When you spend $787 billion, there's a lot of pressure to show results. So, there's no surprise that success is being proclaimed across the country. States are saying that they've used the federal stimulus package money to create or save more than 388,000 jobs this year. Teachers, construction workers and other professions have realized the upside of stimulus cash according to reports from 33 states and Puerto Rico, with the remainder of the results being released on Friday.

Of course, the numbers "should be taken with a grain of salt," says Ethan Pollack of the Economic Policy Institute. The states were tasked to count the jobs created or protected, but the results have been of dubious accuracy. This doesn't mean the stats can't provide fodder to people on both sides of the aisle.

Columbia Business School's Frank Lichtenberg says the data shows a solid economic impact, and the Obama administration's Council of Economic Advisors believes the stimulus spending has taken care of between 600,000 and 1.1 million jobs.

And, there are those who disagree.

The nations high unemployment rate impacted consumer confidence again in July, the second straight month that people's faith in the economy has wavered.

The Conference Board's index that measures consumer confidence dipped to 46.6, down from June's measure of 49.3. The good news is that we are well above the low we hit back in February at 25.3.

A big factor influencing confidence these days is the nation's unemployment rate, which is expected to rise through 10% in the not too distant future, with 15 states already reporting 10% or greater unemployment.

This is pretty appalling: Not content with exposing kids to junk food on television and on every street corner, McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) has apparently decided that it needs to reach out to kids on their report card envelopes.

An Orlando parent was upset when her 9-year-old daughter brought home her report card. But it wasn't Ds and "acts obnoxious in class" comments that annoyed this mom: the envelope the child brought home displayed a nice advertisement for McDonald's -- the chain whose food can have such a bad impact on health that it inspired a hit documentary.

The Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood is, of course, not too happy about all this, and issued a press release demanding that the ads be pulled.



As a practical matter, these ads aren't really a big deal. For better or for worse, kids are exposed to fast food advertising pretty much from the cradle to the grave. But does the school really need cash so badly that it would participate in a campaign to market unhealthy food to children?

Another problem I have with it: The ad offered kids a free Happy Meal for their good work. Shouldn't kids be taught to work for knowledge and pride, not crappy food and imported toys?

The idea that parents should pay for their children's college education is widely seen as conventional wisdom -- after all, isn't that what those 529 plans are for? And Upromise, the program where buying groceries helps you put money away for your children's future?

I was a believer too until I read Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth's book Yes You Can Get a Financial Life! There, the authors argue that a college education is a capital asset and that it makes the most sense for the beneficiary of that asset to foot the bill. Stein and DeMuth believe that kids who pay for college may value it more, and that student loans and work-study programs are available to make it possible for kids to go to college without parental support.

And as they wrote, "If Mom and Dad really believe they are doing something noble by depriving themselves so their kids can stay out all night drinking in Nassau during spring vacation, that has little do with rational thought."

But do Americans really want to do that?

According to The Wall Street Journal, the beverage industry is bringing unhealthy drinks back to school vending machines. In May of last year, the industry agreed to stop selling full-calorie sodas and limit the sizes of certain other beverages.

Well the agreement has since been modified to allow certain iced teas and vitamin-fortified waters with fewer than 100 calories per 12 ounces.

A critic from the Center for Science in the Public Interest was disappointed with the move, and with good reason. The original guidelines were flawed to begin with. Most kids are simply not active enough in schools to justify drinking beverages like PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP)'s Gatorade and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO)'s Powerade.

With the burgeoning obesity epidemic among children, we need more stringent regulations of what's sold in schools. If you don't believe me, look around. Parents should be able to send their kids off to school without having to worry that they will be lured in by unhealthy drinks.

As Barack Obama said in a recent speech, "Eighty percent of African-American teens in a city like Washington think that they'll be rich and over half think they'll be famous." Assuming that these optimistic predictions hold true in other cities and among other groups, it's clear that young people have pretty optimistic hopes for their future. If only their competence matched their confidence.

According to a recent survey (PDF - may take a minute to load) released by Schwab and written up on Yahoo! by Carrie Schwab Pomerantz, 73% believe they'll be earning "plenty of money" when they're out on their own. Based on the career that interests them most, teens believe they'll be earning an average annual salary of $145,500.

In this multi-part personal finance series, readers will learn various ways to help save money for a college education, from off-the wall-scholarships and 529 programs to the right time to refinance your loans. Parents and students alike who read this series will find something to help reduce the costs of a higher education before, during and after it takes place.

Part II: The CLEP

To earn a Bachelor's degree at my university, I was required to take a minimum of 8 credits, or two seminars plus labs hours, of a foreign language. If you knew me at the time, you knew I had enough trouble with my own native language -- English (seriously). Not wanting to sit through a whole year of Spanish, for which I quickly calculated the approximate time wasted (104 hours including lab time), I tried to find a way out of wasting this valuable time.

All it took was one phone call to my adviser. His answer: "CLEP it."

I was just as confused as some of you may be right now. What does "CLEP" mean? Well, CLEP stands for The College-Level Examination Program. In layman's terms, you can get college credit if you take (and pass) one $60 test.

A fellow I know is preparing himself for a college education in veterinary science. Knowing that I slink around the internet tech world, he came to me looking for advice about what notebook computer he should buy. He plans to spend between $400 and $600 and he wants to get the most for his money (smart kid). He needs his machine for internet access, music downloads, heavy-duty emailing and of course for some school work.

It occurred to me that because my computer experience is limited to desktop models I might not be Andy's best source of information on the latest notebooks. So I told him that I'd present the question to our readers and deliver your input back to him. Knowing that our readers are some of the brightest minds on the internet, I have no doubt that Andy will get his best information right here on BloggingStocks.

So, the question is:

What is the best laptop computer that Andy can get for between $400 and $600 and what should he expect as far as speed, memory, peripherals and overall performance?