There is a Yahoo feature that allows users to make their own predictions about the election on one of those infamous red/blue state maps.
This also gives you some valuable information on what the theories are for those states that are still up for grabs.
Click for MY prediction map!
The Stuart Weitzman Celebrity Shoe Auction, which benefits supports Ovarian Cancer is off and running.
You can go to Stuart Weitzman to see all of the shoes and start in the bidding war. You get a great shoe that you can decorate your favorite room with (of course under glass to protect that bad baby) and the satisfaction of contributing to a great cause that affects millions of women every year!
MY faves:
Blake Lively "Sweet Treat"
Joy Bryant "Break the Silence of Ovarian Cancer"
and
Leighton Meester "Colorful"
All of this talk going on about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the Lehman Brothers, and the American International Group (AIG) is not only confusing, it is one of those things that makes you just want to scream at the TV..." WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME!"
Well, in a nutshell, over the course of three to four weeks a few financial disasters have rocked America:
1. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had to be bailed out by the US government from bankruptcy because they basically had no net worth. These are the two largest mortgage financing companies in the US.
2. Merrill Lynch sold itself to Bank of America
3. The Lehman Brothers Holdings, the 4th largest investment bank in America, filed for bankruptcy.
4. AIG, one of the worlds largest insurers, was headed for bankruptcy before the US
government bailed them out with $85 billion.
All of this is a result of the mortgage fallout that has taken place in the last few years. With house prices going down and foreclosures at an all time high, many investment banks and mortgage lenders have found themselves in debt from non-paid mortgages. As a result, these companies began to see their profits being eaten up by their debts, and they just could not play catch up!
So, many of them filed for bankruptcy, and now the US government is forced with deciding what is going to happen next, and what moves they will make to ensure that this type of cycle, the biggest since the 1930s depression, does not repeat itself. The governments intervention is the largest of the sort since The New Deal.
So what does this mean to you:
1. Fluctuating stock rates and returns
2. Low interest rates
3. Continually dwindling mortgage prices
4. Some, but limited, worry about the money you have invested at financial institutions
5. The possibility of a major comeback financially after the smoke has settled in this crisis!!!
I read a recent Yahoo article that began with these words:
"Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close..."
http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-obama-race;_ylt=AlJqFmFZhO5rBGA2_gPZT_Z2KY54
After reading the entire article, I was angered and disturbed. Basically, the article was in response to a poll that showed that 1/3rd of all white Democrats have negative views against black people. The poll showed that many Whites, including Democrats, still view Blacks as violent, lazy, complaining,and irresponsible.
I read the article in its entirety...and it was not the article I was angered by, but the audacity of people!
We live in a society where there are now more millionaires of color than ever before. More minorities are excelling in the business world, in education, in life. While there are still many institutional barriers in place that simply mimic the white privilege that already exists, but minorities and people of color are rising in spite of those barriers and in spite of that privilege. It is that privilege, that many White people deny and refuse to acknowledge, that gives them the audacity to say such things about other people, many of whom probably don't even personally know one Black person. These are probably people from Idaho, Iowa, ALASKA, and other areas,where there are less Black people than in more metropolitan areas. There are a few, most likely, from those same metro areas who have always held resentment towards those unlike themselves. People who are so ashamed and unhappy with who they are, they put others down,especially those least like them, to make themselves feel superior.
Well,I have news for all of those people. If they follow thier prejudices, they will elect into office a man who is purely politics and his sad choice for a running mate. They will elect into office a man who wants to continue the senseless, unnecessary, and deceptive war in Iraq. A man who is not going to bring a fresh new perspective into this country full of FRESH AND NEW life. I am amazed at the audacity of ignorance. I am amazed at the audacity of fear. I am amazed at the audacity of granduer. And I am inspired by the Audacity of HOPE!
Obama in '08...VOTE OR DIE!
Can I just tell you this: I LOVE NINA GARCIA!
Her style points are right on.
In honor of her Top Ten Luxe List, I have put together a selection
of each of her top ten. These flow with my own style...take a look
at her list and find things that suit your style.
