Straight Up Ballin'

Ben Again

70 out of 100 Senators agree....... Ben Bernanke is the man for the job! Atta boy Mr. Chairman.

Housing Issues

$5.4 billion is a LOT of money to pay for 11,277 apartments even if they are located in Manhattan. I only wish the good people at Tishman Speyer Properties and BlackRock Realty would have asked me about making a deal for the Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town complex back in 2006. I would have told them that they were paying way too much and it could have saved a whole lot of people a whole lot of cash. Instead they made the deal and now we have this colossal mess.

The story of the Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town complex is an interesting one that dates back to the 1940's. When you are covering price ceiling's with your students you may want to have them do a little investigating to learn more about how the market wasn't exactly allowed to do its thing with Peter Cooper Village and the Stuyvesant Town complex.

When Economists Rap

DMX and Run DMC have nothing to worry about but still, I can't remember the last time I saw anyone rap about Keynes or Hayek.

Book of the Month

I just finished "Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick. Easily one of the saddest books I have ever read. Demick manages to explain what life is like for many ordinary people trying to survive in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The author also shows how the failed economic policies of Kim il-sung and Kim jong-il directly led to the death of tens of thousands of men, women and children. I can't imagine many other places on the planet where the people have it as bad as the people of North Korea.

Salary Crunch

Ever wonder how long it would take you to make the same amount of money as L.A. Dodger Manny Ramirez? How about Vancouver Canuck stud goalie Roberto Luongo? Of course you have. This cool site can let you make the comparisons.

Go ahead and try it but be prepared to be a little depressed. I mean, I had a much better year than Redskin defensive lineman Albert Hyanesworth and in less than one game he makes wayyyyyyy more than I make all year.

Your Weekend Reading

The "I got your tablet right here" edition. The Rosetta Stone is impressive I know but can it download the latest Lady Gaga song or tell you what is happening in Mongolia next week?

When your government is placing price floors on vodka to curb consumption you know you must have a bit of a national drinking problem. I've been to Russia and I have tasted the vodka and I can tell you this plan will not work. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.