It's that time again when the stores will be crowded with thousands of consumers all vying for the same toy, special sweater, hottest electronic device. How do you plan to purchase it?

The current crumbling economy has sparked interest in a form of retail purchasing that became popular in the early 1900s, that of Lay Away. How does it work? It's simple. You, the consumer would like to buy something but don't have the money. All you do is make installment payments on the merchandise. The merchant stocks your item away until your last payment. You receive it once your tab is paid in full. Of course this is different than a credit card purchase which allows you to take home your intended product and make payments while using it.

KFC isn't the only game in town offering cheap eats. Now through Monday, Nov. 1, you can stop by your neighborhood Boston Market and get an entire MEAL for $1. You read it right, $1 MEAL! Click this link to download your free coupon for the $1 Boston Market chicken meal coupons. Only one coupon can be redeemed per person, per visit.

Coupons are good for a quarter chicken, mashed potatoes and corn bread. Don't miss out on this great deal. You'll also find other valuable coupons on the Boston Market site valid until Nov. 25. But none like the $1 deal!

'Series E' war bonds are at the center of the Treasury Department unclaimed bonds lawsuit., which claims there are $16 billion in unclaimed bonds. -- Associated Content

These unclaimed series E bonds date back as far as WWII, 1941 - 1980. While these are no longer available for purchase, they have been superseded by the series EE bonds.

Interestingly, the push to purchase series E bonds, also known as war bonds was one of a patriotic nature of sorts as many Americans bought bonds to raise financial support to the government. What has happened is that since they were purchased, many have not been cashed in. The bonds, which acted as mini loans from the bondholders to the government, were supposed to come due in 40 years. Americans purchased more than $180 billion worth of US bonds over the years, but more than $1.6 billion have yet to be paid after they came due. Why? The world wide web and electronic purchasing was yet to come and these bonds were issued in paper form, which have either been lost or those who bought them have unfortunately passed away.

o magazine, sarah silverman, Forbes has theirs, why shouldn't the most powerful media maven in the world have hers? In the September 2009 issue of 'O' the magazine, Oprah Winfrey names 20 of some of the most powerful contemporary and legendary women in her first-ever Power List. There is no chronological ranking. This is an opportunity to celebrate some of the well-known as well as unsung heroes who inspire, educate and advocate in various arenas.

The full list of honorees includes: Venus Williams, Sarah Silverman, Anna Deavere Smith, Donna Brazile, Mayda del Valle, Terry Tempest Williams, Lauren Ambrose, Pema Chodron, Lateefah Simon, Shirley Ann Jackson, Dambisa Moyo, General Anne E. Dunwoody, Kara Walker, Sheila Bair, Mary Gaitskill, Cleopatra (YES, Queen of Egypt of yesteryear), Michelle Rhee, Lilly Ledbetter, Anne Mulcahy, Melanie Sloan. -- O, The Oprah Magazine


Black Voices chose a few notables from that list to highlight.

I recently read about a woman who lost her job and a few days later, her husband found himself unemployed as well. With a family to care for they knew they had to do something quick. Their story was one that I've heard many times over. They decided to go the online business route.

job searchUnfortunately many unwary consumers get caught up in watching late night infomercials promising thousands of dollars a week yet never leaving your home. Some fall victim to pyramid or multi-level marketing schemes offering pink Cadillacs, silver Bentleys, et al for a small registration fee upwards of .... $500 -- to get you started. You're always assured, that you WILL make this amount in your first or second sale. Therefore the thought is that you will have virtually joined at NO COST to you.

Thereafter you are tied into weekly conference calls with your 'upline,' weekly/monthly team meetings at a local hotel banquet room at which you may be required to pay dues. However, if you're able to entice some other unwitting, trusting novice into accompanying you, it's possible your dues may be waived for that session. The pièce de résistance of course, is the quarterly motivational events which usually take place in major cities with lots of attractive glitterati. There, you will find hundreds, if not thousands of other poor souls such as yourself goaded and pumped up to believe you can sell anything and everything! The mission statement is something you leave reciting and singing. Mind you, attending these events doesn't come cheap. You will need to provide your own transportation and hotel accommodations. Various executives of the company are strategically planted throughout the property in which you stay. By the time you leave, you are convinced that you too will soon become a Director and may in fact be called upon to facilitate or be included on the guest panel of the next major event. I've seen family and friends alike get trapped into this deep hole time and time again.

We've all heard the old adage, "I don't have to do nothing, but stay black and die." We all know there are more things in life that one MUST do such as paying taxes. It's quite possible that Robin Givens, ex-wife of both Mike Tyson and former tennis instructor Svetozar Marinkovic, tried to alter her destiny. The veteran actress is in hot water for allegedly neglecting to pay $292,000 in taxes, interest and penalties as far back as 1996.

Perhaps this "memory lapse" began when husband number two entered the scene. In 1997, Givens swapped vows with Marinkovic, her then-tennis instructor. This union proved to be a disaster and was even shorter than her marriage to Iron Mike. The day she married Svet, they separated! What could move a person to enter such a commitment and call it quits the same day, citing "irreconcilable differences"?

Ya think?

Back to the financial woe at hand

According to Forbes.com, in a lawsuit filed last week, the feds asked the federal court in Tampa, Fla., to enter a formal judgment against Givens on 39 separate assessments covering eight of the 12 calendar years through 2007. Such a court finding would make it easier for the Internal Revenue Service to try to collect the allegedly unpaid amounts by garnishing Givens' earnings or levying her assets, such as bank accounts.

Is the criticism hurled at CEO of Rush Communications and Hip-Hop impresario, Russell Simmons justified?

From what he told BlackVoices in a recent interview, I see a Black man striving to give back to the community in such a manner that quite frankly, just isn't afforded to millions struggling financially. Simmons receives praise on a frequent basis for launching careers of rapstars as Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, DMX and the like, then-unknown comic greats such as Bernie Mac, Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and many more. Also well known for his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network whose mission in part is to "serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the empowerment of youth." Why would he switch gears and look to 'fleece the flock' now? In response to recent criticism of his pre-paid RushCard, here's what the Hip-Hop mogul had to say: