PET STATION: Dancing with the stars look out, we have a new breed in town.

I like to see some one train two dogs to dance with each other.

Fantastic Home Facelift October 16th and 23rd

The second Fantastic Home Facelift is a chance for Gainesville citizens to help with home repairs for a local family in need. During the weekends of October 16th and 23rd, students, local professionals, and other individuals will assemble to repair broken structures, refine landscaping, and assist a family who’s house is in dire need of mending.

GOVERNMENT: Saving social security

It’s a potential Social Security crisis: for the first time ever, Social Security will pay out more than it takes in this year.

EVENT: Rio Royale

Boys & Girls Club’s most exciting fundraiser of the year. The event is our annual Benefit Gala for Kids presented by COX. This year’s theme will be Rio Royale.

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Last years fundraiser, the 2009 Passport to Rio, sold out nearly a month in advance and had over 700 guests in attendance making it one of the most successful fundraisers in the organization’s 58-year history. We hope that with your support, the 2010 Rio Royale, benefit Gala for Kids will be an even bigger success!

The 2010 event will once again be held at the University of Florida’s Reitz Union.

During the course of the evening, guests will have the opportunity to meet many local and national celebrities, professional athletes and community leaders and enjoy an evening packed with tropical Brazilian food, capoiera demonstrations, great music by Chaotic Vibez & dj E.S.Z, relaxing fun, dancing and lots of excitement. The 2010 Rio Royale will be hosted by Radio Personality Storm Roberts along with Mrs.Shelley Meyer, wife of head coach Urban Meyer, of the 2006 & 2008 National Championship football team.

The evening will include a full casino with a variety of gaming tables and slot machines, silent auction tables loaded with everything from rare sports memorabilia to exotic vacation packages and a live auction that will also feature a variety of unique gifts.

We thank you for your support and I you look forward to seeing you at Rio Royale!

DATE: August 21, 2010

WEBSITE: www.galaforkids.com

GOVERNMENT: Fed Looks to Spur Growth by Buying Government Debt

Federal Reserve officials will reinvest principal payments on their mortgage holdings into long-term Treasury securities, the central bank’s first attempt to bolster growth in more than a year.

“The pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement in Washington. “To help support the economic recovery in a context of price stability, the Committee will keep constant the Federal Reserve’s holdings of securities at their current level.” The Fed retained a commitment to keep its benchmark interest rate close to zero for an “extended period.”

FINANCE: Fannie Mae Seeks $1.5 Billion From U.S. Treasury After 12th Straight Loss

Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance company operating under federal conservatorship, is seeking $1.5 billion in aid from the U.S. Treasury Department after a 12th straight quarterly loss.

Fannie Mae had a loss of $1.2 billion in the second quarter, compared with a loss of $14.8 billion in the same period a year earlier, it said today in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Washington-based company posted more than $147 billion in losses in the preceding 11 quarters, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The Treasury Department seized Fannie Mae and McLean, Virginia-based Freddie Mac, the biggest sources of U.S. mortgage funding, in September of 2008 and has spent $145 billion already to keep them solvent. In April, the Treasury and Department of Housing and Urban Development asked for public comment on how to fix the funding system after the companies’ losses on subprime mortgages pushed them to the brink of collapse.

POLITICS: Debate Florida’s next governor

GOP candidates Rick Scott and Bill McCollum traded jabs in a one-hour debate Thursday night where each candidate painted his opponent as too untrustworthy to be Florida’s next governor.

Click here to watch the video

FINANCE: You Made More in 2010 Than Fannie Since 1970

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, who begins drafting legislation next month to overhaul Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said in 2003 the mortgage companies were “financially sound.” How wrong was he?

The CHART OF THE DAY shows Fannie Mae’s cumulative profit since going public in 1970. In 2008 alone, the company lost $58 billion, erasing its cumulative profit as a publicly traded company. In 2009, it lost $72 billion more.

Frank’s challenge will be to create an entity that serves the goal of making housing more affordable without the conflict of interest of being driven by shareholder returns.

Republicans may highlight Frank’s past support for the government-sponsored agencies. The Massachusetts Democrat said seven years ago of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: “We see entities that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios. . .” and ‘‘I want to roll the dice a little more in this situation towards subsidized housing.’’

The government-backed mortgage giants were placed in conservatorship in September 2008 and are now 80 percent owned by U.S. taxpayers. They own or guarantee more than half of the nation’s $11 trillion in residential mortgages. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have an unlimited line of credit from the government and have so far cost U.S. taxpayers $145 billion, more than American International Group Inc.

EVENT: India Independence Day celebration

AUG. 15: The Indian Cultural & Education Center (ICEC) Youth Group will hold India Independence Day celebration from 1:45 to 2:30 p.m. in ICEC Main Hall, 1115 S.W. 13th St., Gainesville. Lunch items for sale will be from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. For more information, call Neeta Someshwar at (352) 335-1433 or visit www.icec-florida.org

GOVERNMENT: Calendar of Election Dates

How concerned are you about your future?

What have you done to be informed about those that want to make polices that effect your daily living?

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2010 Election Dates

• Primary Election: August 24, 2010
• General Election: November 2, 2010