The Greatest Depression EVER!

I’m not much for blogging about current events, as I believe if you are one of the seven or so people who have managed to find this page, you also probably click over to CNN.com from time-to-time as well.

But I thought this was too good, and has gone too unnoticed: Apparently our current incarnation of Alan Greenspan, the Fed Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, is one of the leading scholars on The Great Depression. And he’s written books on the issue! Proof that some Republicans actually do know how the vetting process works. From a press rep trying to drum up interest for the book:

“As the subprime mortgage and credit disasters continue to wreak havoc on world economies and pocketbooks, many are looking to Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke for guidance and leadership in this tumultuous time. Fortunately, our Fed chief is one of the pre-eminent scholars of the Great Depression. Because of the market turmoil, Bernanke’s treatment of the Great Depression has been finding a new audience of readers as media, policymakers, businessmen, professionals, and others–both in the US and abroad–seek to understand our present economic situation.”

Obviously Bernanke isn’t directly responsible for the current crisis, but it is mildly comforting to know that he is so well-versed on the issue of vast, systemic poverty. He’s got his meal-ticket with the book just in case all else fails, leading me to wonder what mine is…I did train an award-winning llama named Icicle once, and I think he fetched a handsome sum of $200 at market. Ah, simpler times.

Mmm, llama meat is a tasty alternative to Kobe Beef in hard economic times

via Mankiw

You can never escape Chinglish

Not even in Germany. I spotted this keeper on a mug of a Chinese girl my first day back at classes: “Dandelion freedom is comfortable covering with to float.”

I would take it as a political commentary on the fact that she has officially broken the grip of the ruling Chinese elite as she begins student life in Germany, but it is probably more a reflection that she knew it would take far too many renminbi to buy a new mug here in Euroland. Despite the Euro at 13-month lows against the dollar, I’m looking to cut corners, too. Even the Mcdonalds here seem fancy and expensive, and the KFC serves you on a real plate with silverware. What??

Anyways, I’m doing a Masters of International Business at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. Sounds fancy, but I’m still looking to not wear a tie as much as possible. It’s a two year program, and has a focus on China-Euro relations, so I’m happy that it continues to tie into my interests, aka finding delicious Chinese food wherever I go. I don’t have a camera, so here is a photo from Flickr of the school’s logo.

Podiums are for fancy boys

It’s quite a pretty school though actually, with a courtyard, koi pond, and 24/7 library, which hopefully is not a sign of things to come. We have a visit scheduled to the European Central Bank already on Tuesday, so I will learn more about how Euros work, and how to get them into my bank account.

Anyways, that brings me to the financial crisis, and how it is helping me to get on TV. As I was walking by the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, one of the largest in Europe, with a friend last “Black Friday,” we were stopped by a reporter, wanting to know how it has been affecting us. Unfortunately she did not want an English answer, and I can barely order bretzels and bier at this point, so I don’t think I made the cut. Then, today, in further confirmation that I have a face made for radio, I was stopped with another German friend by some sort of radio DJ on the street, wanting to know about the last dreams we had. Again, no dice on the English answer. My German in 10 Minutes a Day book is fun, but really hasn’t progressed me to a highly intellectual level yet.

In other news, Germany is beautiful, is definitely not China, and I can breathe easy and run outside whenever I want without fear of developing lung cancer at age 24. The cars stop for pedestrians (knock on wood), churches abound (see you on Easter), and the wieners are delicious (and not made from actual dogs).

Here are a few more pictures of things I see daily here in Frankfurt. Thanks for all your well wishes, and let me know if anyone is in need of a European vacation and wants to visit!

I am not capable of taking such good pictures.

City Hall Plaza