Today and always.

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Sorry to use the blog for something obscure and personal. But I’ve got a car-parts question that’s puzzling me. And I’ll bet anything one or more of you geniuses can help.

I’ve acquired an old beater car that needs work. Specifically it needs a new ignition coil. I’m buying my own online because the auto shop’s price was more than I can justify for this vehicle.

The part they want is a Standard (SMP) UF355. If I buy that brand, the absolute lowest price I’ve found is $122 (including shipping cost). That’s lower than the shop’s price.

However, I see dozens of knock-offs that appear to be exactly the same thing for as little as $18 (and free shipping). Some are as high as $40. But between there and $122 — nothing.

I wouldn’t usually hesitate to buy Brand X. But in this case the cost difference between the “real” thing and the knockoffs is so enormous that the needle on my hink-o-meter has zoomed into the red. Either the SMP is grossly overpriced. Or the look-alikes have got to be total junk.

I don’t have the expertise to know which is which, and on this subject the ‘Net is being strangely mum.

So, automotive experts … Why the huge, huge price difference and am I safe trying a knockoff or had I better just bite the bullet and go with the name brand for (yikes) six times more?

My apologies to you who want only politics, freedomista lifestyle, or dogs. But inquiring minds need to know!

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Stuff I’ve been collecting for you while having the living room flooring done, ripping siding off the house, and extracting rusted bicycles from the foliage.* Oh, and deadlining, too.

• “Neighbors confront alcoholic child abuser about his lawn.” (Don’t worry, it’s only The Onion this time.)
• Not that you actually needed proof that government is filled with idiots …
• An ISP that puts privacy first?
• Did you know there was a U.S. holiday called Loyalty Day? I didn’t. But it’s coming right up. Clearly we need to celebrate!
• “Born this way.” This article would be fascinating if it admitted the existence of something other than conservatives and liberals.
• I hesitated to post this. Seems reports of horrific weapons-in-development ring alarms every week, and many of them never go farther than that. Must admit, though, this one’s particularly creepy. Let’s hope this is one of the vaporware weapons.
• One of the few intelligent things I’ve seen about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case.
• Hmmmm. And wasn’t it just a week or two ago that we were praising this guy for his enlightened views on the drug war?
• Alternative currencies. In the real world. In Greece. (H/T EN)
• The New Yorker belatedly discovers medical tourism (aka affordable medical care).

Happy Friday the 13th!

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* Okay, only one rusted bicycle. But I’ll bet that’s more bicycles than you have integrated into your landscaping. (The old car tire and the broken float are bonuses.) It’s a testimony to the sort of neighborhood I live in that within an hour of tossing that non-functional bike onto a trash heap, somebody asked if he could have it. Said he figured it was worth at least three bucks from a scrap dealer.

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Stickied. Scroll down for newer posts.

Follow me on Twitter.

And thanks for using my Amazon link. It helps a lot!

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• In China: rescuing dogs from the butcher.
• Survival Singles or doomsday dating. (Tip o’ hat to C^2)
• Memo to the fedgov: How not to attract tourists.
• The tale of Weela the lifesaving pit bull. Found this after a discussion of pit bulls came up in yesterday’s comments. It’s from quite a while back, but a wonderful story.
• Well. That about defines desperation. Ick.
• When clark mentioned in a recent comment section that a state government was about to raid small farms and slaughter their hogs, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. But it’s pretty awful. He’s the nice, straight MSM version, which doesn’t sound so heinous; reasonable, even. Here’s the other side of the story.
• “Gonzo libertarian” Jennifer Abel doesn’t have good health insurance. But she thinks having Obamacare would be a lot worse.
• Blind dog. Rescued from trash. Gets her sight back. Your Awwwwwww moment for today. (Video.)

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• Legally blind and a successful photographer.
• Now here’s a growing profession for you: consultants who coach white-collar criminals on how to get along in prison.
• The sagebrush rebellion rises again.
• Brothels. They’re now legal in Ontario, Canada. And for some pretty good reasons.
• “When we were making V we thought the mask might be popular at parties.”

And yet another intriguing trailer for Silver Circle. The coins are real; you can buy them from the movie’s store and Ron Paul was photographed last month using one to make a point.

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• Here’s an aspect of the dreadful FATCA that hasn’t gotten much coverage.
• From jed in comments: homeless by choice (and on principle).
• “How to Be Creative.” I don’t buy the claim that there’s no such thing as “creative types” (OMG, there are indeed creative types). But the rest is surely true. Creativity isn’t just for artists, writers, and inventors.
• Neat idea: an urban food forest. Not quite sure, though, how “free” it can be.
• A U.S. government soldier decides to freelance. (ADDED: The story that it was one “lone nut” “going rogue” probably isn’t going to hold up.)
• “Gaining Respect for End-Times Prophet Harold Camping.” Really.
• A whole site for people who believe stuff they saw on The Onion.
• What you surrender when you sign an organ-donor card. Kinda scary.
• What if everybody charged with a crime demanded a jury trial?
• No, Mr, Mueller. You don’t need to check anything. Just arrest Obama and Holder. Among others. (H/T BW.)

Now that’s my idea of a lap dog:

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• Average cost of living $150,000/year? I freaking don’t believe it.
• Not sure I believe this, either. But it makes me all the more grateful for that freezer full of grass-fed beef. (H/T PT.)
• Now, this I definitely believe: Having power makes you stupid.
• Something actually good about Rick Santorum.
• I try not to lift too much from Radley Balko, since I figure a lot of the same people read his blog and mine, but this was too good: Why you can’t smoke pot. (Because there’s sooooooo much money and lobbying for the drug warriors.)
• “10 Rules for a Literary Feud.” No, seriously. It’s not some intellectual snoot piece. Rule 5! It’s SO true! And for that matter, so are 4 and 3. (Tip o’ hat to JS.)
• Speaking of sources I normally don’t believe, that fundraising monster (and champion hate group) the Southern Poverty Law Center is right up there at the top of the “take with entire truckload of salt” list. Still, I’m considering this to be good news.
• Best comment on Holder’s pro-murder speech. (A cartoon, of course; via Wendy.)
• “The cost of America’s police state.” Yeah, that about begins to describe the situation. Notable: even the MSM admits what the U.S. has become.
• But it’s an easily outsmarted police state.
• Survivalist magazine is now available for Kindle.

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