Surviving the Recession: Bread and Water Party

I have a great idea.

Don't despair in the economic downturn; revel in it.

I submit the following idea: Bread and Water Party

The host or hostess provides the water.

The guests bring bread to share.

It's as simple as that, but, before you roll your eyes, read on.

The party idea is inspired by Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. At the shop in Grandview (and probably the others, too. I haven't paid too much attention), they offer free water. Not just plain water, mind you, but cucumber-infused free water.

That got me thinking about all the ways one can flavor water with fruit and veg. Boom. Idea.

The host/ess of the party should serve flavored water. Here are some recipes.

Cucumber Water:
Get a pitcher
Put ice in the pitcher
Fill the pitcher with tap water
Slice a cucumber
Add cucumber slices to the pitcher
Serve and enjoy

Lemon Water:
Get a pitcher
Put ice in the pitcher
Fill the pitcher with tap water
Slice a lemon
Add lemon slices to the pitcher
Serve and enjoy

Lime Water:
Get a pitcher
Put ice in the pitcher
Fill the pitcher with tap water
Slice a lime
Add lime slices to the pitcher
Serve and enjoy

Watermelon Water:
Get a pitcher
Put ice in the pitcher
Fill the pitcher with tap water
Slice a watermelon
Add watermelon slices to the pitcher (just use a few. Eat the rest)
Serve and enjoy

General Melon Water:
Get a pitcher
Put ice in the pitcher
Fill the pitcher with tap water
Slice a melon
Add melon slices to the pitcher
Serve and enjoy

Mint Water:
Get a pitcher
Put ice in the pitcher
Fill the pitcher with tap water
Add mint to the pitcher
Serve and enjoy

That's just the beginning. You could add anything you wanted, but, in my opinion, once you start adding sugar, kool aid, tea packets, etc. it ceases to be a water party.

Now for the bread.

I don't recommend guests just bring a bag of Wonder. Why not bring a nice sour dough? Or banana bread, or challah, or even monkey bread.

Now, go have a Brad and Water Party with your friends and family! Let me know how your party goes in the comments!

Satire

I stumbled across this article tonight written by an unidentified TARP wife. The commenters seem to suggest this is meant to be some sort of satire, but I must admit I don't find it.

Take a read and let me know what you think.

I was turned off early on by this:

It also means we’re part of the community of more than 400 companies that have
received government bailout funds, whose fall from grace has been
swifter and harsher than any since Mao frog-marched intellectuals into China’s countryside.

I don't have any love for Mao or his crazy policies, but, if he had marched this woman off the the countryside for a little re-education, I can't imagine complaining too much.

It's difficult to sympathize with a woman (or an entire group of charlatans) whose biggest concern is being seen getting into a taxi laden with shopping bags. Mind you, not concerned because she can't afford it, but rather that someone will see her.

This recession hurts everyone equally, I guess.

Cheap Stuff is Good

I found this a site called NeverPayRetailAgain.net today.

She has a lot of great coupons and deals. You should check it out.

Like this deal. Two packs of Huggies diapers and wipes for $1. Seriously.

Nila wears a size 4 in Huggies. Hurry, sale ends Friday.

UPDATE: Nevermind on the diapers. Angie tells me we can't buy Huggies because they give Nila diaper rash. I didn't know.

The site still looks like a keeper, though. I don't think it causes diaper rash, but I'll let you know.

Octomom

Ok. This may be the last blog to take on the octomom issue, but I have something important to say.

She has 14 kids. So what?

She's not the first person to have 14 kids. Having 14 kids does not make you a bad mother. Not aborting eight children does not make her a bad mother. Having tons of plastic surgery does not make her a bad mother. Being poor and on food stamps does not make her a bad mother.

She may be a poor decision maker. Maybe. We don't really know why she did what she did. And, honestly, who cares? Why is it our business?

I don't care for the argument that she's a burden on the system and so she and her kids are everybody's problem.

Really? Isn't that what welfare was designed to do? Are she and her kids the only 15 people receiving government aid suddenly? I didn't realize.

Taxpayers are spending billions of dollars to bail out failed businesses and yet the media has the audacity to waste time covering one woman on welfare. Does the money spent on even a lifetime of government aid for this family even come close to comparing to the money thrown down the drain on GM and Chrysler?

The answer is no!! Stop wasting time and energy tearing down this woman. Spend your time and energy figuring out where the real money is going. Spend your time figuring out why the auto industry can't seem to find a workable business model!

Don't be deceived by the media's inane distractions.

I will admit, though, I really like the nickname Octomom.

Not Quite So Depressed

The current economic crisis isn't as bad as you think.

It's funny. For Angie and I, our economic situation is whole lot better than it was one or two years ago, so with the exception of my continuing unemployement, things seem to be alright.

That's not the point I want to make, though. I read an article from the WSJ online's opinion section about Obama's rhetoric on the economic downturn. I've copied a large chunk below because the statistics are pretty clear.

The latest survey pegs U.S. unemployment at 7.6%. That's more than three percentage points below the 1982 peak (10.8%) and not even a third of the peak in 1932 (25.2%). You simply can't equate 7.6% unemployment with the Great Depression.

Other economic statistics also dispel any analogy between today's economic woes and the Great Depression. Real gross domestic product (GDP) rose in 2008, despite a bad fourth quarter. The Congressional Budget Office projects a GDP decline of 2% in 2009. That's comparable to 1982, when GDP contracted by 1.9%. It is nothing like 1930, when GDP fell by 9%, or 1931, when GDP contracted by another 8%, or 1932, when it fell yet another 13%.

Auto production last year declined by roughly 25%. That looks good compared to 1932, when production shriveled by 90%. The failure of a couple of dozen banks in 2008 just doesn't compare to over 10,000 bank failures in 1933, or even the 3,000-plus bank (Savings & Loan) failures in 1987-88. Stockholders can take some solace from the fact that the recent stock market debacle doesn't come close to the 90% devaluation of the early 1930s.

You can read the complete article here.

Now, before you comment, don't get caught up in some sort of an I-hate-Obama/I-love-Obama debate. Let's talk about the numbers.