Photo by Diane Knaus©

Native American Women Win

7-29-2010 According to:Lynn Rosenthal the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

The President just signed the Tribal Law and Order Act -- an important step to help the Federal Government better address the unique public safety challenges that confront tribal communities.

According to a Department of Justice report, Native American women suffer from violent crime at a rate three and a half times greater than the national average. Astoundingly, one in three Native American women will be raped in their lifetimes. At the White House Tribal Nations Conference in November 2009, President Obama stated that this shocking figure "is an assault on our national conscience that we can no longer ignore."

Last week, Congress took another important step to improve the lives of Native American women by passing the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. The Act includes a strong emphasis on decreasing violence against women in Native communities, and is one of many steps this Administration strongly supports to address the challenges faced by Native women.

The stipulations in the Act that will benefit Native women reflect several Administration priorities. The Act will strengthen tribal law enforcement and the ability to prosecute and fight crime more effectively. The Indian Health Care Improvement Act will require that a standardized set of practices be put in place for victims of sexual assault in health facilities. Now, more women will get the care they need, both for healing and to aid in the prosecution of their perpetrators.

Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault will now more often encounter authorities who have been trained to handle such cases. The Act expands training of tribal enforcement officers on the best ways to interview victims of domestic and sexual violence and the importance of collecting evidence to improve rates of conviction. The Director of Indian Health Services will coordinate with the Department of Justice, Tribes, Tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations to develop standardized sexual assault policies and protocols.

Special Assistant US Attorneys will be deputized under the Act to prosecute reservation crimes in Federal courts, and tribes will be given greater authority to hold perpetrators accountable. These provisions help to increase communication between tribal law enforcement, Federal authorities and the court system. As numbers of convictions grow, more women may be willing to report the abuses against them so that their abusers may be prosecuted.

However, the Act focuses not only on prosecution but also on prevention. It reauthorizes and improves programs to prevent and treat alcohol and substance abuse, as well as programs that improve opportunities for at-risk Indian youth. Getting men and boys involved in stopping the violence against women and girls is an important step to ending it everywhere, giving youth a chance to change their own futures.

This Act, combined with the great work that Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice are doing to combat violence in American Indian/Alaska Native communities, is an important step towards our Administration’s priority of ending violence against women and girls, and making Native communities safer and more secure. One in three is a statistic that is intolerable, and the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 will help to change that.

Lynn Rosenthal is the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

Stay Safe After a Hurricane

7-26-2010 Because of the current problems in the Gulf of Mexico, the CDC has issued safety tips to keep you and your family safe if a hurricane occurs there. 

Stay out of the dirty water, it can make you sick.

Wash yourself with clean water if you can, never flood water.

Baby oil or suntan lotion can remove tar or oil from your skin.

Wash your hands when coming in contact with things you are unsure about,before preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, and after clean-up activities.

For additional information on stressed pets and other animals click here.

Pleased With the Presidents Decision

7-2-2010 Marilyn Heiman, director of the Pew Environment Group’s U.S. Arctic Program, released the following statement in response to the Obama administration’s expected announcement today that any applications for exploratory drilling in the Arctic will be suspended until 2011.

“We are very pleased with the President’s decision to suspend Arctic exploration drilling this summer. A delay until 2011 will provide the affected communities and agencies the opportunity to further study proposed drilling technology, oil spill response capabilities and the effects of oil drilling in the sensitive Arctic marine environment. 

“Unlike the Gulf, the proposed drilling sites in the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are in some of the most remote areas on earth. They are thousands of miles away from spill response infrastructure equipment and personnel. Eight foot seas in the Gulf sidelined initial cleanup efforts. Arctic waters have extreme weather conditions where 20 foot seas and moving sea ice are the norm.

“Our thoughts are with the communities in the Gulf affected by the spill. The Pew Environment Group commends the administration for taking a cautious approach and gathering additional information about resource risks and environmental sensitivities before moving forward.

“No new oil leasing, exploration or production should take place until the president’s independent commission completes its process and reforms are implemented.”

Chesapeake Bay

MIDDLE RIVER, MD (May 18, 2010) –Governor Martin O’Malley today announced the Chesapeake Bay showed broad water quality improvements in 2009, receiving its highest mark since 2002 from the annual Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card. Joined by citizens, stakeholders and scientists alongside the Gunpowder River in Baltimore County, Governor O’Malley also launched StreamHealth, a new website to help Marylanders learn about the health of their streams and take action to improve them.

