Tropical Storm Chantal Forms Off East Coast
Tropical Storm Chantal formed Tuesday between Bermuda and Massachusetts, becoming the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. It could bring heavy rain to the East Coast but isn’t expected to be a major threat.
This news is just another reminder that this year’s hurricane season is far from over: we’re not even halfway through [...]
“Free” Credit Reports
By law, you are entitled to one free credit check report each year from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
But there are many URLs and advertisements out there that might mislead you to a different “free” credit report. The only site that does offer a free report is [...]
Real-Life Story: Tornado
Over six years ago, an F-3 tornado flattened the town of Siren, WI (read the full story about the tornado here). This past weekend, Cheryl Rand told me her story of what happened that fateful day:
“Well, you’ll get to see what are storms are like up here.”
Cheryl Rand’s brother was visiting from out of state [...]
Neat Site: Finding Public Records Online
Sometimes other people just do the dirty work for you!
Today’s neat site is actually more than just one. The team at Lifehacker, a tech and productivity blog, has compiled a very helpful list of web sites that everyone should bookmark…just in case.
Titled “Where to Find Public Records” online, the list includes sites that could help [...]
Americans Are Still Unprepared Two Years After Katrina
Almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, citizens are still unprepared for major disasters especially along the Gulf Coast, according to a new survey from Harvard University.
Here are some of the survey’s statistics (from USA Today):
Those would not evacuate for a major hurricane:
New Orleans: 14%
Other areas: 32%
Don’t know the location of a shelter in their area:
New [...]
Who’s Got the Power?
President Bush had a colonoscopy on Saturday in order to evaluate five polyps found in his colon. Before undergoing the procedure, Bush temporarily transferred the powers of the presidency to Vice President Dick Cheney, invoking the rarely invoked 25th Amendment, according to USA Today.
Imagine if you had to undergo surgery or if you were incapacitated. [...]
Frequent-Flyer Families
Just last month, a mother and her 19-month old son were kicked off a Continental flight operated by ExpressJet in Houston. The mother said the flight attendant asked her to medicate her son with “baby Benadryl” because he kept saying “bye, bye plane!”, according to USA Today. (Pilots have the authority to ask anyone to [...]
Stash Some Cash
One of the must-have items in any emergency kit has got to be cash. Why? Well, if the power’s out in your town, you won’t be able to use an ATM and you won’t be able to use your credit card at some stores (those card-swiping machines won’t work!).
So how much cash should you have? [...]
The Car Has Been Recovered!
This morning, the Minneapolis Police Department called me with the news that the stolen car had been recovered! (For the full story on the stolen car incident, click here.)
We had bets going to see how long it would take to find the car - my mom guessed two weeks, others said three. Turns out it’s [...]
Thinking Long-Term
My parents are part of the Baby Boomer generation and many of the first members of the Baby Boomer generation are now turning 60. If you have an older parent, you’ve probably thought about who’s going to take care of them when they no longer can care for themselves.
While you’ve thought about long-term care, it’s [...]