One out of every five college women will be the victims of rape or attempted rape. Thousands more are robbed or otherwise assaulted. Avoiding becoming a statistic means taking control of your own safety. There are many things you can do to protect yourself should the need arise, but they need to be ingrained in your mind so that you can make use of them when you are in shock or are otherwise incapacitated. Here are 15 tips that will help ensure your college experience is memorable for the right reasons.

1. Assess the Risk

   A big part of protecting yourself is gauging potential threats before they become actual threats. Do you know the people you’re going to be hanging out with? Do you know where you are and where this party is that you’re going to? Is your cell phone charged? Are you wearing a lot of jewelry? Asking yourself questions like these can prevent the need for physical self-defense.

2. Trust Your Instincts

   Whether it’s intuition or some kind of evolutionary self-defense mechanism, humans, especially women, frequent have a sixth sense that warns us of danger. Rape and assault victims often describe having felt a feeling of foreboding or that “something wasn’t quite right” just before their attacks. One of your best defenses is that voice in your head that says you should cross to the other side of the street or go a different way. Don’t ignore it.

3. Taking Resistant Action Can Significantly Reduce Your Risk

   Stalling or screaming has been shown to increase the risk you will be injured in an attempted rape. But direct action, like warning the attacker, fighting back, and running away can lower the risk of a rape being completed by as much as 80%.

4. Alcohol Lowers Your Defenses

   Although date rape drugs and “roofies” get more attention and much has been made of women pouring their own drinks, rape as a result of incapacitation due to alcohol is about 18 times more prevalent than incapacitation due to being drugged. In other words, the real danger is not in someone spiking your drink, but in having too much of that drink.

5. Groin Grab

   Every woman’s self-defense class teaches this move. If an attacker is close to you, in front or behind, grabbing his testicles with all your strength is a simple and effective move to employ. If the attacker is wearing tight jeans, knee or punch him in the groin instead. Slapping him just before attacking the groin is a good way to keep him from blocking the move. And be ready to run as soon as you complete the move, while he is recovering.

6. Eye Gouge

   The Three Stooges-style eye poke is easily dodged by the attacker because he can see it coming well before it arrives. But if you are able to place your hands on the side of his face and then slide your thumbs over his eyes, he won’t have time to defend it. This can be an extremely damaging to deadly move depending on how hard you press.

7. Give Them the Elbow

   A great way to escape when having your hair pulled from behind is to turn slightly and thrust your elbow into the attacker’s face. The elbow is a very tough bone and can do serious damage. Follow it up with a kick to the groin or by smashing his foot with your foot as hard as you can, then run.



8. Everyday Items Can Double as Weapons

   If you’re a coffee drinker, that steaming liquid in your hand becomes a powerful weapon when you pop the top off and throw it at an attacker. Ballpoint pens, keys, nail files, combs, paper clips, and hair spray can all buy you precious seconds in which to escape if you use them as weapons.

9. There’s No Fighting with an Attacker with a Knife

   Don’t buy into martial arts videos that teach you karate moves for escaping from a knife-wielding attacker; 95% of those techniques fail. Your best defense is to throw your purse at the attacker or hit him with it, screaming loudly, and run. Don’t stop screaming, and be aware of your surroundings. Look for a crowded place to run to. If you have to physically block a knife attack, keep your arms low to block his arm. Loose clothing like sweaters can be used to entangle the knife.

10. Be Vigilant at ATMs

    Robberies at ATMs are a huge area of crime, and college campus ATMs often have less security than a bank would offer. Don’t go at night unless you go with a friend. If you see someone suspicious lurking near an ATM, don’t use it. Knowing exactly what transactions you want to make before using an ATM reduces the time you are vulnerably facing the machine.

11. Have Situational Awareness

    Predators look for people who are distracted or look like they don’t know where they are going. This means walking around talking on a cell phone is inadvisable. You need your focus unhindered to effectively take in your surroundings. If you park somewhere, memorize where your car is so you can walk straight to it. Also, don’t walk around with headphones blaring in your ears.

12. Know Where the Call Boxes Are

    All campuses now have (or should have) call boxes placed around campuses for use in an emergency. All you should have to do is run up to it and push the button to be connected with campus police. Memorize where these are and don’t count on having your cell phone with you. It may be taken or dropped in a struggle.

13. Break His Nose

    With the right technique, even a child can break a person’s nose. If your attacker’s in front of you, throw your weight into a jab with the base of your palm up under his nose. For an attacker from behind, use the elbow. A bloodied nose can disorient him and make it difficult for him to breathe.

14. Practice with Pepper Spray

    It’s quite possible you won’t have the time or an opportunity to reach for the pepper spray in your purse. However, if you get the chance, you need to be skilled in its operation so that you don’t accidentally spray yourself. Practicing reaching for and shooting the spray helps you learn how to do it quickly and also what to expect in terms of range when you pull the trigger.

15. Don’t Lower Your Guard

    There’s a difference between being trusting and being naive. An estimated 90% of college women who are sexually assaulted knew their attacker. Be prepared to defend yourself at all times, not just when you are with strangers.

Image credits: 1 2

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This was a pretty difficult prompt for me today, which is why I’m just now writing this post. I needed time to think! Sure, “a favorite word” sounds simple enough, until I realized I don’t necessarily have a favorite word. I’m a fan of words in general, but I don’t tend to latch onto words or develop some sort of connection or emotional attachment to a particular word or group of words. So I basically spent the day periodically thinking of words that inspire me in one way or another.

Revolution is an extremely inspiring word to me. Deeply rooted in my mind as a state of political being, it reminds me of the greatest recent case of widespread activism, that being the Occupy Wall Street protests, which I have been a major supporter of. As a whole, this word reminds me of the greatness that can happen when people come together to demand the rights that they are entitled to on a fundamental human level.

If you want to join in, check out the May Photo a Day Challenge List.

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Computer, coffee, and headphones at the kitchen table, also known as my workspace, and of course my blog dashboard is up on the computer screen. This is pretty much what my daily workday looks like. Sometimes I move to the couch if I’m having more of a relaxing day and can watch some television between blog posts and emails, but most of the time this is it. It’s a rather nice thing to call “work.” Sometimes I forget how fortunate I am to have taken this hope of mine of writing for a living and running a website and to have successfully turned it into my reality. Fortunate indeed.

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This is the view from my back porch. The weather today was disappointing, to say the least. It was cold, rainy, and there were so many dark clouds that it looked like it was dusk all day long. You can usually see windmills lining the top of the mountains, but because of all the fog we had, you can’t see them here.

Worst day for a skyline picture, for sure.

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When we think of luxury items like designer clothes, handbags, shoes, accessories, and vehicles–especially luxury vehicles–we simultaneously file them in our minds as both highly coveted and unattainable. We distance the word ‘luxury’ from our perception of what is realistic for us; as if something that is luxurious is solely meant for celebrities, athletes, and executives worth millions.

What makes a car a luxury vehicle is the culmination of a few different factors, but most of all, luxury vehicles are the trendsetters of the car world. Luxury vehicle companies make it their duty to utilize the latest advancements in technology to create features that pave the way in how we view car safety, comfort, style, and even entertainment. While features found in a luxury car may be available for lower-end cars, they are generally seen as extra features, and you’ll likely be paying more than they would cost if they came in your car standard. This is done so lower-end cars are seen as the more affordable choice, but in terms of value, the features in luxury vehicles are standard and there are no extra fees for them lurking in the fine print.

Luxury vehicles undoubtedly have a higher price tag than other “standard” cars, starting at around the $50,000 range. However, financing and leasing options make luxury fairly easily affordable; the trick is in being financially secure to start with. Assuming that you possess very little or no outstanding debts, your credit score is high enough for you to be seen as an investment with little to no risk for any loan financing and leasing options, and your income is stable, luxury car dealerships will jump at the chance to get you into a luxury vehicle at an affordable price per month.

There are two ways to make luxury vehicles as affordable as possible for the average customer, and that is through either financing a loan to help pay for the vehicle over the course of a typical 5-year payment plan, or through leasing the vehicle for 2-to-3 years where you will then have the option of buying the car.

For people who do not have a lot of money for the down payment on a luxury car, which can be about $15,000, leasing is often the more affordable choice. When you lease a luxury vehicle, the monthly payments you must make are less than if you were buying the vehicle. Dallas Mercedes-Benz, for instance, has luxury vehicles including the Mercedes-Benz M-Class for lease starting at $629 per month, which is considerably less than a monthly loan payment would be. As added benefit of leasing a luxury vehicle is that at the end of your lease agreement, you can upgrade to a newer model of the car that has more bells and whistles, or go with an entirely different class of vehicle. The luxury vehicle world is your oyster.

If you have always envisioned yourself behind the wheel of a luxury car but never thought you could realistically afford it, it’s always a good idea to seek out a luxury car dealership in your area and get the opinion and advice of people who have been working in the industry for years and know what they’re talking about. If you’re in the Dallas, Texas area, stop by Dallas Mercedes-Benz who have a service department staff of highly trained technicians and experts who are committed to providing the Mercedes-Benz experience to all of their clients.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mercedes-Benz of Plano. Incentive was provided to me, and opinions are my own.

Photo via mbplano

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More than 50 million Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Usually we hear most about helping those in need during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, which is when most charitable giving is done. This makes sense, but poverty and hunger affects millions of people every single day, not just during the holidays of selfless giving.

As the instability of the national job market continues, more families are finding themselves in need of a little help, and springtime traditionally brings a decrease in food and charitable donations to food banks across the country. To help increase meals for those in need during the spring hunger gap, Walmart has teamed up with Feeding America in a nationwide Fighting Hunger Together initiative that is expected to generate 43 million meals for families in need.

From April 9th to April 30th, you can Vote to fight spring hunger with Walmart on Facebook and rally support for communities in need of hunger relief. Among the 200 communities with the highest unemployment rate (as determined by a Department of Labor report), Walmart will donate a total of $2 million to the 21 communities who receive the most support as a result of the Facebook campaign. The breakdown is that $1 million will be donated to the winning community and the 20 runners-up will each receive a $50,000 donation.

My support will definitely be behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA, my hometown. I would love to see my community benefit from this initiative during a time when it really needs that support. Take a look at the communities with the highest unemployment rates that you will be able to vote for starting April 9th through Walmart’s Fighting Hunger Together Facebook campaign.

During these three weeks of April you can also participate in this Fighting Hunger Together initiative by shopping at Walmart and purchasing select products from four of the most popular and recognized food brands in America that are also participating, ConAgra, General Mills, Kraft, and Kellogg’s. Customers can donate meals to Feeding America or Action for Healthy Kids, a nonprofit organization that works to fight childhood hunger. Just by shopping the brands you and your family love, you can help make a difference in the lives of countless families in need this spring.

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Courtesy of InsideView

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Reverse mortgages were popular with elderly citizens during the initial effects of the financial crisis. While we as a nation were just beginning to realize our economy was far from stable, people 62-years-old and up who were feeling the strain on their finances but owned their homes outright began setting up reverse mortgages that gave them income to live on. This saved some of the equity of their homes that quickly slipped away when the housing market crisis occurred.

Basically, how a reverse mortgage works is a bank makes you a loan by recording a mortgage against it. During the time you are living in your home, you can choose to receive a lump sum of cash, a credit line, regularly monthly cash advances, or any combination of these options. No repayments of this loan are made during the life of the loan, which is why they are so attractive to people who have a lot of money tied up in their homes but not enough money in their bank accounts. Instead, this loan is paid back to the bank, along with fees that include closing costs, insurance costs, and other fees tacked on by the bank, after your time of death, when your home is no longer your primary residence, when an heir takes over the property, or when your home is sold.

On its face, a reverse mortgage seems like a great resource available to people who are ready for retirement but need to ensure that they will have the income they need to live comfortably. However, when you delve deeper into the pros and cons of reverse mortgages, you’ll find that many people are against this option because of the amount of fees and other costs that come along with the initial loan you receive, and the amount of time this loan accrues those fees.

If your plan is to set up a reverse mortgage and live on this income until your dying day, when afterwards, your house will be sold to pay the bank back, you may not have much else to worry about. However, if you choose a reverse mortgage at 62-years-old, the minimum age requirement for this option, this loan will likely have fees and charges added onto it for the next 20 years or longer. After you move out of your home or after you are deceased, if your child, grandchild, or another heir chooses to take over this property, they will likely owe the bank more than your home was worth when you chose to set up the reverse mortgage. That is one expensive loan that must be paid back to the bank one way or another.

As with any financial decision that will have a tremendous impact on the rest of your life and the lives of those closest to you, speaking with a variety of banks and experts is always the best thing you can do. Get the facts on reverse mortgages and weigh your options for retirement opportunities that can help supplement your income.

Photo by IronRodArt – Royce Bair

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What we have learned from the recession and collapse of the job market as we once knew it is that if you’re looking to find a place for yourself in a career, it is wise to choose one that will never become obsolete. It is for this reason that looking into attending an Education Masters Course makes perfect sense.

Numerous advancements in technology in recent years has made attaining a masters degree education easier than ever before. Now you can study with excellent educators full-time or part-time, on location, or through online courses. Institutions like Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, Canada is the perfect example of the flexibility available for those who wish to attend education masters courses. With courses available in the fall, winter, or spring/summer sessions on a full- or part-time basis, you have the freedom of choosing a term that works best with your own busy schedule, which is sometimes the only way someone can attend courses to attain a higher education degree at all.

A degree in education offers numerous career prospects; the higher your qualifications and years of experience, the higher your earning level, and the potential to educate and greater influence society becomes more and more promising.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nipissing University. Incentive was provided to me, and opinions are my own.

Photo by SuperDewa

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In its 2011 report to Congress, the FTC received more than 140,000 consumer complaints regarding unfair, deceptive and abusive debt collectors.

According to American Banker, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is currently investigating JP Morgan Chase for improper credit card collections. The publication cites current and former employees who report that Chase “took procedural shortcuts and used faulty account records in suing tens of thousands of delinquent credit card borrowers for at least two years.” Chase employees report that the Chase card litigation involved unreliable external attorneys as well as poor office procedures. Perhaps as a result of the investigation, Chase stopped suing delinquent borrowers in 2011.

The publication further states that company documents, court filings, and interviews with seven current and former employees reveal “Chase’s credit card litigation operation was allegedly plagued by unreliable external attorneys, management’s disregard for accuracy, and patchy technology.” It also reports that the bank’s computer systems frequently disagreed about how much debtors actually owed.

Collection of bad debt has grown into a billion dollar industry. In 2000, Chase recouped $130 million a year from bad consumer debt of all kinds. By 2009, Chase recovered over $1.2 billion on credit cards alone, according to the American Banker. Litigation became a profitable way to handle bad debt as the bank would charge off more than $20 billion in credit card accounts in 2010 and 2011.

