'Dancing' in the Carnival of Personal Finance

"Hello." "All Night Long." "Say You, Say Me." Lionel Richie has always had a gift for penetrating insight into the human condition, set to music. But who knew his heartfelt words could also be applied to the recent political wrangling over the U.S. debt ceiling?

My blog, "Dancing on the (debt) ceiling: Will card rates really rise without a deal?," drew its title (but not exactly its content) from Richie's songwriting catalog -- in this case, the mid-'80s party-starter "Dancing on the Ceiling." While Richie sought to upend the convention of Newton's Law, my blog simply looked at how a downgrade for U.S. debt could mean an increase for credit card APRs. And, perhaps in homage to Richie's gifts, that blog was selected for the latest Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by Canadian Finance Blog.

Blog carnivals -- much like the carnival atmosphere embodied by Richie's "All Night Long" -- are a celebration of what's great in personal finance posts from around the Web.

Not familiar with Richie's song? Check out the video for "Dancing on the Ceiling" below: