Happy New Year! Favorite Posts of 2008

I can’t believe 2008 is already over! It was another crazy, but great, year. Work has been as busy as ever for us. Family and friends were getting married left and right and having babies. Our apartment almost burnt to the ground (well, sort of). I got ambushed and made over on a moving train [...]

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There’s Always Next Year

Economies and markets around the world really sucked this year, and a lot of hard-working people got screwed in the process. There was no place to run, no place to hide…and now – maybe, hopefully - no where to go except up (click the thumbnail to enlarge).
 I don’t like dwelling on the negative, and there’s little use [...]

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A Silver Lining

A silver lining on the otherwise gloomy economic cloud – As of December 22, gas prices in Massachusetts (adjusted for inflation) are at their lowest level since April 2002.

Source: Energy Information Administration, weekly retail gasoline prices. Inflation adjustment based on Northeast regional Consumer Price Index time series from BLS.

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Worst Gifts Ever

In my hunt for Christmas gifts, I came across a number of really out of the ordinary and generally useless products that I think would make horrible gifts. I can’t speak for the rest of the world (some people may actually like this stuff, so no offense to any of these companies), but let it be [...]

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Critter

‘Twas three days before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…except for a crafty mouse.
Our premises have been breached by a stealthy intruder. The casualties thus far include some peanut M&Ms and a brand-new bag of delicious Cape Cod potato chips (sea salt and cracked pepper). No one has yet been [...]

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I’m With Stupid →

Test your American civics knowledge. The test contains 33 questions about America’s founding principles, political history, international relations, and market economy – the basics about the systems all Americans participate in every day.
For the last three years, the ISI (Intercollegiate Studies Institute) has conducted their American Civic Literacy Program study to see whether people have [...]

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Mario Kart Comes to Life

I am particularly fond of the Italian duo that millions call Mario and Luigi. They were never the greatest plumbers, but right along with them, I’ve jumped down my fair share of green pipes and on top of mushrooms. I’ve also slung my fair share of bananas out onto the open road.
If the world of Mario and Luigi [...]

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Bailout Nation – They break it, we buy it

It’s like their pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it, and then shoving the bucket up the ass of the taxpayer to hide the leak.
Sorry for the crude analogy but, man, between yesterday’s ramblings by Barney Frank about a homeowner bailout, and today’s revelation about Cerebus (the true beneficiaries in the Chrysler bailout), this is [...]

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Go Elf Yourself!

The Elf Yourself website is quite brilliant. When it first debuted as a promotional site from Office Max and JibJab.com, it was everywhere – it seemed like everyone and their brother had heard about the site. It was such a success that Jib Jab and Office Max still promote the site on their home pages around Christmas time. Today [...]

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Have No Fear…The Elicia Buzz 2008 Gift Guide Guide is Here!

Christmas is only 18 days away! The pressure is on.
For some folks, gift ideas come naturally. I, on the other hand, am more like a (rein)deer caught in an extremely bright and shining Christmas light display when it comes to figuring out what will make a good gift.
If you’re like me and are looking for ideas, [...]

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