“Debt collection is complicated, and some collectors may push the boundaries of the regulations and law to get money out of you,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com. “The best way to protect yourself is to be familiar with the laws, and know exactly what you owe and to whom. If the collector is doing something that is illegal, report that company to the FTC.”

Collections and Litigation of Credit Card Debt

Your credit card minimum payment is due at least 21 days after you receive your bill. If the minimum payment is late, it will be reported to the credit bureaus (if this is your first time, and you are a good customer, they may not report you until the account is 60 days late).

If you don’t make your minimum payment in 60 days, your account is turned over to the collections department and the delinquency is reported on your credit report. If you can’t make your minimum payment now or over the next few months, this is the time to call your credit card issuer to try to work out a payment plan.

If your account is 90 days past due, this is serious delinquency and you will receive insistent calls and letters from your creditor. Late fees and interest payments will accumulate and your credit card issuer will probably shut down your credit card account.

Beyond this point, your account will be charged-off by your credit card issuer and turned over to a collections agency or a third-party debt collector. The debt collector will contact you through phone calls, emails, and letters. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act provides guidelines for contact from debt collectors. Before you make a payment, verify the amount and the creditor. You may be better off negotiating a settlement with the credit card issuer. The third party collector can even sell your debt to another collector.

If this doesn’t work, the third party collector can sue you and take you to court. They will send you a summons to appear in court. Do not ignore this because if you do not show up, it is an automatic win for the collector. If the debt collector or creditor wins the case and receives a judgment, it can seize assets or garnish wages to pay off the debt. The judge could also create a payment plan.

There is a statute of limitations to sue for credit card debt, and if the date is passed, you can have the case dismissed. This limit is set by the states and varies from three to ten years. It is up to you to know and prove this. The debt collector can still attempt to collect on debts.

Information about a delinquent account remains on your credit report for seven years from the date you first missed a payment.

Photo by businessheroes

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The Better Business Bureau has collected the 10 most popular scams that have plagued millions over the past year alone; a novel idea considering BBB was the top scam of the year, with emails going out to small business owners claiming that a complaint had been made against their business. I have actually received that email a ton of times, along with a few other email phishing scams, but thankfully they all wound up in my spam folder and I was never made a victim because of them.

Check out the following infographic for information about the top 10 scams of 2011, who they targeted, and what the result of each scam is.

Top 10 Scams of 2011 [Infographic] compliments of Better Business Bureau

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How many of these scams have you heard of or been affected by?

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Women’s history is everyone’s history. Just like men, women have molded and shaped the known world for better and for worse alike. Throughout this month dedicated to honoring women’s history, you’ll find a great opportunity for recognizing great movies for, by, and about women. Organize a movie night and get educated about some of the seriously cool ladies–both real and fictitious–populating the cinematic sphere.

Biopics



1. La vie en rose dir. Olivier Dahan: Singer Edith Piaf led a life at once beautiful and wholly tragic, reflected in this heavily acclaimed film starring the haunting Marion Cotillard.
2. Julie & Julia dir. Nora Ephron: Even audiences who manage to burn water can still love and appreciate the absolutely charming Julia Child – played here by Meryl Streep – and enthusiasm for the culinary arts.
3. Selena dir. Gregory Nava: Learn all about Tejano music sensation Selena Quintanilla-Perez, whose life shockingly and tragically ended when the president of her fan club committed a wholly unexpected murder.
4. Evita dir. Alan Parker: Argentinians either adore or despise struggling actress Evita Duarte and her husband, President Juan Peron, and this cheesy-but-beloved musical illustrates their wild days and mad existence.
5. Amelia dir. Mira Nair: Amelia Earhart may have failed in her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, but as an aviatrix still serves as an inspiration to girls and women hoping to succeed in traditionally male-dominated industries and hobbies.
6. Persepolis dirs. Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi: This striking animated adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s seminal graphic memoir delves deeply into the changing face of Iran following the deposition of the shah and the personal prejudices she encountered living in Europe.
7. Joan of Arc dir. Victor Fleming: Even some nonreligious women find Joan of Arc and her fearless battlefield prowess a strong role model, and she pops into vivid life here depicted by the stellar Ingrid Bergman.
8. Erin Brockovich dir. Steven Soderbergh: Like all films adapting real people and situations, liberties regarding the nonfiction inevitably occur here. But that doesn’t diminish the core environmental justice, public health, and consumer rights messages at the center of this biopic.
9. The Runaways dir. Floria Sigismondi: Joan Jett herself intimately participated in the production of a movie all about the early days of her influential teenage rock band The Runaways.
10. Silkwood dir. Mike Nichols: Explore the very real, very terrifying true story of Karen Silkwood, who witnessed some awful human rights violations while working at a plant processing plutonium and died under mysterious and suspicious circumstances.

Chick Flicks/Comedies



11. Waiting to Exhale dir. Forest Whitaker: Forest Whitaker’s second full-length feature adapted Terry McMillan’s novel, which traces the trajectories of four African-American women as they attempt to navigate changing roles and romances.
12. Secretary dir. Steven Shainberg: This sexy, sultry viewing pleasure demonstrates that absolutely no shame exists in women assuming a submissive role in S&M scenarios–provided that’s genuinely what sexually satisfies her, of course.
13. Caramel dir. Nadine Labaki: Originally titled Sukkar banat, this movie takes place in a Beirut beauty shop and peeks at the diverse lives and loves of the workers and customers alike.
14. Thelma & Louise dir. Ridley Scott: Critics and audiences often tout Thelma & Louise as one of the all-time greatest buddy movies ever committed to celluloid because of its riveting central characters, who murder a rapist and find themselves on the lam.
15. The Joy Luck Club dir. Wayne Wang: Women’s history doesn’t get much more intimate than the bonds between mother and daughter, and Amy Tan’s novel and its subsequent film adaptation highlight two generations of Chinese-American ladies to showcase this near-universal theme.
16. The Devil Wears Prada dir. David Frankel: Power struggles between two extremely different approaches to life as an office lady form the crux of this movie’s central conflict, juxtaposing the competitive “ice queen” edifice of yesteryear with today’s pluckier ingenues.
17. Amelie dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Movies don’t get more charming and whimsical than this without Muppets, and Amelie is classic viewing for feel-good times.
18. Calendar Girls dir. Nigel Cole: To fundraise for a Yorkshire hospital, the Women’s Institute members compile a nude calendar in this encouraging comedy that proves young ladies don’t corner the market on beauty.
19. Dancer in the Dark dir. Lars von Trier: Despite existing as one of the most moving tearjerkers that ever jerked tears, Bjork’s killer performance of an immigrant woman whose American dreams splinter deserves watching at least once.
20. Steel Magnolias dir. Herbert Ross: Steel Magnolias centers around a beauty parlor in Louisiana and reflects on the experiences and cultural memes that made them simultaneously as soft as flowers and as hard as metal.

Documentaries/Women’s Issues



21. The Invisible War dir. Kirby Dick: Female soldiers who experienced rape and sexual assault while serving in the United States Armed Forces speak out about their suffering as well as the nation’s failure to properly address and acknowledge it.
22. The Perfect Vagina dir. Heather Leach: Host Lisa Rogers launches an exhaustive inquiry into why so many women risk losing sexual sensation by paying for expensive labial, vaginal, and other genital reconstructive surgeries.
23. Born Into Brothels dirs. Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman: Explore Calcutta’s squalid red light district through the eyes of poverty-stricken children born to prostitutes, who receive their own video cameras and training to document their daily experiences.
24. Pray the Devil Back to Hell dir. Gini Reticker: Beginning with one lady and one church, a strong, solid, effective Liberian peace movement comprised of the nation’s women spread to other houses of worship–eventually culminating in the election of its first female head of state.
25. The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter dir. Connie Field: No less than the United States National Film Registry wants to preserve Connie Field’s film about the women who hit the work force during World War II before societal expectations forced them back into the kitchen.
26. Cruel and Unusual dirs. Janet Baus, Dan Hunt, and Reid Williams: Transwomen who wind up in the prison system often experience far more inhumane treatment than their traditional counterparts, with the horrid details popping into shocking light here.
27. The Line dir. Nancy Schwartzman: This thoroughly sex-positive short documentary tries to make sense of how American society tends to marginalize female rape survivors who aren’t virgins or otherwise “perfect victims.”
28. Good Hair dir. Jeff Stilson: Comedian Chris Rock delivers a somewhat sociological analysis of African-American hairstyles–particularly those of women–and the expensive (sometimes unethical and/or hazardous) practices that spring up as a result.
29. Miss Representation dir. Jennifer Siebel Newsom: The media’s track record for portraying the true diversity of women remains, to put it nicely, rather awful, and Miss Representation tackles the problem unapologetically.
30. The Business of Being Born dir. Abby Epstein: Along with Ricki Lake, documentarian Abby Epstein delves into the disconcerting downsides of giving birth in America, which she surprisingly ends up experiencing firsthand when she gets pregnant during filming.

LGBTQ Interest/Social Issues



31. Transamerica dir. Duncan Tucker: Central character Bree Osbourne receives very different news at once–she finally received approval for sexual reassignment surgery and has a previously unknown, troubled son living in New York.
32. The Color Purple dir. Steven Spielberg: Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel springs to vivid, heart-wrenching life through this celluloid classic, which chronicles the life of a heavily marginalized, African-American woman from adolescence until mid-to-late adulthood.
33. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days dir. Cristian Mungiu: Romanian women in the 1980s were barred from securing abortions for unwanted pregnancies, meaning a thriving, and sometimes dangerous, underground flourished. The boiling drama showcases what lengths the female population will take when denied body autonomy.
34. Boys Don’t Cry dir. Kimberly Peirce: Based on a true story, the visceral Boys Don’t Cry depicts popular boy Brandon Teena whose life winds up a fatal nightmare when his small town pals discover he’s biologically a woman.
35. Hairspray dir. John Waters: Lively and life-affirming, one of John Waters’ more mainstream-accessible works features a confident, strong, and refreshingly non-waifish heroine who wields her new-found popularity to promote integration.
36. Real Woman Have Curves dir. Patricia Cardoso: Issues unique to the children of Mexican immigrants as well as women in the workplace–and, of course, their frequently frustrating unequal intersections–form the central themes of this film about a young woman trapped between college or career.
37. The Apple dir. Samira Makhmalbaf: This movie is a narrative about one family’s extreme measures to shelter the young daughters from outside influence.
38. Sarafina! dir. Darrell Roodt: This film pulls from the schools involved in the Soweto Riots and dissects how teachers can hold hefty influence over their students during times of political oppression.
39. Fish and Elephant dir. Yu Li: Chinese censors attempted to suppress one of the nation’s first-known LGBTQ-themed productions, which involves a simple narrative of a lesbian couple, returning lovers, and oblivious mothers.
40. Fried Green Tomatoes dir. Jon Avnet: Adapted from the Fannie Flagg (who also penned the screenplay) novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, this movie celebrates the power of friendships across generations and follows the inspiring romance between two Depression-era women.

Image credits: 1 2 3 4

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As spring draws ever closer, we often let down our guard in winter preparation. But for some states, the end of winter hits the hardest. In fact, in many states winter doesn’t even start until mid-January! That’s why winter preparedness is important all season long!

I don’t worry too much about maintenance until we are getting ready for a long road trip, such as my husband’s parent’s place. Other than that, our regularly scheduled maintenance is okay. I usually take the car in for a checkup in late September, and also for oil changes about every two months unless I notice something going on that needs to be looked at.

The three items that are most important on my winter car prep check list are:

• Tires
• Insurance
• Emergency Kit

Winter Tire Check

The roads down here do not get too bad, but they are slippery if it snows even a little. I always make sure the threads on our tires are still deep enough to get a good grip on the road. If the tires are worn, I get a new set before cold weather hits. I also check the air in the tires any time the weather changes drastically in either direction.

In Texas, we are prone to fast ups and downs, and all that hot-to-cold, cold-to-hot means tires lose air pressure. Each tire has the proper inflation rates printed on them, so I make sure they are at the right inflation.

Winter Insurance Check

I always make sure we have the best insurance comparison. I do a regular check of all of the different policies that compare to our current one and will get an automotive insurance quote if I find a policy that could be better than the one we already have. I also make sure our insurance is up-to-date. The winter months are the most prone to accidents, and I wouldn’t want to be even a few days late on a payment when we need it most.

Preparing the Winter Automobile Emergency Kit

The emergency kit is what I consider the most important thing for winter car preparedness. Getting stranded for any reason is a hassle at any time, but in the cold months it can be even more dangerous. I always make sure the car is stocked with water, blankets, pillows, a flashlight, and batteries; as well as common maintenance items like oil, tools, and a jack and lug wrench.

Since I never leave the house without my cellphone, I know that I can always call my insurance company when I need to. My husband is never far away, either, so I can give him a call and have him come and get me too. However, it doesn’t take long to get cold when the temperatures are below freezing.

With the kids in the car most of the time, I feel better knowing those items are there. By having taken the time in November to get these things done, I can sit back and relax throughout the rest of the winter season and feel safe and secure when I have to go out, whether the girls are with me or not, even in the worst weather.

After preparing the car, it’s time to enjoy life and everything that it has to offer. I know that my family will be safe and taken care of even if something tragic and unexpected did happen while out on the road and it’s a great relief that I know I will be prepared.

Photo by SkyFireXII

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We waited on the back porch as the realtor opened the door and we walked in, the first time seeing it completely clean of any other life that had existed within its walls before us. Empty and yet so full of plans and aspirations, as if we had boxed up every hope we had for what our lives could be like within this space, just as we had boxed up all of our possessions, and they were just waiting for us to get here and dive in. Even in its simplest form, a structure without the weight of personal belongings, furniture, or tokens of someone else’s version of home inside it, it still glowed with that same energy of being home that I felt the first time we had walked through the door. Afterwards, I couldn’t stop talking about how perfect it was for us. How perfect it is.

At first, my partner was worried that I had only fallen in love with this house and felt that warm, welcoming energy because the previous owner was living here when we initially saw it. As we came closer to the reality of it becoming our home, I started to worry too, about that and about everything else. I woke up in the middle of the night for weeks before we officially closed on the house, worried that something was going to be drastically wrong. I was convinced that something had been overlooked and that we would move in to find that all of the pipes were leaking or the roof was about to cave in. He also started having nightmares; one in particular centered around mutant, giant-sized rodents. We were quite the new-home-anxiety-ridden pair.

We were assured that nothing had been overlooked. The person who assessed the house commented that we got it for a steal. That afternoon 12 days ago we carefully walked through every room, anxious, excited, terrified, and elated. Our realtor gave us the keys and left us standing in the back yard where we met him–where this whole process began. We walked back inside and through every room for more than an hour before we started moving our boxed-up belongings from our old apartment to our new home. Three days later, exhausted and full of aches, we started to unpack.

