[parents] such is life

Most people are satisfied with two parents but I was avaricious and wanted three. The last one standing, my step-father Jack, has now passed away, so I have been informed today and I’m seriously uneasy about running this post as I’m not at all sure he’d approve, being such an unassuming man. Earlier in the day I could not have. On reflection, I think it needs to be posted and so - a few words at the end of the link.

[cuba] the other castro a little late

U.S. bid for `world dominance' assailed. Cuba's acting President Raul Castro on Friday assailed what he called the U.S. bid for world dominance. In his inaugural address at the NAM summit, Mr. Castro said the world today is shaped by the U.S. Er ... yes. and what?

[phonetic dictionary] second twelve

Here are the next 12 if you're up to them:

13 Carrion......................Continue
14 Castanet....................Go fishing
15 Chinchilla...................Aftershave
16 Condescending..........Greek Paratrooper
17 Counter-culture.........Retailing
18. Divest........................Princess's garment
19 Emulate.....................Dead bird
20 Equilibrium...............Sedative for horses
21 Equivocal...................Duet
22 Farthing....................Distant object
23 Felonious..................Monk
24 Flatulent...................Borrowed apartment

[fashion] how to dress within your budget

Nothing to wear? Tight budget? There are ways to get round it:

1. First take an inventory of your closet and make a list of things you really need. Buying from a list keeps you focused and curbs impulse buying.

2. Buy the best quality you can afford and train yourself to buy less often. These items will last longer, wear better, and ultimately, save you more money than buying inferior-quality pieces. Points 3 to 7 here.

[yesterday’s address] personal economy, delusion and debt

Consumers in the former Soviet republics are well on the way to the disaster which has befallen the west. WC Fields once said that you can’t cheat an honest man – he has to have larceny in his heart to start with and in a similar way, you can’t plunge a family into debt which lives within its means – they have to have the aspirations to start with. And when do aspirations become ambitions and ambitions – greed?

An oblique answer is: debt is something which happens when the rest of your spending is not in balance. Any debt other than mortgage debt is a symptom that something's wrong with a family's budget. [Elizabeth Warren MSNBC] Yesterday I addressed 89 young ladies and 2 young men on fashion and financial danger.

[phonetic dictionary] first twelve

Right, so here are your first dozen - more tomorrow:

1 Ad Hoc................... Cooking with wine
2 Adder.....................Tally clerk
3 Adenoid..................Irritated by adverts
4 Alimony..................Arab coins
5 Anenome................Foe
6 Antelope................Absconding insect
7 Aphrodisiac............Trapeze artists from Zaire
8 Badinage................Memory, sex, teeth
9 Barbecue................Awaiting haircut
10 Blackguard...........Negro sentry
11 Canteloupe...........Chaperoned
12 Capsize................Seven and three-quarters