LOL: On the Sale of the Washington Post

WaPo and A-Rod both cost $250 million. Difference? No one will ever accuse WaPo of taking performance enhancing drugs.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) August 5, 2013

Satire Alert: "Report: Economy Just One Speech Away From Recovery"

The Onion takes a potshot at Obama's now-tiresome windbaggery.

Taiwanese News Animators vs. Sequester Fearmongering

Gentle reader, in this nightmarish post-sequester hellhole wrought by 2.3% budget cuts, I have taken a minute from cannibalizing my neighbors, burning books to keep from freezing to death, dodging airplanes plummeting from the sky, and fighting off zombies in order to bring you this hilarious video:

LOL: How Economists Break Up

It's not you; it's me the quantitative cost-benefit analysis. (Via Pejman Yousefzadeh.)

Dave Barry's Year in Review, 2012 Edition

Barry's annual snarky, satirical review is as hilarious as ever.  Here's a piece of it:

In the new year’s first major disaster, the Mediterranean cruise ship Costa Concordia goes way off course, hits a rock, and sinks. The captain, Francesco Schettino, is immediately relieved of command and placed in charge of the Italian economy.

"Call Me Maybe" Explains the Euro Crisis—Seriously

Hilarious.  A taste of it:

The only thing more maddening than "Call Me Maybe" is the euro crisis. One is a banal string of saccharine statements, punctuated by swift choruses of action. The other is a pop song.

A Thought for Your New Year's Eve Party

Hmmm ...

Internet Culture + Economic Gloom = ?

Behold a blog dedicated solely to photos of distraught folks looking at the stock markets: http://brokershandsontheirfacesblog.tumblr.com/

Satire Alert: Dave Barry Looks Back at 2010

I laughed out loud.  Read the whole thing.  Here's a hint of the hilarity:

... the Deepwater Horizon oil spill officially becomes, according to the news media, the worst thing that has ever happened, with environmental experts reporting that tar balls have been sighted on the surface of the moon. Just when all appears to be lost, BP announces that it has stopped the leak, using a 75-ton cap and what a company spokesperson describes as “a truly heroic manatee named Wendell.” Although oil is no longer leaking, much damage has been done, so this important story remains the focus of the nation’s attention for nearly 45 minutes, after which the nation’s attention shifts to Lindsay Lohan.

A Little Euro-Economic Humor: the €100 Note

From Samizdata comes this little jest:

It is a slow day in a damp little Irish town. The rain is beating down and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit. On this particular day a rich German tourist is driving through the town, stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night. The owner gives him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmers' Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the pub. The publican slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him "services" on credit. The hooker then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note. The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything. At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, picks up the €100 note, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town. No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the bailout package works.

Economic Humor: Snarky Cartoons 1, Quantitative Easing 0

I found this video at Tigerhawk, who has this to say about it:

I don't care who you are, if you have the slightest shadow of a thread of a sense of humor and even if you work at "the Goldman Sachs," you will think this is funny.

So here it is, flaws and all.  The absurd juxtaposition between the cartoon figures and the economic policies they are discussing is SO absurd that I couldn't stop laughing.  The deadpan computer-generated voices are killing me too.  "The Ben Bernanke"!

Nerd Fun: The Guy Fawkes Hacker at Washington State University

Yes, yes, I'm late since Guy Fawkes Day was a few days ago, but this story is too good not to share.  I do love a good student prank, though as usual the campus administrators and authorities are not amused.  My favorite bit of the speech?  The passionate call to arms ... against the campus squirrels.  (Nice use too of the "V For Vendetta" flick.)

UPDATE: OK, I can't resist posting this image. 

In Terms of Economic Policy, WWMFD

What would Milton Friedman Do?

Quirky Asia Files: South Korean Pop Stars and the G-20 Summit

Via the Foreign Policy blog comes this bit of Korean quirkiness.  I don't even know what to say other than:  This is probably the most fun that the G-20 summit in Seoul is ever going to have.  Are y'all ready for this?    (Warning: if you don't like -- or think you might not like -- K-Pop, get ready to hit the "mute" button or your ears might bleed.) 

Place Your Bets: Snarky Asian American Nerd Versus Squeaky Canadian Music Sensation

Hilarious.  And, yes, in the questionnaire I said I was willing to fight dirty!

Created by Oatmeal

A Memo Pad of Honest Practicality

By the wags at Knock Knock:

Sign of the Apocalypse: Amazon Now Sells Vuvuzelas

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Then again, it's the whole supply-and-demand thing kicking in.  That goofy South African invention the vuvuzela's the hot accessory of the moment!  I guess I should say "Yay!" for free market capitalism and all that, even if vuvuzelas make my head hurt from all that noise.  (And make me watch World Cup matches on TV on *mute*!)

Also: an evil part of me (yes, I'm unabashedly evil) is now fantasizing about what would happen if I took one to a faculty meeting.  Or a Nerdmoot!

BBBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!

Well, it sounds about as sensible as some conference papers I've heard.

Heck, it's even an improvement on others.  

Hilarious and Awesome: Scott "Dilbert" Adams' Investment Advice

Invest in companies you hate! Read the whole thing, but here is a taste:

When I heard that BP was destroying a big portion of Earth, with no serious discussion of cutting their dividend, I had two thoughts: 1) I hate them, and 2) This would be an excellent time to buy their stock. And so I did. Although I should have waited a week.

People ask me how it feels to take the side of moral bankruptcy. Answer: Pretty good! Thanks for asking. How's it feel to be a disgruntled victim?

. . . If you buy stock in a despicable company, it means some of the previous owners of that company sold it to you. If the stock then rises more than the market average, you successfully screwed the previous owners of the hated company. That's exactly like justice, only better because you made a profit. Then you can sell your stocks for a gain and donate all of your earnings to good causes, such as education for your own kids.

Hm! "Exactly like justice, only better because you made a profit." LOL! I'm all for that.

Tax Humor: A Tax Form You Can Use

This is pretty darn hilarious.

My favorite bit: "Please do not use staples when attaching firstborn."