Everything is steadily coming together now. In just a few days, the dining room, which had been our dumping ground during the process of moving, went from looking like this:

To this:

The room is still pretty messy, but it has come a long way from barely being able to walk in there without tripping over things. That last picture was taken a few days ago, so more things have also been cleared out since.

The first room to be mostly put together was the living room. After three days of heavy lifting and the terrible body aches that made us both realize just how out of shape we were, we desperately needed a place to relax. Last Christmas, my father built me an entertainment center that matches the DVD cabinet he built last Christmas the coffee table and side table from the year before. We left it at his house until we moved in here so we didn’t have to move it into our apartment and then back out. Just a few days ago we went and picked it up and brought it home and it is awesome.

That’s our cat Devin in the picture on the left, and Vincent on the right.

I wake up in the morning and walk around this place with wide-eyed astonishment, unable to fully wrap my mind around the fact that this house is mine. That feeling shows absolutely no sign of going away anytime soon, and I am thankful for that.

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We started to look for possible new places to live a few months ago. This had become a routine of sorts for us throughout the past couple of years. When yet another thing in our two-bedroom apartment would break or the rapid deterioration of our apartment building would become even more apparent, we would go on the hunt for other, affordable rentals out there. Turns out that around these parts, or any part within 100 miles of us in any direction, the words affordable and rental are oxymorons. We would get frustrated, stop looking, and reside ourselves to living unhappily in a place that has been steadily falling apart around us. Rinse, wash, repeat. We were destined to fall into that same cycle again, but after some number-crunching, my partner brought up the option–and the realistic possibility–of purchasing.

I have never given the idea of purchasing a home too much thought. It has always been something nice to think about that could possibly happen at some point in the future, maybe. That maybe is what made it continue to be a nice thought. I do not deal with drastic changes very well. They make me feel vulnerable; as if I am teetering on the edge of a cliff thousands of stories high and even the slightest gust of wind could send me falling to my demise. When I was a kid, my mother had moved me and my younger sister around more than six times in ten months. From the time I was an adolescent I have wanted nothing more in my life but stability; something that I can count on without it changing or disappearing overnight. But the idea of permanence makes me feel as if I am being trapped in a box too small for my body and my air will run out soon and every part of my body is going numb.

Something that can be counted on has always won out when my mental processes start to become conflicting, blood-thirsty enemies, and we began to look for single family homes on the market. What we immediately found is that while affordable rentals don’t seem to exist anymore, affordable homes do and in the end, they can wind up being even more affordable than any rental I have personally ever lived in.

After looking at just four homes, we simultaneously had our hearts latch on to a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with an additional basement apartment (hello in-home recording studio for my professional guitarist partner!) and an actual yard with an above-ground pool in the same town we have been living in for the past four years; a town that is quiet and surrounded by woods, where everyone you meet is still kind and humble and good.

We put in two offers before the owner of the home accepted and when she did, we got excited. We had to keep telling ourselves that in the next few months anything could happen. Something could go wrong. There was still time for everything to fall through. I started calling it “our house.” I realized just how excited I was at the prospect of having a home. Somewhere I belong; where I make sense; where I can create and thrive instead of merely floating in the limbo that is basic survival. Somewhere I can really live and grow, happily.

We soared through the purchasing process full steam ahead. We let our excitement grow until it was barely containable, and then we ran into issues with the bank. Twice. I began to wonder how it could be so hard for the bank to allow us to give them money every month. Our move-in date was unexpectedly pushed back which resulted in our existence being lived out in a barely-functioning apartment. We thought this place made us want to rip our hair out to begin with, but now most of our belongings have taken over the entire downstairs where there is but a small path just wide enough to walk through from the landing of the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. But our days in this crowded, barely able to walk state are coming to an end, just as our days living in this apartment that we tried so desperately to make feel like a home have ended.

We get the keys to our new home this afternoon. Even as I sit here, on a mattress that is sitting on the floor with our bed in pieces and stacked around the room, with only seven hours until we have the keys to our very own home in our hands, it still feels like it isn’t happening. That something so good and filled with so much hope and optimism is just that inconceivable. But maybe that is what new beginnings and life changes feel like–too good to be true, until they are.

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This project has achieved amazing success; by just the end of 2010, it raised over $100,000 from $2,500+ grassroots contributors that has gone to increase support and resources available to teenagers in the LGBT community through the project’s affiliation with the Trevor Project suicide hotline, GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), and the ACLU LGBT Project. By the end of this month, the It Gets Better Project will reach an even wider audience with the premiere of the It Gets Better special that will air on both MTV and Logo on Tuesday, February 21st at 11:00 p.m. ET.

The 60-minute special will be anchored by Dan Savage and will follow the lives of three young people at pivotal and emotional moments in their lives: a young man struggling to tell his family and friends that he is gay; a lesbian fighting for parental acceptance; and a transgender man preparing to get married. In additional to these stories, the special will also include video messages full of hope and support from very well-known people, including Adam Levine, Zachary Quinto, Margaret Cho, Chaz Bono, Tim Mcllarth and Brandon Barnes of Rise Against, Vinny Guadagnino, Dave Holmes, Sia and Jake Shears.

Check out the following clip from the It Gets Better special featuring Vanessa who is talking to her mother about her personal fight for acceptance:

This project came at a very crucial moment in time and this special is also very much needed in our society. Simply put, kids are dying. Every day, LGBT youth are being bullied by their peers as well as by adults and authority figures in their communities. They are paying attention to the 2012 political race to the White House and hearing from politicians that everything they are is what is wrong with society. They are being discriminated against, told that they are less-than, rejected and ostracized by their own families, and being cast out for no other reason than being who they are. The statistics are tragic: 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school; LGBT teens are bullied 2 to 3 times as much as straight teens; LGBT youth with “highly rejecting” families are 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than those whose families accept them; more than 1/3 of LGBT youth have attempted suicide.

Kids are dying and the most important thing that we can do, that anyone can do, is accept everyone for who they are because that is enough.

When speaking about the It Gets Better special, Dan Savage said:

“The lives of these three young people will resonate with millions of teens–gay and straight–who are being bullied for simply being themselves. It’s so important they know that things get better and that living openly and honestly and being who you are makes it better. They have so many great moments ahead of them and they will do things they never thought possible–so long as they keep fighting, stay positive, and stay with us.”

The It Gets Better special is the second Dan Savage-centric announcement to come from MTV as of late; he will also be seen this spring in Savage U with Lauren Hutchinson, a show that will follow the duo as they travel to college campuses across the country offering a crash course to students on relationships, responsibility, sex, love, and life.

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A year later, and the film’s cast has only grown more impressive. Ed Harris plays an exhausted John McCain whose own campaign ran away without him once Sarah Palin was introduced to the American public, and Woody Harrelson plays adviser Steve Schmidt who tried to cover up Palin’s inexperience, limited scope of foreign policy knowledge, and incompetence by banking on her charisma to carry her through the campaign.

Check out the following trailer for Game Change; the film premieres on March 10th at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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High-end sports car aficionados Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno star in this spot for Acura where they are pitted against each other, competing to be the very first person in the world to have the yet-to-be-released Acura NSX. The commercial is hilarious and also features one of the most beloved characters from the show Seinfeld, the Soup Nazi.

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According to CNBC, there is an antitrust suit between five million retailers and Visa, MasterCard, and 13 large banks, including Citi, Bank of America, Chase, Capital One, U.S. Bancorp, and Wells Fargo. Retailers claim that banks and the payment systems have unfairly worked together to increase the amount of the interchange fee retailers pay on credit card transactions.

