Dory Devlin, Shine staff’s Blog

Stuff was the stuff of conversation at BlogHer again this year. For good reason: More sponsoring companies were at the conference sharing their swag and spreading the word about their wares with women bloggers who they hope will spread the word about their wares. The irony of the strong sponsor presence is there has been a long-simmering debate in the blogosphere about the growing practice of many bloggers taking stuff for free from companies who court them and writing about it--usually in nice reviews with nary a critical note.

I get that bloggers are eager to make money and derive some kind of benefit from their writing. I also get that most bloggers are not journalists, most of whom are guided by ethical guidelines that make it clear you don't take things or services from anyone you write about. So I think it's a good thing that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is close to cracking down to require bloggers who accept and keep products and services to say they do so their readers know the full deal. It's about transparency and trust, and it's important. Read More »

Some good news on the housing front: The value of U.S. homes grew on a monthly basis (May) for the first time in three years. Not by a lot, mind you, but enough to inspire some hope that the downward spiral of the housing market might just be leveling off.

Some respected economists cautioned that the upward movement could be a reflection in the decline in foreclosures and may be fleeting. Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com, calls it a "temporary respite," and warns that home prices will likely continue to fall over the next several months. Read More »

There's so much to write about but so little time to write at BlogHer, where 1,500 women have descended on a Chicago hotel to talk blogging, share ideas, and, yes, have fun, because it is that once-a-year chance to connect and reconnect with each other in the flesh, not via the interwebs. So instead of feeling bad that I am not writing the many posts I've got swirling 'round my head, I've decide to update this post with notes throughout the weekend conference. Read More »

There is something amazingly powerful and empowering to be in a place overrun with hundreds of women writers, bloggers all, from all places in life, young moms to retired professionals, from small towns, big cities. There are not many conference where you'll see women decked to the nines in one corner, wearing shorts and flip flops in another, many with babies in slings and strollers, others with babies on the way. Some of the best moments to take in are when one blogger recognizes another blogger from across a crowded room, and the shrieks and hugs break out. The chance to see one of your favorite bloggers in the flesh, away from the incessant light of the computer screen, is a gift indeed.

That is BlogHer. Read More »

President Barack Obama is trying to hold Congress to an August deadline to vote on a health care bill to widen coverage to the nearly 50 million Americans who don't have any insurance. But the chance that both houses of Congress will vote on health-care legislation grows dimmer every day, for good reason. The big questions about the cost of expanded health coverage, how to contain rising health care costs, and who will be taxed to help pay for it all, have yet to be answered.

We would hope that as a wealthy (though in-debt) country of mostly good people, there would be agreement that we should be able to come up with a plan to provide everyone with access to health care when needed. As Shine reader Peapod puts it so beautifully, "As the debate across the country rises over the issue of national health care, I have seriously wondered where is the COMPASSION for those that have worked hard all their lives and now have no insurance.  Do you know what it is to lose your insurance by no fault of your own and then suddenly need medical care?" Read More »

It's been five months since the $787 billion stimulus packaged passed, and the chorus of critics is getting louder every day, questioning whether the infusion of taxpayer money into the economy is doing any good.

Unemployment reached 9.5 percent nationwide in June, and it has crossed into the double digits in harder hit regions. Consumers are holding on to their money, for fear things will get worse. Housing prices are not recovering.

So while critics say the behemoth stimulus has not turned the economy around, the Obama Administration is saying nothing could turn this struggling economy on a dime. Read More »

If you've been on the fence about whether to use online budgeting software to track where you are spending all of your money, Consumer Reports' ShopSmart takes a helpful, quick look at the key websites and tools to help you decide which one is best.

I like the way the mag breaks down its "smart picks" depending on where you fall on the budgeting spectrum--whether you want a tool to help you take a quick look at finances, want more comprehensive budgeting help, want to get help from a community of others looking to budget, or want to keep it simple and use whatever software your bank and financial institutions offer. Read More »