I got the link from Greg Mankiw's blog.

If you like movies, and you like economics, then you'll love reading columns by Edward Jay Epstein, a.k.a. The Hollywood Economist. His latest column on Slate is about how the Oscars are a big scam to legitimate movies as culturally meaningful when in reality Hollywood makes all its money from blockbusters. Those two-faced bastards! Or maybe just dual-purposed. Whichever way you want to think about it.

There has to be some good papers to be written about Hollywood though. So far the best idea I have is one about the game theoretic strategy of when to release your movie, to avoid competing with other big films but also come out on a busy weekend.

"Economical Writing" by Deirdre McCloskey. This tiny book hits you like a sackful of doorknobs. A must for any graduate student.
"Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day" by Joan Bolker. This book should have been titled "Zen and the Art of Thesis Writing", or "Making Your Thesis Feel Less like a Root Canal and More Like a Gentle Cleaning". I only wish that I had gotten hold of it sooner.
"Style Toward Clarity and Grace" By John Williams. Who doesn't want to have style?

It turns out that there is a rather large industry devoted to academic writing. Post any other useful sources as a comment!

Skit Night will be held on the evening of Friday, April 7th in the Auditorium of Lorch Hall (precise time to be determined) - so put it on your calendar. For those that are new to the department, skit night is the students' chance to vent their frustration; take cheap-shots at professors, themselves, and each other; and generally do stupid things in front of the department. Based on previous years, no subject has been off limits, so don't hold back. The Solonators, "Ann Arbor's premier econometrics-based rock band," will be performing, and there are likely to be other varied forms of entertainment as well. I couldn't possibly do skit night justice with a mere emailed description, so be sure to ask someone about it.

The first step in the planning process is for someone from each class (or other group that would like to present something - which can include two or more classes combined) to take charge and get in touch with me. Once we have leaders for each group, I'll send updates on the planning process to them.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Brian

This week's coffee hour will be brought to you by a bunch of ex-pats from Massachusetts.
You're all invited to hang out tomorrow at 5pm in 201 and drink coffee brewed in MA (no tea allowed), eat chocoloate chip cookies baked by one of the ex-pats and potato chips deep-fried on the Cape, and learn all sorts of fascinating facts about our home state. Yes, the only state in the U.S. that's legalized gay marriage has a long history of bucking the system. Remember the presidential election of 1972? Which was the only state to NOT vote for Nixon? You guessed it. Give us enough time and coffee and we can reminisce all the way back to the Revolution and before, with that pilgrim and turkey stuff. Please join us!

Ann, Matt, Todd, Bill, Daniel, and Mike

You Know You're From Massachusetts When...

The person driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you are cursing him for going
too slow.

When ordering a tonic, you mean a Coke...not quinine water.

You actually enjoy driving around rotaries.

You almost feel disappointed when someone doesn't flip you the bird when you cut them
off or steal their parking space.

You know how to pronounce the names of towns like Worcester, Billerica, Haverhill,
Barre and Cotuit.

You have driven to New Hampshire on a Sunday in order to get beer.

You know that there are two Bulger brothers, and that they're both crooks.

You know what they sell at a packie.

You know at least one bar where you can get something to drink after last call.

You can actually find your way around Boston.

Evacuation Day is a recognized holiday.

You know what First Night is.

You know at least one guy named Sean, Pat, Whitey, Red, Bud or Seamus.

You think the rest of the country owes you for Thanksgiving and Independence Day.

You have never been to Cheers.

When the words 'WICKED' and 'GOOD' go together.

You knew that there was no chance in hell that the Pats would move to Hartford.

You have gone to at least one party at UMass.

The curse of the Bambino is taught in public schools.

You own a "Yankees Suck" shirt or hat.

You think Doug Flutie is the greatest athlete ever.

You remember exactly where you were when the ball rolled through Buckner's legs.

You pray for the Red Sox to win the World Series not this season, but in your
lifetime.

You know how to make a frappe.

You know that "Big Dig" is also a kind of ice cream you can get at Brigham's.

You actually know how to merge from 6 lanes of traffic down to one.

You never go to "Cape Cod", you go "down the Cape".

You think that Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs and Derek Jeter are more evil than Whitey
Bulger.

You went to Old Sturbridge Village, Plymouth Plantation, or both, on field trip in
grammar school.

You're aware that there is a town, somewhere in Massachusetts, named Brimfield where
they have the biggest outdoor antique market in the world.

You can drive to the mountains and the ocean all in one day.

You know that the Mass Pike is some sort of strange weather dividing line.

You know that P-Town isn't the name of a new rap group.

You know that Ludlow is 90% Portuguese and that Fall River is 90% Lebanese.

You do not recognize the letter "R" as a part of the English language.

You've called something "wicked pissa"

You have driven to either Rhode Island, New Hampshire or Vermont for a tattoo.

You see people like Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Dicky Barret (The Mighty, Mighty
Bosstones), Tracy Bonham, Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) and Ric Ocasek (The Cars) in the
local supermarket and it doesn't phase you.

You've slammed on your brakes to deter a tailgater

Know at least three Tony's, one Vinnie and a Frank(ie)

Paranoia sets in if you can't see a Dunkin Donuts, ATM or CVS within eyeshot at all
times.

You keep an ice scraper and can of de-icer on the floor of your car...year round

You still try to order curly fries from Burger King

You order iced coffee in January

You know what candlepin bowling is

You drive 45 minutes to New Hampshire to save $5 in sales tax

You've pulled out of a side street and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you
can make a left.

You've bragged about the money you've saved at The Christmas Tree Shop

You know what a "regular" coffee is

You think if someone is nice to you they either want something or they are from out of
town

You could own a small town in Iowa for the cost of your house

There are 24 Dunkin Donuts shops within 15 minutes of your house and that is how you
give directions

If you stay on the same road long enough it eventually has three different names
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Massachusetts.

Leah Boustan Mon Feb 06
History Harvard
Inside the Black Box of White Flight:
The Role of Suburban Political Autonomy and Public Goods
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~platt/papers/blackbox.pdf

Paula Bustos Wed Feb 08
Trade Harvard
Rising Wage Inequality in the Argentinean Manufacturing Sector:
The Impact of Trade and Foreign Investment on Technology and Skill Upgrading
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~bustos/papers/wage_inequality.pdf

Panle (Pam) Jia Fri Feb 10
IO Yale
What Happens When Walmart Comes to Town?
An Empirical Analysis of the Discount Retailing Industry
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~pj43/JobMarketPaper_Dec05.pd

Daniel Benjamin Mon Feb 13
Behavioral Harvard
Who Is 'Behavioral'? Cognitive Ability and Anomalous Preferences
http://kuznets.fas.harvard.edu/~dbenjami/papers/WhoIsBehavioral.pdf

All seminars are Lorch 201, 11:40-1:00