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Category: Money

Posts about being frugal, getting out of debt, staying out of debt, spending practically and splurging joyfully. This category may also contain posts about hard money and what the government is doing to all that “soft money” it creates.

Some happy news for a change

No, not happy news like about crippled orphans being rescued by blind puppies (though that’s good, too). Not glurge. But in the biblical flood of bad news, good news does occasionally bob to the surface and I’ve been saving up bits of it to brighten your day. So here goes: Rhode Island may defy the NDAA. (Tip o’ hat to JS.) The most important secret of a prosperous economy. Remember the homeless man with the golden voice? Well, so far, so good. (HT to SC) Obama (not intentionally, of course) might bring back the Constitution. Gaston Glock did an amazing…

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Monday miscelleny

Not that I think jail is a sensible solution for anything here. But imagine if every government VIP whose projects went wrong were treated like this. “Does America Now Qualify as a Police State?” Well now, there’s a no-brainer … But inventiveness never ceases to amaze. Bush war crimes under investigation. Not in the U.S., of course. Even “Raging Grannies” are against SOPA now. Its House and Senate (PIPA) sponsors have blinked. Not good enough, still. But progress. Hey, what about the poor dog’s privacy? (Tip o’ hat to JB.) Ron Paul money bomb for South Carolina still going strong.…

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Wednesday miscellany

Been collecting again … Your awwwwww story for the day: An unlikely mother. But this is pretty awww-some, too. Especially if you consider what would have happened had the government gotten to the money before an honest man did. The 10 jobs with the happiest workers. (And I’m in two of those jobs; I should be delirious with joy.) The dogs of Cat Island. This is in some ways a horrible story. Yet so weird it’s funny. BTW, this is from the Paladin Press blog, and if you poke around a bit you’ll find a few entries by somebody you…

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Friday miscellany

J.D. Tuccille’s High Desert Barbecue gets a sterling review from Britain’s Sean Gabb. Well, here’s a cheery thought about the current economic mess. Probably true, too. Encouraging sites to offer PayPal alternatives. Good idea. Be sure to follow the links to the PayPal (or PayPal/fedgov) horror stories. Who knew that SF writer George R.R. Martin is a terrorist? Jim Bovard exposes the post office. News from Dave’s blog: Backwoods Home is now on Kindle. The headline on this one was (of course), “It’s not what it looks like! I can explain!”

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Tuesday miscellany

Even lab rats, it seems, have empathy. Now, if only government agents could be raised to that level. I had no idea that my second favorite poem (and the one I most totally identify with) had such universal appeal. Only a government could manage to create a butter crisis. “The best way to understand the Euro Crisis is to get a DVD of “Animal House” starring John Belushi.” Snort! Open letter to some professorial tax eaters from Michael and Debra Jean Dean. The average household has a post-crash net worth of nearly $500,000??? Are you kidding? Where do I sign…

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Monday musings

I have to go to court today. No, nothing I did. Just giving support to a friend whose ne’er-do-well son is in trouble again. Going through my fanny pack to make sure I’m courthouse-ready. You know, it’s amazing the amount of stuff folks carry every day that some other folks might consider a weapon. I’ll probably just stash the fanny pack and put keys, cash, and ID in a pocket lest some letter opener or multitool freak out the paranoiati. —– I’ve got two multi-tabbed browsers full of links I’ve been saving for you. But between revelations of Fed shenanigans…

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Monday miscellany

This ad is in totally terrible bad taste. Which is what makes it so good. Seems this South African chicken restaurant has a history of similar terrible taste. And sometimes nicely pointed satire. A Rearden Steel case??? Please tell me you’re kidding. Kind of a shame that Stratfor feels the need to give such basic advice on situational awareness. And never mentions carrying something much better than a flashlight. (Tip o’ hat to A.) “Bailing out the Titanic with a Thimble.” And an interesting week ahead in Europe, heaven help us all.

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Santa’s BIG helpers :-)

Stickied. Scroll down for newer posts. Wow. I deliberately didn’t post my Amazon wish list or a donation button this season. You guys have already done too much for me and I know how tough this year’s been for a lot of people. But it seems a mere lack of links doesn’t stop you. 🙂 Last week, multiple Amazon packages for me showered in from reader MJR. DVDs! Emergency gear! (MJR, if you’re out there, please give me a way to thank you.) A mysterious package of California dried apricots I got might have been MJR’s, too, though the apricot…

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Wednesday miscellany

Life in prison for cutting off beards? Ridiculous law gets more ridiculous by the minute. And not only in Feddieland. (Money quote is in the final paragraph.) Terrorist entrapments are getting pretty desperate, too. But get the gummint out of the way and people still do amazingly cool things. Speaking of dogs, here’s another awwwww moment. The tidbit about the crucifix chain is what’s interesting here. Hm. Might hit the pawnshops and second-hand stores for that little bit of preparedness. What George Orwell can teach us about police brutality. Polar Pure water treatment and the drug war. I agree with…

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Monday miscellany

Okay, let’s start out with some nice stories. (The “nice” in this onecomes quite a ways below the headline.) A pair of Muslim cab drivers save a bagel shop. Anybody here use these emergency foods? “What do a bunch of old Jews know about living forever?” Looks like a useful book to keep on hand Sigh. “The more things change …” They were writing stories like this onejust before 9-11, too. And a coupla months later, the nation was full of robotic government worshippers. Truer words … “The science of lasting happiness.” I don’t usually have the patience to watch…

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