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The Weight from the Canadian-American rock group The Band is probably their best-known song.  Its lyrics evoke feelings of burdens, responsibility, and interconnectedness of community obligations.  In times of need, the Federal Reserve can counteract negative conditions in the economy as it did in the Great Financial Crisis and the economic challenges America faced during the Covid-19

Don’t you remember a time when the year 2000 sounded like far into the future?  Now we’re nearly a quarter century past it, so let’s think about another year that feels distant: 2054.  This is no arbitrary date chosen by Atlas.  No.

Do you have a favorite constellation?  I do: Orion.  I cannot explain why, but it brings me so much pleasure when it begins appearing in the night sky each year.  The formation has been on my mind lately because it is starting to say goodbye until reemerging in the fall.  On Wednesday it dawned on me that Betelgeuse was back to full brightness after an event now known as the

There are endless choices of kids’ entertainment these days, so Atlas will opt for a more timeless cartoon to illustrate the point we’re trying to make: Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.  It’s all about the chase.  Unfortunately for Mr. Coyote, it happens to come with many missteps, often leading to a cascading outcome.

Inflation hurts most those who can afford it least.  Just ask the poor Tooth Fairy.  This mythical creature has been keeping up with the cost of living for a long time.  Despite the great dental plan her job comes with, she doesn’t seem to earn enough to retire.  Instead, she doles out money every night to kids as they sleep after their teeth fall out, no matter the ca

Ah, it’s Friday.  The final day of the workweek for most working Americans.  It is a day wrapped in a sense of accomplishment while tinged with the anticipation of a couple of days of leisure.  But turn back the clocks a century or so, and you find time when Friday was just another day in the seemingly endless workweek as the typical American used to have a six-day workweek

Imagine if managing money was a sport, where businesses, households, and nonprofits are diligently practicing their financial gymnastics, trying to stick the perfect landing on the budget mat.  They leap through hoops of income and expenses, striving not to face-plant into the pit of insolvency or scare away the delicate gazelles known as donors.  Households pirouette on the thin beam

Sound waves are an interesting phenomenon.  They start out from a catalyst which vibrates a medium through which they travel.  For instance, clapping hands vibrate the air, changing its density and pressure as they travel away from the hands.  The volume, pitch, and speed of sound are all dependent variables.  For instance, the more energy that goes into a clap, the louder i

The New York Fed’s latest quarterly report on household debt and credit revealed some worrying trends in the U.S.

At times it can feel as if America’s current circumstances are unique.  However, patterns often emerge which appear similar to those of other periods.  At the foundation of history are people, individuals influenced in a large part by emotions, no differently than we all are today.