Longtime readers (both of you) are probably waiting for the punchline, or at least the cynical remark, after that title, but there isn't one. Look at the category. I'm not kidding here.

And what is the investment in question? Lindsay is having a fundraising week to support her work as a freelance journalist:

I have been "drug free" for nearly six months: It has been half a year since I swore off pharmaceutical copywriting for good and dove full-time to blogging and other freelance writing! I cut way back on pharma after Katrina, but I was still "chipping," doing the odd copywriting assignment to supplement my blogging/writing income. I knew that if I was serious, I was going to have to go cold turkey and kick my pharma habit once and for all.

So, last October, I quit for good.

Since then, my freelance career has been off to a great start. The blog has continued to grow and thrive. I've published in Salon, TIME, The New York Press, AlterNet, Chelsea Now, and other outlets. I also recently joined This Modern World as a co-blogger. It's an exhilarating time, but I'm just barely keeping my head above water.

I've suggested supporting Lindsay before, and my reasons haven't changed. I don't see how you can have a functional democracy without a free, that is, independent, press -- and the more independent the better. We need smart, insightful, resourceful journalists who are not beholden to one corporate media giant or another.

Naturally, Lindsay wants to make a living from this, which means not having to hold intellectual bake-sales on her blog (in return for donations, she's taking requests for articles and/or photos). That's part of her plan, initially by way of advertising on Majikthise. But it's a tough gig, and support now could make a lot of difference in helping her to establish a mature, self-sustaining career. If you have a few spare dollars, please do something good for the world (and especially the US!) and send 'em to Lindsay.