Is the economy killing you? Yeah? (Join the club. I can’t even afford mixers for my vodka anymore.) Don’t wanna spend money on cute clothes if you can help it? Well, rally up your girls and organize a clothing swap party. They’re fun AND you end up walking home with tons of new clothes-for free! Here is how it works:

Get together with a group of your favorite ladies – especially those with wardrobes you would kill for. Tell everyone to bring clothes to the party that they don’t wear anymore. Assign each girl to a spot on the floor where she will pile up all the goodies she brought with her.

Each girl will take turns going around the circle and holding up one of the items she brought with her. Whoever wants it can raise their hands. If more than one girl wants it, settle the score through a trivia game…or a drinking game… whichever you choose. Read More »

Now that I’ve been in New York City for two weeks, I’ve had a chance to begin exploring this incredible place, but I’ve also taken quite a hard hit on my bank account. Being a broke college student, I have a very tight budget when it comes to personal luxuries, but I still want to enjoy what the city has to offer, from exotic dining to cultural sites.

As far as eating out goes, I’ll have to tighten my belt a little; I’ve already eaten in a few great places, but I’m keeping my eye on cheap places. Here are a few tips I’ve learned so far about living affordably in ANY city for the summer:

• Always look for a student rate at museums. The Met and other major museums will always have student rates, so bring your college ID; you’ll be able to enjoy a taste of culture at about half price.

• Cook for yourself. It’s great to try new places to eat, but you can’t eat out every day. Restaurants will be a serious blow to your finances, so if you have access to a kitchen, use it! Find your closest grocery store and stock up on easy-to-prepare foods like pasta. Liven up your meals by getting a recipe book and stocking up on fresh vegetables. Read More »

Katherin Heigl is all about the polygamy, baby

What guys really think of oral (or at least what this dude thinks)

Speaking of oral, watch out for freaking throat cancer!

What? No more random play on Facebook?!

Naomi Campbell is drunk and disorderly. Business as usual

Blueberry-Lime Margaritas. Oh yes

The economy f*cking sucks. But we’re still shopping like maniacs

Watch out, Dr. Drew. Tom Cruise will let his aliens loose on your ass

No one wants to wear Perez’s stuff.  Where are all those emo tweens when you need ‘em?

“At the wedding, someone will pull the president aside and say, listen, you’re not losing a daughter, you’re losing a war” –Bill Maher

5. This is actually a perfectly lovely picture of Jenna, I add it only to remark on how much Barbara Bush (daughter) looks like Alanis Morissette.

4. As her father’s daughter, I would have expected that she could hold her alcohol better. Read More »

And now for the news with Kandy Korrespondent:

All eyes are on North Carolina and Indiana as Democrats head to the polls today. The New York Times’ Adam Nagourney analyzed the three different scenarios that could possibly emerge out of today’s race. Briefly, here they are:

1. Clinton wins both states: This will demonstrate that her campaign has continued momentum and may serve to win some superdelegates over to her camp. It will also reflect the extent to which Obama has been hurt by the Rev. Wright debacle.

2. Obama wins both states: The death bell will ring for Clinton’s campaign. Najourney notes that several of her advisers have actually said that they will counsel her to quit at that point.

3. Spit decision: The Clinton campaign’s uphill battle to catch up with Obama’s delegate count will continue. After today’s election, only 217 delegates (excluding superdelegates of course) will be up for grabs. Najourey As democratic consultant Ron Klain states,

“The math still favors Senator Obama, no matter what happens Tuesday.”

Even though I’m so done with this whole Obama-Clinton endless fight, I’m hooked– I have to see it through to the end. For that reason, and because I have no life, I’ll be posting exit poll updates throughout the afternoon and evening–so stay tuned!

In Other News: Read More »

BestWeekEver.tv has brought a site to my attention that gives you $3 Trillion fake dollars to buy anything from a cure for Alzheimer’s, to a secret island fortress (reasonably priced at $15 million) to, yes, World Peace (which has a price, apparently. Who’da thunk?)

