Rethos.com - cliffchien's Global Feed

Credit Card "Insiders" Speak Out About Abusive Practices

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:36:25 -0400

Earlier this year, former employees of MBNA and Bank of 
America contacted AFFIL looking for a way to speak out about 
disturbing sales practices they were trained to use as employees. Their stories confirm what
we've long suspected: that credit card companies extend credit
to those who can't afford it, and engage in a "tricks and traps" 
business model designed to max out cardholders and keep 
them on a debt treadmill as long as possible. Watch the video 
and listen to what Cate Colombo
and Jerry Young have to say.

A must read for every college kid heading back to campus!

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:12:35 -0400

Credit Card Tips for College Students

Now that you're making financial decisions for yourself, be sure to protect yourself from credit card tricks and traps. Here are some tips to consider before you break out the plastic. Adapted from "Credit Card Tips for College Students,” Consumers Union...

Simple Fall 08 Ads

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:56:39 -0400

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Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:56:01 -0400

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Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:54:34 -0400

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Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:48:15 -0400

War on the middle class

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:40:29 -0400

Credit card companies go after American college students, often with the help of universities. Lisa Sylvester reports.

What Will Mac ’n’ Mae Cost You and Me?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:30:11 -0400

THE inevitability of a taxpayer-funded bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the hobbled mortgage behemoths, shook investors last week, and shares in both companies plummeted on fears that existing stockholders would be wiped out.

These government-sponsored entities guarantee or hold $...

That Student Loan, So Hard to Shake

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:28:08 -0400

MOST people struggling to pay off their student loans keep quiet about it. They do not want to acknowledge that, perhaps in a fit of naïve, youthful optimism, they borrowed more than they could handle.

Then there is Alan Collinge, who for years has described his struggle with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt to anyone who will listen. He has appeared on “60 Minutes” criticizing...

Avoiding College's Plastic Hangover

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:25:34 -0400

The immediate gratification of using plastic to buy an iMac, tickets to a Coldplay concert and nights of bar hopping has a way of coming back to haunt college students after graduation.

Despite their lack of a credit history and sizable student loans, most college students can get their hands on credit cards with as much ease as a swipe. And they're often lured into doing so with awards like free T-shirts. Along with the freebies, however, come some not-so-pleasant surprises: high interest rates and a range of fees and penalties.

National Organizer, Focus the Nation 2009

Description:

In January 2008, Focus the Nation events reached close to one million people in a day of education and civic engagement on global warming solutions taking place at 1,900 locations in all 50 states. 64 members of Congress and 15 Governors’ offices participated in the events along with hundre...

Halliburton Victim Twice Over - Americans for Fairness in Lending

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:52:53 -0500

Check out this important message from our Partner, Public Citizen: http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22031 â€œNo one â€“ especially a victim of a heinous, violent crime â€“ should be denied access to a judge and jury because of a binding mandatory arbitration clause in an employment contract. â€œUnfortunately, this is what is happening to Jamie Leigh Jones, who recently told ABCâ€™s 20/20 that she was gang raped while working for a Halliburton subsidiary in Iraq. Now, she is being victimized twice over. Halliburton is denying her constitutional right to tak...

Be a Solution Pioneer - the Sustainability Symbol Anniversary February 1, 2008

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:49:16 -0500

Almost one year ago we introduced the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol (Peace Plus One) to the HK Environmental Protection Association. http://www.dragonpreneur.com/images/3fingerPhotos/EPA_0228.jpg http://www.dragonpreneur.com/images/3fingerPhotos/EPAgrp_0256.jpg

Since that time, the Peace Plus One Sustainability Symbol, representing a balanced THINKING considering SOCIETY, ENVIRONMENT and ECONOMY has been shared by hundreds (maybe thousands) of people around the world.

DragonTHINK – h...

