  Either way Boradmoor is a great place to bring a first date in Natick, MA, the details are up to you.  

Lookout Farm    Not far from Broadmoor  Wildlife Sanctuary, Lookout Farm  provides another great place to bring a first date ,especially if you both truly enjoy the outdoors.  

Lookout Farm is a place with some history.  Standing as the oldest operating farm in eastern Massachusetts, Lookout Farm has learned how to do things right.  It fact it handles the harvesting   of produce so well that it regularly  attracts good sized crowds during weekends of the harvest season to join the harvest experience.  

Lookout Farm may not be a great place to take a first date in Natick , MA  if you want to be alone or just don't enjoy crowds.  but if you can get by the fact that lots of other people have discovered the same great place to be, you  can have a enjoyable time on your first date.  You can share apple picking  in season but there is often other produce from which to choose as well. Just remember not to get so involved  with your date that you forget that what you pick is yours and what is yours  your' ll need to pay for.  

Before  or after your adventure at Lookout Farm you might choose to insure the success of your first date by  adding on a picnic lunch or snack.  Near the Farm  is a picture perfect picnic area on the border of the Charles River dam that has ” great place to bring a first date”  written all over it. 

Natick Mall    Natick Mall is not the only happening place to go on Rt 9 in Natick MA  but it certainly is one of them.  Have you made plans for a first date with someone who loves to shop or at least window shop?  Have you been looking for a great place to take a first date in Natick, MA  where you can just be yourselves?  Do you want to go somewhere on a first date where you can go with the flow, stop for a bite  to eat, maybe even run into some friends “by accident”?  The Natick Mall could be the answer to your great places to take a first date  in Natick, MA  quest.  

One of the first big time malls in eastern MA, Natick Mall continues to offer great shopping and socializing  opportunities all week long.  Housing two mega stores in Macy's and Sears, Natick Mall also incorporates many smaller specialty shops as well.  If your date is meant to include an informal meal or fun snack, you'll find Friendly's or one of the eateries  lodged in the food court ready to serve you.  

The Natick Mall is engaged in a massive renovation project to be completed by the holiday season in 2006, to be followed by further development and growth projects in 2007.  Natick Mall is stretching and growing and offering you a great place to bring a first date in Natick, MA .

Natick is far enough away from Boston to have its own farms and wildlife sanctuaries and near enough to have lots of shopping adventures.  Finding a great place to bring a first date in Natick is as easy as deciding what you and your date really like to do.   

So you're a smoker. So I am. But I must say my fellow nicotine addicts, some of you have not been courteous to non-smokers, some of you give us this tainted name, you are the reason we've been banned to smoking 1000 feet away from certain buildings, and some of you need a lesson in manners when it comes to puffing away.

I'm a smoker, but at least I can say I am a courteous one. I do not by any means want to aggravate someone or become a reason to a complete strangers health issues. But there have been all too many times when I have seen smokers committing acts that are just downright un-classy!

1. I used to work in a fast food joint, and one of my co-workers was pregnant. It was not uncommon to have someone come up through drive-thru puffing a cigarette right in her face as they waited for their food. Now I don't know if you type of people are blind, but how the hell would you like it to be carrying a child to have some a**hole blowing harmful smoke in your face! Be courteous, at least for the baby's sake! Man, this act just sickens me, people committing this act should serve jail time. And that statement is coming from a smoker!

2. If you are sitting down on a bench having a smoke and someone sits next to you, be courteous and ask if they don't mind the smoke. If they do, LEAVE. Regardless of whether or not you were there first. It's not your bench. Respect others wishes. Do not get grumpy yelling at them to get the hell out of your face, and how you were there first. You're the one with the dirty habit, not them. Keep that in mind.

3. If there is someone about to walk by you, do not exhale in their face! Hold it in ad wait for them to pass. Blowing smoke in someones face is just downright rude, and it frigging burns eyes!

4. If you are in someones car, do not light up without asking first. Even if they are a smoker, ASK. They may not want you to accidentally burn their cars upholstery.

5. If someone starts an argument with you over smoking, try your best to ignore them. These types of people are just grumpy and do not care about your free rights. Put out your butt, and walk away. If they continue to hound you be polite, tell them 'to calm down, and have a cigarette'. (Don't really do that) Hahah.
No but for real, there are some people that will actually place themselves in your way just to start trouble. If you feel you are being attacked and you have been polite the entire time, call the police before things escalate to violence.

