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Today's second hour featured "Best Of Clark" repeats from recent shows

The question of who's going to rescue the two or three million families who are facing foreclosure is the hot potato that everyone's tossing around right now. Going into foreclosure affects more than just the people who are thrown out on the street; the average home value in a neighborhood that has foreclosures drops one to 1.5 percent. President Bush has been talking about a proposal to help out. The Federal Reserve is putting pressure on the banks to come up with workouts such as changing loan terms and stretching out payment plans. All of this will help some, but many families will still be in over their heads. That's because a lot of loans may have been securitized, or bundled together into a collateralized debt obligation (CDO) and sold off by a mortgage company. The rules of the CDOs usually state that the loan terms can't be modified.

The best solution would be to help people avoid getting into loans they can't handle. To that end, the state of Illinois has come up with a plan that Clark really likes. The Chicago area is facing major foreclosure problems, so the state is now requiring candidates seeking loans with pre-payment penalties and adjustable rates to go to independent counseling and learn about the dangers of their choices. The mortgage lenders, meanwhile, are going berserk over this new rule, and they're trying to have it thrown out because many of them want to continue ripping people off with exotic loans. Clark gets worried when he hears presidential candidates talking about federal bailouts to solve the foreclosure problem. Wouldn't it be better if people were educated not to make the wrong loan choices from the start?

There's going to be a marriage of TV and Internet in the coming years and the level of interactivity will be incredible. Clark was really excited when TechNewsWorld.com recently reported about upcoming innovations that will integrate e-commerce and TV programming in a new way. Say you're watching a TV show and you notice some really fashionable clothing or shoes being worn by an actor or actress. You'll be able to click with your mouse or TV remote and purchase the clothing or shoes right then and there via a pop-up purchase window. People who watch TV shows on the web are already experiencing this kind of cross-promotion on their computers.

An MTV reality series called The Hills is trying out this new business model. So TV viewers like Christa, Clark's executive producer, can purchase clothing worn by the show's Lauren Conrad while she experiences daily drama in the chic setting of her Teen Vogue internship. Not exactly the kind of advancement Clark was hoping this technology would bring us! He's looking forward to the day when there will be one junction box on your TV that bring together lots of programming from multiple platforms -- satellite, cable, the web, mobile and more.

Have you ever wondered about the logic behind the layout of your local supermarket? For example, why do they always put the milk way in the back of the store? Supermarkets know that if you come in for a single-item purchase, you're more likely to pick up some stray stuff if you have to wander through to get to what you really want. But this logic has started backfiring on retailers. They're finding that consumers don't want to be manipulated in this way. Now the Kroger and Publix food chains are putting mini-convenience marts with gas pumps in their parking lots in front of the store to better serve customers. While they may not get as many impulse buys, they appeal to customers by saving them on time.

Likewise, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that customers who enter the huge Wal-Mart super-centers with a shopping list in hand can only find two-thirds of what they want. So now there's a push for new signage in Wal-Marts to clearly identify the sections of the store. Finally retail stores are going to make it easier to find what you want! On a related note, how long do you wait in line at the supermarket? People often say an average of 15 minutes, but the actual time in line is 4 minutes and 27 seconds, according to a recent study. Keeping that wait time as low as possible really benefits supermarkets. They know that customers will abandon their carts if they're waiting on a line for too long. Then stores will have to restock the shelves and freezers with goods that have been left sitting without refrigeration and may have spoiled. Clark likes to say that retailing is one of the purest forms of free enterprise we've got. If you aren't happy giving your business to one market, go to another one. The greatest power you have as a consumer is the power to walk away.

Did you know the average wedding today costs around $30,000? If you go back just two generations in this country, you'll discover that people routinely got married for under $100. But if you've planned a wedding anytime recently, you know that the price tag associated with every aspect of the big day has been ballooning. Some brides have been known to pay $2,500 (and even up to $35,000!) for their dresses. Thankfully, there are a number of inexpensive wedding dresses available on the market. Retailers like Target, David's Bridal and Filene's Basement offer them in the $100-$200 range. As Clark says, your special day is not about the dress, the caterer or anything else; it's about picking the right mate. It's a day that should be about having a big heart, not a big wallet.