The report card — an annual analysis conducted through the EcoCheck partnership between University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office — is based on data collected by state and federal agencies through the Chesapeake Bay Program. The 2009 report noted improved conditions in eight Bay regions and degraded conditions in two, earning the Bay a grade of “C” for overall health.

“This report provides us with an independent look at how we in Maryland are living up to our commitment to restore the Bay,” said Governor O’Malley. “When integrated with our BayStat initiative, snapshots like this one help us hold ourselves accountable for meeting key milestones that will lead us to a healthier Bay. This is the Bay’s highest grade since 2002 and an improvement over 2008’s ‘C-minus.’ Through our continued acceleration of efforts on the ground that we will deliver the results we need to turn the Bay and its rivers around.”

Grades for 14 reporting Bay regions varied, ranging from “B-minus” (moderate-good) to “F” (very poor). The highest ranked region, for the third year in a row, was the Upper Western Shore, which includes the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers. The lowest ranked region was the Patapsco and Back Rivers.

Scientists attribute the overall improvements to last year’s unique regional rainfall patterns, continued efforts to reduce nutrient pollution within the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the gradual rebound in Bay health since the historically poor conditions observed in 2003. Over the report's 24-year history, overall Bay health was rated at its highest in 1993 with a score of 57, and it lowest in 2003 with a score of 35. The 2009 rating of 46 falls in the top 25 percentile.

“Despite the record high rainfall in parts of Maryland and Virginia, the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay improved last year,” said UMCES researcher and project leader Dr. William Dennison. “Normally, more precipitation means poorer Bay health. But last year, the Bay benefited from below average rainfall throughout Pennsylvania which appears to have reduced the amount of pollutants reaching the open waters of the mainstem Bay.”

To help citizens better understand their critical connection to Bay health and encourage them to take action, Governor O’Malley today launched StreamHealth, a powerful new web-based tool that provides resources for citizens, grassroots organizations, schools and scout groups to survey their streams, and receive technical guidance and funding opportunities to restore and protect them.

Developed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Maryland Environmental Service, Towson University, and the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Information Technology, the site’s interactive map provides information on individual stream health as well as the presence or absence of forested streamside buffers and impervious surfaces — two of the major factors influencing stream health.

“The health of the Bay is ultimately determined by what we do on the land -- in our cities and towns, on our farms and forests, in our schools and backyards,” said Governor O’Malley. “Through this website we are providing information that is real to people because they can see the status of the streams in their neighborhoods –- our lifelines to the Bay.” “We must view our streams as ecological and aesthetic assets -- not just places where trash collects and flooding occurs,” said Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin.

Governor O’Malley also encouraged citizens to join the Stream Waders program, the volunteer arm of the Maryland Biological Stream Survey, an internationally acclaimed assessment program that provides data for the StreamHealth website as well as the Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card.

“Over the past 10 years, nearly 1,800 Stream Wader volunteers have sampled aquatic insect populations at about 6,000 stream sites, excellent indicators of stream health,” said Governor O’Malley. “Like our citizen tree-planting and oyster growing Today’s announcements come less than a week after the Environmental Protection Agency released its new strategy for Chesapeake Bay Restoration. Under the leadership of Governor O’Malley, Maryland is well poised to meet the new strategy, with many effective efforts already delivering results. These include: recent actions on stormwater, steps to better manage poultry litter and power plant rules, action on blue crabs and oysters, continued full funding of Program Open Space, upgrades to wastewater treatment plants, installation of best management practices on farm land and targeting and tracking through BayStat.

In another significant victory for Marylanders and the Bay, the 2010 General Assembly approved Governor O’Malley’s request for $20 million for the Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, an essential component in achieving the State’s 2-Year Milestones.

BP Oil SPill

5-4-2010 Thousands of Good Questions Remain Unanswered on the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

According to Dr. Larry McKinney- Executive Director of Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, “Southern Louisiana contains 40% of the wetlands found in the lower 48 states. The seafood production from the Gulf of Mexico exceeds that of all the areas of the east coast from Maine to Florida, combined. Louisiana accounts for almost 80% of that Gulf production.”

After hurricanes Katrina and Rita we learned about the fragile marshes and coastlines in Louisiana and Mississippi were damaged from those storms. In many areas there has been a change to just plain water, no marshes have grown back, and that was due to raging hurricanes not oil damage.

