Detroit mayor expected to make plea in court (AP)

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestrated/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/detroit_mayor

AP - Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, his lawyers and the Wayne County prosecutor have appeared briefly in court before going behind closed doors, leading to speculation a plea deal is imminent in the mayor's criminal case.

Jobless claims jump, productivity soars (AP)

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestrated/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/economy

AP - The number of newly laid off workers seeking unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week, the government said Thursday, reversing three weeks of declines.

Hanna takes aim at Bahamas, Ike next in line (AP)

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestrated/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/tropical_weather

AP - Tropical Storm Hanna roared along the edge of the Bahamas on Thursday ahead of a possible hurricane hit on the Carolinas, leaving behind at least 61 dead in Haiti.

New Screening Catches More Breast Cancers (HealthDay)

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080904/hl_hsn/newscreeningcatchesmorebreastcancers

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- While tremendous progress in screening and treatment for breast cancer has been made in recent years, some 184,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008, and about 41,000 women will die of the disease.

Mr. Jalopy gets the Maker Movement up and running (AP)

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/highestrated/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/maker_movement

AP - Some may say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but a Do-it-Yourself guru known only as Mr. Jalopy puts a new spin on the worn out phrase as he heads up an unlikely phenomenon called the Maker Movement.

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Doulas deliver help for birthing moms

ROSWELL, Georgia (CNN) -- The lights were dimmed, soft music was playing and a scented candle burned on the counter. In the center of it all was Julie Trotter -- moaning through hard labor contractions.

For more than six hours, Trotter, a 23-year-old from Duluth, Georgia, tried different techniques to ease the pain of natural childbirth. Not only was her husband offering encouragement, but so was her doula, Kai Martin Short.

"She definitely was a lifesaver for sure," Trotter says. "She used a lot of counter-pressure through each contraction, and that helped so much."

Doula is a Greek word meaning "woman's servant." Part birthing coach, part mother's assistant, doulas are showing up in more delivery rooms than ever before.

Short, from Atlanta, Georgia, is among 2,500 certified doulas in the United States.

"Doulas trust birth and are not afraid of it even when the mom and dad get afraid," Short said. "We're there to just say things are fine; you're doing great; this is all normal." Health Minute: Watch how a doula helps a woman through labor »

Short offers more than comforting words. For a flat fee of $700 per client, she meets with the parents before the baby's due date to talk about their expectations and to share techniques to be used during labor. She is by the mother's side in the delivery room and visits the parents at home after the baby is born to offer advice on such topics as breastfeeding.

In her three years as a doula, Short has attended more than 30 births. Her training with a group called DONA International involved 26 hours of instruction on pregnancy, childbirth and comfort measures. "Whatever [mothers] need, whether it be changing positions, encouragement, massage or saying comforting words, there are so many things we do to help with the process," Short said.

Short tries to create a calm atmosphere in the delivery room with music and candles. Throughout the labor, she massages the birthing mother's back and rubs her head. Another one of her tricks to relieve pain involves having the woman sit on a big rubber exercise ball during contractions.

She encourages the father or other family members to get involved in the process and shows them how to help the mother breathe through contractions.

"I think it's really hard for a loved one to see their loved one in pain," Short said. "They don't really know how to help them."

While Short has plenty of advice for parents, she has no medical training and is not supposed to offer a medical opinion. She does not take the place of a doctor, midwife or nurse. Her role is to strictly work with the family and motivate the mother during labor and delivery.

But Dr. Sean Lambert, an OB/GYN who delivered Trotter's baby at North Fulton Hospital in Alpharetta, Georgia, says that sometimes, doulas can cross the line.

"It's almost as if some women and some couples have turned to them for too much advice and guidance," he said. "Occasionally, it will cut across what we recommend on a medical basis."

Short says she's never had any clashes with medical professionals. "Really, it's separate roles," she said. But she can understand how the relationship can get tricky. "It can be territorial sometimes if the doula is a little bit more strong-minded or opinionated."

Short encourages her clients to ask questions, and she's careful in her approach to the answers she gives.

Ten days after the birth of her son, Braydon, Trotter reflected on the experience. "It was a perfect one in my eyes," she said. "I think having a doula definitely would be helpful for anybody, and I wouldn't change anything about the birth."

Short enjoys seeing new families come to life and concludes, "The best part for me is helping women realize what their bodies can do. Just having that support can make all the difference."

American Home Mortgage files for bankruptcy

NEW YORK - American Home Mortgage Investment Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday and two other mortgage lenders said they were not accepting new applications, signs that the worst housing crunch in decades could be widening.

American Home Mortgage, based in Melville, N.Y., and once the nation’s 10th largest mortgage lender, said it fell victim to “extraordinary disruptions” that effectively cut off the funding it needed to make new loans. Falling home prices and a spike in payment defaults scared investors away from mortgage debt, including bonds and other securities backed by home loans.

