Have you seen the headlines lately? The news seems to be loaded with talk of new entitlement programs, federal spending projects, angry protesters, Obama talk, global elections, etc. Well, what's new? And most important, what does this mean for you?

Behind the President's comfortable rhetoric and agreeable headlines about the failing economy lurks the powerful vote by global trade participants. That is, the depreciating US dollar has fallen to 14-month lows compared to a basket of foreign currencies. I must sound the alarm because in the end, we will pay. A falling dollar will lead to inflation, and the US consumer will gradually feel the effects.

I remember the first time I decided to buy a Chicken Ceasar Salad for lunch from McDonald's. Because I'm not a big salad fan, I was a bit hesitant. I walked into McDonald's and heard the busy sounds of cash registers, fryers, people yelling orders, and the smell of fresh greasy fries. To my surprise, the meal was complete with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, croutons and a succulent piece of chicken breast placed neatly above the forest of greens, partly sliced, and topped with spices. Not only did this salad look good, it was delicious! At this moment, the curiosity of what goes on inside the McDonald's kitchen filled my mind.

Emmanuel Saez, a professor of Economics at UC Berkeley has raised concern about income inequality in the United States. In his recent article, he stated that the income gap is at an all time high; exceeding levels during the Great Depression. His research provides us with a candid look at a telling issue.

Professor Saez states that 2007 was a good year for both the rich and the bottom 99%, who experienced a rise in income by 2.8%. But since the 2001 recession, the top 1% captured two thirds of overall income growth. Thus, the main question is why the rich thrive in any economy, while income for the rest of us grows at a snail's pace?

The United States is facing a major sugar shortage, according to the Wall Street Journal (subscription may be required).

On Aug. 5, General Mills, Hershey Co, Mars Inc., and Kraft Foods alerted Thomas J. Vilsak, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, of their combined forecast of low sugar supplies. These food companies warned that if the Agriculture Department does not allow them to import more tariff-free sugar, "our nation will virtually run out of sugar" and they will be forced to raise consumer prices and lay off workers.

This comes as a major eye opener, but there's more to this finding.

The WSJ states that the present trade quota places a limit to the number of tariff-free sugar that can be imported per year, with the exception of Mexico. This leaves major suppliers like Brazil out of the free trade mix. The fear looms that Brazil may not even have significant sugar supply for the U.S. because they are busy using large amounts of cane crop for ethanol use.

Another problem is the U.S. government; not a surprise. The U.S. artificially inflates domestic prices of sugar in order to support the incomes of farmers in the Midwest who are friendly with politicians who help them. Anything for a vote, right?

Economists state that sugar is part of the equation. Sugar is an active ingredient in almost all foods, and the impact of a price increase will be big. Food companies pay twice the world level for sugar because of government meddling.

Unless politicians in Washington decide to ease import quotas, the "U.S. will end the next fiscal year with less than 13 days worth of sugar on hand" according to the four food companies who band together to ring the alarm atop Capitol hill.

As album sales continue to decline, popular artists are clutching for survival with a more sustainable approach -- get rid of them!

Radiohead, a British alternative rock band, announced that they will no longer release full-length albums. The band will instead focus on the growing trend of downloadable singles.

The decision comes shortly after the band's online release of Harry Patch (In Memory of) as a tribute to the British WW II veteran who died in late July, and other shorter EPs, as an experiment into the digital-only world.

The Internet is pushing the music industry to innovate, but it's up to record companies to take the chance. One factor that is halting the rebirth of entertainment is the fear of stolen copy written material. Sure there are several safe havens like iTunes that allow record labels to get edgy, but is that enough?

For fellow Radiohead fans, or all music lovers in general, the death of the album may come as a shock. The point of an album is to form a collection of music under one theme that represents a moment or philosophy.

Is it possible for artists to tell a story in just one song? I don't think it's proper branding. Consumers still purchase entire albums on iTunes mainly because it has been heavily promoted.

As Americans struggle to keep up with payments, the government is busy trying to economize. The country is facing a $1 trillion deficit that is increasing as government spend more to tackle the problems of the recession.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal featured an article that explained the new savings effort within various government agencies. I call it "the organic stimulus" -- properly budgeting money so that you will have enough to continue operations during bad times.

It all started in April, when President Obama ordered his cabinet secretaries to locate $100 million in budget cuts. The Forest Services Department, for example, stopped repainting newly purchased white vehicles green to save money.

Oprah is at it again with another freebie...if you're a member that is. Starting today, August 3, all Oprah.com members can download Let the Great World Spin, a novel written by Colum McCann.

The book takes readers on a journey to 1970's New York, a period of transition and promise, but more important, a time before 9/11. It is listed on Oprah Magazine's 25 Books of the Summer, and has a retail price of $25.00.

The download is only available for 48 hours and the promotion will end on Wednesday, August 5 at 10:59pm EST.

This is a strategic effort for Oprah.com to gain new members, so it's not too late to join to receive the book. Oprah is seen as a promotion engine for upcoming products and especially new authors. In 2005, Oprah's Book Club had over 600,000 members and growing.

How should you spend your retirement money? For years, senior citizens have been overspending and accumulating more debt, according to a recent study by Demos, a non-partisan public policy group. Such overspending can lead to financial death, or as one unusual story shows, lead to complications with the other kind.

The BBC News reports that, in January, Joan Cunnane died at age 77 of natural causes at her home in England. She had bronchial pneumonia and cancer and lived alone in unusual conditions.

Last week, Roger Griffiths, a proud customer of Westpac Bank for 25 years, withdrew his $190,000 savings in $20 bills after he was denied a mortgage loan.

Westpac, the second largest bank in New Zealand, rejected Griffiths' application for an $80,000 mortgage because he did not have steady income as an artist. Griffith stated that he is a successful artist, with his paintings displayed in New York's World of Wearable Art. He also seems to be financially set:

• The property in Mapua, NZ cost $385,000.
• Griffiths had $200,000 saved in cash and was about to sell his $110,000 campervan.
• According to Griffiths, the property would have generated $500 per week. (Cash flow from commercial use and a residential home)

All of these financials exceed Wetpac Bank's criteria for a 20% down payment. Griffiths was very upset when he learned of his mortgage denial. He notified the bank of his upcoming withdrawal, and his local branch provided him with a red and black duffle bag to carry out all of his savings in cash.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, earlier this morning, the FBI raided through several New Jersey towns and arrested 30 people, including Hoboken and Secaucus mayors, rabbis, and other elected officials in a corruption case.

This is said to be the biggest corruption sweep in the state's history. For years, New Jersey has experienced hundreds of related arrests involving political scandals and corruption.

The people arrested were allegedly involved in the trafficking of body parts. A participating witness who knew of the illegal scheme stated that one of the people arrested was an organ dealer.

The former Waretown mayor is accused of taking a $10,000 bribe from a witness who posed as a developer. The money was going to be used by the former mayor to approve his proposed multi-use development in Waretown.

The increase of money transfers raised a red flag, and the Feds traced it back to New Jersey. All participants who were arrested are expected to be arraigned in court on Thursday afternoon.