Happy Shopping!
Credit Education is the one thing that is SEVERLY lacking in financial education...as if there is a such thing. Most people have to find out
for themselves, after they have ruined their credit, how to boost it back up!
Well, now, there are a ton of great resources to help us make educated credit choices, fix our credit, and maintain a good credit rating.
First, you can easily go to sites such as crediteducation.org to find classes
in your area that are geared towards teaching people, in plain language, about
credit and how to maintain it. At this site, you can even take online courses,
and become certified. Even the credit bureaus have credit education centers online
that teach you about credit scores, how they are determined, and what you can do
to keep yours at a satisfactory level.
Second, you can sign up for tools that watch your credit, and alert you everytime
a change is made or your credit file is updated. This way, you will stay abreast of
each and every thing that happens, and will be notified immediately so you can take
action if you need to.
Third, TAKE ACTION. If there is something going on that you did not authorize, then
you need to get a fraud alert placed on your credit file, and you can do this with
most bureaus online. Then, you can enroll in such programs as Credit Trax through FDI that will help you take action on those inaccurate cases in your file and get them deleted or updated, thus increasing your credit score.
Lastly, once you have educated yourself and taken some small steps to getting your credit file in order. You need to look at the bigger picture of HOW you are using credit. It is important when you have large purchases like a car or a house. However, you should refrain from accumulating large balances on credit cards that usually have very high interest rates. These should only be used in an emergency OR if you are going to pay off the balance each month. Otherwise, you are paying the credit card company to borrow its money, and the longer and the more money you borrow, the more it is going to cost you!!!!
THE DEBATES ARE COMING, THE DEBATES ARE COMING!
Get ready, because the presidential debates start September 26th.
Here is a list of the debates, what channel they will appear on, and the moderators.
HAPPY VOTING!
First presidential debate
Friday, September 26
The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
Jim Lehrer
Executive Editor and Anchor, The NewsHour, PBS
Vice presidential debate
Thursday, October 2
Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Gwen Ifill
Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour, and Moderator and Managing Editor, Washington Week, PBS
Second presidential debate (town meeting)
Tuesday, October 7
Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn.
Tom Brokaw
Special Correspondent, NBC News
Third presidential debate
Wednesday, October 15
Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.
Bob Schieffer
CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent, and Host, Face the Nation
Each debate will begin at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
(Source, Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/05/presidential-debate-moder_n_117048.html)
Okay, after perusing ALL...that is RIGHT...every last look from NY Fashion Week 2009, I have a list of all of my favorite designs, right here, for you to see.
Stay tuned next week for my recreation of some of these styles for us women on a style budget!!!!
Carolina Herrera
Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Anna Sui
Douglas Hannant
Monique Lhuillier
Zac Posen
Michael Kors
I have to tell you, that my favorite collection was by Mr. Oscar de la Renta. Everything was just perfect...the lines were fabulous, it seemed fit for real women with its A-line skirts and dresses, full and slim cut pants, flattering tops, and of course, glamour galore!!!
Kanye West will release his fourth album, tentatively titled 808s to be released at the end of the year.
If you saw him perform the awesome "Love Lockdown" on the VMAs, which he says may be his favorite record to date.
Be on the lookout for that...we all know Kanye is that deal!
Come on now, with all the credit and politics...we have to inject some fun.
Sooooo...head on over to Domino Magazine to its Deco File widget. You can add all your favorite home products, photos, and ideas...then make an online Deco Book...which showcases all of your style choices for your abode.
This tool is GREAT if you are redocorating, buying a home, or just like to play around...
Here is my Deco File for my Office:
Deco Book
Dream Big is a new series I will be doing, that will help you get out of
your credit and debt nightmares, and make your dreams your reality!
There will be Three parts to this series, each part with a set of articles to get your on your way to being wealthy, financially free, and living your dreams.
