Lots of interesting and dismaying 'stuff' to comment upon this week. Of course, the Memorial Day long weekend took people away from the rift, and glad to know you are back!

Some updates:


Fox News' Fox & Friends had a couple of 'experts' on real estate addressing the current flood of 'strategic defaults', that is when a homeowner elects to not pay on their mortgage and instead use the funds to pay down consumer debt. Indeed, as any wizened credit counselor will tell you, keeping your consumer debt low and current has a huge positive impact on your FICO score. Enough, in fact, to offset much of the damage of a foreclosure or bankruptcy.

The FHA underwriting guidelines tell more of the truth, and as mentioned here on numerous occasions this past year or so, the credit scoring agencies are helping by skillfully altering the algorithms of their score generating software so that people with a bankruptcy can get a loan after two years, and with a foreclosure after just three.

And as for the oil gusher in the Gulf dragging down the economy further, many people want BP to pay through the nose for their failure and mismanagement. But, stop and think! Who is REALLY going to pay?

It will be (drum roll)us the American public that pays the price! And as so often is the case it we will pay more than once as we pay through the government's efforts, both present and future, as well to the oil companies for higher drilling costs, read this from oil industry news.

On a lighter note, having problems organizing all your many 'friends' in the Social Media sphere? Here is a good tip from Mashable.

It seems that the Internet, venerable culprit of society, is at it again. Here is a story relating the decline (or actually the increase) of first time driver age which is moving up from 16 to 18 or even 19.

Finally, today is my daughter's 14th birthday, so Happy Birthday, Sydney! Put the attitude aside and be nice to your brother, kind to your parents, and loving to your kitty cats! And why do you consider getting your license when you are 21!