The amount that each retailer pays as a swipe fee varies widely but the industry average is approximately 2%. This antitrust suit could cut that figure by three-quarters down to 0.5%. That would be one more devastating revenue blow to the banks as well as Visa and MasterCard, leading to billions of dollars in lost income.

Last year, the Durbin Amendment went into effect on October 1, cutting the interchange fee on debit card transactions from an average of 44 cents to no more than 21 cents (plus 0.05% of the transaction, with the possibility of an additional cent if banks comply with fraud prevention procedures). Banks tried to make up for this lost revenue by implementing a monthly debit card fee which led to consumer outrage. Banks eventually rescinded this monthly fee.

If the retailers win this antitrust suit, it could have a significant impact on consumers:

• Banks will lose billions of dollars at a time when they have already suffered significant cutbacks in revenue. Whenever banks lose revenue in one area, they try to make up for it in another area and that always comes at the expense of the consumer. An increase in existing fees, the introduction of new fees, and an increase in the credit card interest rates are changes that could be pushed by banks.
• A significant decrease in credit card reward programs. The lucrative cash back and airline mile rewards will likely decline. Most banks eliminated debit card rewards when the Durbin Amendment passed. The same could happen with credit card programs if retailers win this suit.
• A likely decrease in attractive balance transfer offers. Currently, credit card issuers are offering 0% interest rates for extended periods of time in order to lure customers from their competitors. The Citi Platinum Select card offers 0% for 21 months; the Discover More card offers 0% for 18 months; and the Slate from Chase card offers 0% for 12 months with no balance transfer fee. If retailers win this antitrust suit, look for credit card issuers to scale back these balance transfer offers.
• On the positive side, a possible decrease in prices at store level. Retailers claimed the passage of the Durbin Amendment could lead to a decrease in prices since they would no longer have to pay high swipe fees on debit card transactions. It is difficult to see if this actually took place. However, retailers may face more pressure from consumer groups to cut prices if the interchange fee is also slashed on credit card purchases.

Photo by Helcim

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I woke up yesterday morning to a familiar winter chill filling the air. The kind of chill that makes its way into your home regardless of how high the heat is turned up and immediately consumes you before you even open your eyes. The kind of chill that becomes a part of you if you have always lived in a place where it snows, as I have, where as soon as you feel it, you know that while you were sleeping, nature was busy transforming every inch of outside space as far as you can see into the distance a beautiful, pristine white.

Whenever I wake up to newly-fallen snow, I get the same feeling: complete and utter excitement followed by a list of all the ways I could spend my day. You see, a day of snow still makes me feel like I have a personal snow day to take advantage of. It’s a sort of mental health day as commanded by the snow; nature’s little gift to the child in me.

When I look back on these days that I have spent doing very little besides playing video games, watching movies or old episodes of my favorite television shows, or reading a book and drinking freshly-brewed coffee, I realize that I really am lucky. There are a lot of people out there who can’t take that one day in the dead of winter and spend it doing only what they feel like doing. There are millions of people living in this country alone who do not have a home to keep them warm and protected throughout the winter season, and 1 out of every 3 homeless people are under the age of 18.

For the fifth consecutive year, DoSomething.org has teamed up with Aéropostale and P.S. stores for the Teens for Jeans drive.

From now until February 12th, collect your gently worn jeans, any brand, and drop them off at your local Aéropostale or P.S. store. Your jeans will be donated to local homeless shelters and charities that will directly impact a homeless teen’s life. So if you’ve been putting off cleaning out your closet, or if you’re still holding on to jeans that are either too small or too big, give them a new home with someone who will greatly benefit from your contribution. When you drop off your old jeans, you will also receive 25% off a new pair of Aéropostale jeans!

In four years of the Teens for Jeans drive, over 1.5 million pairs of jeans have been collected. To help and motivate youth to have an even bigger impact this year, DoSomething.org has some amazing prizes available for schools who sign up to host a Teens for Jeans drive. As of this writing, over 7,500 schools have signed up and the school that collects the most jeans will win new Aéropostale jeans for every student, a party for their entire school, and $5,000.

Visit Teens for Jeans to sign up your school (make sure it’s okay with your school principal first!), or donate your old jeans on your own at your local Aéropostale or P.S. store and get 25% off a new pair of jeans.

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Today, some of your favorite websites will not be displaying or functioning fully. They will not be at our collective disposal with just a click of a button, and their content will not be there, ready to entertain us, or inform us, or make us better citizens of the world. Instead, these websites will be dark or possess very little other than a message of protest against proposed U.S. legislation that threatens internet freedom: the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

As it stands today, the U.S. has laws in place to fight online piracy and copyright infringement. You see this in action every time you go to watch a YouTube video and instead of the video, you see a notice that it has been taken down due to some form of copyright infringement of [insert big name corporation here]. SOPA/PIPA would do surprisingly little to actually put an end to online piracy and copyright infringement. What it would do, however, is give the federal government the authority to censor and shut down entire websites on a media company’s say-so and put innovation, creativity, and freedom of expression severely at risk.

The U.S. legal system is held up by a fundamental idea: that people are innocent until proven guilty. The passing of SOPA/PIPA would make it so that those who own and operate websites would not be protected by this same right, as their websites could be taken down based on accusation alone and without due process.

Woman Tribune will not go dark today because as much as I support this protest and every single person doing everything they can to raise awareness about how much damage can and will likely be done with the passing of these pieces of legislation, I cannot afford for the ads you see on this website to go down for the day. And that is really the point, isn’t it?

I Work For the Internet. I have been blogging since I was 13 years old–nearly half my life–and exactly four years and one day ago, I published the first post on this website. While I love writing more than doing anything else in life, I did not start Woman Tribune because of my love of writing; I started my other blog, Menstrual Poetry, because of that. I created Woman Tribune with the hope that it would become a stable, full-time job. As a person who lives with clinical depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a debilitating disease that started as minor dental issues that has over the years caused my body to start attacking itself, I am not what one would call a reliable employee under normal, society-approved circumstances. It is because of the internet and its accessibility that I have been able to make a living by writing, editing, and freelancing as a web designer and developer. Without it, I would very likely have had little to no other options, and honestly, I have no idea where I would be today. If widespread censorship of the internet were to become an everyday reality, people who live in this country who rely on their blogs and internet businesses to keep them alive could lose everything.

Our society has been heavily influenced by the tech industry; how so many of us work and live has been strengthened by the tools and the platforms that have been made available to us because of the creativity and innovation that has been fostered through this industry. By having any aspect of that forcibly oppressed, we would all be affected.

Take action against SOPA and PIPA. Educate yourself about these two bills and what their passing would mean for every single person who goes on the internet every day. On January 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate. Until then, write and call your lawmakers and make sure your voice of opposition is heard.

If you run a WordPress-powered blog and want to participate in the internet blackout today, there are numerous SOPA blackout plugins to choose from. If you don’t use WordPress, there are other apps and codes you can use. You can also follow news about the strike on Twitter using the hashtag #sopastrike.

Photo by SOPA Strike

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Orman is the latest celebrity to jump into the prepaid card market. As a well-known financial adviser with a strong following, she just may have the clout to capture a significant portion of the market.

Prepaid cards have historically targeted consumers with poor credit who could not qualify for a standard credit card. These cards were easy to get, but were loaded with exorbitant fees. That began to change last year when American Express introduced its own prepaid card with fewer fees.

