Movies dropped in CUBE by Kansas

In nearly every class, Kansas will refer to a movie. Here are the top four so far. Feel free to list more, if you know of them.

Trading Places


The Smartest Guys in the Room


Die Hard 3


The Godfather

The Lines a German Won’t Cross

Great article by the N.Y. Times Berlin correspondent that manages to mix cultural observations with an economic story, and one that appeared to hold the G20 summit hostage. Why does Germany not spend more money to revive their economy?

About German order and the principle to sticking with what worked in the past, the author writes:

"The response has been to develop a national knack for sticking to the program, not just in specific areas, but in most aspects of life. The autobahn is more than just a highway with stretches where you can drive as fast as you want; it is also a marvel of self-organization. Old Fiats chug along in the right lane, while newer Volkswagens cruise the middle one, allowing sparkling Porsches to zoom by in terrifying blurs on the left. Everyone is in their assigned places, except for the fact that places have not been assigned."

Read the article.

Look, the emperor is naked

This article came out last week. I was struck by how brazen the Financial Accounting Standards Board could disregard uh, reality. What business can value its assets based upon a "normal market?" To me there seems to be only one market, today's. But...

"Bankers bitterly complained that the current market prices were the result of distressed sales and that they should be allowed to ignore those prices and value the securities instead at their value in a normal market. At first FASB, pronounced FAS-bee, resisted making changes, but that changed within a few days of a Congressional hearing at which legislators from both parties demanded the board act." - FASB Approves New Rules on Mortgage Securities, New York Times

What gives? It's as if we're permitting one industry to fictionalize it's value. That doesn't seem very legitimate or financially prudent.

Hey, wonder where all those good small business profile ideas come from?

I thought this was a good example of a small business profile. Choosing a topic/story/profile seems to be an exercise in investigating the world so close to you, you tend to overlook it. The trick is to satisfy your curiosity and keep your senses honed. I must have wondered about iPhone app origins a million times. And sheesh, here's an article all about it, written not by me.

First we take Manhattan, then we retake 8,000

The Dow industrials climbed 39.51 points on Friday to close above the 8000 level despite grim economic data, capping the best four-week advance since 1938, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Pain: Unemployment rate jumps to 8.5%

Jobless rate hits 8.5% with 663,000 jobs lost in March, according to employment report. This is the highest level of unemployment in a quarter-century and the 15th consecutive month of job losses.

But remember this is not the president's fault. He only inherited this mess...

Maybe Jim Cramer was right: Dow Jones eyes superior winning streak

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is heading toward its best four-week winning streak since 1933 as it climbed 215 points on Thursday. The increase was encouraged by positive economic data and FASB's decision to relax mark-to-market accounting rules. The Dow crossed 8000 for the first time since February, but pulled back late in the day.