Why $3 Trillion, (and yes, that’s a Carl Sagan Trillion with a “T”) you ask? Because that is how much the occupation in Iraq is costing America.

On their website, 3Trillion.org quotes Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz:

“Just counting the zeroes on the $3 trillion price tag of the Iraq War is enough to induce hyperventilation. But what does $3 trillion really mean? It’s difficult even to comprehend a number that big. Well, try filling your shopping cart with what the cost of the Iraq War could buy: healthcare for every American? A new home for every subprime borrower now facing foreclosure? An Ivy League university? You haven’t even gotten started.” Read More »

A few days ago, I began my research into the often frightening and very often misunderstood word known as recession. In this episode, we continue to unlock the fiscal mystery that seems to have our country in a headlock…

Why is everyone talking about taxes?

Taxes are a way that the government can inject money back into the economy.
A way of reversing the chain—you buy something at a store= store owner buys something at another store= etc.

President Bush and Senator McCain believe that continuing the current economic trajectory with regards to taxes is the proper response. They feel that this is all merely an economic downturn, — not the R-word.

Both Senators Obama and Clinton call for tax reform in the form of restructuring the system – placing the burden of taxes upon the upper echelon of people and giving more breaks to the middle and lower classes.

While the politicians continue their debate over tax cuts/ breaks/ rebates/ and whether the term recession should be employed, you and I are daily facing the economic reality—whatever you choose to call it. Read More »

For those recently out of college, networking is everything, right? So when my friend recently attended a private dinner party of illustrious alumni, she was keen to put her best foot forward. She mentally prepped herself on the recent developments in the presidential race, international affairs, and just in case she ran into freakish people, Britney Spears.

Half-way through dinner, she was feeling pretty good when suddenly, out of nowhere popped the R-word. During a lull in conversation a pompous 30-something guy suddenly said to the guy next to him “So, Tom, are we really heading for a recession?”

Her mind froze in terror: would her dirty secret be revealed? The fact that despite three econ courses she still had no clue what a recession actually was… luckily, she was able to pull of the role of the politely-interested-looking-yet-silent-nodder until the topic once again changed…

Her story got me thinking—how many of us are clueless when it comes to the word recession, knowing nothing except that mentioning it in politics is akin to yelling fire in a crowed theater?

With this in mind, I present, (drum roll if you please), A Girl’s Guide to Recessions Read More »

I remember being accompanied on the subways of New York City by armed soldiers, dressed in camo. I remember waking up every day checking the current terror alert color along side the weather. One day would be yellow, the next day orange…as long as it wasn’t red; I really didn’t care.

So what color terror alert are we on today?

Rudy Giuliani recently spoke to his supporters and reminded them all that terrorism is still here and that it is a reality that we cannot wish away. And yet, polls have shown that 8 out of 10 voters in Florida think that the terrorism threat has disappeared.

The inconsistency here is choking.

Yes, I marginally cared about those alerts…about as much as if it were going to be windy or cloudy on any given day, but the emphasis I placed on these in the past is neither here nor there. The fact that we have politicians broadcasting the ongoing threat without the follow up precautionary steps is what really gets to me.

Is the reality of terrorism more staged than we have been imagining? Many of my skeptic friends would say, “Yes, Of course.” So why the continuing of the charade? Read More »

Due to the fact that I was surrounded by the most politically minded people in school – who now, mind you, live and breathe Washington D.C. politics every day – I have grown up to be quite a political person myself. Yet even I only caught glimpses of last night’s State of the Union Address; mostly because of the writer’s strike and the fact that there was absolutely nothing else worth watching on TV.

Trust me; I tried.

It’s not like I wasn’t interested in what GW had to say; it is just hard to watch George Bush give a speech with bright eyes and (false) positivism when the country has been reduced to shit all around him. We have serious economic issues, war issues, health care issues, not to mention the thousands of people still displaced by Katrina. I don’t really want to spend the little free time I have watching W. sugarcoat those not-so-pleasant truths for an hour. Read More »