February 20th, 2012 → 6:45 am
“He may not, as unvalued persons do,
Carve for himself, for on his choice depends
The sanity and health of this whole state.” – Hamlet
Happy President’s Day everyone! I hope you have the day off. I don’t, but then again, at least I’m not president. 😉 It can’t be an easy job. While I like to make fun of some of our current presidential candidates, my kudos to anyone who is even willing to try…
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
February 18th, 2012 → 6:07 am
“The miserable have no other medicine, but only hope.” – Measure for Measure
I say this to the people of Greece, who are rioting in protest against greater austerity measures. I say this to the people of Syria, who are fighting for basic liberty and freedom. I say this to the citizens of the United States, who are desperate for a third party presidential candidate. I say this to myself, whenever things are bleak, because it is true.
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians & Self/My Life
February 9th, 2012 → 7:35 am
“I’ll so offend to make offense a skill,
Redeeeming time when men think least I will.” – Henry IV
In my day job I’m an economics professor, with a specialty in environmental and energy economics. My love of Shakespeare hardly ever crosses into this domain, so I was quite surprised when, sitting at my desk in my office yesterday, reading a technical industry publication, I came across the above quote used in reference to the Solyndra debacle and the federal government’s loan guarantee program for renewable energy. I actually don’t think this was the best use of a Shakespeare quote, because it requires knowing a bit about Prince Harry (think: wild child) and the context of his ascent to king as Henry V (think: reformed wild child) to fully understand the meaning here (and how many people reading technical energy publications know that??). But for me at least, this was fun to come across.
If anyone out there sees other uses of Shakespeare in odd contexts in their daily lives, please pass the quotes along! I’d love to hear them, and I may even start posting some of these “guest” quotes now and again on the website.
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians
December 18th, 2011 → 6:08 am
“O ruined piece of nature, this great world
Shall so wear out to naught.” – King Lear
I keep reading that the U.N. climate talks in Durban, South Africa last week were a success. Really? So very little was accomplished regarding actually decreasing emissions that it doesn’t seem that way to me. The problem, of course, is that everyone is worried about the economy instead right now. Which is why I became an economist 15 years ago in the first place – because I saw how fundamental it was to so many other, more important issues. If only economics weren’t a social science, but a hard science, and we could jerry-rig things to work as we pleased…
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians
November 2nd, 2011 → 6:34 am
“In Greece…
Though there the people had more absolute power –
I say they nourished disobedience, fed
The ruin of the state.” – Coriolanus
The problems of the Euro Crisis and the Greek debt just aren’t going away. Every time Europe gets close to closing in on a deal, either they don’t, or the deal turns out to be pretty lame. In economics, as in politics, one needs to get ahead of these situations to solve them. But now the Europeans are so far behind, I don’t know what is going to happen…
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People
October 29th, 2011 → 7:15 am
Third Fisherman: “I marvel how the fishes live in the sea.”
First Fisherman: “Why, as men do a-land: the great ones eat up the little ones.” – Pericles
The Occupy Wall Street protesters do have a point.
Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians
October 5th, 2011 → 6:24 am
“Our country sinks beneath the yoke;
It weeps, it bleeds; and each new day a gash
Is added to her wounds.” – Macbeth
I’ve been reading how the Arctic sea ice is melting even faster than initial models predicted. It’s really rather frightening to contemplate. Along with unemployment, the debt, and presidential primary jockeying, we also need to worry about global climate change. No wonder it’s too hard to focus action on any one thing – there’s too much to contemplate!
Filed under: Blog & Other & Politics/Politicians
October 3rd, 2011 → 7:59 am
“A stirring dwarf we do allowance give before a sleeping giant.” – Troilus and Cressida
Why is it that we seem more concerned about Demi and Ashton’s breakup, then about the threat of global warming? About non-existent inflation, then the very real high unemployment rate? About Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars, rather than death and the war in Afghanistan? I’m not blaming anybody because it seems to be a universal, nonpartisan phenomenon, but why is it that we get so distracted by stirring dwarfs when there are so many larger sleeping giants about?
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Other & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People
August 6th, 2011 → 7:09 am
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” – Hamlet
I’m afraid the time has come for me to disagree with Shakespeare. The notion that a person, or even a government, should never borrow or lend is financially ludicrous. Smoothing consumption patterns over time (through borrowing and lending) is much more optimal than living paycheck to paycheck, with unpredictable booms and busts always chasing your heels. The same is true for governments; they should spend more in recessions to prop up living standards, and less in good times to cool the economy and save up for future recessionary spending. The balanced budget amendment Republicans in Congress are proposing is just bad economics, plain and simple.
(Note that if you read the rest of Shakespeare’s quote, it begins to have more validity. The full quote is: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be, For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.” This human component of personal relationships and productive incentives holds more truth than the simplified borrowing/lending quote you usually hear bandied about.)
Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money & Politics/Politicians
July 23rd, 2011 → 7:08 am
“Why, this is very midsummer madness.” – Twelfth Night
I couldn’t decide this morning whether I wanted to write about the Midwest’s record-breaking heat wave, or the incomprehensible budget talks in Washington. And then, I came across this quote that applied equally well to both! I can’t believe this unyielding 100+ degree heat, and as well, I can’t believe the infantile behavior of our politicians in Washington. Sigh. I pray both trends break soon…
Filed under: Blog & Other & Politics/Politicians