Yesterday, when I pointed to the signs that the Troubled Asset Relief Program could actually turn out to be a money-maker, I left Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of the discussion. Their rescue wasn’t part of TARP, for one thing, and for another I had no idea whether they had a shot of earning their way out of trouble. They’ve certainly …
It’s a Deal: 50% Off at Savers on Labor Day
Thrift store chain Savers is discounting nearly all merchandise by 50 percent on Labor Day, Monday, September 7. Stores are also opening an hour earlier (at 7 a.m.) for the sale. More details here.
Hank Paulson thinks Lloyd Blankfein is really smart. Is that a crime?
It turns out Todd Purdum was paying regular visits to Hank Paulson at the Treasury Department over the course of 2007 and 2008. Now he’s put together what Paulson told him for a big Vanity Fair article. There’s nothing new in it, really, but it’s rich in fascinating detail that can better inform some of the big arguments of the past …
Bottled Water: Getting Cheaper All the Time (But Still Not Free)
The word is out: You don’t need to pay $2 for a bottle of water. Actually, you don’t need to spend anything on water. It falls for free from the sky. But if you insist on buying the bottled variety, there’s a desperate price war going on, and half-liter bottles are going for as little as 10¢ apiece.
Should Food Cost More Money?
As the argument goes, cheap, processed, mass-produced food is bad for your health, and bad for society. But at a time when people are trying to spend less on everything, paying more for anything (even healthy food) is a hard sell. Should the food we eat be better quality, and cost more? If so, who decides, and who should pay for it?
The financial crisis as moneymaker
Dan Gross pointed it out Friday, and the NYT joins in today: The government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program is starting to look like a moneymaker—or at least no longer like a giant hole into which money is poured. Meanwhile, the FT reports that the Federal Reserve has made a $14 billion profit on its various crisis-fighting loan …
The Recession Haircut: Place Bowl Over Head and Snip, Snip, Snip
I don’t think I paid for a haircut until I was out of college and living on my own. Before then, my father cut my hair. And after a traumatic, crying-filled episode at the barber with my oldest son when he was about 18 months old, I now cut my boys’ hair as well. Turns out that during the recession, many people have tired of paying $10, …
It’s a Deal: Free Kids’ Dinners at IHOP
From now through September 17, IHOP is hosting a “Kids Eat Free” dinner promotion. Between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., families will get one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entrée at participating IHOP locations. More details here.
How socialized health care made Norway an oil power
In Saturday’s FT, Martin Sandbu tells the amazing tale of Farouk al-Kasim, the Iraqi geologist who has been more responsible than anyone else for Norway’s success as an oil power.
[H]e and his Norwegian wife, Solfrid, had decided that their youngest son, born with cerebral palsy, could only receive the care he needed there. But it meant
…
Tightie Whities, the Recession, and You
Other than the obvious hygienic positive for society, there is a reason we all should be hoping that men are wearing clean, new underwear. Sales of boxers, briefs, and boxer-briefs are excellent indicators of how the economy is faring. When times are good, sales are good, increasing slightly over time. But as the economy struggles, sales …
Cross-country road trip lessons and observations
I think I have now more or less recovered from the Curious Capitalist family’s 11-day cross country road trip—although I still weigh about 10 pounds more than when we left. We traveled from the San Francisco Bay area to New York, stopping along the way for visits with family and friends in Lake City, Colo.; the Quad Cities of Illinois …
Weekend video: One last Belgian chart-topper
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM3MqseByeQ]
No major backstory here. Just seemed like “Home” was an appropriate song now that I’m home again.