At this point we really don’t know what the outcomes are going to be for such a large oil spill, except it scares all of us because of the perceived destruction of our ecosystems. It is far too early to make any determinations or predictions about the final damages.

Unfortunately each time we have an environmental disaster like this we learn more about our world and what not to do most of the time. Hopefully we will learn more of what not to do in the wake of this major oil slick and the tragic loss of human life as well.

1,000 Gallons of Oil a Day

NEW ORLEANS - The unified command for the Deepwater Horizon Explosion Response announced Saturday that the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit was located capsized on the sea floor approximately 1500 feet northwest of the well site. Remotely Operated Vehicles located two places where oil is leaking from the well pipe and estimates indicate that up to 1,000 barrels of oil a day could be leaking into the water approximately 5,000 feet below the surface. 

The unified command, consisting of the Coast Guard and Mineral Management Service, in collaboration with BP, the responsible party, are working round the clock to determine options to contain and secure the spill.

During an overflight this morning, a 20-mile by 20-mile rainbow sheen with areas of emulsified crude was located approximately 40 miles offshore. Although there is currently no shoreline impact, Gulf Coast states have been notified and invited to participate in the Area Command Center located in Robert, La. On-water recovery efforts were hampered by thunderstorms, rain and rough seas in the area today. However, onshore planning and staging efforts continue unabated and recovery efforts will continue when weather conditions improve. One-thousand-nine-hundred gallons of dispersant were applied Friday and 33,726 gallons of oily-water mix have been recovered by surface skimmers.

"Our response plan is focused on quickly securing the source of the subsurface oil emanating from the well, clean the oil on the surface of the water, and keeping the response well offshore," said Rear Adm. Mary Landry, Incident Commander and Federal On Scene Coordinator.

It is too early to know the cause of this incident but a collaborative investigation by the Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service is in progress.

BP, the responsible party, is required to fund the cost of the response and cleanup operations. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, established after the Exxon Valdez incident, is also available to fund cleanups, if needed.

The Coast Guard search and rescue operation was suspended Friday at 7 p.m. (CST). During the search, rescue personnel conducted 28 sorties and covered more than 5,000 square miles.

Appliance Rebates

Applications will be available from your electric utility provider. You may also be eligible for an additional rebate from your utility, made possible by the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act.

If you are a customer of Maryland's municipal and cooperative utilities, MEA will have a special rebate program for you beginning on April 22, 2010

ENERGY STAR Clothes Washers ($100)

ENERGY STAR Refrigerators ($50)

Please note that for qualifying refrigerators, the annual kWh usage must beat least 25% more efficient than the federal standard. Look for this specification when shopping for qualifying models.

Electric Heat Pump Water Heater ($300)

All ENERGY STAR electric heat pump water heaters qualify

These rebates are in addition to existing utility rebate programs that are made possible by the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act.Rebates vary by electric utility provider.

Status of Women

As the international community grappled with the global financial crisis, officials in countries from Chile to Ireland were stepping up efforts to economically empower and improve the workplace status of their female citizens, delegates and a senior United Nations official said today as the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women continued.

Ireland’s Minister of State with responsibility for Equality, Disability Issues and Mental Health, said Ireland’s sustained economic growth could be attributed in part to a marked increase of 400,000 -- or 60 per cent -- in the number of women working in Ireland since the mid 1990s. To date, Ireland’s economic downturn had put more men than women out of work. In many cases, women’s earnings had supplemented the income of families that would otherwise have to rely on the male breadwinner’s unemployment benefits. Moreover, by introducing a national minimum wage, and better childcare services, maternity leave and child benefits, the Government had made it easier for women to balance work and family life, while narrowing the gender pay gap to below the European Union average.

Chile’s representative said that in the past four years her Government had adopted a “We are all Chile” slogan to affirm a gender-based approach. The Gender Equity Agenda 2006-2010, a set of guidelines for action by ministries and services, had helped the National Service for Women implement major programmes that promoted good labour practices. The pension system had been reformed to enhance women’s participation in the national economy, with an emphasis on the value of domestic work and motherhood.

In neighbouring Uruguay, women generally received better grades in school than men; but they faced wage discrimination in the workplace, according to that country’s representative. To better protect women, the Government had adopted a law that regulated household work and encouraged gender mainstreaming in collective bargaining, the latter of which had led to clauses that ensured equal opportunity.

Similarly, Malta’s Government had enacted policies to empower women to enter the labour force and retain the jobs once they were there, according to that country’s representative. It had set up training programmes for mothers returning after a five-year absence, as well as flexible work arrangements and special family leave provisions.

