Bearish Buffett

HOW MASTERCARD CAME TO OWN 90% OF NEW ENGLAND

Still silly but fun. (Sorry for the bad link Monday.)

CONTINUING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

Change Means Fewer Students
Will Be Eligible for Pell Grants
By Dan Morgan

The Department of Education yesterday announced a new formula for calculating eligibility for college financial aid, a move that will eliminate federal Pell Grant scholarships for an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 low-income students and force a modest scaling back of other types of state and federal assistance to broader categories of undergraduates.

. . . [E]ducation officials indicated yesterday that they were taken aback by the timing of the announcement, just two days before Christmas.

☞ At least we’re not rolling back any tax cuts for people at the top. Some things are sacrosanct, and protecting the rich from having to share in any sacrifice is one of them.

BEARISH BUFFETT

Jay Rao: ‘I follow you column on a regular basis. I am also a shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. Looks like your negative outlook on US economy is shared by Warren Buffett, based on his short position on US Dollar. I want to bring your readers’ attention to the following article, where he seems to think we are headed for a huge economic downturn.’

BUYING ON SALE – WITH 10% OFF

Gary Diehl: ‘This site allows you to buy gift cards from virtually every retailer in America. Most cards are discounted about 10% below cash value, however some are 15%, 20% or more.’

☞ Not sure it’s worth your time, but it’s also a place to sell unwanted gift certificates.

Tomorrow: The Rapture Index