Simplify the Holidays and stay away from Credit Card Traps - Americans for Fairness in Lending

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:13:37 -0500

As you consider how to celebrate the holidays responsibly, take some time to protect yourself from credit card tricks & traps. Read AFFILâ€™s Holiday Credit Card Tips before you break out the plastic this season, at http://www.affil.org/consumer_rsc/holiday-credit-card-tips. 1. Donâ€™t get tricked, trapped or suckered into a card with bad terms. If you want a credit card, get one with a long-term low interest rate (APR). If you get a low introductory rate, chances are itâ€™ll start at 0% and then jump to 20% with one almost-on-time-but-didnâ€™t-quite-make-it payment. Still want a credit ...

Overdraft Abuse: Tell Your Story - Americans for Fairness in Lending

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:05:19 -0500

Congress needs to hear your story: A message from the Center for Responsible Lending Jennifer Rakowski of Oakland, CA had been with her bank for 15 years when, before she knew what hit her, she accumulated a series of overdrafts in quick succession that put her over $300 in the red. Has something like this happened to you? Consumers are catching on to the ways in which banks artificially increase overdrafts, costing their account holders billions per year in unfair fees. When the House Financial Services Committee was debating H.R. 946 this month, Congresswoman Carolyn Malone...

Write for Celsias - Climate Change Site

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:35:25 -0400

Celsias is rapidly becoming the â€œgo toâ€ online destination for emerging and seasoned writers to showcase their passion for the environment, sustainability and global warming.

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Movie night? We know a really scary one. - Americans for Fairness in Lending

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:00:48 -0400

Halloween is coming up - it's the perfect time to host a party and watch consumer horror stories in the documentary Maxed Out. Visit http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/476/t/1153/signUp.jsp?key=2745 to sign up. Credit card companies are making billions off of us every year by charging outrageous fees and inserting dangerous clauses into the fine print of their contracts that strip away our rights. Americans for Fairness in Lending and our Partner Public Citizen want to help spread the word to households all across the country about the dangerous traps set by credit card companies. ...

Alliance Accepted! - Americans for Fairness in Lending

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 22:12:08 -0400

Big Banks Are Selling Us Out on Climate Change - Whether we avert catastrophe with climate change may actually be decided by Citibank and Bank of America

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:51:51 -0400

(October 6) By Tara Lohan – We’re nearing the end of the window of opportunity we have to avert the catastrophic effects predicted from the earth’s changing climate. We’re either going to sink or swim. Our best hope at this time is to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, like carbon dioxide.

Global leaders are putting their heads together to come up with solutions. Across the world, countries and municipalities are passing legislation to limit GHG emissions; people are cutting consumption; new technologies are ...

College Students, Welcome to a Lifetime of Debt!

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:24:09 -0400

By Barbara Ehrenreich -

Colleges and universities today are turning teenagers into full-fledged citizens of our economy by introducing them to a lifetime of debt.

Welcome to Fleece U., where our mission is to take feckless teenagers such as yourselves and turn them into full-fledged citizens of our economy, meaning, of course, debtors.

Many life-changing things will happen to you in the next four years. You will make lasting friends, including perhaps the love of your life. You will drink more than you ever thought possible and bitterly regret it in the morn...

High Priced Student Loans Spell Trouble

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:06:19 -0400

The near doubling in the cost of a college degree the past decade has produced an explosion in high-priced student loans that could haunt the U.S. economy for years.

While scholarship, grant money and government-backed student loans – whose interest rates are capped – have taken up some of the slack, many families and individual students have turned to private loans, which carry fees and interest rates that are often variable and up to 20 percent.

$963 million down the tubes

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:25:32 -0400

Have you ever been charged $30 for withdrawing $1 too much on your bank account? If so, you’re not alone. The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that 18- to 24-year-olds are paying $963 million per year in fees for abusive “Overdraft Loans” (the population as a whole pays 17.5 billion in overdraft fees).

Congress is considering a law to regulate this kind of ridiculous practice. Tomorrow, September 25, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee will vote on sending H.R. 946, the Consumer Overdraft Protection Fair Practices Act, to the full House. H.R...

Conserve the Rainforest

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:32:14 -0400

Support an organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.

Make Friends, Have Fun and Make Money Saving the Earth

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:55:33 -0400

Are you Part of the Problem… or the SOLUTION?

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Save Our Planet

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:56:11 -0400

Enough is enough, and it’s time for a change.

-Christopher Howse – EarthThreat.org