Houston-based Aegis Mortgage Corp. said it would not accept any more applications and said it could not meet all of its existing funding obligations. Cleveland-based National City Corp. also stopped taking applications for new loans and lines of credit in its wholesale home equity unit.

“We are in a market now where value is a fleeting concept,” JMP Securities analyst Steven C. DeLaney said of the vanishing appetite among investors for the bundles of mortgage debt that had been the funding lifeline for the industry. “The market today has just basically shut down.”

As the market for mortgage debt suddenly shrinks, people trying to borrow for home purchases or refinance their existing homes are facing tougher terms and stricter standards — and are much more likely to be turned down than just a few months ago, when the industry was pushing loans even at buyers with bad credit histories.

American Home Mortgage filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Wilmington, Del. Its 40 biggest creditors include virtually all the major names of Wall Street. At the top of the list are Deutsche Bank AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Deutsche Bank had no comment. JPMorgan Chase declined to comment on its exposure.

In a statement, American Home said it lined up $50 million in debtor-in-possession financing from WL Ross & Co. LLC. WL Ross is led by billionaire Wilbur L. Ross Jr., who has rescued failed companies in the steel, coal and textile industries.

The company hired Stephen F. Cooper to be chief restructuring officer. Cooper was also chief restructuring officer for Enron Corp.

While bankrupt lenders carry ominous implications for the housing market and for consumers hoping to take out mortgages, they do not affect the status of mortgage loans already on the books.

A bankrupt lender simply means financial institutions will likely buy the company’s loans as its assets are auctioned off; it does not imperil people’s homes.

Likewise, Ganesh Rathnam, an analyst who tracks investment banks for Morningstar, said he does not expect Wall Street to sustain much damage from American Home, which has less than $20 billion in liabilities.

“The Wall Street banks will go and look for their next source of income, whatever that is,” he said. “It is not going to bankrupt them.”

American Home Mortgage joins more than 50 lenders in bankruptcy this year. It is bigger than most of the other lenders to go out of business so far, second only to New Century Financial Corp.

But unlike New Century and most other bankrupt lenders, American Home Mortgage was not a “subprime” lender. Subprime lenders cater to home buyers with spotty credit. Almost none of American Home Mortgage’s $58.9 billion in home loans last year were to subprime borrowers.

Yet like other subprime lenders, American Home’s decline was quick.

Last week, the company said many of its lenders wanted their money back and it was unable to deliver as much as $800 million in promised loans. It then laid off almost 90 percent of its 7,000 employees.

Houston-based Aegis Mortgage, whose owners include private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, said Monday it notified brokers who serve as customers that Aegis would not be able to fund loans currently in the pipeline.

Aegis Mortgage spokeswoman Pat Wente said the company’s roughly 30 U.S. branches were open and its 1,300 workers on the job.

“We’ve just announced we’re going to have to suspend lending until we get this figured out,” she said. “We’re in the process of reviewing all the alternatives we can.”

National City said the decision to stop taking applications in its wholesale unit is one of a number of steps “taken in recent weeks to help ensure that originations are in line with existing and anticipated market conditions.” National City Home Equity offers loans and lines of credit through brokers that can be used with the purchase of a home or the refinancing of one. National City is still accepting applications for such loans at its bank branches.

Separately, NovaStar Financial Inc. on Monday confirmed it temporarily halted home loans through brokers but said it was honoring existing commitments.

Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst Scott Valentin cut his price target on the company’s stock to zero, saying suspending loans lays the groundwork for shutting down.

Also Monday, Luminent Mortgage Capital Inc. said it has been experiencing a significant increase in margin calls and a decrease in the amount of financing available from its lenders.

San Francisco-based Luminent said its was suspending the company’s second-quarter dividend of 32 cents per share and was considering a “full range of strategic alternatives” to address its liquidity issues.

 

 

 

http://familycrafts.about.com/gi/pages/stay.htm#hd

Trash to Treasure Crafts

Creative and fun ideas for recycling trash into crafts!

Not only is recycling good for the environment, it can help save you money, and, with the projects posted here, you can find out how to recycle creatively! Using the ideas presented here, you can transform baby food jars, paper bags, orphaned socks, and several other items into crafty masterpieces.

Make sure any items you recycle into crafts are clean and dry - most can be washed in hot soapy water. You should also make sure there are no sharp edges or small parts which may pose a choking hazard for younger kids. Simply make sure you use common sense before you use your imagination!

Please enjoy this ever-growing list of great ideas for recycling items you might normally throw away to create great craft projects, games, and more. Click on the desired item below to find a collection of great recycling ideas.

Bags
There are some wonderful crafts you can make using old paper or plastic bags.