DREAM BIG: PART I: Credit
1. Credit 101
2. How to Start Improving your Credit
3. How to make EDUCATED credit choices
4. How to become DEBT FREE
5. How to start SAVING
Dream BIG: PART II: Preparing for Financial Freedom
1. Entreprenuership
2. Types of Business: Products vs. Services
3. Types of Business: Traditional vs. Network Marketing
4. Ending the 40/40 Nightmare
5. Retirement Savings
DREAM BIG: PART III: What is YOUR DREAM?
1. What is YOUR DREAM!
2. Why and How?
3. Steps to Realizing Financial Freedom
4. Debunking the MYTHS!
5. How to BE FREE!
There are three main credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion...and what I want to point out to everyone is that these are not run by the government, contrary to popular belief. These are COMPANIES! These are FOR PROFIT, companies that collect data from various sources and sell their reports to lenders, individuals, etc. (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_bureau, Sep. 2008).
It is suggested by most financial counselors that you get a free credit report from each of the three burueaus each year. You can obtain that free credit report from this site: http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
Since there is imformation for millions of people within the databases of these companies, they use a unique algorithm to determine your credit score, which is a number between 400-800 that determines how likely you are to pay back debt based on your history of debt and credit. The higher your score, the less of a credit risk you are considered, and the most likely you will be able to borrow money for a mortgage, car lease, etc. for the least amount of interest.
You need to check your credit report, make sure things on there are correct, and if they are not, you need to hire a company, such as CreditTrax, a credit restoration and rebuilding company, to have these debts verified and removed if incorrect, or have them verified on your own, by writing letters to each creditor asking for the debt to be validated or removed. These negative hits on your report can cost you from 50-150 points.
As you use more credit, but not so much that it far exceeds your income, and pay it off timely, you will see your credit score rise.
For more information, talk to a credit counselor about these issues or for more information on Credit Trax, put your name and e-mail in the comments and I will send you some awesome information about getting back on track with credit and debt!!!
I don't know about you, but noone sat me down when I was a young girl and told me about the importance of money management, credit, and debt. I had a credit card in college that I charged to its limit. I have spent the rest of my life learning about credit through the mistakes I have made, and I am dedicated to helping those young people who will embark on careers and life outside of the confines of mom and dad, to understand the importance of educating onesself about the ins and outs of credit.
When you start off on the wrong foot with credit, you tend to spiral into the world of credit hell, and need help to get out of it. With finance charges, interest, and percentage rates rising year by year, you later find yourself with two to three times the debt you started with...and you cannot understand why!
First, all credit card and credit companies are in BUSINESS. They want to make money. So, they are, in essence, loaning you money to make a purchase. They make money by charging you for the length of time it takes you to pay that debt back. The longer you take, the more money they make, it is simple. So, unless you are actively trying to pay off the debt, instead of just paying the bare minimum to keep them from calling you, charging you late fees, and reporting you to a credit bureau, you will see yourself spiral into this never ending sea of debt. Soon all your incoming cash is going to pay off old debts, much of it for things you no longer use.
How do you get out of it.
First, you need to start using cash to buy the things you want so that you do not increase credit. Then, you need to downsize the things you buy, so you have extra money to pay off your debts.
Second, you need to make a plan to pay off those debts. Figure out how much you need to pay on each bill and an amount of time you plan to dedicate to paying it off.
Third, you don't just have to pay one lump payment, spread your payments out over two to three times per month. You are paying down the principal the more often you pay, and lessening the amount the company has in the principal to charge you interest on. Every little bit helps.
Lastly, start a savings plan where you save 10% of your paycheck each time you are paid. Soon, you will have an emergency fund for making unexpected purchases, and you will not have to rely on credit cards to cover these expenditures.
You are now one step ahead of the credit game. Check back for Credit 102...where we will discuss credit bureaus.
I am so disgusted with American voters.
I read an article this morning, stating that John McCain's approval
rating and points in the polls has risen, up 4 points over Barack Obama.
Just a month ago, Obama led McCain by over 7 points in the same poll.
What is the difference?
Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, is the most absurd and ridiculous pick for a
running mate I have ever witnessed. When Obama has such a knowledgeable and great
politican, Joe Biden, as his running mate...for McCain, who is lacking on the issues, to pick a relative unknown like Palin is beyond bad judgement.
In my opinion, she was picked to try to sway those die-hard Hillary supporters, who
are still upset that she did not win the Democratic nomination.
What an insult to those people and to women.
Sarah Palin is NO Hillary Clinton. Hillary is not just a great orator, she is a
politician who knows her stuff. She comes armed with a great plan for the economy, education, the war, and health care. Up until a few weeks ago, Sarah Palin was best known for supporting the Bridge to Nowhere, which she claims she was against. True, but only AFTER it was deemed wasteful by Congress.
This woman has somehow taken a hold on the American voter. When Obama has been called the "celebrity" candidate, here comes Palin, and she now has people going out in droves to get the same rimless glasses she wears. She is on the cover, this week, of almost every celebrity gossip magazine. Who is working the celebrity angle, I ask you? I think she is more entertained by her newfound popularity, than she is enthused about changing this country and the world with better policies, new leadership, and a stimulated economy. This is a woman who paraded her pregnant 17 year old daughter on stage, as if this is an acceptable and positive message to any young woman in the world. While she is against sex-education and the right of a woman to choose her reproductive path, she seems "for" putting the national attention on a child, her child, who is going through something that must be scary and very very personal, on display.
Further, her remarks about community organizers, is one of the worst and most damaging arguments against Barack Obama I have ever heard. This is a woman who claims she will champion those with special needs in the white house, this is a woman who belongs to a party who supports community organizers, as opposed to more government. This a woman who has NO CLUE what a vice-president does...let alone a President, and she is one step from the most important position in the free world. Community organizers, who often stimulate political action and movement in urban areas, areas that are hit hard by economical woes, poverty, lack of education, etc. , and who give a voice to the many people who have limited access to government, are an important part of this nation's government. To make it seem unimportant and comical is an insult to the hundreds of thousands of people who take part in and are assisted by these types of people and organizations on a daily basis. Yet, Obama is called an elitest.
This is one of the most lopsided and negative campaigns I have ever seen in the American Presidential Race. Obama is a formidable candidate, an accomplished Senator, and a person on the right side of the issues. He is not without faults, by no means,but he is the change, the necessary change, that American needs.
It takes a nation of millions to hold us back...Obama in 2008!
For those of you who do not know, the now former Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, resigned from office today. After pleading guilty to two felony charges, Kilpatrick received a four month prison term and five year term of probation.
In other political news, Senator John McCain accepted his parties nomination as the Republican candidate for President of the United States. His running mate, Senator Palin from Alaska spoke yesterday, in a speech, thought by many, to be high on style but low on substance (no pun intended)!
Politics, my friends,is a dirty game. Let us not confuse POLITICS with PUBLIC SERVICE. Politics are the bureaucratic policies that often dictate who becomes a public official. Public service,is just that, service for public good.
Both of the McCain speech and the Kilpatrick resignation were politics gone very wrong.
Kilpatrick, who has long stated that he dreamed of being the mayor of Detroit as a child, was tasked with running one of the largest urban cities in the United States, and one of the most plagued. He made many strides in the city, bringing in companies, events, and a newfound love of the city that had been missing for over 30 years. His actions, from lying under oath, to the extreme arrogance with which he has held on to a title entrusted to him by the public, has shamed the city, many of its residents, and those who supported him. Even during his resignation speech, he lacked humility,and again seemed to infer that he was less than totally responsible for this outcome. He even seemed to blame much of his fate on the claimed political agendas of others. Nonetheless, he will now have plenty of time to think over his actions. I would guess, that those who love him will pray with him and give them a piece of their minds, after this long ordeal has put many of them to task for his mistakes.
McCain...well...he and his running mate are classic examples of talking the talk...but the real truth will come in the walk. I think she is crippled with inexperience and ignorance, and he is just cripple. So, put on your walking shoes...cuz the race is on!
In case you didn't know...Obama in '08!!!!!
