Something Special for President's Day

Finally the presidential countdown everyone's been waiting over 220 years for. The folks at nerve.com put together this list of The Top 43 Sexiest US Presidents of All Time. I don't want to spoil the fun, but let's just say that the number one spot came as something of a surprise. Enjoy.

In addition, lest we forget the history behind the holiday, you may find it refreshing to reflect on George Washington's first inaugural address. I admit I hadn't looked at it since my freshman government class, but two parts are especially nice:

• "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage."
• "There is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity."

Of course, should you want something a little more current, here's Obama's inaugural address from last winter. You have to admit, the guy sure knows how to give a good speech. (Audio quality's a bit weak, but it's from C-SPAN. I would have included the AP version, but they decided to split it into too many parts.)

Happy Valentine's Day

Last week, a prudish headmaster at a primary school here in the UK found his actions at the center of global headlines when he and his administration banned the sending of Valentine's Day cards on the school's premises. His argument for it was simple. Children are not capable of understanding relationships. He seems to have missed two key points. First, looking at the "adults" that surround me on a daily basis, sometimes I have to wonder how well even they understand relationships. And second, primary school is when kids are supposed to learn about the birds and the bees. Try to imagine life without the pre-adolescent aches and pains of your first crush. Would you rather that came when you were 20? Then again, I suppose sometimes those pains continue long into adulthood.

Giles Coren, of the Times of London, writes in this Saturday's edition that "sendin' Valentine cards learns kidz 'ow to rite," a skill that seems neglected enough in schools without banning the sending of sweet heart-shaped cards.

Deficit or Unemployment? That Is Not the Question

In the face of sovereign debt worries making waves in global financial markets and an extraordinarily imbalanced budget (recognized even by the folks at Moody's, who have a bit of a tendency to underestimate risk) from President Obama, Paul Krugman suggests that the current fear-mongering over the US budget is reminiscent of "the groupthink that took hold during the run-up to the Iraq war." His carefully-considered opinion is that the government should focus on tackling that which, based on recent writings, he regards to be the greatest dilemma of the current recession--unemployment.

Despite Krugman's dismissal of budget concerns, given the insanely high projected debt-to-GDP ratio, the government should ABSOLUTELY be focusing on the matter. Nonetheless Krugman is right that unemployment has significant short- and long-term consequences as well. So perhaps our policymakers can act like economists, make a bit of a trade-off, and try to deal with both problems at the same time. There's no reason to focus entirely on problem X, unemployment, while ignoring problem Y, the deficit. Of course, the remedies for one could hinder progress toward solving the other. Then again, that's a challenge macroeconomists and policymakers must always face. There is no reason for them to shirk now, when it is critical that we deal with both issues.

Porker of the Year

It's official--Barney Frank has won the dubious distinction of being "Porker of the Year" in the US Congress. This annual award, chosen by Citizens Against Government Waste could not have gone to a better politician.

In related but sadder news, former "King of Pork," John Murtha died earlier this week. A decorated Vietnam veteran, he became most famous for passing out the pork and being amongst the first senior Democrats to turn against the Iraq war. His now-open seat could continue to shift political momentum should a Republican take it, although it will not dramatically tip the balance of power in the House.

Putting the "Pork" back in "Pork Spending"

Here's a new reason for a not-so-new play on agricultural commodities.

Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez, has emerged as a leading spokesperson for the global pork industry. In a piece of truly in-depth journalism, the Associated Press reports that she "thinks eating pig meat is really sexy." Who knew pork could be better than Viagra? According to her, though, she and her husband both sing its praises.

Although "there is no study showing that pork meat significantly improves sexual activity," she approved subsidies for the pork industry, explicitly putting the "pork" in "pork spending.

So how can the average person benefit from this? Perhaps by having homemade "romantic apple pork chops" and an evening with someone special. And perhaps you can pay for dinner with the killer profits you'll reap from going long lean hog futures (which after all, are much sexier than pork bellies).

A Couple of Things

I realize that quite a lot has happened since the last real post on this blog. The past few months of living in the real world have allowed me significantly less time than I'd have liked to peruse my favorite blogs, to find and collect interesting stories, and most notably, to post them here. Not making this online project of mine much of a priority probably didn't help either.

Nonetheless, in my few free moments at the office, I've forwarded certain stories to myself to post to this site when the opportunity arose. Today, that opportunity has finally come.

The stories and sites that have most caught my eye ranged from politics to climate change to dollar inflation and, last but not least, to the unending fight between Keynes and Hayek. Obviously, one could also not miss the Brown victory in Massachussetts or the earthquake in Haiti, but too much has already been said on those matters for now. Here are a few bits to start, with more regular (and timely) postings to follow.

While I missed out on Climate-gate and don't feel the need to weigh in on one side or the other, this story in the UK's Daily Mail caught my eye as providing an intriguing alternative hypothesis to global warming. Despite a long-lasting commitment to the environment (sparked when I read The Berenstain Bears "Don't Pollute (Anymore)" in 1st or 2nd grade), I don't know whether to accept global warming as gospel or to be more of a skeptic. Expect more on the topic of climate change in the future.

In addition, two good pieces highlighted recently on Greg Mankiw's blog. The first, his piece for the New York Times on the potential inflationary picture facing the United States. Ordinarily, I'd offer my two cents on his analysis, but suffice it to say that I agree. Concise though it is, this piece sums things up quite neatly. The main inflationary risk right now appears to be the inevitably slow response from the Fed when the inflation mechanism (as Wall Street research calls it) gets back into place. The second piece, written for the Wall Street Journal by Martin Feldstein, discusses the recession, the response/stimulus, and the ongoing budget problems facing the United States.

Paul Krugman also offered a short note on the current state of the economy, which is worth taking a look at (being sure to follow the links).

AND OF COURSE, THERE'S THE BEST NEW ECON VIDEO OUT THERE, pitting archrivals John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich von Hayek against each other in what could be THEIR GREATEST BATTLE OF ALL TIME:

Back Online

After nearly six months of inactivity on this blog and three months without internet access at home, I am happy to announce (to nobody at this point, I would expect) that Brigham's Almanack will finally be back up and running this week.

Sophomore slump? Or comeback of the year?