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Two years ago the top economists told the country that the Great Recession was officially over.   However, we witnessed the standard of living decline 10% over the past two years, meaning  “after” the official end of the recession   Actually, income for the average family fell twice the rate in the last two years than during the preceding two years.

To the average household, terms such as “collateralized debt obligations” or “credit default swaps” don’t mean a thing; they are interested in how the ongoing crisis will impact them personally in their every day struggle. Truth be told, many feel as if it has just been one never-ending recession, others even dare to compare it to the Depression. (more…)

The third quarter showed some signs of economic growth, which will help the U.S. stay out of another recession for now. Although many believed that things would get worse in the third quarter, they indeed got better, which is good news not only for the economy, but for small business as well. (more…)

Consumers are having difficulty being positive in the wake of the economic distress we are currently experiencing. Consumer confidence levels are at an all-time low and there is no obvious end to the overall negativity in sight. (more…)

Politicians had claimed that gang members were behind the rioting in multiple English cities this summer. New reports show that that was not the case and most of the rioters were poor, young and less educated, but not gang members. (more…)

The U.S. Post Office is having revenue problems and they are trying their best to come up with new ideas to make money. Although they have been struggling, they are looking for viable ways to make money while not laying off employees whose current salaries are already in jeopardy due to impending cutbacks. While most companies simply lay-off employees and keep going, the U.S. Post Office is trying to revamp and broaden the services they offer its customers. (more…)

The job picture in the United States is definitely bad, but we are not alone. Jobs are hard to come by in many countries throughout the world and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. If it is, no one is noticing, as more and more people are having trouble finding these jobs. In Southern Europe, recent graduates are having the most trouble finding gainful employment in their fields and can barely exist with current salaries.

Sylvia, a master’s degree graduate is currently working at a public relations firm, but she is a mere intern making barely enough to get by, 300 euros a month. While she realizes that is not much, she is simply happy to have a job. She performs the same function as those who are paid handsome salaries, but her company claims that they simply do not have the money to pay her what she is worth. Out of the 30 who graduated with her, she is doing the best, which really puts it all into perspective. (more…)

Getting married is going to be stressful no matter how well you have planned the event. There are always things that you forget, but right after you say “I do”, you can relax and celebrate the start of a new life. While this is the reality for some, newly married couples in Sicily have many more stresses coming right after they have married. The tax collectors there are cracking down on wedding vendors and are asking recent married couples to help.

One of the major issues over in Europe is tax evasion and the resulting loans that have been made to governments to continue working. It seems that many vendors are working “under the table”, which is illegal and is costing governments millions, if not more, in revenue. They are looking for help from married couples and are requesting receipts from vendor purchases to make sure that they have paid the correct amount of tax. (more…)

Weight Watchers has always been interested in health. They feel that losing weight is not only a self-esteem booster, but it also helps you fight against disease and become a healthier person. This month, Weight Watchers is emphasizing breast cancer awareness to help people understand the correlation between weight and developing cancer.

The Weight Watchers Points Plus program that was initiated in 2010 promotes good eating habits combined with exercise, which also happens to be the way doctors recommend living to prevent cancer. This coincidence has allowed Weight Watchers to draw attention to breast cancer as well as their efforts to help people achieve a healthy life. Doctors recommend avoiding any weight gain in your adult life and eating healthy to prevent cancer and the Weight Watchers Points Plus program can help you do just that. (more…)

The newest figures for unemployment applications lead many to believe that it is easing up out there. Applications for unemployment dropped 37,000 to 391,000, which is rather low compared to the numbers we had been seeing this year. The last time we saw numbers that low it was April and people were calling it a recovery. We may have experienced a few hiccups, but maybe that recovery is starting now.

A small percentage of the overall improvement in the numbers is related to the way they calculate them. Some states did have higher numbers due to Hurricane Irene, but the overall picture is looking better for many as jobs are slowly being created to tackle this huge problem. Consistent falling numbers will really tell us where we are headed in the upcoming months. (more…)

Never before have living people been honored on postage stamps, but that is is all going to change now that the federal government has changed its guidelines, effective immediately. They are eliminating their rule that stamps are not allowed to feature living people. The rule originally had a 10 year waiting period for anyone considered but that was eventually lowered to five years in 2007, so this is a welcome change. Former presidents were the only exception as they were honored the year after their death.

The elimination of the rule opens up many possibilities as the popularity of pop culture has been increasing steadily over the years. It also gets the U.S. Postal Service in the news and supplies them with extra cash, both of which are good considering its financial state. It is hemorrhaging money and there is no end in sight.
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