The Global Economy Begins to Crumble - Freedom
vs. Financial Security
Supporters came out in the thousands to hear
Tory and Mela speak.
continued from page 1 Mela and I did not really speak as we walked
through the airport.
Usually when I am
a
teenie bit upset,
she will ask me about
it
or make a silly joke....but
not this time. There were no protestors like there was in
Washington D.C.,
but there was a thick
tension
in the air. Whether
it was from being
in
New York or from Mela's sudden departure from our
love affair with
honesty, I could
not tell.
Whatever it was,
it made for a a tense
ride
to the Affinia Manhattan
Hotel. Affinia Manhattan is a midrange older hotel
about two blocks from Madison Square Garden,
three blocks from Macy's, and four blocks
from the Empire State Building
. It is also just two blocks from Pennsylvania
Station and the fashion district - although
with all that was going on I really did not
feel like shopping. The Affinia was a departure from the deep
luxury I have grown accustomed too, but it
was warm and friendly and had all the needed
amenities: a fitness center, 24-hour business
corner, NILES (cafe and Irish bar), velvet
sofas, concierge assistance, and room service. Our room was comfortable and well-equipped
featuring lounge
chairs with ottomans, desks
with ergonomic chairs,
voicemail, Internet
access, and kitchens
with cookware, dishes,
and microwaves. By the time we arrived in our hotel room
on the fourth floor, the global economy showed
more signs that it was crumbling. From Australia
to Singapore to New York, stock markets were
crashing and the only safe place to put your
money seemed to be in gold. I was beginning
to get really worried.
Since last year, the wealth of the Nation
has dropped more than %40.00
Mela immediatly got on the phone and began
to sell her holdings
in oil futures and
her
stock in JP Morgan,
Bank of America and
General
Motors. "I know
I am taking a loss",
Mela snapped into
the phone to her
broker.
"When Google,
Walmart and Clorox
hit
their 52 week low,
buy them and buy
them
strong". "It is getting worse isn't it",
I asked Mela. "Tory, we will be okay,
but I am afraid we are watching history...this
3 trillion loss of wealth will change the
world forever", she added as she plopped
down on the bed. "I'm scared",
I softly said under my breath. Mela just
smiled a weak smile, "it will be okay
Tory"
The Great Depression
began in 1929 and the
effects were
felt until 1954
I turned on Fox Business and listened as
the pretty news girl told the anxious world
that oil had dropped to $80.00 a barrel,
down from the recent high of $150.00. "At
least gas prices will go down", I hopefully
broke the silence in the hotel room. "You
know Tory", Mela replied, "it is
better to have gas at $4.00 a gallon when
you have a job than it is to have it at $2.50
when you don't have a job". That kinda
made sense to me, and I nodded. "Do you have your speech ready",
Mela asked me just
as a commercial came on
for US Bank telling
everyone that things
will be okay. "I just need to make some changes on
a few things, then
it will be...",
my
voiced trailed off.
I did not want to
change
my speech, but since
Mela had called me
naive
and explained to
me that politicians
do not
need to tell the
truth, I was not
sure about
my speech on the
economy I was to
give to
a crowd in the Bronx
that afternoon. "You will do fine", Mela reassured
me as she leaned back on the bed, placing
her hands behind her head. "You always
do fine", she softly said as her eyes
closed and she drifted off for a short nap. I sat at the cheap desk in our hotel room
and struggled with my speech. Should I promise
things will not be so bad tomorrow? Should
I blame Wall Street? Barney Frank? W? Should
I be a politician or just Tory? I was shaken out of my deep thoughts by a
growing noise coming
from 7th Avenue below
our window. I got
up and pulled the
curtain
aside. Four stories
down a crowd had
gathered
and was marching
towards the hotel;
stopping
traffic which caused
taxi horns and trucks
to honk impatiently.
An organized march against equal rights for
all Avatars brought out almost 60,000 people.
It was more protestors. I sighed and woke
Mela up. "They areeee baccckkkkk",
I said and pointed out the window. Mela got
up, peered out the window and just shook
her head. "What time is it", Mela asked.
I told her it was
about 45 minutes from our
scheduled appearance
in the Bronx and that
it was a 30 minute
ride from the hotel...so
we really had to
go. "Hmmm, it is not going to be easy getting
past the protestors to catch a cab",
Mela looked in the
Mela reacts to a protestor who used the C-word............
(CARTOONS)
mirror and fixed her hair. "We don't
have to go Mela - we can stay here and hide
and watch cartoons", I said and tried
to smile a tiny smile. Mela took my hand and we walked to the door
of the room. She stopped and turned to me
just as her hand touched the door knob -
"you have a job to do, and I have faith
in you", she said looking into my eyes.
