Three Trees to Plant in your Seattle Backyard

Spring is here, and it’s a great time to get to work on your backyard summer space.  Having a well-groomed lawn with trees and plants helps shade your yard, block out noise from the street, and gives you a natural privacy screen.

Unsure of what to plant in your Seattle backyard this spring?  Though species like pine and redwood are what usually come to mind when people think of the pacific northwest, arborist Seattle experts can recommend a number of tree species that will stand up to Washington weather year-round.

1.  Oak.  Oak trees are native to Oregon and Washington, and they grow very well in the region.  They provide lots of shade and produce dark green leaves that look beautiful in a backyard.

2.  Maple.  The big leaf maple is a tree species famous for being able to withstand huge amounts of rain.  They also survive well in dry climates, making them a very versatile species ideal for rainy Washington weather.  Another plus: they grow fast, meaning instant gratification for your family.

3.  Japanese Maple.  Short on space in your backyard?  If you’re worried about your new trees getting so big that you need Bellevue tree removal services next year, consider a Japanese Maple.  These trees are slow-growing, meaning it will be decades before the tree overtakes your yard – and their beauty makes the extra cost worth it.

Can Philadelphia Improve Its Image?

         The growth of suburbs in the U.S. is a national trend that began after World War II. The nation’s total suburban population rose from 40.9 million in 1950 to 108.6 million in 1986--an increase of 165.5 percent compared to a 58.7 percent rise in total population. Philadelphia, once a thriving and richly diversified city, now is known for having blocks and blocks of vacant, dilapidated homes. The Census Bureau reported in 2000 that Philadelphia had a 10.9 percent housing vacancy rate, the second highest among major U.S. cities.  Meanwhile, periphery suburbs are flourishing, and even becoming overcrowded, as more and more people leave the city. San Diego solar city is a good example of a reverse trend that shows people wanting to live close to the city. So what is going wrong in Philadelphia?

        As a result of the residential changes, Philadelphia has been labeled with a negative connotation as a “bad place to live”.  Many of the people living in the city are in run-down neighborhoods that they cannot afford to leave.  An image is beginning to permeate the surrounding areas that Philadelphia is an increasingly unattractive place to live. 

        As old neighborhoods lay barren and debilitated, attempts to reuse their real estate that could be worth thousands in a bankrupting venture. Although, renovation plans are in place, the city’s residential areas will not change without convincing the people they have the potential to become viable places to set down roots. 

To learn more about the growing renewable energy industry visit this solar energy San Diego company website.

Land Disputes Source of Conflict in Colombia

Colombia has ongoing and seemingly never-ending problems over land, displaced people, and terra nulliums, a Latin term commonly used in Roman law meaning land that has not been claimed or taken under sovereignty. When land has not been claimed, groups try to occupy it and in some cases violate international laws or treaties.

A eminent domain lawyer, for example, in the United States would take care of property disputes in which the state needs to seize property from a citizen when a significant amount of money is owed.

In Colombia, according to a report published in the Latin American Herald Tribute, land disputes are spurring violence and disputes.

Colombia has the fourth largest economy in Latin America, valuable natural resources, including petroleum and coal, and is well-known for its coffee and banana exports. However, for many years, Colombia has been notorious for conflicts between its government and illegally armed groups and drug traffickers. There is wide-spread and illicit production of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis, and it is known for being the world’s leading cultivator of coca. Additionally, Colombia endures the most uneven distribution of wealth in all of Latin America. Such a wide gap in wealth exacerbates the country’s social and poverty issues. In spite of its multiple tensions, Colombian support of sound economic policies and its aggressive promotion of free trade agreements have caused, in recent years, for it to have an increase in its GDP as well as a significant decrease in inflation especially during 2011.

To learn more about what the legal problems and conflicts surrounding land disputes visit this condemnation attorney homepage.

Credit Companies Report Delinquency Rates Declines

It was announced this week that a handful of major credit card issuers in the United States that in the month of March ended with wither lower charge-off and delinquency rates in their credit portfolios.

Delinquency rates are the percentage of loans within a loan portfolio that have delinquent payments, and are generally related to unemployment rates.

Medical accounts receivable specialists understand the importance of collecting past-due bills and managing delinquent payments, since not only do they affect the creditor, the affect they borrower in negative way. They can mark their credit scores and their ability to get future loans or mortgages.

Bank of America, Capital One, Citigroup, Discover, and JP Morgan Chase are five large banks to make up the large majority of credit card accounts in the United States.  In fact, Bank of American reported credit losses have dropped to the lowest rate since 2007. However, the average overall delinquency rate is below a long-term average as a result of stricter lending principles and standards for credit card accounts that major banks have implemented since the credit crisis and recession. The rate last march was exactly a full percentage lower than March 2011.

To learn more about medical accounts receivable services visit this healthcare collections training specialist homepage.

How the Coffee Industry Affected the Costa Rican Economy

When coffee was exported from Costa Rica in the 1800’s it soon became the most important crop to the Costa Rican economy, pulling the small developing nation out of poverty and into the ‘Golden Era’ of relative prosperity. However, despite the overall increase in the quality of life, Costa Rica’s dependence on coffee ended up crippling the country when coffee prices plunged during the Great Depression.

Additionally, the nation’s coffee dependence has led to its exploitation by the major coffee importers, such as Europe and the United States, and is something in today’s world will be presented to any eminent domain lawyer.

In the 1990s, despite the high price of a cup of coffee in the US, only 16% of money spent in the US on coffee made it back to the producing countries. Most recently, the fall in coffee prices from 2000 to 2004 is a flagrant example of inequality of coffee profits; while the fall resulted in poverty and a devastating economic downturn in many producing countries such as Costa Rica, the only negative effect experienced by importers such as the U.S. was a cheaper cup of coffee of lesser quality. Again in this case of inequality among Costa Ricans will not make in to court with a condemnation attorney or anything of that sort, instead capitalism alone was expected to balance out and promote economic advancement.

To continue reading about this topic ready my other posts on this blog.

Political Instability and Looting Ancient Treasures

While we Americans travel to far and distance locations to explore, sightsee, and discover, there are many dynamics, both subtle and overly blatant, that we can either chose to ignore. The ancient remainders of Peru, such as the Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located on the coast of the South American country of Peru that draws millions of people from around the world, for example, have and continue to suffer from looting.

Looting, for example, is a serious problem in unstable economic and political climates that criminal defense attorney Montgomery County MD practice in the US, for instance do not have to confront.

The challenges of looting faced by archaeologists are an unwelcome reminder of the political nature of ancient sites. Although major cases of looting that arose in the 1990s in countries such as Iraq and Peru marked the urgency of this issue, little has been done political to hinder the profuse loss of national treasures. In Peru, for example, lootings is a growing national industry due to the extremely high value, abundance, and accessibility of the country’s antiquities. The Gulf War of 1991 and the current war in Iraq have resulted in a devastating loss and destruction of artifacts from museums and archaeological sites. Historian, Boire, in his article “The Spoils of War”, highlights the vulnerable situation of artifacts in Iraq due to the fact that museums, particularly national museums, are subject to looting during times of conflict.

Kennedy & Dolans Attorneys at Law have an experienced and resourceful criminal defense and personal injury lawyer Montgomery County MD team.