What's so funny about money?

Jamie Condliffe, contributor

(Image: Jon Stahl)

Yoram Bauman is a trained economist and stand-up comedian. New Scientist spoke to him about his new book, The Cartoon Introduction to Economics.

You claim to be the first and only stand-up economist. How did that happen?
By accident. While I was at grad school I wrote a parody of an economics text book and performed it during a humour session at an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference. One thing led to another: people wanted to hear economics jokes, then were willing top pay me to tell them, and then I finally got a website. I wrote on the site that I was the first and only stand-up economist - and if it says it on the Internet, then it must be true.

What?s so funny about money?
What's on everybody's minds right now is that people have less of it than they used to. I think during a time like this being able to take issues like economics that are weighty and difficult and to be able to share a common laugh about them is very valuable.

The other part of it is that people have very strong stereotypes. They think that economics is dull and that economists are the kind of people who think supply and demand is a good answer to the question: ?Where do babies come from??. Stereotypes like that make for good comedy material.

You still do some research. Does it ever feature in your comedy?
I?m not a hardcore academic, but I have a PhD in environmental economics. I do an hour-long comedy routine, but at the end I throw in five or ten minutes about climate change and the terrific revenue-neutral carbon tax in British Columbia.

Your new book is The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Volume Two: Macroeconomics. What is it about cartoons that lend themselves to explaining economic concepts?
Most economics textbooks are about 600 pages long and full of graphs: they?re very daunting. A cartoon book is accessible. I have lots of fans - OK, actually, maybe not lots - I have some fans that send me emails telling me that their 10-year-old children are reading the books. I think the book appeals to the kid in all of us.

So who exactly is the book aimed at?
Well, the 10 -year-olds are very precocious, let?s be clear about that. The book?s aimed at high school and college students as an introduction to economics, but also at the general public too. I think at college there?s a tendency to focus on the mathematics of economics and to ignore the personalities and the history. The book fills some of those gaps.

You?re trained as an economist, not an artist, so how did the book come together?
Drawing is not one of my strong suits, so I work with Grady Klein to do the books. I script them up, and he finalizes the art work, and in between there?s a lot of back-and-forth; it?s a really fun process.

Macroeconomics is a hot topic at the moment, following the recession and the current Eurozone meltdown. What do you want people to learn from the book?
Everybody focuses on the disagreements, but there's about 90 per cent of macroeconomics that scholars agree on, so I'd like for people to be aware of that.

Beyond that, there?s this idea that economics is like eating your Brussels sprouts: it?s good for you, but nobody would do it if it wasn?t. I want to show people the other side of it: that there are all sorts of fascinating personalities, histories and ideas in economics. I?d like them to come away thinking that economics is interesting after all, despite everything they heard.

Do you think it?ll inspire teenagers of today to become the economists of the future?
I don?t know whether to hope so or be afraid so.

And what?s next, now you?ve written introductions to micro- and macroeconomics?
I?m interested in writing a similar introduction to climate change issues. Imagine a cartoon version of the next IPCC climate change reports - can you imagine that? Well, I can.

Yoram Bauman will be performing stand-up comedy on his "Gold Standard" World Tour across the UK and Europe, Asia, and the USA during 2012. For more details visit his website.

The Cartoon Introduction to Economics Volume Two: Macroeconomics
Grady Klein and Yoram Bauman
Farra, Strauss & Giroux
$17.95

Follow @CultureLabNS on Twitter

Like us on Facebook

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1bc20ab9/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cculturelab0C20A120C0A10Cwhats0Eso0Efunny0Eabout0Emoney0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

dish network cbs news manny pacquiao fight pacquiao marquez pacquiao marquez penn state game radiohead tour

Communications Technology in Public Health | blog.aids.gov

By Sonja Noring, MA, Office of the Medical Director, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health

L-R: Humberto Cruz, AIDS Institute Director; Dr. Cheryl Smith, AIDS Institute Associate Medical Director; Miguel Gomez, Director, AIDS.gov

The AIDS Institute of the New York State Department of Health , in partnership with AIDS.gov, held its second Forum on social media and HIV/STIs ? which now qualifies as an annual event ? on December 8, 2011.

This year, the Forum ?Social Media: Going Viral Against HIV and STIs? was subtitled ?Communications Technology in Public Health? since it took a broad view of social media in the context of health communications, focusing on public health messaging and consumer engagement.

The Forum was moderated by Miguel Gomez, Director of AIDS.gov, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Gomez?s extensive experience using video podcasting, administering the AIDS.gov blog, and advocating for the use of social media and new technologies in relation to HIV/AIDS stimulated thought-provoking conversation. He served as a great resource to participants.

Dr. William Smith, Editor of Social Marketing Quarterly , gave Forum attendees ?Lessons from 30 Years of Social Marketing,? the subtitle of his presentation on ?Why ?Cool? Isn?t Enough.? Rather than just offering information, said Dr. Smith, it?s critical to tell a persuasive, engaging story that resonates with the intended audience and offers a solution to a problem they wish to solve. Health professionals should also help to make the desired choices doable and fun.

