I'm no economist, but like you I've been paying attention to the economy more than ever before.  Most of the time the big numbers floating around the headlines these days--trillions lost in the market, hundreds of billions pledged to Wall Street by the federal government--simply dull my senses.  I mean, how do you relate to numbers with that many zeroes in them?  For me, it's more about getting dinner at Pick Up Stix for $4.99.  That's what I call a bail-out.

Just when I didn't think another headline related to the economy could get my attention, I saw one the other day with the number $18.4 billion, and I began developing a facial twitch, not unlike the one worn by the Chief Inspector in the Pink Panther movies whenever he thinks about Inspector Clouseau.