Denmark’s long and flexible parental leave schemes, and guaranteed day care for all children had helped to make it one of the most gender-equal societies in the world, its representative said. But there was room for improvement. The Government was focusing on putting more women in top management by creating a Charter for women in management, and taking steps to close the pay gap and labour market segregation. Starting in January 2007, major enterprises were required to prepare gender-divided wage statistics. The results would be analysed this year.

The Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said the global economic downturn demonstrated the need for a dramatic shift to a more equitable globalization and action to make trade an instrument for women’s empowerment. In practical terms, mainstreaming gender in trade policies required assessing the impact of those policies on the well-being of men, women and households. Such analysis would allow for better understanding of the challenges and opportunities women faced from market liberalization, as well as facilitate women’s transition to a more competitive market structure.

Tajikistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Sri Lanka’s representative pointed to efforts in their nations to bolster women’s entrepreneurship through training, skills development, marketing assistance and microcredit schemes -- all effective tools for reducing poverty. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates’ delegate noted the creation of a Business Women’s Council among other steps to strengthen women’s entry into the national workforce, where they accounted for 22.4 per cent of all employees.

During the afternoon, the Commission held an interactive expert panel on the theme, “Commemorating 30 years of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women”.

One of the panellists, Dubravka Šimonovi?, head of the Human Rights Department of Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Convention was the only gender-specific human rights instrument, and the Beijing Platform for Action was similarly gender-specific. They should not be viewed separately, but in an integrated manner, she said, adding that in the past 15 years, the links and convergences between the texts had grown stronger -- so much so, that they were actually merging into one overall framework for women’s empowerment.

Andrew Byrnes, Professor of International Law of the University of New South Wales of Australia, said the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which monitors States’ Parties compliance with the Convention, had gone far towards developing the concept of discrimination against women by coming up with a substantive definition of equality, and not just a formal one. But on a practical level, nearly all cases decided by the Committee had been against members of the Council of Europe, casting doubt over why other regions were not engaging the Committee in the same way. On States parties’ reservations to the Conventions, he called for challenging States in that regard and for ensuring that national human rights institutions saw the Convention as part of their mandate.

Moderated by Takashi Ashiki (Japan), the panel also featured presentations by Sapana Pradhan-Malla, a Member of Nepal’s Constituent Assembly and President of the Forum on Women, Law and Development.

94 Recovery Act Investments

Washington 8-19-2010 Vice President Biden announced 94 Recovery Act investments in broadband projects that will create jobs and expand economic opportunities within 37 states. These investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure will help bridge the technological divide in communities that are being left in the 20th century economy and support improvements in education, healthcare, and public safety. Today’s announcement, an investment totaling $1.8 billion, is part of a nearly $7 billion Recovery Act initiative.

“The investment in broadband technology will create jobs across the country and expand opportunities for millions of Americans and American companies. In addition to bringing 21st century infrastructure to underserved communities and rural areas, these investments will begin to harness the power of broadband to improve education, health care, and public safety,” said Vice President Biden. “The awards are another great example of how the Recovery Act is creating jobs upfront, while also building a foundation for sustainable job creation and global competitiveness.”

Projects receiving funds today are part of a program – administered by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) – to expand broadband access and adoption across the country.

“The broadband investments announced today are going to put people to work in the near term, but they also will lay the groundwork for sustainable economic growth down the road,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “These projects will connect Americans who have for too long been without the full economic, educational and social benefits of high-speed Internet access – access central to success in the 21st Century.”

“The broadband projects announced today will give rural Americans access to the tools they need to attract new businesses, jobs, health care and educational opportunities,” Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack said. “The Obama Administration understands that bringing broadband to rural America provides a gateway for businesses and key anchor institutions – such as libraries, schools, public safety and community centers – to provide services to thousands of Americans. These projects will create jobs building these networks, and the completed systems will provide a platform for rural economic growth for years to come.”

Today’s announcement includes 66 grants awarded by the Commerce Department for projects to deploy broadband infrastructure and connect community anchor institutions to broadband, create and upgrade public computer centers, and encourage the sustainable adoption of broadband service. It also includes 28 awards from USDA for broadband infrastructure and satellite projects that will provide rural residents in 16 states and Native American tribal areas access to improved service.

The Department of Commerce awards also contain grants for public safety broadband networks that will improve response times and communication at the scene of emergencies. These projects constitute a critical set of demonstration projects and a head start on President Obama’s commitment to support the development of a nationwide, interoperable public safety wireless broadband network.

