Gary North offers up this piece on saving the dollar. Too bad it won't happen. He also as always offers some advice for foks who are looking to go into debt....

They should borrow short-term money to buy tools or get meaningful educations/licenses, and then pay off the debt, fast. This way, they will build a credit history. That’s the wisest strategy. But if there is a temptation to go into consumer debt, then it’s best not to borrow at all. Like other addictions, the first snort should be avoided.

Borrowing is not an evil. It depends of what you are borrowing for. If your debt supplies tools, education, or a comfortable but modest place to live, then it’s a tool of dominion. But if debt is used to buy depreciating assets, it is a curse. Most assets depreciate. Buy them used for cash from someone who is strapped for cash.

The onion offers an interview with Rick Rubin (Note-- this is in the real section, not the goof acrticles). For those who don't now, Rick along with Russel Simmons helped create Def Jam and Rick produced LL Cool J, PE and the Beasties along with a platheora of others. Rick can be seen on the Jay-Z 99 Problems video and he also produced that track. Interesting how starting a label and acquiring talent has changed.

O: What led to the founding of Def Jam?

RR: I'd made a record with LL Cool J, his first single, which I think is called "I Need A Beat." I played it for Russell, and he loved it. Then I asked him what we should do with it. He said, "Oh, let's give it to one of the labels that I deal with." I said, "All you do is complain about these labels; why don't we just do it ourselves?" Eventually, we decided to do it ourselves.

O: How did you find out about LL Cool J? He was about 15 at the time?

RR: Fifteen or 16. He sent me a demo tape to my dorm at NYU, because on "It's Yours," the label was called Def Jam, and the address was my dorm at NYU. So I started getting demo tapes sent to the dorm.

O: Did he need parental permission to become a recording artist or anything?

RR: No. In those days, we didn't even do contracts, because we didn't know anything about business. We just started doing it.

O: Did you think, "This kid's got what it takes, he could be a star"?

RR: There were no stars in rap music. It was really just a work of passion. Everyone who was doing it was doing it because they loved it, not because anyone thought it was a career. We didn't even think about having a hit single. We just tried to do something we liked. There were no expectations whatsoever. The only hope was that we'd sell enough records to make enough money to make another record. If it didn't cost us money to have Def Jam, we'd be happy. If it supported itself, and we could keep doing it, we'd be doing it.

Big Nick (another Wake Forest cat) lists his top ten tv shows. Now I don't watch TV almsot ever right now, but I've read his posts on okayplayer.com for a long time and know that he is usually on point, plus his top shows are the same ones that my brother likes (and he is also usually on point). My brother's list would probably have Scrubs at 1 (vs The Wire) and move down the Daily Show, up Dave Chappelle, and up Curb Your Enthusiasm. Check it out for yourself though.

Team America has fallen out of the top ten when it comes to the freest countries. Most alarming is the downward trend that has fallen this once great nation (?). The true question is does anyone other than the libertarians in this country care?

Here is the intro to the Heritage foundations latest results...Hopefully someone is reading this...

All too often, bad news accompanies good news. And people usually want the good news first, so here it is: Economic freedom is expanding around the globe. Now, the bad news: It's not expanding here in the United States.

This isn't mere conjecture. For the last 11 years, The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal have joined to publish our annual "Index of Economic Freedom." We look at 10 key ingredients of free economies, from reasonable levels of taxation, tariffs and regulation to government spending, property rights and monetary stability.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are rolling (14-1) and have the best backcourt in college. Is this the yr that we are one of the final four teams standing? Me thinks so.....

Wake Forest's 95-82 win Saturday afternoon in front of a crazed Joel Coliseum crowd that rivaled any of its ACC brethren (which says something for how far the Deacs have come) quickly extinguished any Tar Heel thoughts of a runaway in the ACC.

That idea wasn't farfetched after the Tar Heels made Maryland and Georgia Tech look second tier in two home wins in the past week.

(via espn and Andy Katz)