All shapes and sizes of bags can be used.

• Paper Bag Crafts
• Plastic Bag Crafts

 

 

• Beans and Seeds
  Crafts are a great way to use up old and/or expired beans and seeds. Not only can you use up old beans, but also stale sunflower seeds and clean watermelon seeds.
  
  • Bean and Seed Crafts

   

 

• Cans
  Cans are not only available in a variety of shapes and sizes, but also in a variety of materials. You can craft using sturdy tin cans, flexible aluminum cans, and also round cardboard cans like those that hold juice, oatmeal, and even potato chips.
  
  • Aluminum Can Crafts
  • Cardboard Juice Can Crafts
  • Coffee Can Crafts
  • Oatmeal Container Crafts
  • Potato Chip and Nut Container Crafts
  • Tin Can Crafts

   

 

• Cardboard and Boxes
  I think boxes have been a craft staple since they were invented - the creative possibilities for re-using shoe boxes and large, corrugated boxes are almost endless. Cardboard pieces can also be very useful in your crafts.
  
  • Cardboard Piece Crafts
  • Corrugated Cardboard Box Crafts
  • Household Box Crafts
  • Shoe Box Crafts

   

 

• Cardboard Tubes
  While you might think this listing should be included in the cardboard listing because, well, they are cardboard, the popularity of crafting with empty toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls is so popular I thought it deserved it's own listing!
  
  • Cardboard Tube Crafts

   

 

• Compact Disks
  Some of us have large collections of these crafting gems, although they don't seem to send as many in the mail as they used to - at least to some of us! Don't throw them away, same the CDs and the cases they come in and you can make some beautiful crafts.
  
  • CD Crafts
  • CD Case Crafts

   

 

• Film Containers and Pill Bottles
  As the popularity of digital cameras is growing, most people's stick-pile of empty film containers is shrinking; however, you can usually substitute prescription pill bottles for use in crafts in place of film containers.
  
  • Film Container and Pill Bottle Crafts

   

 

• Greeting Cards
  Who can stand to toss out beautiful greeting cards after an occasion has passed? Not me! Instead, you can transform them using craft techniques and your imagination.
  
  • Greeting Card Crafts

   

 

• Jars and Bottles
  While you will want to be careful while working with glass jars, you will enjoy the variety of projects you can make. You can also recycle plastic bottles and jars using creative techniques.
  
  • Baby Food Jar Crafts (approx. size)
  • Plastic and Glass Drink Bottle Crafts
  • Quart-Sized Jar Crafts (approx. size)

   

 

• Kitchen and Tableware
  There are many ways you can recycle old paper, plastic, styrofoam, and other tableware. Check out all the ideas below!.
  
  • Bowl Crafts
  • Cup Crafts
  • Drinking Straw Crafts
  • Eating Utensil Crafts
  • Egg Carton Crafts
  • Milk Carton Crafts
  • Paper Plate Crafts
  • Plastic Jug Crafts
  • Strawberry Basket Crafts
  • Styrofoam Tray Crafts

   

 

• Laundry Scoops
  Here are some inspiring ideas for using the little plastic scoops that come along with powdered laundry soap.
  
  • Laundry Scoop Crafts

   

 

• Lids and Caps
  Bottle caps, jar lids, frozen-juice can covers, and plastic tub lids can all be used to make crafts. You can make everything from simple matching games to fancy jewelry and useful refrigerator magnets.
  
  • Bottle Cap Crafts
  • Frozen Juice Can Lid Crafts
  • Jar Lid Crafts
  • Plastic Tub Lid Crafts

   

 

• Light Bulbs
  A trash can is not a good place for burned out light bulbs so why not incorporate them into your crafts?
  
  • Light Bulb Crafts

   

 

• Packing Peanuts
  I don't know about you, but I do not like the thought of simply throwing away those little, styrofoam peanuts that are sometimes used to fill the gaps in packed boxes. Besides reusing them when mailing a package, you can try to make fun crafts out of them.
  
  • Packing Peanut Crafts

   

 

• Puzzle and Game Pieces
  Whenever you come across an orphaned puzzle or game piece, set it aside because they can make fun embellishment items or even the base of some unique craft projects.
  
  • Puzzle and Game Piece Crafts

   

 

• Reading Material
  Whether you purchase the reading material, such as newspaper and magazines, or you receive them unsolicited in the mail, such as catalogs and flyers, you should start saving them for use in a variety of projects.
  
  • Magazine - Catalog Crafts
  • Newspaper Crafts

   

 

Wearables
Here are some fun ways you can recycle old items you can't or won't wear anymore. A perfect way to reuse outgrown clothing or orphaned gloves and socks.

• Blue Jean Crafts
• Glove Crafts
• Hanger Crafts
• Sock Crafts