Tuesday Links

From the Onion-
Freakonomist Keeps Close Eye On GE Stock Versus Height Of Mexican Weightlifters

CHICAGO—A University of Chicago freakonomics professor told General Electric investors Monday to keep a close eye on recent fluctuations in the heights of competitive powerlifters from Mexico. "Usually we can count on a stable average of 5 feet 8 inches, but last month's quarter-inch drop in height among Mexican dead-lift competitors in the middle-heavyweight division could spell disaster for GE's aviation and software subsidiaries," freakonomist James Duncan said. "But, like anything else, a shrewd investor must always ask himself one thing: How many hot dogs did I eat last year?" Duncan previously gained recognition for tracking first-time home ownership and teenage mothers' gum purchases against the Times Tom Jones Is Played Per Day Index.

Dean Baker is my new hero-

"In effect, the government's profit is entirely due to the value of the government's guarantee. In Washington Post land, the government could make money by buying shares of a company's stock, offering to guarantee the company's debt, and then selling our shares at a gain when the market recognizes the value of the government's guarantee. Of course this strategy provides much larger gains to the other shareholders and allows the top executives to score billions in bonuses for being such shrewd managers, but in Washington Post land they don't pay attention to such things."

Tasteful elitist arousal

The short case for FSLR

Empty buildings:

To get a feel for just how much empty space there is in office buildings in Buckhead, Midtown and downtown Atlanta, picture this: The 12.3 million square feet of vacancy is the equivalent of about a dozen empty Bank of America Plaza skyscrapers.

At 55 stories, that iconic Midtown building is metro Atlanta’s tallest office tower and the sixth tallest building in the United States.