Last call for Book Club.

If you want to participate, email me at nonessentialequipment {at} gmail {dot} com. And if you already emailed me, be on the look-out for a Google Group invite.

Debate? What debate?

All over the blog world, people are talking about the VP debate. Some are claiming the Biden win, others the Palin.

But the truth of the matter is, much like the Presidential debate before it, I doubt anyone learned anything new. If you were for Obama/Biden before, you still are. And if you were for McCain/Palin, there's no change there either.

Some people may just be wondering who the heck General McClellan is.

But me? I'm wondering what a Hillary Clinton/Sarah Palin debate would have looked like.

3 in a week.

Yet another soldier. This one not just from our community but from our battalion.

This is just getting way too hard.

Economics 101

"Shit, did you see how far the Dow dropped?"

"Yeah. Enrique called last night. He said he wished he would have sold our stocks before the drop."

"Makes you almost wish you hadn't saved anything. If we'd have bought that new TV, at least we'd still have it."

"Well, you have to look at the silver lining, I guess."

"And what's that?"

"With Wall Street in the toilet, Enrique bets that recruiters are going to make their numbers and then some this fall"

Another death.

Another one. Too many. I don't know if I can sit through another Memorial Service.

But I will.

No tickers for me, please.

Must. not. look. at. investments.

It really sucks when you are responsible with your money and you lose a huge chunk of it because other people aren't. And by others, I'm talking about both consumers and lenders.

David Carr had a great piece in the New York Times about some NPR reporters who actually had the audacity to ask the question, "Why are they lending money to people who can't afford to pay it back?"

A good reminder that even if you don't understand economics, a little common sense can go a helluva long way. For everyone.

I don't usually do this, but...

I get all kinds of weird emails about this blog. People who want me to stump for a candidate, try a product or plug their book. I even got a marriage proposal once. He even might have been serious. Usually, I send them a nice, "Thanks but that's not my bag."

And when I received an email from the International Medical Corps a few weeks ago about their Top 25 American Express' Members project, "Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children." I did the same thing. I don't write all that often about social issues in Africa. But after I declined, I read up on them and was pretty impressed. Impressed enough, as an AmEx card holder, to vote for them.

Lo and behold, they made it to the Top 5 without any help from my puny blog. Mostly because it's a good project.

So, if you happen to carry an AmEx, check out the projects. Vote. Because $1.5 million could do a whole lot of good right about now.