According to an analysis released by the National Economic Council last year, overall Recovery Act investments in broadband are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the near term and expand economic development and job opportunities in communities that are being left behind in the new knowledge-based economy. Recovery Act broadband projects help bring down the cost of private investment, attract Internet service providers to new areas, improve digital literacy among students and workers, and help create new opportunities in employment, education, and entrepreneurship by wiring homes and businesses. With new or increased broadband access, communities can compete on a level playing field to attract new businesses, schools can create distance learning opportunities, medical professionals can provide cost-efficient remote diagnoses and care, and business owners can expand the market for their products beyond their neighborhoods to better compete in the global economy.

Maryland Jobs Traning Numbers Up

From the governor: This week, I was proud to stand with Senators Mikulski and Cardin as we announced federal investments for new cyber security job training opportunities for 1,000 Marylanders, and additional funding to establish a National Cybersecurity Center for Excellence at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg.

Our Congressional delegation understands that the jobs of the future are those that support our innovative, knowledge-based economy. And that includes our new fields of battle, protecting Americans against terrorists, hackers, spies, and criminals in cyber space. Accordingly, we're investing in the skills of our people so we can train cyber soldiers that not only keep our citizens safe from 21st century attacks, but also provide good jobs for the future.

We also visited University of Maryland, Baltimore's BioPark, which just a few years ago was a vacant, trash-filled, overgrown empty lot that now houses some of the most innovative, life-saving research and development companies in America's biotech industry. There, we announced that the BioInnovation Center will double its size over the next six months, expanding to 18,000 square feet to accommodate its growing companies and allow up to 50 new employees.

As we invest in these new, innovative industries, creating jobs for the future of our State, these investments continue to support a network of traditional industries that are beginning to turn the corner from recession to recovery to prosperity. Industries including retail, hospitality, communications, and others are posting open positions just this week.

Martin O'Malley

Governor

Maryland Jobs

7-23-2010 According to Governor O'Malley: Small businesses account for 2 out of every 3 jobs in Maryland and are the backbone of our economy. Ensuring that credit is available and flowing to small businesses is vital to recovery and job growth. Yesterday, I met with banks and lenders from across the state and challenged all of us to find ways to increase small business lending so that our state's small businesses can continue to grow and succeed.

In 2009, we launched Maryland's Small Business Credit Recovery Program, which works through an existing state financing program – the Maryland Industrial Development Financing Authority – to provide a state-funded guaranty of privately-financed small business loans. Already this year, we have provided $6 million in loan guaranties to small businesses.

This week, we learned that for the fourth straight month, Maryland experienced job growth. In June, Maryland employers added 1,600 jobs to their payrolls, marking a gain of more than 40,000 jobs since January – the most net jobs growth in a January to June period since 1996. Particularly notable is that Maryland continues to grow jobs at about twice the rate of the rest of the nation, and added jobs in June when the rest of the nation experienced a decline.

We also learned this week that venture capital investments in Maryland shot up more than 52%, to more than $100 million in the second quarter of 2010, indicating that the market anxiety that has slowed the recovery appears to be turning. And there are indications that employer confidence is on the upswing as well. A recent survey showed 39 percent of businesses said they expected to add staff during the second half of the year.

This week's news is another positive sign for families and businesses in Maryland. In these tough economic times, we have made the tough choices necessary to create and save jobs, improve conditions for Maryland businesses, and fuel economic progress.

Together, we continue to leverage the enormous job-creating potential of our State, including strategic tax cuts for businesses that hire unemployed workers, and investments in important growth sectors of our economy, a world-class workforce, and America's #1 ranked public schools.

Martin O'Malley

Governor

Development and Rehabilitation of Disaster Victims

Expressing grave concern at the increasing number of people affected by humanitarian emergencies, including those associated with natural hazards, the Economic and Social Council today pressed the United Nations, on one hand, to strengthen humanitarian capacities by transferring technology and expertise to developing nations, and urged Member States to develop disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures, on the other.

The Council wrapped up its humanitarian affairs segment with the adoption of a consensus text on strengthening the Organization’s coordination of emergency relief assistance, by which it encouraged efforts to enhance cooperation of United Nations humanitarian entities, among others, with a view to planning and delivering assistance in ways that supported early recovery, sustainable rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. In such work, the Organization was encouraged to strengthen its ability to recruit and deploy staff quickly and flexibly, and to procure emergency relief material in a cost-effective manner.

