Category: General

Life hands every single person a sense of loneliness at some point, but other people can do a lot to help out.

In the United States, a 2014 survey by the National Science Foundation revealed that 1 in 4 of 1,500 people interviewed have no one with whom to talk about personal troubles or triumphs or to share confidences.

People become lonely or blue for many reasons. Some are introverts and find social engagement difficult or feel they don’t fit in. Some are depressed after the death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a parent or job or when children leave the nest. Some suffer from a disease or physical limitation that doesn’t allow leaving home; others may be abused by a spouse and fear outside relationships.

Remember when people are lonely, they often long to share the things they love: That perfect rose bush, a fabulous soup, or a favorite book. So helping to relieve someone’s loneliness is often just being willing to share in their experiences.

What can we do to add cheer to the world or even just a stranger who needs a lift?

* Tell people when you value their work.
* Ask someone new to lunch.
* Visit a recently widowed neighbor.
* Take your talent on the road by dancing or singing at a senior facility, for example.
* Smile at store clerks, your restaurant waiter, and a seemingly unfriendly neighbor.
* Pocket your phone and never use it in public except for emergencies.
* Call someone, or visit. Go to dinner. Take time to admire the important things.
* Spend time talking and laughing or playing a board or card game.
* Ask what they need (a ride to the dentist or church, a grocery trip, or repair of a dripping faucet).
* Make this one day of cheering up one person an important part of your life. If you want something, give it sincerely to someone else.

High school and college students in larger cities are checking out tech-type companies for their summer work, spurning the usual retail and restaurant positions.

According to The Wall Street Journal, jobs in companies like Uber, TaskRabbit, Instacart, and Postmates are hiring students for deliveries, tech support, and transportation. These are jobs that, for the most part, didn’t exist at all 10 years ago.

Delivery services Postmates and Instacart go out of their way to court students for summer work.

But unlike traditional summer jobs, these can be very flexible, offering little in the way of structure. According to college coach Suzanne Shaffer, a summer job is what trains kids to get up, dress up and show up on time. Listen to instructions. Obey a boss. Work with others. Accept responsibility for the job.

As we consider the dramatic words of the Declaration of Independence, we wonder whether the writers knew the long-range impact of their words.

Did they see a great nation emerge from a vision of independence? We think they did. How many times have you personally marveled at the wisdom of these national founders?

They had a rare vision of what our country would turn out to be, and that vision rings true to this very day. Their writings were an achievement of significant proportions.

Since the first July 4th, historians give us some interesting notes about that calendar day. First, they say the Declaration of Independence was signed on August 2, 1776, about a month after being adopted.

President Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, and three of our nation’s first five presidents died on that day: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in 1826, and James Monroe, our fifth president in 1831.

Congress didn’t actually declare it as legal federal holiday until 1941.

The 4th of July is also a holiday for American business, says Robbie Briggs, a real estate company CEO. He reminds us that it’s a day that celebrates America’s devotion to entrepreneurship and the opportunity to build businesses of our own.

Briggs says it serves as a tribute to each citizen and all they may elect to pursue in business or any other endeavor.

As we commemorate our independence, we remember that America’s freedom and democracy occurred because of the determination of our forefathers to establish this place as a free country.

Concept cars are usually shown for years before they go into production.

Lincoln is changing that pattern. Its new Navigator SUV will go on sale in 2017 and will look like the concept car.

According to an attendee at the New York Auto Show, the Navigator drew actual gasps from the crowd when the doors opened like bird’s wings.

Lincoln calls them gull wing doors which, when opened, let down a helpful series of concertina steps.

The doors cover most of the whole side instead of the hinged, side-opening doors.

The new Navigator also has a push-button shifter that designers compare to piano keys, a flat, retro center console and horizontally ribbed seats.

If you were stopped on the street by a reporter, how would you answer this question? With a shrug? Sadly, you’re not alone.

Our veterans and current military are the most knowledgeable because they have fought to protect what it represents.

This June, we have the opportunity to proclaim our respect and honor for our country by flying the flag, attending a Flag Day parade or teaching our children why we’re doing it.

President Woodrow Wilson established June 14, 100 years ago, as a day to fly our flag with pride. His speech could be proclaimed in 2016 as well as in 1916.

“I … suggest and request that throughout the nation and in every community, the 14th day of June be observed as Flag Day.

“There should be special patriotic exercises to express our thoughtful love of America, our comprehension of the great mission of liberty and justice to which we have devoted ourselves as a people, our pride and our enthusiasm for the political program of the nation, our determination to make it greater and purer with each generation, and our resolution to demonstrate to all the world its sentiment and purpose.”

On June 14, 1777, the design of our first national flag was approved by Congress. It has been modified 27 times since then. Old Glory, the star-spangled banner, has flown since 1959, when President Eisenhower ordered the 50th star for Hawaii, the last state to join the USA.

“God bless America, land that I love,” Irving Berlin’s 1938 song of personal thanks, is still worthy of being our personal sentiment of patriotism.

Banks are anticipating a boom time for home equity loans.

With home values rising, consumers have more borrowing power. And lenders want to create home equity lines of credit to offset faltering mortgage originations … and a refinancing wave that is fizzling out.

Average home prices are up 35 percent since the market bottomed out in 2012, S&P/Case-Shiller reports. New homes families looking at are costly and might not be what they’re looking for. So instead of buying or moving, they are choosing to remodel or add a room.

One study showed that the average home equity loan last year was for about $119,000. But economists say the borrowing binge isn’t looking like bad news.

Credit-reporting agency Equifax has announced that lenders originated $546 billion in home equity loans in 2015.

“Consumers are more comfortable using the equity in their house,” says Brendan Coughlin head of consumer lending for Citizens Bank, the No. 6 home equity lender.

Quoted in USA Today, Coughlin says, “The housing market is improving, consumer confidence is also improving, and unemployment is declining.”

During the housing boom of the mid-2000s, homeowners took out equity lines of credit for everything from vacations to boats. Now they’re drawing on them for home improvements as well as debt consolidation, emergencies and education expenses, Coughlin says.

They are not turning their homes into ATMs.