I am glad to see that Blogger is working again. It looks like even the Althouse blog is back up! It makes me realize how important some type of back up is for a blog, after all, it is years of work and information that goes into a blog and to have it lost could be devastating.

John Hawkins interviews Warren Farrell about his book Why Men Are the Way They Are.

CNBC: "Prices at the Pump Likely to Keep Rising."

I believe it, I just filled up my gas tank at over $4.00 a gallon. I thought prices were supposed to be coming down. I was talking to a gas station attendant recently and was surprised when he said that no customers were complaining. "Really?" I asked. "Oh, people seem to understand," he said. Funny, they didn't when Bush was president. Perhaps the lack of negative media hype leaves people feeling less upset. Funny about that.

Married couples now a minority in Tennessee

Marriage in decline:

The U.S. marriage rate dropped 14 percent between 1998 and 2008. Even Tennessee, which has some of the nation's higher marriage numbers, saw a 30 percent decline, from 82,947 marriages licenses requested in 1998 to 58,464 in 2008.

The article mentions that more services are needed, given all the single family households. I wonder how this will play out in terms of personal responsibility--will more and more of these households expect government entitlements?

CNBC: More Couples Arguing About Money, Sneaking Purchases:

Another interesting tidbit is one in five women who are in a relationship admit to hiding purchases from their partner. The number rises even further when you ask people if they have ever hidden purchases from their spouse, with three in five people admitting they bought items on the sly.

The article makes no mention of how many men hid purchases from wives but I did find another related CNBC article that said women ages 35-44 hide the most small purchases from their spouse (23%). Women ages 18-34 were also more likely to hide cash and at 20 percent, women aged 35-44 are almost twice as likely as any other age or gender group to hide bills. However, men aged 45-54 are the most likely at 9 percent to hide major purchases from a partner.

Have you ever hidden financial information from a partner or had your partner hide finances from you?

Frustrated landlords are "going Galt" (via Ed Driscoll at Instapundit).

Reagan's Journey

I am reading a new book on Ronald Reagan that just came out this week entitled Reagan's Journey: Lessons From a Remarkable Career. The author, Margot Morrell is a leadership expert who describes Reagan's journey from an "introverted boy" to "The Great Communicator." She highlights the strategies and tactics he used to become successful and "offers a model for leaders and managers in every walk of life."

Some advice from the book includes:

Keep in touch with your network of friends and supporters.

Maintain good relationships with opponents and rivals. You never know when you will need their help and cooperation.

Find a life partner or trusted confidant who is supportive of your goals and dreams. That person will be integral to your success.

Forge strategic alliances. Seek out business partners whose strengths and talents complement your abilities.

Surround yourself with positive and upbeat people who support your success.

Good advice.

Cross-posted at the PJ Tatler.