Dr. Punam Keller , The Charles Henry Jones Third Century Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, reviewed her research on communication models that improve health outcomes. Titled ?Health Behavior Change: Persuasive Communication and Choice Architecture,? her presentation discussed structuring health messages so that the desired choice has clear advantages and reinforces the individual?s sense of control. Compared to opt in/opt out strategies and monetary incentives, the ?enhanced active choice? model produces substantially greater compliance. Her research is the basis for the CDC?s new online message development tool, called ?Message Works,? which will debut in April 2012.

The third speaker, Jessica Faye Carter, JD, CEO of the Heta Corporation , spoke on ?Social Media Strategies to Engage Multicultural Consumers,? outlining ways to refine thinking about race/ethnicity and culture in order to better design messages for multicultural individuals and populations.

More information on the 2011 Forum and other AIDS Institute social media activities is available at http://nyconferences.org/socialmedia . You can also watch a webcast from the event here .

Source: http://blog.aids.gov/2012/01/communications-technology-in-public-health.html

crimson tide crimson tide dixville notch 2013 ford fusion lsu football lsu football bcs

China unbowed by US pressure over Iranian oil

The US treasury secretary has highlighted Washington's strong co-operative relationship with China during a visit to Beijing, but appeared to have made little progress in persuading the Asian giant to back US sanctions on Iran's oil industry.

Timothy Geithner on Wednesday met?Xi Jinping, the?vice-president widely?tipped to become China's next leader, prior to talks with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, who is due to visit oil-producing Gulf nations later this week.

"On economic growth, on financial stability around the world, on non-proliferation, we have what we view as a very strong co-operative relationship with your government and we are looking forward to building on that," Geithner said.

US-China relations set to turn a corner

But China, which buys almost one-third of Iran's oil exports,?reiterated its opposition to?sanctions, which it has previously called?improper and ineffective.

"Iran is also an extremely big oil supplier to China, and we hope that China's oil imports won't be affected, because this is needed for our development," Zhai Jun, China's vice foreign minister,?told a news conference.

"We oppose applying pressure and sanctions, because these approaches won't solve the problems. They never have. We hope that these unilateral sanctions will not affect China's interests."

But Beijing on Wednesday called on Iran and the UN atomic watchdog to co-operate over a new uranium enrichment plant, amid mounting international tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

"We hope Iran and the IAEA will stress cooperation and earnestly carry out the safeguards and clarify pending issues in the Iranian nuclear programme as soon as possible," said Liu Weimin, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.

'Regime change'

Willem van Kemenade, an author specialising in China's global strategic relations told Al Jazeera that "Beijing will try to maintain its relationship with Washington but keeping its own needs in mind."

"China wants to solve this without confrontation with the US, but it wants to take care of its own vital interests," he said.

He added: "China still believes that Iran is not rushing towards making bomb. It is perhaps in the end not so much about nuclear programme but about regime change."

Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan, reporting from Beijing, said: "If you look at Chinese foreign policy in general, they simply don?t believe sanctions work whether it?s with Iran or North Korea."

"So, it?s going to be very difficult for the Americans to convince the Chinese to get any kind of support."

Trade disputes

US officials said the talks?would also touch on trade disputes and complaints about China's currency controls that critics say keep its yuan undervalued and give its exporters an unfair advantage, distorting trade at a time when?the US?and other governments are under pressure to bring down unemployment.

China's trade surplus with the?US widened 24.2 per cent to $17.4bn in December, according to data released on?Tuesday.

China?supported UN sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme but says action should be multilateral.

Iran's?new friends in Latin America?

The US sanctions would target Iran's oil industry by barring financial institutions from the US market if they do business with Iran's central bank.

Industry analysts say that even if China agreed, it would face formidable challenges in trying to replace Iran as an oil source.

China's fast-growing economy is the world's biggest energy consumer and imports half its oil.?About 11 per cent comes from Iran, or about 600,000 barrels per day in November, according to Argus Media, the energy-market analysts.

The Chinese premier?is due to visit major oil producers Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar on a trip that starts this weekend.

Geithner?heads to Japan, another major buyer of Iranian oil, for talks after?leaving Beijing.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/01/2012110143018616205.html

wes welker fred davis fred davis fracking fracking drosselmeyer drosselmeyer

US agents helped launder millions in drug proceeds (AP)

MEXICO CITY ? Mexico's government allowed a group of undercover U.S. anti-drug agents and their Colombian informant to launder millions in cash for a powerful Mexican drug trafficker and his Colombian cocaine supplier, according to documents made public Monday.

The Mexican magazine Emeequis published portions of documents that describe how Drug Enforcement Administration agents, a Colombian trafficker-turned-informant and Mexican federal police officers in 2007 infiltrated the Beltran Leyva drug cartel and a cell of money launderers for Colombia's Valle del Norte cartel in Mexico.

The group of officials conducted at least 15 wire transfers to banks in the United States, Canada and China and smuggled and laundered about $2.5 million in the United States. They lost track of much of that money.

In his testimony, the DEA agent in charge of the operation says DEA agents posing as pilots flew at least one shipment of cocaine from Ecuador to Madrid through a Dallas airport.

The documents are part of an extradition order against Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, a Colombian arrested in Mexico in 2010 on charges of supplying cocaine to Arturo Beltran Leyva. A year earlier, Beltran Leyva was killed in a shootout with Mexican marines in the city of Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City.

The documents show Mexico approved Poveda-Ortega's extradition to the United States in May, but neither Mexican nor U.S. authorities would confirm whether he has been extradited.

U.S. and Mexican officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The documents offer rare glimpses into the way U.S. anti-drug agents are operating in Mexico, an often sensitive subject in a country touchy about national sovereignty.

On one occasion, the informant who began working for the DEA in 2003 after a drug arrest met with the girlfriend of a Colombian drug trafficker in Dallas and offered to move cocaine for their group around the world for $1,000 per kilo. In a follow-up meeting, the informant introduced the woman to a DEA agent posing as a pilot. The woman is identified as the girlfriend of Horley Rengifo Pareja, who was detained in 2007 accused of laundering money and drug trafficking.

Another scene described the informant negotiating a deal to move a cocaine shipment from Ecuador to Spain and minutes later being taken to a house where he met with Arturo Beltran Leyva.

Beltran Leyva was once a top lieutenant for the Sinaloa drug cartel, led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. But he split from the cartel shortly after his brother was arrested in 2008, setting off a bloody battle between the former allies.

Fractured cartels have led to an increase of drug violence in Mexico. According to several counts more than 45,000 people have been killed since late 2006, though the government stopped giving figures on drug war dead when the toll hit nearly 35,000 a year ago.

On Monday, police in western Mexico found the bodies of 13 men at a gas station in the state of Michoacan.

The bodies were dumped near a convenience store on the gas station lot in the town of Zitacuaro, said Michoacan state prosecutors spokesman Jonathan Arredondo.

Arredondo said threatening messages were found with the bodies, but he wouldn't comment on their content or give any other details.

However, the federal Interior Department later said a total of 15 bodies had been found in Zitacuaro. The statement did not specify whether all were found at the gas station.

The western state is home base to The Knights Templar cartel, which like its predecessor, La Familia, is a pseudo-religious gang specializing in methamphetamine production, drug smuggling, extortion and other crimes.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120110/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_drug_war_mexico

mumia abu jamal pearl harbor alec baldwin alec baldwin rock and roll hall of fame erin andrews erin andrews

VineyardLioness: RT @STcom: Rare duck normally only seen in Asia draws bird watchers to California http://t.co/WcVIcnc0 #wildlife

• Passer la navigation
• Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
• Passer cette ?tape
• Connexion

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

RT @STcom: Rare duck normally only seen in Asia draws bird watchers to California bit.ly/ySlHDA #wildlife Il y a environ 2 heures via UberSocial for BlackBerry

VineyardLioness

L. Harmon

Pied de page

• ? 2012 Twitter
• ? propos de nous
• Contact
• Blog
• Statut
• Ressources
• API
• Entreprises
• Aide
• Offres d'emploi
• Conditions
• Confidentialit?

Source: http://twitter.com/VineyardLioness/statuses/155872447365783553

cerebral palsy lenny dykstra top chef texas stanley tucci stanley tucci x factor voting “do a barrel roll”

yesbuthowever: YBH! blog post: Sony to name Kazuo Hirai president: Nikkei http://t.co/pF7My6iA

• Passer la navigation
• Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
• Passer cette ?tape
• Connexion

• Connexion
• Rejoignez Twitter !

YBH! blog post: Sony to name Kazuo Hirai president: Nikkei yesbuthowever.com/sony-to-name-k? Il y a environ 1 heure via yesbuthowever

yesbuthowever

YBH! - John Romano

Pied de page

• ? 2012 Twitter
• ? propos de nous
• Contact
• Blog
• Statut
• Ressources
• API
• Entreprises
• Aide
• Offres d'emploi
• Conditions
• Confidentialit?

Source: http://twitter.com/yesbuthowever/statuses/155351664017162241

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy maurice sendak kaye stevens michael jordan engaged kid cudi kasey kahne notre dame football

Oil Price Would Skyrocket if Iran Closed the Strait of Hormuz

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Source: www.nytimes.com --- Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Iran?s threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz would have an immediate impact, energy analysts say, with the price of Oil potentially rising 50 percent within days. ...

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f0efdb4858ebcc3a38ecf9b8199af3b3

sugar cookie recipe robert deniro how the grinch stole christmas macaroni and cheese festivus festivus zeno