Stuff to Blog About and More: In the News, August 10th, 2008

Georgian Troops get overwhelmed by Russia

Mdzinarishvili/Reuters

A Georgian woman lies wounded on ground in Fori as flames from bombing flare behind her.

Georgian troops retreated from the breakaway province of South Ossetia and their government pressed for a truce. Georgia has been overwhelmed by Russian firepower as the conflict threatened to set off a wider war.
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Bush Presses on...
President Bush, attending the Olympics, pressed China to permit greater political and religious freedom, warning Chinese leaders they can expect to hear similar blunt talk from his successor.
Bush also cheered from the stands as U.S. athletes launched their hunt for gold, while behind the scenes he and aides appealed to Russia to halt what the White House called "dangerous and disproportionate" attacks on Georgia, a staunch U.S. ally.

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Phelps Breaks Record Wins Gold

Michael Phelps has advanced out of the Olympic 200-meter freestyle preliminaries, qualifying as the fourth-fastest. Yesterday Phelps won a gold medal in the 400 individual medley.
Phelps crushed his own world record with a mark of 4 minutes, 3.84 seconds in the 400-meter individual medley.

One down, seven to go in Phelps' quest to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals.

"I'm not downplaying this race by any means, but I have to put that race behind me," Phelps said. "I have to act like it never happened because I have so many tough races ahead of me."

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We're Watching the Olympics

NBC says that ratings for the network's coverage of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony from Beijing were up nearly 20 percent over the 2004 Summer Games from Athens.

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Airfare, Hotels, Rental Cars, Vacation Packages

FTC: Your Rights: Credit Reporting

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has prepared a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports, explaining your rights under the FCRA and how to order a free annual credit report.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

How do I order my free report?

You can order your free annual credit report online at annualcreditreport.com, by calling 1-877-322-8228, or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.

A Warning About "Imposter" Sites

The FTC advises consumers who order their free annual credit reports online to be sure to correctly spell annualcreditreport.com, or link to it from the FTC's website to avoid being misdirected to other websites that offer supposedly free reports,but only with the purchase of other products. While consumers may be offered additional products or services while on the authorized website, they are not required to make a purchase to receive their free annual credit reports.

For more information on free annual credit reports, read Your Access to Free Credit Reports.