Good Day, Bad Day

GOOD DAY FOR: Buying partridges, as the total cost of all 364 items in “The 12 Days of Christmas” rose 4 percent this year, to $78,100. According to PNC Wealth Management’s annual survey, rising commodity prices make the five golden rings 21.5 percent more expensive, at $395. But the partridge for your pear tree costs just $15, the same as last year. (AP in BusinessWeek.com)

BAD DAY FOR: Rebel iconography, as retailers are using tattoos to sell products as diverse as tires, wine, and energy drinks. Two in five Americans age 26 to 40 now sport a tattoo, so the art form is “far outside the stereotypes of bikers and rough types,” says tattoo artist Nathan Lin. “People think of urban moms having tattoos.” (AP in Los Angeles Times, free registration required)

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