There are some nice advantages to Orman’s Approved Card. It has fewer fees than most prepaid cards: there are no loading fees, no fee to transfer money to another card, and no fee to make electronic bill payments. The card comes with free identity theft protection and also gives the cardholder unlimited credit reports and scores from TransUnion, one of the three credit reporting agencies.

As with any card, consumers need to read the fine print to be aware of the fees that will be charged.

The Approved Card costs $3 to purchase and then has a monthly fee after the first month of $3. ATM withdrawals are free each month as long as they are made from the Allpoint network and you make a direct deposit of at least $20 each month. Otherwise, the ATM withdrawals will cost $2 per transaction.

If you get cash back when making a purchase at a retail store, that will cost you $2.

Your first call each month to a customer service representative will be free, but subsequent calls will be $2.

The opportunity to receive unlimited credit reports and scores from TransUnion can be beneficial for consumers, especially those trying to build their credit. However, the score that will be available will be the TransUnion score, not the FICO score that most banks use when deciding a consumer’s credit worthiness. Orman says TransUnion plans to collect Approved Card user data to determine if it should include prepaid card data on its credit reports in the future.

“A debit card linked to your checking account is much better than a prepaid card for most consumers. A debit card will not have the monthly or usage fees that are common with prepaid cards, even this new one from Suze Orman,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com. “But for people who don’t have a bank account, or may have some credit problems, her card may be a good alternative.”

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Women have slowly but surely made their way into the corporate world over the last few decades. Still, only 18 women are running Fortune 500 companies. These female CEOs have broken the gender barriers in business, but not without many years of hard work, rejections, and slow promotions. Here are the 10 most successful female CEOs of all time.

Patricia Woertz

Patricia Woertz is the CEO of Archer Daniels Midland, a Fortune 500 food production company that operates hundreds of plants used to process crops into food, agricultural, and industrial products. In addition to being the CEO, Woertz also holds the title of president and chairman of the board of directors. Although Woertz has described herself as an “outsider” at ADM, she has managed to help the company achieve record financial results and improve their sourcing, transportation, and processing networks with strategic investments and planning. Woertz’s powerful visions and never-ending list of achievements have earned her a spot in Fortune magazine as the third most powerful woman in 2010.

Laura Sen

Laura Sen is the current CEO at BJ’s Wholesale Club, a membership-only warehouse club chain on the east coast and in the state of Ohio. Sen spent 14 years working for BJ’s before she was promoted to executive vice president and was considered for the position of CEO. After an unexpected firing and reworking of the company, Sen was asked to come back to BJ’s and was appointed to be executive vice president again. Within two years of her return, Sen was promoted to president and chief operating officer. The next year, she became CEO. Since then, Sen has taken the company to new levels of success and efficiency. Her unique management style and accessibility to all workers has made her a true success in the business world.

Ellen J. Kullman

Ellen J. Kullman is the CEO and chair of the board of DuPont, the third largest chemical company in the world. Kullman joined DuPont in 1988 and worked as the marketing manager in the medical imaging business before being promoted to executive vice president. During this time, she managed four of DuPont’s business platforms and shifted the company’s focus on international markets. As CEO, Kullman has revolutionized the company’s customer relations and overall innovation by focusing on what customers need and letting that drive their decision-making. Kullman’s innovative leadership and keen industry knowledge has made her own of the most successful female CEOs of all time.

Gracia C. Martore

Gracia C. Martore is the current CEO of Gannett, a media and marketing solutions company. Martore came to Gannett in 1985 and worked as the assistant treasurer before acquiring the position as vice president in the treasury group in the ’90s. She went on to become the treasurer and vice president/investor relations and later the senior vice president of finance. Martore worked her way up the ladder to become the executive vice president and chief financial officer in 2006, and was later named president and chief operating officer. She was finally appointed to the position of CEO on October 6, 2011. Martore’s rise to success was a symbol of achievement for female CEOs everywhere. Her accomplishments and dedication to Gannett have made her a true success story.

Margaret Whitman

Margaret Whitman is the former CEO of eBay and the current chief executive of Hewlett-Packard. In September 2011, Whitman became CEO of the giant tech corporation after the two former leaders failed to meet the company’s expectations. Whitman has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to HP. While at eBay, Whitman helped the online retailer grow from a small start-up to a global giant. Whitman plans to focus on the internal development of HP and provide data management services to other corporations. She also hopes to improve HP’s finances by limiting big acquisitions and scaling back on budget cuts. Whitman’s innovative ideas, strong leadership, and past successes as CEO will certainly shake things up for HP and the technology market in general.

Indra K. Nooyi

Indra K. Nooyi is one of the most well-known and successful businesswomen in the world. Nooyi has served as the CEO of PepsiCo for five years, where she has helped change the face of the giant food and beverage business. Nooyi’s innovative ideas and modern advertising strategies have increased PepsiCo’s exposure and global strengths. She is credited for helping PepsiCo expand its brand options by including healthy products like Tropicana and Quaker Oats. Nooyi’s bold business moves and strong leadership skills make her a successful and idolized CEO.

Irene B. Rosenfeld

Irene B. Rosenfeld has spent many years working in the food and beverage industry, but her biggest career accomplishment to date would be working as the current CEO and chairman of Kraft Foods. Since 2006, Rosenfeld has managed Kraft Foods, bringing many innovative ideas and collaborative efforts to the company. Rosenfeld has also helped restructure the business and improve earnings in the U.S. and international markets. Rosenfeld’s strong work ethic and collaborative attitude have made her a strong leader at Kraft and one of the most influential CEOs of all time.

Carol Meyrowitz

Carol Meyrowitz is the current CEO of TJX Companies Inc., a leading discount retailer of apparel and home goods, which includes T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s, Winners, HomeGoods, T.K. Maxx, and other stores. Meyrowitz has been with TJX Companies for 28 years, where she was able to pursue new job opportunities and become a strong leader with every promotion. Meyrowitz’s longtime experience with TJX and deep understanding of off-price retail has made her an expert in the industry. Her company loyalty and strong leadership skills have earned her a spot as one of the most successful female CEOs of all time.

Beth Mooney

Beth Mooney is the CEO and chairman of KeyCorp, a bank-based financial service company headquartered in Cleveland. Here, she oversees about 15,000 employees and nearly $90 billion in assets. KeyCorp has fought through one of the worst financial crises in U.S. history and has managed to return to profitability with Mooney’s strong leadership. Mooney’s dedication and personal rise to success have inspired many businesswomen and non-businesswomen alike to work hard for their dreams.

Ursula M. Burns

Ursula M. Burns is the current CEO and chairman of Xerox Corporation. Not only is Burns the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company, but she is also the first African American woman CEO to run a Fortune 500 company. Burns got her start at Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering intern and later worked in product development and planning. Burns climbed the corporate ladder, assuming new roles as senior vice president and later president. More than 25 years later, Burns was finally promoted to CEO in 2009. Burns has already faced many challenges trying to improve sales and get customers buying again. Burns’ industry knowledge and business smarts have helped Xerox tackle some of these issues and prepare for the future of printing.

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The National Retail Federation predicts that 80% of people have purchased gift cards this holiday season and shoppers will spend an average of $43.23 per card. Total holiday spending on gift cards in 2011 reached $27.8 billion. That number grows each year because gift cards are the easiest present to give, saving time and shopping stress for the giver.

Surprisingly, it is also a present that goes unused. Last year, 113 million Americans received gift cards during the holidays, but at the start of the 2011 holiday shopping season, a quarter of recipients still had an unused gift card from last year.

