INTERESTING TIMES

He's changing his name to Chrysler.

( lyrics by Tom Paxton )

That's my reaction, anyway. I never got a double A+ for doing stuff that foolish. The student loan bubble has yet to pop... Probably lots of these other agencies getting downgraded are also severely compromised. No one wants to admit it for fear of causing our house of cards to topple all at once...

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Economy/Business News Alert: S&P downgrades Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
August 8, 2011 11:14:28 AM
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Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services on Monday downgraded the credit ratings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other agencies linked to long-term U.S. debt.

The agency also lowered the ratings for: farm lenders; long-term U.S. government-backed debt issued by 32 banks and credit unions; and three major clearinghouses, which are used to execute trades of stocks, bonds and options.

All the downgrades were from AAA to AA+.

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/O914NF/8ADZ6H/IEIEV7/H0P74R/G2BX7/4O/h

For more information, visit PostBusiness.com

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NYT/CBS poll on mood of Americans: we're cranky, displeased
( notes )

The new Republicans just moved in. First, they want to pass a bill that requires all new legislation pay for itself, and not add to the deficit. And they want to repeal the Healthcare Bill. Repealing it would add $230 billion to the deficit because the bill is a money-saver. Last but not least they want to exempt their repeal of the healthcare bill from the rule requiring that you have to fund whatever you pass. How can they justify this logic?

Funny, I feel better after studying the details of my student loan repayment agreement. I will do what I am able, I will serve, I will work hard. I am already good at paying bills on time; if it is possible I will do it. If it is not, well, so be it.

Behind the cut is government text---some of what I'm signing off on for my student loan. I am happy to learn that the loan is forgiven if I die (my family is not on the hook), though if I were to get married my husband would influence the governmental decision about how much I should be able to pay. That's sort of a bummer but I wasn't anywhere near getting hitched anyway. Also learned that if I default the entire amount becomes immediately due (nice joke) and then all they do is garnish wages and keep my tax returns....makes the Patch Adams approach somewhat more appealing.

https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action
( cut )

The Credit Card Act of 2009 goes into effect in February, 2010. The banks are scrambling to replace lost funding, and are likely to stealthily introduce new fees. It might be a good time to make sure I know what my credit card account agreement actually says. I think that if you call to activate a new card, you are automatically accepting any revisions to your policy they may have instituted, even if you have not seen a paper copy of such revisions. Not sure. Anybody know?

There's a new bill before congress that would provide a mechanism to forgive the student loans of those who have paid steadily on the debt for 25 years. Seems like light at the end of the tunnel for me, given the ridiculous cost of higher education today in combination with the declining economy. The other light I see is that if inflation causes a mass devaluation of our currency, my debt will be nothing.

I want to serve humanity, and it is absurd that I am getting saddled with a debt that is more than I have earned so far in this life. It seems unlikely given the situation that I will ever be able to repay it, and just that thought is burdensome. Primary care providers are desperately needed. But I'm not sure I want to be under the gun for the rest of my life to do it. Or do I? Maybe I am a masochist.

HR 2492 is bipartisan and will be coming to a vote sometime soon, so your contact to representatives could make a difference. The Income-Based Repayment program sets lower monthly student loan repayments and forgives both debt and interest after 25 years. The amount forgiven would be taxed as income to the borrower. The idea is to wipe the slate clean for responsible borrowers.

Please take a moment to write to your representative: Urge him or her to support H.R. 2492 and ensure there's really a light at the end of the tunnel.

Click on this URL to take action now:
http://capwiz.com/ticas/utr/2/?a=13579871&i=94349062&c=

THANK YOU!

If Nostradamus were alive today, he'd have a hard time keeping up with Gerald Celente.
— New York Post

Gerald Celente sees a bleak future for America and for the world.
http://www.trendsresearch.com/

People don't want to look....but if you do look, and see past what you think you know, it is impossible not to see.

Ron Paul quote of the day:
"When the value of American's savings is deliberately eroded through inflation, that is a tax, albeit a hidden one. I call it the inflation tax, a tax that is all the more insidious for bing so underhanded: most Americans have no idea what causes it or why their standard of living is going down. Meanwhile, government and its favored constituencies receive their ill-gotten loot. The racket is safe as long as no one figures out what is going on."
( on inflation and central banking history )

Just finished the histology lab exam and I did reasonably well. As always when I am given a picture and asked to produce words, I blank out on one or two. This time I blanked out "zona pellucida" which I know well and have studied. I know the location and function and duration of it, but I still could not dredge the words out of my memory for the exam. The ZP forms around an oocyte in the ovary when it matures from a primary to secondary follicle, and serves later to prevent double fertilization. When the head of the sperm dumps its chemicles into an oocyte, the zona pellucida immediately changes to prevent any more sperm from getting in.... The rest of the words dredged up OK tho, so I'm sure I passed.
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