That includes updates Merle Haggard activists in meryle haggard recounts the African American community who initially had strong reservations about the change. The president of the Boston teachers union openly praises mayoral governance. There is no talk of returning to the old system. The voters of Boston spoke loudest on the subject a decade ago. After state legislation allowed the change, a local measure giving approval passed by a single percentage point. Another local referendum in 1996, mandated by the earlier legislation, gave the new governance era a strong thumbs-up: 70% in favor of keeping the mayor in charge. But Boston's experience is valuable for reasons that go beyond vote counts or test scores It's not so much what Boston has done as how it has done it.

The city was one of the first to adopt mayoral control, and it shows what the governance change can achieve over the long haul merle haggard sing me back home . Of the cities that have put the mayor in charge of schools, Boston also has had the most coherent and consistent approach. Supt merle haggart . Tom Payzant, who retired at the end of June, spent 11 years running the Boston district, an extraordinarily long tenure for a big-city schools chief merele haggard . And Menino has been dogged in his pursuit of better results. *Next: How the mayor makes a difference. mearle haggard . Gabriela Villegas scrolled through the online profiles, searching for a photo and description that appealed to her. She wasn't surfing for a date or networking for new friends. She was on the Kiva website, reading through stories of impoverished entrepreneurs in developing countries, trying to decide to which venture she would extend a $25 business loan. "Twenty-five dollars -- that's probably how much I spend on just one meal," said Villegas, 25, of Manchester, Conn.

"But with that same money, I was able to change someone's life. "Kiva, at kiva. org, is a nonprofit based in San Francisco merle haggard mama tried . It has not yet celebrated its two-year anniversary but is already attracting international attention for its unique mission -- blending the principles of micro-financing with the power of online social networking to deliver business loans to the world's working poor. Named after the Swahili word for "unity," Kiva is getting big-name nods from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and former President Clinton merle haggerd. And with more than $13 million lent to 1,800 ventures, it's being held as an example of a savvy brand of online activism. "People are by nature generous and want to help others, but they want to do it in a way haggard . where they can really see how they're making an impact on somebody's life," said Kiva spokeswoman Fiona Ramsey merlehaggard . "We all see [the philanthropic work that] Bill Gates and Oprah do, and we'd all love to do that ourselves. But few of us can afford to. "Enter Kiva, making a micro-lender of anyone with $25 and an e-mail address. Here's how it works.

The organization partners with 66 nonprofit micro-finance institutions that vet loan applicants in 38 countries merle haggard big city . Once they get clearance, the borrowers post their pictures and needs on the Kiva website, where would-be lenders can pore through the 70-or-so listings posted at any given time -- a motor-taxi service in Asia, a goat farmer in Africa, a seamstress in Iraq back to the barrooms . An average loan request is $650, and lenders can choose how much to fund. As borrowers repay their loans, they send online progress reports so lenders can see how their money is working merle hagard . Once the loan is repaid -- and most are, with a default rate of just 0 Merle Haggard - merlehaggard . 3% -- lenders can collect their money or lend it to another entrepreneur silver wings haggard . Most lenders choose the latter, Ramsey said. Villegas imagines she will too .

For now, she enjoys seeing the progress reports of the borrower she selected: Maria Martinez of Mexico merle haggard album . To supplement her husband's income and fund her daughter's education, Martinez began cooking and selling food from her home three years ago sing me back home haggard . The business has expanded, and she requested a $950 loan to buy a stove and other supplies. One of 37 lenders to the venture, Villegas was drawn to the story that reminded her of her own mother's the way i am haggard . A single parent raising three children in New York, Villegas' mother worked in a clothing factory and a supermarket and had sold food as well. "I remember she used to leave before I went to school and come back at 7 at night," Villegas said "Growing up I didn't realize what an effort she was making And she never complained meral haggard . She wanted us to focus on our studies. "They did, and now Villegas, a Boston University graduate, is an engineer at aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney. She and her siblings have since bought their mother a house in Seattle, where she's enjoying retirement. "I would never have been able to be where I am if it wasn't for my mother's hard work," Villegas said.

"I wanted to be able to help someone provide the same things for their children. "That's why the model works so well, Kiva says; it gives average people like Villegas a tangible way to help. "Famine and drought and disease -- if you've never experienced that yourself, it's really hard to relate to and really hard to know how to help," said Ramsey, who works at Kiva with her husband, Jeremy Frazao merle haggard songs . "But if someone says they need $25 so they can buy eggs to hatch chickens -- everyone can relate to needing to borrow money. "Kiva was founded in 2005 by then-newlyweds Matt and Jessica Flannery big city haggard . He was a former TiVo engineer, and she had been inspired by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and traveled to Africa to work with a micro-finance institution working man blues haggard . With its 16-person organization getting by largely on donations and the power of 150 volunteers, Kiva can only hope to eventually offer interest on loans. "Right now, we can't offer a financial return on your investment," Ramsey said, "but we can offer you an emotional return. "--(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)KivaWhatSan Francisco website, at kiva. org, matches entrepreneurs with those who want to lend $25 and up to micro-businesses. How it worksKiva partners with 66 nonprofit institutions that vet loan applicants in 38 countries merle okie . Borrowers post their pictures and needs on the site and would-be lenders choose how much they want to fund. The average loan request is $650. Track recordSince 2005, more than $13 million has been lent to 1,800 ventures The default rate is 0 Merle Haggard . 3%. Source: Kiva. While homeowners were being stung by shrinking property values, renters across the state found themselves having to dig deeper into their pocketbooks in the third quarter, according to a report to be released today. The average rent at larger apartment complexes in California increased 5. 6% to $1,413 compared with a year earlier, according to a survey by Novato, Calif. -based research firm RealFacts. Los Angeles and Orange counties remained the state's most expensive market for rentals, while the San Francisco Bay Area posted the highest rent increases -- as high as 12. 2% in Santa Clara County Merle Haggard - wikipedia . In the Inland Empire, which has suffered the worst of the housing market meltdown, renters caught a relative break as landlords raised rents at half the pace found in neighboring counties. Although rents rose across the Southland, some analysts said they had been expecting to see even higher prices given the housing market meltdown, which turns many potential home buyers into renters. Merle Haggard tickets "The supply and demand for the housing market are interrelated with the supply and demand of the apartment market," said Delores Conway, director of USC's Casden Real Estate Economics Forecast.