“For some reason, gift cards aren’t spent as quickly as a cash gift,” says Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com. “We slide them into a wallet or drop them in a drawer, lose them, or forget about them. We let that money waste away. The best time to use a gift card is soon after you receive it. Use them before you lose them.”

What happens to unused gift cards? The Securities and Exchange Commission allows companies to count unused gift card money as income once they can reasonably say the card won’t be redeemed. However, some states require unused gift cards to go to an unclaimed funds account. Those states can then use the unclaimed funds for general purposes until someone claims it.

Consumer Tips for Using Gift Cards

• Use them before they expire. Merchant and bank-issued gift cards must now be good for five years, thanks to the CARD Act provisions. Reloadable cards can expire five years after the money was last added.
• Research the fees. Some cards, like bank-issued cards, also charge fees, such as a monthly fee after 12 months of inactivity.
• If you will not use the card, or would prefer to have the cash, you can resell the card. There are several sites, such as Plastic Jungle or Cardpool, that are a marketplace to buy, sell, or exchange gift cards. You may receive as much as 80-90% back for your gift card. Some cards are worth more than others and the price can vary between sites.
• Turn your gift card into cash for investing or saving. GoalMine trades unused gift cards for cash to fund your GoalMine account. Receive 150% of the initial $50 of card value on your first card if you’re opening a new account, and market value for the rest.
• Donate your gift card to charity and get a tax deduction. Many national charities and foundations, like the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America, accept gift card donations.

Photo by jpmarth

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Debit Card Interchange Fee

The government regulation of the debit card interchange fee was the most controversial issue of the year. The Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul bill went into effect on October 1. Before the legislation, the interchange fee averaged 44 cents per transaction. Now, the reduced fee is 21 cents plus an additional amount to cover losses from fraud. This cost the banks billions of dollars in lost revenue. The interchange fee was intended to resolve a bitter issue for merchants but it also ignited unintended consequences for consumers, such as banks dropping rewards for debit card purchases in the spring and proposing to add fees for debit card usage in the fall.

Banks Add, Then Rescind, Debit Card Fees

A number of banks introduced a debit card fee of $3 to $5 each month that the debit card was used for a purchase in order to make up for the revenue lost from the reduced interchange fee. But the public rebelled when Bank of America added the $5 fee in September. This fee received condemnations from consumers, Congress, and President Obama. Some consumers even declared a Bank Transfer Day on November 5. Banks quickly backed down and dropped the fee at the end of October.

Greater Rewards for Credit Card Consumers

After the credit crash in 2008, credit card issuers cut back on the rewards offered to new cardholders. But in 2011, nearly every issuer ramped up the rewards, trying to attract new customers with good or excellent credit scores. Rewards are used to compete for new cardholders, as well as to encourage credit card spending and regular usage.

Some cards now offer very attractive bonuses based on usage. The Chase Freedom card began offering a $200 cash back bonus once a new cardholder spent $500 during the first three months. Capital One Cash was introduced during the year and offers a 50% cash back bonus on all you earn each year, plus an additional $100 bonus for spending $500 on the card during the first 90 days.

Earlier in the year, there were extremely attractive airline rewards. In March, Capital One created a buzz with the heavily promoted “Match My Miles Challenge” where consumers could earn up to 100,000 miles by switching and spending on the Venture Card. Chase followed with a promotion on the British Airways card where cardholders could receive an extra 100,000 miles by becoming a customer and reaching a certain spending level.

More Attractive Balance Transfer Offers

Balance transfer offers were also strong throughout the year. Issuers used very attractive offers to lure credit card customers to transfer their existing balance from a competitive card. Nearly every major issuer currently has a card where consumers can receive 0% APR for an extended period of time–Slate from Chase for 12 months; Capital One Platinum Prestige for 15 months; Discover More for 18 months; and Citi Platinum Select for 21 months.

Mobile Payments

Google Wallet debuted in September and mobile payments became a payment option for some smartphone users. Mobile payments allow consumers to make purchases or transfer money with a quick application downloaded to a mobile phone. Even though mobile payment systems are now available, plastic cards and cash won’t vanish tomorrow. Consumers and retailers will need convincing and incentives to make the switch. Consumers won’t save money by paying with a mobile phone. The same fees and interest rates for consumers and interchange fees for retailers will apply to mobile payments. Retailers are also reluctant to spend the money to buy the equipment necessary to link your cell phone to their cash registers.

Defaults and Delinquency Rates Decline

It is a much healthier environment for credit card issuers in 2011. Credit card defaults and delinquencies declined during most months this year. Credit cardholders and issuers both made changes over the past couple years that brought an excessive system of credit card borrowing and lending back under control. Many of the borrowers who could not pay off their debt had already defaulted, while others have diligently paid down their balances and used other forms of payment to avoid the high interest rate penalties. Credit card issuers closed risky accounts, cut credit limits on millions of accounts, and tightened lending standards to cut their risk of defaults and late payments.

Credit Card Issuers Drop Some Fees

Some banks tried to polish their tarnished image by dropping some credit card fees. Chase is now offering a Slate card that for a limited time does not charge a 3% fee for balances transferred during the first 30 days that the card is open. Other issuers have eliminated the foreign transaction fee on certain cards. Discover dropped its 2% foreign transaction fee; Chase eliminated its 3% foreign transaction fee on the Sapphire Preferred card; and Citi dropped its 3% fee from the ThankYou Premier and ThankYou Prestige cards. Avoiding the foreign transaction fee is a significant savings for travelers, but also for consumers who make a purchase from another country or even a purchase that is routed through a foreign bank.

Additional Protections for Cardholders

The Federal Reserve Board approved a rule designed to provide additional protections for credit card consumers. The Board’s rule amended Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) to clarify prior rules implementing the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act).

The CARD Act required issuers to consider a consumer’s ability to make payments before opening a new credit card account or increasing the credit limit on an existing account. Issuers must consider the consumer’s individual income or salary. The application can no longer request “household income” because that term is too vague. As a result, stay-at-home parents now find it much more difficult to be approved for a credit card.

It also clarified that promotional programs, like introductory rates that waive interest charges for a specified period of time must follow the same rules as promotional programs that apply a reduced rate for a specified period. Offers that waive interest charges during an intro period cannot revoke the waiver and charge interest during the intro period, unless the account becomes more than 60 days delinquent.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Opens

Credit cardholders now have a place to file a complaint against their credit card issuer. The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created by Congress through the Dodd-Frank Act. While it still does not have a director, it opened in July. It offers consumers a webpage just for credit card complaints. During its first three months of operation (July 21 through October 21), the agency received 5,074 complaints. The most common complaints involved billing disputes (13.4%), interest rates (11.0%), and identity theft or fraud (10.8%). Most of the complaints (84%) were sent to credit card issuers for review and response. Issuers reported either full or partial resolution of 74% of the forwarded complaints, and 71% of these consumers did not dispute the responses provided.

Government Issues Debit Cards for Tax Refunds

The U.S. Treasury started issuing debit cards (MyAccountCard Visa Prepaid Debit Card) instead of paper checks for tax refunds to low income individuals. The Treasury Department is converting to debit cards for several reasons. For the government, they are less costly to mail than checks. For the recipient, they provide a safer, faster and more convenient way to distribute money than checks. Many low income individuals do not have bank accounts and the cashing of these refund checks can be costly. The government hopes the distribution of these cards cuts down on the costly refund anticipation loans that many low income consumers receive.

Photo via debtcovered

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