The chronic debt problems, coupled with the political gridlock in the United States, have had a significant impact on confidence, and confidence is what we need to get and keep the global economy in motion.

FORBES: Women-Owned Small Businesses Court Optimism, New Hires

Xiaofen, a young legal secretary in the boom town of Zigong, hears bitter and desperate clients recount their tales of personal and commercial woe, but she has problems of her own: her live-in boyfriend is a drunk and a gambler whose chronic debt and jealous anger make her life hell.

NEWYORKER: The Other Half

The two sides remain ideologically opposed on how to reduce the nation's chronic federal deficits and debt.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS