Vegas of Asia

Macau, a former Portugese colony, the gambling paradise of Asia, was closed to foreign competitors till 2002, now offers luxurious hotel suites off the coast of China. Sample hotels are Crown Macau, Venetian Macau, Shangri-La, Sheraton, City of Dreams, Wynn Macau, MGM Macau, Sands Macau. Revenue soared last year 22% to 7 billion.

Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae, the major federal loan agency administers millions of loans to college students and their families. The 2006 Congress raised interest rates from 4.7% to 6.8%; students will still have to pay 6.8% even if rates drop below that. Parent loans were raised from 6.1% to 8.5%. The average student borrower now leaves college with a debt of $27,600 and some 66% of students graduate with debt (from www.alliancebernstein.com).