Archives for the month of: December, 2008

Wall Building

December 31, 2008 //
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After reading or hearing a few references to the drop in value of recycled waste paper, this instructable looked like a good solution. Thanks, Make Blog.
The Planet Money podcast has a story about this. Basically, if Chinese manufacturers don’t have a need for new cardboard boxes because they don’t have orders for the goods that they use the boxes to ship, the companies that make the cardboard boxes don’t need our old paper and cardboard. If your local recycling center doesn’t have a customer for the waste paper, what is to be done? Perhaps building an adobe-like potting shed in your backyard.

By the way, the Planet Money podcast is one of my new favorites.
related stories:
Dawson County Georgia
Panama City Florida

Categories DIY

Ponzi

December 30, 2008 //
1

The news about Madoff and his 50 Billion dollar scam had me looking for a book I remember enjoying a couple of years ago -
Ponzi’s Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend. The biography is a fast paced and fun read, like most stories about grifters. The core of Ponzi’s story is how he started with what he thought was a legitimate plan to take advantage of currency values in order to “make” money. More than a few people must be in a similar situation today, though I doubt anyone has been trying to take advantage of international reply coupons.

Categories books