Friday Fun

Those in the economics profession are often charged with making forecasts.  For some periods, there is a lot of agreement regarding the path of the economy.  But then the road gets bumpier, and opinions begin to differentiate more and more.  Th

What causes the daily fluctuations in stock markets can seem confusing.  There’s a reason for that.  They are confusing.  From moment to moment, prices can change on a dime without any apparent cause.  It reminds me of a concept in quantum mechanics called Wave Function Collapse.

Philadelphia is a significant city in American history.  Delegates from 12 of the 13 original colonies met as there as the First Continental Congress on September 5, 1774, for a meeting which lasted until October.  Fast forward nearly two centuries and American Bandstand (AB) premiered there in March 1952.

America’s Electro-Harmonix and its sister company in Russia, Sovtek, have manufactured one of the most popular guitar pedals ever: the Big Muff Pi. This equipment offered three coveted characteristics to artists: reliability, a distinct sound, and relatively low cost. In the 1970s, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd used it on two albums: Animals and The Wall.

Surreal might best describe the feeling Mickey Newbury describes in his 1967 song “Just Dropped In.”  The song has been recorded by a lot of artists, suggesting what a fabulous song it really is.

At first, hopscotch, a children's game, and monetary policy, an aspect of macroeconomics, couldn't seem more disparate.

In the late 1970s, Johnny Paycheck released his iconic song, "Take This Job and Shove It," resonating with workers back then who felt trapped and dissatisfied in their employment.  Fast forward to today, and the dynamics of the job market have undergone a significant transformation.  With recent shifts in the economy, we find ourselves needing to change the tune of Paycheck&

While there are more humane approaches to detecting carbon monoxide available today, coal mines used canaries beginning in 1911 at the advice of Scottish scientist John Haldane.  Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that causes suffocation when it is concentrated in the air, so having a way to detect it in a mine was lifesaving if you weren’t a songbird.  Once the chi

Labor is in short supply.  Just take a look at the current unemployment rate of 3.4 percent (tied for the lowest level going back decades).

With the unofficial start to summer right around the corner, “Summertime” from George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess which premiered in Boston in 1935 is frequently playing on the Atlas jukebox.  This story centers around an African American couple living in South Carolina on Charleston’s impoverished Catfish Row.