Similarities and differences between how Bush and Clinton handled the economy

Pretty surprising to see how similar the economy has progressed between the two administrations despite two very different economic policies.

This expansion looks familiar

Hyperinflation not just a thing of the past

In class, we learned about the hyperinflation of Germany right before the Nazis took power. Well, it's not just a phenomenon of the past.

Just reported in the NY Times, current Zimbabwe hyperinflation has reached an annual rate of 1,281 percent this month, and has been near or over 1,000 percent since last April.

Zimbabwe hyperinflation

Fed Chairman discusses economic well-being

Here's a recent speech by Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Chairman. He discusses many of the topics that we'll cover in class including the growth in living standards over time, the tradeoff between efficiency and equity, and the effect of free trade on our economy.

Fed Chairman speech

Changing economics of Super Bowl ads

This year's Super Bowl ads cost a whopping $2.6M for 30 seconds. This article shows how the internet has upped the ante on the value of these commercials. Mentions the 'Kevin Federline Effect'. I don't think anyone would have saw that coming a year ago.

from the article:
"What the highly topical Mr. Federline brings to Nationwide is instant recognition, a first leg up before the opening kickoff. The idea was to capitalize on all the recent publicity surrounding Mr. Federline’s relationship with Ms. Spears. (His recent experiences were considered a perfect way to illustrate the Nationwide ad theme, “Life comes at you fast” — and sell annuities “that could guarantee you income for life.”)

So far, the plan seems to be working. In a Nielsen BuzzMetrics survey of Super Bowl spots, released Jan. 24, the Nationwide commercial finished first, with 26 percent of all blog discussions about the ads in the game. On one day, Jan. 17, according to the survey, the Federline spot accounted for 49 percent of all online conversations about Super Bowl ads."


Colts and Bears and Kevin Federline

Should we abolish the penny? (and even the nickel)

Or at least revalue it.

Now That a Penny Isn’t Worth Much, It’s Time to Make It Worth 5 Cents