What is Money?

One of you guys called my attention to "When It Comes to Cash, A Thai Village Says, 'Baht, Humbug!'" from today's Journal. This article touches upon the question of what makes money money. This gives me the opportunity to refer you to an interesting article by Hal Varian in the New York Times from way back ("Paper currency can have value without government backing". Professor Varian is in my opinion one of the most erudite economists in the U.S. You might also want to read his article in today's Journal ("Boost Private Investment to Boost the Economy"). It makes for a good commentary about the limited effect that government has on the current economic situation.