6. Do not under any circumstances smoke around children. Your own, or anyone else's for that matter. I do not know how often I see you 'dirty smokers' (I like to call them) with kids in the car as they are puffing away. This is disgusting and should seriously be filed under as child abuse!

7. Do not throw your butts in the street! The world is already in pretty bad shape, why make things worse!? Put your butt out first, and place it into an ash tray, or garbage pail.

8. If someone walks by you holding their noses because f your smoking, do not laugh and mock them, consider the possibility that they are allergic to it!

9. Do not flick your butts out of your car while your driving. You could cause a frigging fire! Have some courtesy to our earth, as well as those around you.

To many of you dirty smokers are bending the rules and you have thrown all your manners out the door when it comes to your habit. It is bad enough we have this bad habit, but we certainly do not have to be uncouth pigs about it.

Come on people, I'm a smoker, and this courteous little guide is not, by any means, hard to follow!

Although the results of bank stress tests to be issued by the Federal government are not due to be released until Thursday afternoon, what are reported to be leaked results have been published in multiple media sources. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Citibank failed the government's stress tests, needing $5 billion in additional capital.

Citibank's unsound financial status doesn't surprise me in the least. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Citibank went under altogether- not because I am some sort of expert on bank capitalization (I certainly am not) but because intuitively I have learned in life that careless business practices lead to ruin. I have been a Citibank customer for years and have seen some pretty strange occurrences that cause me to doubt Citibank's viability, the latest of which happened on Tuesday.

Citibank Has Difficulty Finding Its Customer Accounts

Before describing the events of Tuesday, however, let me mention a few preliminaries. I have custodial accounts for my children at Citibank. All of these accounts have been (repeatedly) linked to my own account, as I am the account custodian. On multiple occasions, I have stopped by the bank and sought to make transactions concerning the children's accounts without having brought the account numbers with me. Citibank has more than once refused my deposits after engaging in a painstaking search for evidence that the accounts existed and being unable to find two of the three. Now I ask you, what kind of bank can't find its customer's accounts?

So I didn't remember to bring the account number; they had my name, my social security number, and the account number for my (supposedly) linked account. What more could they need? And why didn't the accounts stay linked?

Citibank Turns Away Exact Payments

Citibank also turned my cash away one day when I tried to make an- oops, overdue- payment. The payment amount did not match the amount for the upcoming payment for the current month, so despite it being the exact amount of the overdue payment, Citibank refused to accept it, saying their system was set up so that it was “impossible” to process any payment that was not an exact match with the current payment due amount.

Citibank Teller Fails to Recognize Equivalent Monetary Expressions

And now for the frosting on the cake. I went into Citibank on Tuesday to make a payment of $1937.73. Call it nineteen hundred thirty seven dollars and seventy-three cents if you wish. Or call it one thousand, nine hundred thirty-seven dollars and seventy three cents- at your own risk. I handed the teller 19 one hundred dollar bills and a check for $37.73, along with a payment slip indicating in numerals payment of 1,937.73.

The teller advised me that I filled out the payment slip incorrectly, that I should have written 937.73. He said that I did not give him the thousand dollars.

I pointed out that I gave him nineteen hundred dollars in cash. He said yes, but (pointing to the “1″ on the payment slip) this says a thousand, you didn't give me a thousand.

I repeated that I'd given him nineteen hundred. He agreed that I did, but again pointed to the one and said I didn't give him the thousand I'd written down, only nineteen hundred.

Nineteen hundred is the same as one thousand nine hundred, I said.

The Citibank teller then denied that nineteen hundred dollars and one thousand nine hundred dollars are the same amount of money.

The Citibank teller even counted out the nineteen hundred dollars for me- one hundred, two hundred… one thousand, eleven hundred… all the way up to nineteen hundred- and still denied I'd given him one thousand nine hundred dollars.

After several tries, I convinced him of his error.

It's possible that a bank that can't find its own accounts, turns away customer payments and employs tellers unable to recognize equivalent monetary expressions might engage in other inadequate business practices.

So is Citibank at risk of going under? Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Sources: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2…; personal experience

Your bundle of joy has arrived and you take her home. But what happens if the hospital sends you home with someone else's bundle of joy? Williston, ND hospital officials are facing that very problem. How? Why? What Happened? The North Dakota Hospital is investigating the causes surrounding a front page story that Baby A did not go home with his parents but with Couple B, who for obvious reasons remain anonymous. Sure newborn babies are tagged with hospital bracelets on the foot and wrist and mom has a matching bracelet. But, honestly, with the medicine-ization of child birth, I surprised that more babies don't end up going home in the wrong car seat. I'm not surprised either, that parents don't recognize their own baby.

In first world countries, the vast majority of babies are born in a hospital or medical setting. Childbirth has become a medical/ surgical procedure. In some ways, childbirth is getting back to its roots with babies rooming in with mom during the hospital stay, lactation consultants and birthing rooms instead of delivery rooms. But in other ways, childbirth is even more medical than it ever was in the 1950s.

Immediately after birth, mom is preoccupied with birthing the placenta. Dad is cutting the cord and baby has a social agenda to rival Paris Hilton. She's being bathed, weighted, measured, poked with vitamin K, having silver nitrate gel put in her eyes, her nails done and neatly packaged. If mom has a Cesarean Section delivery or epidural, the hospital goes into post-operative mode. Mom may be groggy and confused. If baby has complications, she is whisked away to be examined and analyzed. If baby is bottle fed, off she goes to the nursery to be placed on an assembly line for her timed feedings. And all this time, mom and baby have hardly had a chance to say 'hello', let alone get acquainted.

This streamlining of childbirth is totally skewed. The only thing baby needs immediately after the ordeal of birth, is to be placed on her mama's warm belly and allowed to share adoring gazes with mommy. She may want to nurse or she may just want to cuddle. Mama's belly has been her only home and she needs mommy's security and love to face this cold, sterile world. Rooming in, in which baby's bassinet is placed right next to mom's hospital bed assures that he will never be more than a few feet from mom. Baby can nurse when he wants and there is no chance of him going home with a different mommy and daddy.

For more on babies, pregnancy and healthy childbirth, visit me at www.healthhelp4u.blogspot.com and www.parentinghotline.blogspot.com .

In the past couple of years I've been getting used to the idea of a snowless Christmas. Now, that might not sound that unusual but when you take into consideration the fact that I live in Maine words start to carry a little more weight. No, I don't live in Canada, us Mainahs are just below it though. So, I think its fair to say that we have a right to a snowy Christmas. Warm winters are becoming a recent trend. In fact the temperatures of the 2005-2006 winter season are the highest on record ever. And the way things are going it looks like this winter may give '05-'06 a run for its money.

Before I said I've been getting used to snowless Christmas days but I reached a new milestone this year. On December 21st I was Christmas shopping in a t-shirt and walking around outside comfortably. I believ it reached 42 degrees that day and to some of you that may seem chilly but to a mainah that's goshdahn remarkable.

So, the earth's getting warmer as a whole. This isn't news to me, I've seen and heard all the global warming scares. I saw Al Gores Inconvenient Truth, and I completely buy into it. As a human being in the 21st century I'm naturally a contributor to global warming. My goal is to purchase a hybrid car whenever I stumble upon enough finances to do so. But, besides global warming is there another reason for these unusually mild temperatures?

Through research I've discovered that every 80,000-100,000 years the earth goes through a stretch of warm seasons (These studies ONLY go back 650,000 years or so). And by a stretch I don't mean one or two winters, it's more like 10 – 20 years. And you guessed it, we're on that stretch, or so it appears so. So for those of you that deny our impact on global warming bask on that. But not for too long, because you might get burnt.

Global temperatures have increased sharply since the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago. This is due to our increasing levels of pollution and overall carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. extra CO 2 in the atmosphere essentially builds a cloud of smog that helps trap in the heat we receive from the sun. In fact, scientists' estimate that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has jumped 30 percent in the last century. Which is starting to make some of us sweat.

Polar ice caps are melting at never before seen rates and the days of solid permafrost at our poles are dropping dramatically. The globe is definately warming and it's not just a spell. It may be somewhat due to this historically based warm stint, but most of it can undisputably be attributed to our unmonitored pollution.

What can YOU do to help? Simple things really, just be more environmentally concious. Recycle more, conserve energy whenever possible, walk more drive less, buy a hybrid car if you can afford it, buy from local distributors rather than national ones (less travel equals less gas), plant a tree and most of all let others know about your concern with global warming.