A death in the family is always hard, but three in three weeks is especially difficult for children, even though it only involved pets.

First it was the green tree frog discovered at the local car repair shop and taken home to be cared for. “Sticky” lived two months, long enough for the kids to become very attached. One day we found him dead in his cage.

Then it was the two chickens brought home soon after being hatched at a friend’s chicken coop. They lived only two days, and died so innocent, so young and vulnerable.

In an extended propagandistic interview in Time magazine, Ben Bernanke is finally asked the crucial question:

Foreword by Doug French

The public’s understanding of what money is and its origins has devolved to the point where the government monetary authorities can now inflate with impunity, with the ultimate result to be the destruction of the division of labor undoing all of mankind’s progress to date. The average Joe and Jane must trust the wise men and women working secretly in central banks around the world with what passes for money — paper and digits on a computer screen. These banks are the largest employers of academically trained economists.

Socrates argued that the unexamined life was not worth living. So, in a world short on serious reflection, New Year’s resolutions can lead to useful self-examination. But it is important that we think through our resolutions, or we can undermine their purpose.

I keep having these run ins with the law over my desire to unclog my nose. Earlier today I tried to buy Mucinex but was declined because my driver’s license is technically expired, only a few days ago. Now, just last week I was in the drivers license bureau doing some stupid tag thing and I asked about this expiration date. They said not to worry about it now; I have sixty days to get it renewed. But apparently the pharmacy doesn’t go along with that idea. They ripped the stuff right out of my bag and told me to go home with a stuffy head.