Friday Fun

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet reflects that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In other words, the essence of the thing (in her case Romeo), not the label, is what truly matters.

Pennies have officially been discontinued in the United States, ending more than 230 years of production. The final batch was minted in mid-2025, and no new one-cent coins are planned for circulation. This decision follows years of debate over the rising cost of minting pennies, which now costs about four cents per coin.

Having not seen it elsewhere, Atlas may have coined an acronym: NAIIMBY (No Artificial Intelligence In My Backyard).  A movement against AI data centers in American neighborhoods is intensifying.  Residents across the country are growing concerned about these massive facilities, which are often sited near homes, schools, and farms.  In places like Virginia, Indiana, and Michigan,

This year, Halloween spending is set to break records, casting a festive but even slightly spooky shadow over consumer wallets.  According to the National Retail Federation's annual survey, Americans are projected to shell out a chilling $13.1 billion, a climb from last year's $11.6 billion and surpassing 2023's previous high.  Despite concerns about higher prices, especia

“Because that’s where the money is” is an apocryphal quote attributed to Willie Sutton after he was allegedly asked why he robs banks.  He went on to deny saying it but also believes that would have been his answer had the question actually been posed.  Since his time as a bank robber, banking has changed a lot.  Just recently I discovered that the branch I open

In the 1992 movie Wayne’s World, there’s that classic street hockey moment where Wayne and Garth yell “Game off!” every time a car comes down the street, everyone moves aside, the game stops and then “Game on!” as soon as the street clears.  It’s funny in a movie, but when tariffs in an economy are suddenly switched “on” and th

Stablecoins have been making a lot of headlines lately.  Atlas has been fielding calls about them and has a relatively naïve understanding of the new technology.

Political turbulence has become the new normal, yet economic markets are learning to live with the chaos.

The calendar has turned, and we find ourselves on the backside of Labor Day.  Halloween, however, is nearly two months away.  America finds itself in a sort of doldrums.  Summer is unofficially over, yet the holiday season has not arrived.  Many Americans resort to Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) as a way of taking the edge off of this uneventful period.  If that’s you

Every August since 1982, the Kansas City Branch of the Federal Reserve System hosts an event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  It’s like an economic summer camp, although they probably forego the sticky fingers that come with s’mores.  The idea is to foster open discussions about the economy, exchanging ideas and probably a few barbs.  Typically, the event centers around a s