Hello, my money nerds! It’s J.D. back again for another day of interesting money stories. I have to tell you: It feels good to be doing this again. I missed you while I was gone. 😉
What are some repair, maintenance, or home-improvement tasks you thought you couldn’t do? [Ask Metafilter] — “There are many areas in life where we immediately default to professionals. But not all problems are equally hard. Especially with the availability of an enormous amount of instruction videos it became quite easy to do some repairs. I wouldn’t attempt to fix a mechanical watch, but I was able to change quartz watch batteries after watching one video! What are your examples of easy-to-do tasks, and what were the tutorials / videos that helped you do it?” Some good stuff here.
Participating in the grace that surrounds us. [Money and Meaning] — “Life is a gift. You can move into the gift by seeing it, acknowledging it, and feeling grateful. But the most important gifts are lost to us because of their closeness and familiarity.”
Why poverty persists in America. [The New York Times gift article] — “In the past 50 years, scientists have mapped the entire human genome and eradicated smallpox. Here in the United States, infant-mortality rates and deaths from heart disease have fallen by roughly 70 percent, and the average American has gained almost a decade of life. Climate change was recognized as an existential threat. The internet was invented. On the problem of poverty, though, there has been no real improvement — just a long stasis.”
That’s all for today. The Plutus folks will be here tomorrow with their latest collection of links. I’ll see you on Thursday. Take care!