There's nothing better than an old fashioned ghost story just before Halloween. This one is written by the Curmudgeon Gal and Read by Marsh Cassady. Get in the spooky mood with "The Ghost Race Rock." As an aside, Race Rock Lighthouse is a real place in Long Island Sound and is just off the coast of Connecticut near New London. It is one of the spookiest lighthouses I've seen.

Nothing annoys me more than being discriminated against. Here's a new one that has me gnashing my teeth, and so should you, that is, if you like your occasional naughty sweet treat. Have you found that the old slim you has burgeoned a bit in certain places?

The Patriot Act was set into place during the Bush Administration; do we really want it to continue under the new Administration? Has it made us safe enough to pay for with the erosion of our Civil Rights? It's something to seriously think about.

Wing Nuts and crazies have come out of hiding once again in the arguments against Universal Health Care.  What is wrong with America to constantly create enough fear that people are willing to vote and act against their own self-interest?

The Fourth of July, the day America celebrates it's independence just passed. It's a good time for a reality check and taking a good hard look at the country. Sweep away all those misconceptions you have about America's place in the world and take off the blinkers. It might come as a surprise that we aren't really as wonderful as you might have thought.

Drug Wars have made an impact on Mexico. Now Mexico is reeling under other multiple impacts, a lousy US economy, necessity for travelers to have a passport of other Federal documentation to get back home, the swine flu scare, it's own economic problems and slow death by media. How can a country recover from such negativity? We need help.

It's hard to admit you might need a little help. A lie of "I'm OK" comes much easier than admitting you might not be so great and a little help could be needed. That lie could prove deadly on certain occasions.

Now is the time to get even with the developers and auto dealers who kept raising prices with no justification other than greed.  It's about time the tables are turned and I dearly love being out there turning them.

Beheading is the new crime of choice. We have become so inured to violence it takes something horrific to get our attention. The violence of our North American crimes start to make the Somalia pirates and their code begin to look like the good guys.

Everyone is busy pointing fingers at who they think is responsible for the global economic morass.  There are certainly enough to point at, but I have my own ideas, I think it's all the Boomers' fault.

guys getting big bonuses for tanking AIG, angry about where taxpayer money is going? Yeah, me too, but I have a way to punish the guys who were in charge that's both legal and effective.

A love note to Jon Stewart. It's interesting that it takes a comedian to have the guts to ask the tough questions to the financial media..., like, where were you and why didn't you see danger coming? I have a few suggestion of some more guys who need to have their feet put to the fire...so be prepared mortgage brokers, banks, real estate agents, mall developers. I'm sure I'll figure out a few more for the future.

You might think great heists are limited to movies like "Ocean's 11, 12 & 13" but you are sadly mistaken. You have just been party to one bigger than the movies could dream up and the Bush administration pulled it off as a final insult to the working class American public - picture the middle finger salute as they walked out the door of the White House!

I took a look at the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. It gives many people a lifeline, but many more are still drowning. there is no way the government can bail everyone out, and it just doesn't seem fair to help a select few. It looks to me like some of the provisions are going to keep the situation going forward with no real heal for the basic problem - real estate has become unaffordable for all but the affluent.

It's tough to live in times when you get screwed coming and going and don't even have the benefit of a kiss first. The banks are sure doing it to us. In the long run,so is our federal government as they search desperately for ways to make our economic machine start to purr again. Can we recover from the reaming we got over the last eight years? It's not looking good!

At a time when the government is handing out money right and left, it is important for us to realize just who the new Welfare Queens reall are. you'll be surprised once you start to think about it.

How the US real estate crash created the world financial and real estate collapse. Not just another little cyclical dip in the market!

Automobile bailouts and observations on how we allowed ourselves to get into such a mess. Some thoughts on how to get the heck out of this dreadful fiasco.

Every year I join the millions of people making New Year's Resolutions. This year I see that mine have taken a different turn, they are all about getting rid of old anger, forgiveness and trying to face the new year with an open mind. How about yours?

Holiday wishes to everyone!

The President finally admitted we're in a recession ... and have been for over a year. How about that? Does that make you think the Republican Party wanted to keep it secret until after the election? I guess he'll finally admit it's a real depression a few days before Obama takes office, or does he want to leave that little tidbit for the next guy in line?