Link Log for December 7

Categories: Charity, Economy, Food (Yum), Fun Stuff, Goofy Gifts, Politics, San Bernardino, Support This Blog, Writing

Charity 

The "season of giving" is here, and I'd like to encourage everyone to give generously...but selectively. Yes, many Bohemian Bourgeois types (young or well preserved, often very well paid professionals who don't follow fads) can and do live comfortably, far below their means or possible means, in order to help others. If able to set their own fees, they designate some portion of their work time to working free or cheap for those who need it. If they receive a steady income that's higher than what they lived on as students or young working parents, they continue to live the way they did as students or working parents, and give the surplus income to charity. Those who feel a need to conform in certain yuppie social circles may exclaim, "I couldn't do that!"--and if their goal is to climb the ladder in certain companies this may even be true--but the thing can certainly be done. In certain other social circles, doing it will actually boost your social status...among what may be a nicer set of friends. But before you just dash off an ample cheque for UNICEF or the Salvation Army, please consider my comment as well as the main article linked below...

http://www.dailygood.org/story/1173/the-joys-of-giving-large-brad-hurley/

Economy 

Fair disclosure: I am not an economist. But I've worked for one, and been married to one...and the economic literature that makes sense to me agrees on one thing: the basic problem with our economy is that it's based on a down-spiral of debt that can end only with some sort of crash. There's no shortage of hifalutin explanations of how a debt-based economy can last. These explanations all look to me like a successful scheme to baffle people like me with lots of big numbers. I asked the economists I trusted and respected. They said that yes, the numbers check out...but they're strictly theoretical anyway, like macro-evolution and global warming. In order to have a solid, sustainable, durable economy we'd have to exclude debt and interest on debt as major parts of the economy, keeping debt short-term, manageable, on an individual or community level. Here's a kind and gentle explanation of the theory. How it could work in practice is the subject of several books:

http://www.dailygood.org/story/1175/debt-as-a-relationship-based-in-love-nathan-schneider/

Food (Yum) 

Fun facts about the history of pineapples.

http://nowiknow.com/impressive-fruit/

Fun Stuff 

Ways to get more use out of egg cartons:

http://blogjob.com/ideasforindoorliving/other-unique-uses-for-egg-cartons/

And banana peels:

http://blogjob.com/foodforthought/unique-ways-to-use-banana-peels/

Goofy Gifts 

Dan Lewis's collection:

http://awesomeclaus.com/

Dave Barry's:

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/gift-guide/article47957150.html#emlnl=Dave_Barry_Newsletter

Politics 

From U.S. Senator Mike Lee, endorsed by this web site, although this web site doesn't have $5:

"I need FreedomWorks and I need you! And, that’s why I’m asking you to stand with me and donate $5 today. And if you do you'll get a complimentary car-safe bumper sticker."

San Bernardino  

Waterman Avenue was my parents' and godparents' mailing address when I was born--not at the Loma Linda hospital, where Mother would have preferred to go, because a riot was going on at the time. The air's bad, the climate's hot, violent insanity seems to break out every few years. I'm glad the'rents got out before 1970. I'm glad I don't have anything particularly cogent to say about the first time I've ever seen my birthplace, specifically, as distinct from "Southern California" or "Greater Los Angeles," mentioned in the news. Anyway, Jonah Goldberg does have cogent comments:

http://link.nationalreview.com/view/55c8a77718ff4357208b47083deqk.4tsz/0900b41c

Support This Blog... 

This is not the complete display of knitted things I've taken to market this year...only the complete display of things I've photographed and posted. Some of the pictures show truer colors than others. (Some of these things really are gray.) Most are still available for sale.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/MkEGHB

Writing 

I'm not sure how I got this e-mail. I have Google Adwords? Since when? However, for those who have been able to add content-based advertising to their blogs:

http://www.imarketingtool.com/blog/2008/10/05/IsYourAdwordsAdItsOwnWorstEnemy.aspx

If I had Google Adwords, or if Prosperent, which I do theoretically have, or Amazon Ads were working for me, ads like this one wouldn't pop up annoyingly when people tried to read my blog posts. They'd follow naturally after posts about rain and snow, where they belong...btw, if you live in a place where rain or snow tend to cause trees or parts of trees to fall across roads, this ad might interest you.

http://www.stihlusa.com/stihl-holiday-2015/?gclid=CPDb6JS0yskCFYeRHwodHKUCzQ

Mine, but worth sharing again...

http://priscillaking.blogspot.com/2015/03/have-you-been-cheated-by-bubblews.html

Several good things here:

http://archive.aweber.com/fundsforwriters/ElBZy/h/FundsforWriters_December.htm