Further by the text, all actors engaged in the provision of humanitarian assistance were urged to fully commit to — and respect — the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. States and parties in armed conflict and post-conflict situations were called upon to ensure the safe and unhindered access of humanitarian personnel, allowing such personnel to assist affected civilians, including refugees and internally displaced persons. They were also called upon to comply fully with international humanitarian law, including all Geneva Conventions, to assist civilians in occupied territories.

By other terms, the Council urged States to continue to prevent, investigate and prosecute gender-based violence, including sexual violence, in humanitarian emergencies, while improving support services to victims. In other areas, the Council encouraged the private sector, civil society and others to consider increasing and diversifying contributions to humanitarian funding mechanisms, including the Central Emergency Response Fund.

Key contact numbers
Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816
Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511
Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511
Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858
Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401

SEC Seeks Comments

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2010 — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that in response to the market disruption of May 6, the national securities exchanges and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) are filing proposed rules today under which they would pause trading in certain individual stocks if the price moves 10 percent or more in a five-minute period.

The SEC is seeking publiic comment on the proposed rules.

The markets are proposing these rules in consultation with FINRA and staff of the SEC to provide for uniform market-wide standards for individual securities in the S&P 500® Index that experience a rapid price movement.

These rules reflect a consensus that was achieved among the exchanges and FINRA after SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro convened a meeting of exchange leaders and FINRA at the SEC early last week. That meeting took place within days after the market dropped significantly and after approximately 30 S&P 500 Index stocks fell at least 10 percent in a five-minute period.

"We continue to believe that the market disruption of May 6 was exacerbated by disparate trading rules and conventions across the exchanges," said Chairman Schapiro. "As such, I believe it is important that all the exchanges quickly reached consensus on a set of uniform circuit breakers that would be triggered when needed. Today's filings reflect that consensus. I am pleased by the constructive cooperation of the exchanges and FINRA as evidenced by their rapid response."  

Where Can I Get More Help for my Home Financing?

See http://www.freddiemac.com/avoidforeclosure/where_to_get_help.html

Make Your Homes More Affordable

If you're having trouble getting a straight answer in connection with the Making Home Affordable program, call 1-888-995-HOPE and they will be able to get you the help you need.

If you believe you have experienced discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, or another reason, contact HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at 1-800-669-9777

Primary Mortage Market Survey

3-25-2010 McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.99 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending March 25, 2010, up slightly from last week when it averaged 4.96 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.85 percent.

Making Home Affordable

3-31-2010The Freddie Mac Relief Refinance Mortgage offers two options, which are designed to help borrowers who are making timely mortgage payments but have been unable to refinance due to declining property values and tightening credit terms.

The Home Affordable Modification Program, which offers a strong foreclosure prevention solution by expanding eligibility to borrowers with Freddie Mac-owned mortgages who are delinquent, as well as borrowers who are current but in imminent danger of default.

By helping more borrowers through the Relief Refinance Mortgage and the Home Affordable Loan Modification program, we can work together to be a critical and stabilizing force for the nation’s families and their communities.

Locate People in Haiti

People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or (202) 647-5225.

WHO

13 JANUARY 2010 | GENEVA -- The severe earthquake that struck Haiti and the Dominican Republic has inflicted large-scale damage, including on hospitals and health facilities, and large numbers of casualties are feared.

Immediate health priorities include:

WHO Health Action in Crises Haitisearch and rescue of survivors trapped underneath rubble;treatment of people with major trauma injuries;preventing the infection of wounds;provision of clean water and sanitation; and ensuring breast-feeding is continued.
Control of communicable diseases, such as diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections, will be another major concern in coming days.

WHO is working with local authorities, United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners to respond to the emergency. More specifically, WHO is supporting the Haitian government to best coordinate international health assistance to the country. WHO is also collecting data on the health impact of the earthquake to disseminate to other humanitarian aid providers.

In addition, WHO is deploying a 12-member team of health and logistics experts. The WHO experts being sent include specialists in mass casualty management, coordination of emergency health response and the management of dead bodies.

UN buildings, including the WHO premises, have suffered damage in the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, which struck on 12 January. The main force of the earthquake was felt 17 kilometres south-west of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

Haiti is a country that has already suffered from years of humanitarian crisis and natural disasters, including a series of hurricanes that battered the country in 2008.

Back to Main page