“I came to South by Southwest. In a kayak.”

Tyler Tervooren and I were walking along the street toward my rental car to head out and grab the best chicken wings in town for lunch at South by Southwest.

Tyler decided to stay in a hostel directly across the river from the Austin Convention Center. And although he took the bus from the hostel to the convention center every day, he told me he envisioned renting a kayak and simply kayaking across the river. “It’s a straight shot,” he said.

While Tyler saw kayaking across the river as an interesting story, I saw it as an example of something else: something I’ve recently been completely fascinated by. I call it the 100% verbal opt-in, and I’ve lately become obsessed with documenting this phenomenon.

While “opting in” in web lingo means having a person give you their email address to subscribe to your list, I consider a verbal opt-in to be when you pique someone’s interest enough with just one or two sentences that you get them to ask, “What do you mean?” or “Tell me more.” That acknowledgement is their way of “opting in” to your story.

Not only did I become fascinated by the introductions that made people verbally opt-in 100% of the time, I started noting them when I came across them. As we walked down the street, I

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Foreclosure rates in most of Minnesota’s local markets have remained high last year. According to housing market analysts, part of the reason could be the high number of homeowners who get stuck in the foreclosure process for as long as two years. They stated that this factor has, in part, made 2010 foreclosure numbers exceed 2009 levels and has prevented the housing market crisis from abating in the region.

Local market observers have reported that some owners of Minneapolis foreclosures and distressed properties in other areas of the state can get their properties sold in a few months, while others get stuck living in their foreclosed homes for as long as two years and unable to move on. A number of homeowners have reported experiencing multiple cancellations to their scheduled sheriff sales.

The problem, owners of MN foreclosures have revealed, is that this has prevented them from moving on and most of them live in financially difficult situations since the foreclosure has caused their credit ratings to plummet. For those who have been waiting for almost two years for their properties to get sold or auctioned off, their credit histories are particularly hammered, owners have revealed.

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Although single family and multi family foreclosures are not as high in Nebraska as in other U.S. states, they still have some impact on the various sectors of the region. Just like other areas of the country, Nebraska is also dealing with the impact of the recession and has instituted a number of public financial adjustments to cope with the difficulties.

The problem of foreclosures in Omaha and in the whole state might not be as severe as in other areas, but the region also faces issues regarding homelessness. Programs designed to provide affordable housing to families in the low income bracket have been put in place in the state, but current budget allocation changes will likely diminish the funds reserved for these programs.

In Lincoln County, local officials are bracing for the impact of budget cuts as reports have trickled out that more than $3 million of financing reserved for the Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund will be reallocated to economic development initiatives. The news has worried some housing advocates who are trying to help homeless people who lost their properties to foreclosures in Nebraska.

Along with the issue of single family and multi family foreclosures, housing advocacy groups and local agencies are facing further problems related to housing this year, local advocates have stated.

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It is true that anything good in life does not come easy. So, too it’s not all that easy for businesses to find a loan. A federal government agency too offers grants to businesses that are non-profit organizations or are into developing new technology. It is true that the SBA offers loan programs in partnership with community development organizations, local-lenders and micro-lending institutions.

Businesses find SBA backed loans with lenders having a partnership with the SBA. The lenders can be micro-lending institutions, community development organizations, local lenders as well as agencies that have a specialization in short-term commercial loans . The best thing about SBA loans is that it offers guarantee in the event of non-payment by borrowers.

The basic 7(a) loan and “504” loans fall under the category of SBA loan programs. They are delivered through Certified Development Companies (CDCs) for the sake of acquiring machinery, real estate and equipment. There are also the 7(m) Micro-loans of up-to $35,000 and the post disaster recovery and assistance loans.

Small businesses can become eligible for receiving assistance from state and local agencies depending on where the small business is being established, workspace, administrative support, training, tax incentives and reduced rates on existing office and workspace. Also,

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