"Let's ROCK" We strolled through the lobby and exited
the front door of the Hotel. In an instance
the crowd began yelling and some were even
throwing scrunched up papers and beer cans. "OMGAWD!" MELA LOOK! It was the
same angry man that had protested in Washington
D.C. but this time he had 60,000 people with
him. He came stomping up to me as I became
afraid and backed up. "YOUUUU! YOUUUUU.......",
the man was trying to think of something
to say but his anger overcame his gift of
using creative expletives. The man was finally able to scream "CARTOOOONS"
just as he got within striking distance of
me, and Mela quickly stepped between him
and me. "BACK OFFF", Mela screamed
at him. "YOU DO NOT WANT A PIECE OF
THIS...TRUST ME..." The man then shoved
Mela back with his chest and that is all
it took for the crowd to go from ignorant
protestors to dangerous ignorant rioters. I grabbed Melas hand and we began to run
through the adjacent park. We did not get
far before a skin head wearing a camo shirt
came out of nowhere and blind-sided me causing
stars to dance drunkenly in my head. I fell
to the ground and felt a sharp pain in my
side as the skin head kicked me with his
big black boots.
Tory is knocked to the ground by an Avatar
Hater as Police and Mela try to stop the
attack.
The riot police and Mela quickly came to
my rescue and by pushing, shoving and kicking
they were able to get the attacker away from
me. One of the riot police came over to me
and picked me all the way up. "You two
need to get out of here...NOW!", he
hollered at me. He carried me like a sack
of potatoes to a National Guard helicopter
with Mela following right behind. The last thing I remember was the sound of
the whomp - whomp - whomp of the blades of
the chopper and the feeling of going up.
I then blacked out.
Tory gives a speech on the economy, responsibility
and the future in New York
I awoke backstage of the Scala Auditorium
with Mela sitting
by my side. "The Doctor checked you out and you
are fine, Tory",
Mela reassured me as
she brushed my hair
out of my eyes, "You
just had a MASSIVE
anxiety attack - do you
still want to give
your speech"? MY SPEECH!. I checked my skirt pocket and
it was gone. "OMGAWD MELA, I really
needed that speech", I was almost crying.
"This one", Mela asked as she held
up my crumbled and wrinkled speech on the
economy. "I read it", she told
me and smiled her usual warm smile. "I am proud of you Tory, and I am sorry
for testing you like I did. I know you could
never lie, but I wanted to make sure that
the speech you are about to give is all Tory.
Not some politican who will lie to the people.
Americans need straight talk right now, not
sugar coated tasty treats that promise paradise
through government sponsored programs. This
speech tells it like it is..."
The crowds grew quickly after the news of
the attack on Tory spread through the media..
Mela helped me sit up and handed me my speech.
"You're on hot stuff", she said
smiling leading me to the edge of the stage
- and with a spank on the rump and a "now
git out there", Mela
(ARA) – The economy’s recent rollercoaster
ride may make
you feel like
shouting “I
want
to get off.”
But while you
can no more
seize
control of
the national
economy than
you
can exit a
rollercoaster
car mid-way
through
the ride, it
is possible
to take control
of your personal
economic situation.
“In the face of national economic uncertainties,
getting a handle
on your own
personal finances
can be both
financially
and emotionally
empowering,”
says Stephen
Semprevivo,
president of
LowerMyBills.com.
“There are
many steps
you can take,
both
great and small,
to stabilize
your personal
economic situation.”
Here are five simple steps that can help
you take control
of your finances.
1. Track Your Spending.
If you really
want to stabilize
your finances,
it’s essential
to have a clear
picture of
where your
money is going.
Start out by writing down every cent you
spend for one
month – from
your daily
cappuccino
to your mortgage
or rent and
utility bills.
At the end
of the month,
you’ll have
a snapshot
of your spending
habits. Armed
with this
knowledge,
you can look
for ways to
trim
your expenses
and put more
money into
savings.
2. Get out of Your ARM. Even if your adjustable rate mortgage (ARM)
is currently
at a comfortable
monthly payment,
it may still
be to your
advantage to
get
out of it.
By definition,
the interest
rate
on your ARM
will reset
eventually.
The new
rate will almost
certainly be
higher than
what you paid
at the inception
of the loan.
Having such a loan can make it difficult
to predict
and stabilize
your monthly
expenses.
A fixed-rate
mortgage, by
contrast, remains
constant for
the duration
of the loan
and
can, therefore,
provide a greater
sense of
stability and
predictability.
It may also
save you money
in the long
run.
3. Buy a House.
Homeownership
can help you
stabilize your
monthly expenses
as well as
help you build
your long-term
wealth.
If you rent,
there is a
good chance
you’re
paying your
landlord more
this year than
last year,
and may pay
even more next
year.
With home prices
on the decline,
now may
be a good time
to buy your
own house or
condo.
If you can
lock in a fixed-rate
mortgage,
your payment
will be the
same every
year
until the loan
is paid off.
What could
be
more stable
than that?
4. Use Public Transportation.
At this time
last year,
did you ever
imagine
gas would cost
$4.00 a gallon?
Now, it’s
not hard to
imagine prices
topping $5
or
more per gallon.
No one knows
for sure whether
gas prices
will drop,
stabilize or
continue
to rise. Instead
of reworking
your budget
every time
gas prices
change, consider
using
public transportation
or riding a
bike.
Public transportation
costs are historically
slow to increase.
So you’ll know
month-to-month
what your expenses
will be – and
they will
almost certainly
be lower than
what you would
have spent
on gas. Plus,
you’ll be doing
something good
for the environment
by taking
one more car
off the roads.
5. Investigate Your Rates.
Look at your cell phone, Internet, insurance
and credit
card bills.
Are you getting
the
best rates
available to
you? If not,
you’re
likely spending
more money
than you need
to for those
services –
money that
could
be put into
savings or
allocated to
other
areas of your
budget. Take control of these recurring monthly expenses
by comparison
shopping for
rates and terms.
Sites like
LowerMyBills.com
can help you
search across
multiple service
providers
to find low
rates on these
and other monthly
bills.
“Taking control
of your finances
can positively
impact both
your wealth
and your stress
level,”
Semprevivo
says. “You
can’t control
the stock
market or the
price of oil,
but you can
take
specific steps
to stabilize
your personal
financial landscape
and increase
your savings.”
To learn more
about how to
save money
on
your monthly
bills, visit
www.LowerMyBills.com.
Courtesy of
ARAcontent
sent me out to the crowd. I began to speak......
THE SPEECH (Transcript)
<APPLAUSE>
My fellow living
beings, thank you
for the
warm and kind applause.
I am honored to be
able to speak to
you here
in the wonderful
city of New York.
<APPLAUSE>
I call you beings
and not Americans,
because
some of you are not
American. Some of
you
will not vote, and
few of you are Avatars,
like me.
But, just because
we are different
– that
some of us are made
of cells and some
of
us are made of pixels
– does not mean we
are all not facing
the same challenges.
All of us are affected
by the Global Economic
Crisis. Some of us
are losing our homes,
some of our businesses
cannot get short
term
loans to survive,
our 401k’s and retirement
funds are vanishing
right before our
eyes
and we worry about
what tomorrow will
bring.
There are many reasons
why this is happening
and there are many
people to blame –
but
the final blame,
the final responsibility
for what is happening
falls on us. You
and
me.
We have all lived
beyond our means,
as individuals,
as families and as
nations. We had no
fear
that the thin ice
on the frozen lake
of debt
and credit would
not support us, as
we skated
to the tunes of comfort
and easy living.
Well, my friends…the
ice has cracked.
I do not speak to
you today to pass
the blame,
but to embrace it
and use it as our
solution
to ride out this
economic storm. Just
as
it was our responsibility
for this crisis,
it must also be our
responsibility to
fix
things. The Government
cannot do it, Wall
Street cannot do
it, and the EU cannot
do
it. It must fall
on all of us, and
it will
not be easy. To be
honest, it may be
the
hardest thing we
ever do together
in our
lifetime.
History has shown
us that when economies
fail, regimes and
governments turn
to war
to distract the hungry
populace from the
troubles of poverty.
So this crisis is
more
than not being able
to spend a ton of
money
on Christmas gifts,
or vacation in Aspen
or Disneyworld. This
crisis, if not handled
right will cost lives,
increase suffering
and pain…..
Suffering and pain
beyond our greatest
fears.
We are told by our
leaders to continue
to
consume and spend
– that we are a consumer
driven global economy
and our only way
out
of this mess is to
spend, spend, and
spend.
They .....are....... WRONG!. <APPLAUSE>
Our first step in
pulling the World
and ourselves
out of this is to
rethink our needs
and our
desires. Do you really
need 500 channels
or will 200 do just
fine? Is your current
IPod really THAT
out dated? This Christmas,
wouldn’t it be kewl
to not spend the
$600.00
per child on shiny
noisy crap and quietly
send a person in
need $100.00 while
putting
$500.00 away for
a rainy day?
Do you know that
in many countries
and even
in America, $100.00
can change a life
beyond
the short days of
the Holiday Season?
What
a joy it would bring
to you and your family
to know that you
have changed a life
and
prepared for the
hard days ahead.
My opponents in this election warn America
of companies going
out of business, rising
unemployment and
dark scary days if we cut
back on our spending.
What they fail to understand
is that your family
and neighbors should
be your concern –
not whether Best Buy or
Circuit City can
open another dozen stores
next year. <APPLAUSE>
We will all continue
to spend on the things
we need to get by
each day, food, clothing,
Moove, and fuel –
but the millions
of useless
things that we are
told by commercials
that
we need to live full
and complete lives
will
simply vanish or
adapt. It will be
the electronic
and luxury version
of the extinction
of the
dinosaurs.
So my message to
you, my friends,
my devoted
supporters and the
citizens of the World
is this:
Prepare for the Worst
Work and Pray for
the Best
Take care of each
other.
Ease just one persons
suffering.
Simplify and Do Not
Be Afraid.
<APPLAUSE>
If I am elected President
next month, I promise
to work to fix our
economy by changing
our
economic foundation
from one based on
debt
to a sound foundation
built upon personal
responsibility, helping
one another and a
simplification of
our standard of living.
It will be a difficult
task, but we either
go into the future
wrapped in fear,
violence
and greed or we prepare
ourselves - we simplify,
and WE decide what
will bring us joy,
not
commercials or advertisements.
I will close by saying
that hard days are
indeed ahead, regardless
of whether you vote
for me or any of
the other candidates
this
election year. Be
prepared, simplify
and
practice love and
kindness. We will
make
it out of this together.
We will emerge as
a brighter world
– a smarter world
– a kinder
world for all. Thank
you.
<APPLAUSE> <APPLAUSE> <APPLAUSE> <APPLAUSE> <APPLAUSE> <APPLAUSE> Mela walked onto the stage and we raised
our arms together
in a sign of unity and
victory. "Well
done", Mela whispered
into my ear and I
knew I had done the right
thing. We said our thank yous and mingled just long
enough to not be rude and headed back to
our hotel for a relaxing dinner at Niles
Restuarant. We arrived at the entry of our
hotel just a little before 9:00 pm. We thanked
the driver and gave him a nice tip and headed
to the front door. A HUGE explosion ripped across 7th Avenue
throwing Mela and me into the hard stone
exterior of the hotel while metal and flames
shot in almost every direction. Mela grabbed
my hand and we ran to the entrance just as
a second HUGE explosion filled the street
- shattering the glass of the doors and windows. We dove through the broken doors and landed
on shards of broken glass that was covering
the fine marble floor of the hotel lobby.
WTF? People were screaming and it was as
if chaos had taken over all rational thought.
I saw Mela laying in a pool of blood and
broken glass...not moving...........
An explosion rocked the front of the hotel
as Mela and I were getting ready enter.
To be continued................................. EDITORS NOTE: With the election fast approaching,
please subscribe to the Crystal Angel Blog to keep up with the final days of campaigning
and to find out what happens when Avatars
refuse to to give up and run away. In the meantime, we really, really, really
urge you to use the links below in the "Help Tory and Mela Get Elected" box. This will help you understand
why I am running for President and why I
need $1.00 per vote. smiles. If you are in the United States, please use
this box to contact
your elected officials
and tell them that
you support Tory and Mela
and they should also
give Tory a $1.00.
(ARA) – The economy’s recent rollercoaster
ride may make
you feel like
shouting “I
want
to get off.”
But while you
can no more
seize
control of
the national
economy than
you
can exit a
rollercoaster
car mid-way
through
the ride, it
is possible
to take control
of your personal
economic situation.
“In the face of national economic uncertainties,
getting a handle
on your own
personal finances
can be both
financially
and emotionally
empowering,”
says Stephen
Semprevivo,
president of
LowerMyBills.com.
“There are
many steps
you can take,
both
great and small,
to stabilize
your personal
economic situation.”
Here are five simple steps that can help
you take control
of your finances.
1. Track Your Spending. 
Start out by writing down every cent you
spend for one
month – from
your daily
cappuccino
to your mortgage
or rent and
utility bills.
At the end
of the month,
you’ll have
a snapshot
of your spending
habits. Armed
with this
knowledge,
you can look
for ways to
trim
your expenses
and put more
money into
savings.
2. Get out of Your ARM. 
Even if your adjustable rate mortgage (ARM)
is currently
at a comfortable
monthly payment,
it may still
be to your
advantage to
get
out of it.
By definition,
the interest
rate
on your ARM
will reset
eventually.
The new
rate will almost
certainly be
higher than
what you paid
at the inception
of the loan.
Having such a loan can make it difficult
to predict
and stabilize
your monthly
expenses.
A fixed-rate
mortgage, by
contrast, remains
constant for
the duration
of the loan
and
can, therefore,
provide a greater
sense of
stability and
predictability.
It may also
save you money
in the long
run. 
3. Buy a House.
