Because there will be enough to read today…
GO VOTE!!!
Vote Obama. Vote that other one. !
(though, I hope you vote Obama)
See you tomorrow.
Pocket Change: 11/03/08
- Kmart gets greedy and messes with the natural law of the consumer universe, moving Black Friday to Nov. 2nd! (Crain’s)
- Cabbies are sick of taking tourists the long way in order to make more money! (Sun Times)
- Can you save $1000.00 in 30 days without eating Ramen noodles three times a day? (IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com)
- Our national debt increased by $500B in under a month. Pshaw… I bet Paris Hilton has spent more in a weekend on hair extensions. (CBS)
- Do you have a diamond studded credit card? If you do, you’re probably a dick. (FT)
- If our taxes are bailing out the banks, why do we still have to pay ATM fees? (NYT)
- Economy melts… Literally! (Herald Tribune)
image via FFFFOUND
Though He Rarely Rested…
Studs Terkel embracing the world
One of the most memorable moments I’ve experienced since moving to Chicago in August of 2001, is the time I had drinks with Margaret Atwood and Studs Terkel at the Printers Row Book Fair. I was sheepish and shy back then, and didn’t say much, but I listened as the two literary giants talked with other literary types I didn’t know. Studs, though the eldest of anyone at the table, had the most energy, limitless smiles and the brightest twinkle of youthful wonder in his eyes. It was about 20 minutes into the conversation that I was observing, when Studs turned to me and asked me where I worked, what part of the city I lived in and what I thought about Chicago. Atwood and co. faded away, as Studs wasn’t just being polite. I could tell he was genuinely interested. This is a quality few people in this world have: to be engaged with everyone and everything around you, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant on the surface. Studs knew the little things mattered and that the big things wouldn’t be there were it not for the parts that made up the sum. Focused on the microcosms of the foundation particles in order to understand the whole.
After about ten minutes of conversation, Studs grasped me on the shoulder and thanked me for speaking with him. Perhaps this was just the geniality of a seasoned interviewer, but it left me speechless and, though I don’t normally flinch at dealing with “famous” people, a bit starstruck. I was glowing with optimism for weeks afterward.
A few years later, I saw Studs on the bus (he was a lifelong rider of public transit) and he was deep in focused conversation with a young Mexican woman and her daughter. All smiles and twinkle, the bus seemed to light up at his infectious wonder.
It is with an actual tear in my eye and a few small smiling memories that I am grieving the passing of a man I barely knew, but hold no limit of admiration for. At 96 years of age, Studs was younger than anyone reading this right now. Another great Chicagoan, Rick Kogan, does Terkel more justice than I could ever dream of doing (link).
Though he rarely rested, may Studs rest in peace…. Though I’m sure he’ll keep busy, interviewing everyone in whatever comes after.
Fixing My Tubes
My Tubes Brokeded!!!
I left work early to catch up on some reviews yesterday only to find that some of the site’s tubes had gotten mixed up. Obviously, the conviction of Alaska Senator, Ted Stevens (seen above, holding one of the internets’ many tubes) had caused some of my database files to get muddled. Things will be quiet around here for the next couple of days as I work on cleaning up the spilled sewage and expensive gifts that have been spewing forth from the Alaskan tubes. Hope you all have a splendid cavity day tomorrow. I’ll be back Monday.
And to all of the American readers…If you can do it early…GO VOTE!!!
Pocket Change: 10/27/08
- Having trouble saving money? I’ve saved $1000 in just over two months by putting every $5 bill that comes into my possession in a savings account. I got the idea from a post on a couple of personal finance blogs and started saving shortly after The Consumerist picked the story up. These kind of tricks don’t work for everyone, but if you have trouble saving money, it’s worth a shot. (Consumerist)
- Look for easy-to-read food labels to debut next year. Because the current labels are so confusing, what, with all the words and numbers. (Crain’s)
- Nike has trouble announcing the winner of the Nike Women’s Marathon because the woman who beat everyone else in the race by over 11 minutes wasn’t part of their group of elite runners. (Consumerist)
- Here’s another article about how living within our means and being thrifty is bad for the economy. Gee, if spending real money on real things without relying on money we don’t yet have is bad for our economy, maybe it’s time to rethink our economy? (Slate)
- Consumers aren’t the only ones getting thrifty. Despite $25 billion of bailout money, Chase Bank will not be using much (if any) of that money to loan money. Chase and other banks are using their redistribution of wealth to consolidate and fill their bomb shelters. (NYT)
- Illinois State Sen. James Meeks is calling for a boycott of downtown Chicago stores this holiday season in order to draw attention to school funding reform. I’m not sure school funding will be the first thing people think about when retail business goes down. Especially not during this holiday season. (Chicago Breaking News)
- Swear at your toilet, get $19,000! (Scranton Times via Obscure Store)
- Banks are begging for a handout while Credit Unions kick ass and chew bubble gum… and they’re all out of bubble gum. (Time)
- Wear a condom, save the environment! (Things Are Good)
- Oprah loves Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. Sounds like she is saying to bookstores everywhere: I brought you into this world… I can take you out! My only question is… Does Oprah actually use her Kindle or does she have someone else hold it for her. I’m all for e-readers, but the Kindle’s physical design rates at just above piss-poor in my book. (Wired)
Sunday Sponsor Salutation
Just a quick thank you to those who have helped move this experiment along its path this week, to wherever it may go:
- Thanks to Nik for the monetary donation via ChipIn.
Weekend Unrelated
Obviously, I’m not one of those undecided voters. Hope everyone’s being productive.
video from one of my favorite videobloggers, illdoctrine.com
Pocket Change: 10/24/08
- Been a busy week. Hopefully this weekend I’ll be able to catch up on my actual reviews. Until then, a few links…
- Looks like we’ve been paying for Chicago’s Millennium Park! Boy, I can’t wait until I have to pay for the Olympics too! (Chicago Tribune)
- A deficit may be good for us? Necessary, even? (AlterNet)
- The controlling psychic forces of debt. (AlterNet)
- If any of you love pop-up books half as much as I do, you’ll love this video of Sam Ita working on one of his! ()
- Everyone is trying to save money right now, but that only serves to weaken the economy by limiting the amount of liquid currency floating around. Too bad we can’t figure out a way to let everyone spend money while they save… like some sort of card that they could use to keep track of how much money they need to pick off of the money tree when it finally grows in their backyard… like a card that had credit on it?! That would be so much better than admitting our economic system is set up to fail in the long term. (HuffPo)
- Alan Greenspan renounced his faith, sending shockwaves through one of the world’s most prominent religions. Zeus, meet Free Market. (NYT)
- Banks are receiving threatening letters with white powder in them. Fortunately, the financial crisis seems to have limited terrorists’ ability to buy real anthrax. (HuffPo)
Pocket Change: 10/23/08
- For those of you who haven’t stopped using or haven’t maxed out your credit cards yet, Motorola just debuted a $2000 cell phone. Maybe if you are nice, your customer service rep will knock 5% off the price. (Chicago Business)
- A broom store in Tokyo hasn’t sold anything since 1972. Kinda gives the retail sector hope during this economic crisis, huh? How much you want to bet that someone went in and bought a broom after this story was linked on Boing Boing? (Tokyo Retail Reflection via Boing Boing)
- The Republican National Committee has spent $150,000 on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe. So much for her being a representative of “real America.” (The Independent)
- The way WalMart customers spend their money is a good measure of how bad the economy really is. (Economist’s View)
Pocket Change: 10/22/08
- A woman went to jail instead of paying her $7.45 Waffle House bill. I could understand if this were your first time eating at a McDonald’s, but not Waffle House! (TCPalm via Obscure Store)
- Soup kitchens and food pantries are expecting a busy season this year. If you won’t be lining up at one, why not consider volunteering at one this year? (Chi Town Daily News)
- New York is cracking down on illegal selling of 9/11 memorabilia. Hmm… Cracking down on opportunists making a buck off of a tragedy? We sure could have used this show of spine elsewhere… in say… 2003? Or how about in the market on 9/12? (Guardian UK)
- The credit crisis may make it harder to die… sort of. (Guardian UK)
- Not sure who to blame for the financial crisis? Here are a few partisan ideas! (FactCheck)
image via FFFFOUND!