• Mr. Money, my new alter-ego over at My Last Name Means Money.com made an early debut to discuss why any bank bailout is bad.

Simply put it encourages poor business practice rather than punishing. Socialism for the rich and poor, capitalism for the rest of us!

What no one has really mentioned yet, is that since the first bailout we’ve only had more and more bailouts. Do bailouts beget bailouts?

Check with Mr. Money for the answer [hint, it starts with a "Y"].

• A bank robber in Monroe, Washington hired decoys on craiglist and made an escape in an inner tube on the Skykomish River with a sack of money.

No, that is not a story from The Onion, nor is it a viral marketing scheme for the Blu-ray release of The Dark Knight. It really happened. Though I in no way condone criminal activities, at least this guy had some creativity and put some thought and effort into his heist. Sure would be nice if he used his powers for good though!

• Speaking of stealing, check out this video of Homer Simpson attempting to vote for Barack Obama.

Must admit, The Simpsons have gotten a lot better recently. I heard they hired some new writers this year and if this past Sunday’s episode was any indication it’s already paying off. The clip above seems to be a leak from this year’s Halloween episode so check it out before it gets yanked! Hopefully our real elections don’t go the same way…

• Cube captive turns into cross country cyclist.

Before you leave your cube or office or classroom to enjoy the weekend, make sure you check out I Will Not Die, the blog of a former cubicle worker who quit his job to tour the U.S.A. on a bicycle, helping people along the way. You can Dereck was sitting in his cubicle one day when he realized he was tiring of coming into work the doing the same stuff every day. He then had an epiphany, instead of working so hard for himself he’d instead quit his job and travel the country helping others.

Hat tip to Justin for letting me know about this story. It’s a good story and very similar to my own desires to buy a touring bicycle and start traveling this continent and others. I love his recent post giving a shout-out to his non-commenting readers. Let me take the time right here, right now to do the same and thank everyone who subscribes to my feed and reads this site. When bloggers first start out, there is always the hesitation of wondering if anyone will read their posts and find them intriguing enough to keep coming back. My regular readers give me the power to progress and develop my voice each and every day. Most of my posts here are zany and inane, but every now and then we come together and create an amazing discourse that reminds me exactly why I write.

You’re all a diverse group of people and I immensely appreciate each and every one one of you.

Virtual group hug!



Credit to Meffi for the cuddly photo.

OK, that’s a good note to end on. Check back here Monday for some big news about The 42nd Estate. Have a great weekend everyone!