Category Archives: Economics

PRAISE FOR THE ECONOMIC RESULTS OF 1979 TO 1982.

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Philip

PRAISE FOR THE ECONOMIC RESULTS OF 1979 TO 1982. A couple of minutes on Google brought this paper which praised Paul Volcker’s accomplishment from 1979 to 1982. It’s a paper by Professor Blinder in April 2005, entitled “What Have We … Continue reading →

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DID FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY FROM 1979 TO 1982 HAVE “MISERABLE RESULTS”?

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Philip

DID FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY FROM 1979 TO 1982 HAVE “MISERABLE RESULTS”? In an op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal (July 18), Professor Alan Blinder, a former Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve, says that: “The Fed claimed to be … Continue reading →

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DOING RESEARCH TO KEEP DISTILLING THE SAME.

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Philip

DOING RESEARCH TO KEEP DISTILLING THE SAME. Innovation in the whiskey business is different from innovation in other industries. Since distillers only have a very rough idea of how the distilling process affects taste, they are reluctant to make changes. … Continue reading →

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD A SOVEREIGN DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT?

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Philip

HOW OFTEN SHOULD A SOVEREIGN DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT? Back toward the end of the last century, a friend and I used to joke from time to time about the case of a hypothetical country which wanted to maximize its … Continue reading →

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HOW LONG UNTIL THE NEXT FINANCIAL CRISIS?

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Philip

HOW LONG UNTIL THE NEXT FINANCIAL CRISIS? Alex J. Pollock, who was president and CEO of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago from 1991 to 2004, had an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal (July 10) asking how … Continue reading →

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HOW MARY JANE’S GREAT UNCLE SAW HIS FIRST MATTRESS.

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Philip

HOW MARY JANE’S GREAT UNCLE SAW HIS FIRST MATTRESS. I have been reading some of the articles about the beginning of the First World War which have been inspired by the 100th anniversary of the event. The Arts and Letter … Continue reading →

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DAVID LEE ROTH EXPLAINS THE ECONOMICS OF THE BROWN M&M CLAUSE.

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Philip

DAVID LEE ROTH EXPLAINS THE ECONOMICS OF THE BROWN M&M CLAUSE. Levitt and Dubner summarize David Lee Roth’s explanation of the brown M&M clause. The Van Halen show featured spectacular lighting effects. The 53 page rider contained detailed safety instructions … Continue reading →

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FREAKONOMICS AND M&M’S.

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Philip

FREAKONOMICS AND M$M’S. I have posted, for example here, about FREAKONOMICS by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. They have a new book, THINK LIKE A FREAK, and an excerpt entitled “Traponomics” was published in the Wall St. Journal (May 12-13). … Continue reading →

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WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR BASEBALL TO START USING ALL THOSE SHIFTS?

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Philip

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR BASEBALL TO START USING ALL THOSE SHIFTS? I posted here on the dramatic increase in the use of shifts in the positioning of fielders, depending on who is at bat. There were 8134 … Continue reading →

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REAL MONEY BACK IN THE DAY.

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Philip

REAL MONEY BACK IN THE DAY. On occasion I refer to a price from the past, and put in a qualifier noting that this was “real money”. It is worth lingering over that multiplier of approximately 8 which can be … Continue reading →

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