Dean Baker on the dollar’s rout (or not).

Barry Ritholz on a potential new amendmentthat will create even more zombie banks.

SportsBiz is a neat sports business blog that I recently discovered.

Kim Grant has some of the best personal branding tips I’ve seen. The article targets writers, but her tips are useful for any entrepreneur with something to pitch.

Has anyone ever asked you to be their best man or maid of honor? Did you enjoy it? If so, there may be a job in your future…

1. CA: Positions Available @ Private Women’s Gym

Women’s Athletic Club is looking for part-time front desk help and instructors. Must be flexible, professional and dependable. Good ideas are always welcomed.

If you’re male and tend to gawk, please be very good at hiding it.

2. CA: Bike, Segway, & Walking Tour Guides / Guerilla Marketers

Our guests are always jealous that we get to do this everyday and get paid for it. This job is perfect for anyone who wants to get experience and break into the hospitality industry in San Diego in a big way.

Requirements: Friendly, on time everytime, out-going, calm under pressure, humble, basic Segway knowledge.

Whatever you do, just be sure you’re good at riding a Segway.

3. CA: Baggage Handler

We are searching for a temporary Baggage Handler who is able to lift up to 70lbs. The job entails picking up and moving luggage from one place to another.

The job location is at LAX, for an outbound flight to Cuba.

Extra income possible if you use this position to smuggle drugs.

4. CA: KNOW SOMEONE WHO’S PREGNANT?

MAJOR NETWORK NOW CASTING A NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES ABOUT FIRST-TIME PREGNANCIES.

We are looking for pregnant women, 18+, who want to prepare the father to be for what’s to come!

Although we may contribute to your divorce, you must sign a waiver absolving us of any financial responsibility for it.

5. MA: Wanted URGENTLY: Best Man for wedding

I’m backing out on my cousin last minute, and I before I do it, I need someone lined up to take my place, because I’m not sure that he’ll be able to find someone at such short notice.

Due to the sensitivity of this position, and the short time available, please only apply if you are sincere, clinically sane & stable and experienced.

“Clinically sane” may be an overstatement, but we’ll hire you anyway.

Happy Friday!

Charles Goyette has spent much of his life thinking about money. He has contemplated how it works, how governments manipulate it, and how it stores value.

Goyette, a radio show host, precious metals pro, and libertarian, shares his views on fate of the US dollar in “The Dollar Meltdown.” In his four-part book, Goyette details where the US economy and dollar are now, how we got here, what might happen next, and how to protect your money.

The topics Goyette presents are necessary reading for anyone wanting a well-rounded perspective on the current US economy. Even if you don’t agree with some of Goyette’s strong libertarian viewpoints, his colorful writing and factual anecdotes make “The Dollar Meltdown” an interesting read.

As its cover might imply, “The Dollar Meltdown” isn’t a gentle introduction to the collapse of the dollar. Libertarians and Austrian school aficionados would feel most at ease with this book. Refreshingly, the nonpartisan author implicates both Democrats and Republicans as fiscal and monetary ne’er do gooders.

Goyette says “the body economic is shuddering from the relentless compulsions of meddlers.” Thanks to government intervention in money and markets, the US faces runaway inflation. Between Sept 2008-March 2009, US monetary base grew 199%. Add the domestic dollar supply to foreign dollar reserves—up to half of US dollar reserves are in foreign hands—and you have a potential oversupply.

The country’s debt situation is making holders of dollars, both foreign and domestic, nervous about the value of their greenbacks. Goyette writes that our national debt adds up to $42,000/person for the bailout (March 2009 numbers). On top of that, China owns $767 billion in US Treasury securities. That’s the equivalent of each individual American borrowing $3,300 from people in China.

If people start dumping dollars, all that extra supply will make it back to the US. Inflation will result. Several countries are already seeking other kinds of reserves—euros and gold, for example—to replace dollars.

Why isn’t the government quaking in its boots? Because, says Goyette, it has always pursued inflation as a policy. Authorities aim for mild inflation as a manageable economic state. The government tries to alter deflationary states into inflation to gain a sense of control of the economy. “Helicopter” Ben Bernanke is doing exactly that right now. Moreover, as the country’s biggest debtor, the government benefits most from inflation. For example, at 4% inflation, a debt of $12 trillion depreciates by $480 billion/year.

Economic gyrations actually work well for politicians, because they can capitalize off the consequences of inflation. They can campaign based on economic woes. Inflation can help them get reelected. It also helps the government increase its own power. After the government produces inflation, it will initiate wage and price controls. It will use inflation as a vehicle to move towards central command (total economic control).

Goyette, a free-market proponent, says authorities can never be one step ahead of the economy. Inflationary policies aren’t good for the economy. “Saying some inflation is desirable is like saying a few termites are a good thing…,” he remarks.

To combat the wealth-destroying effects of runaway inflation, Goyette recommends you put 25% of your portfolio into gold and silver, ideally physically held. He offers expert, detailed advice on how and where to buy it. Goyette’s chapter on buying gold is one of the most cohesive and useful chapters in his book. His expertise in the field shines through.

Subsequent chapters aren’t as well-defined, but do offer detailed background information on each recommended investment. The next chapter talks about silver. Chapters on investing in oil, natural resources, commodities, bonds (using a long inverse strategy), and foreign currencies follow.

Analysis

At times, I found the book dogmatic. For example, throughout the book, Goyette mentions that America is transforming itself into a central command economy. He says command economies produce poverty. Fair enough.

But isn’t China, increasingly prosperous as it is, still a command economy? Goyette addresses this by saying that “as China freed its command economy, growth came.” Yes, but that doesn’t mean China is free from command. Nor does it mean that America won’t stop the top-down action until it becomes the USSA. This tendency to polarize marks some of his claims. What’s more, Goyette later recommends buying an ETN (exchange-traded note) issued by the (socialist) government of Sweden. We hate central command, but we support it when it’s in our own interest?

If you can get over a couple of belief-system rabbit holes, and the occasional divisive language—Rob Paul fans would claim it as fact, but if your belief system lands on the outskirts, Goyette can shock—“The Dollar Meltdown” is a worthy read. It covers a perspective you need to know about in an entertaining, interesting way.

Full disclosure: We were sent a free copy of The Dollar Meltdown.

8. The Fatty and the Photocopier

In true dimwit fashion, this chump thought the age-old office prank of photocopying your ass would be funny, even though we’ve all seen it a million times. What he forgot to take into consideration was the even older saying: ‘Don’t sit on a thin glass platform with your nuts exposed if you are a sweaty, overwieght fatty.’ Woops. The board meeting the next day must have been uncomfortable – for more reasons than one.

7. Don’t Tell the Certified Insane His Wife’s Cheating On Him

Make sure if your going to pull a prank that makes one, rather stacked looking man believe that his wife (who, it turns out, has got form) is cheating on him (again)… you get well out of his way. And preferably, he is locked in a padded room. Who knows what this guy did after he stormed off, but don’t be surprised if the cops found his wife in the canal the next morning…

6. Fall From Grace (Office Style)

Classic office stupidity here – this burke tries to scare his coworker, thinking it’ll be ever so funny to descend, spiderman-like, from the ceiling. But instead he ends up falling head first in a heap and looking like a fool. Lesson here: work is for work not for jokes.

5. Hallowe’en ‘Trick or… Idiot’?

These two look like funny, funny men. They decide to play a Hallowe’en office prank involving a box, some unsuspecting colleagues and a dodgy mask. Predictably, it’s them who end up with egg on their face. If you’re going to jump out of a box, get the timing right. Oh, and don’t fall over – really lessens the impact.

4. Hi Guys, Would You Like Some ‘Watered Down’ Coffee

Slipping a little something extra in your workmates’ coffee is something we don’t recommend at your place of employment. Although it might be a good way to exact revenge when you’ve been passed over for promotion, it’s also a good way to ensure you never recieve promotion ever again if you are caught… like this guy.

3. Cress is Not Funny

Unfortunately no video exists of this crazy prank, but it sure backfired on its perpetrator: one afternoon at a large bank an employee sitting at his desk consuming an egg and cress sandwich has what he thinks is a prankster’s stroke of genius – gleefully he adds some water and cress seeds to the keyboards on a Friday night prior to a bank holiday Monday and heads off, extremely pleased with himself. The next Tuesday, managers came in to find overgrown cress growing from all the keyboards. Not only did they throw a hissy fit, but they contacted IT support who created a storm and sent a global memo to all staff about eating and drinking at their desks – resulting in the banning of all eating and drinking at employee’s desks. Was it really worth it? We think not.

Image by tilwe

2. ‘Now I don’t feel so bad about f****** his brother’

Telling your colleague’s wife that he’s been fired for doing a secretary over the desk seems an unbelievably cruel joke to play, but on reflection is one of those things you can easily see seeming funny before actually being put in action. It does, however, go spectacularly wrong as the would-be pranksters open up a tin of worms – ‘Now I don’t feel so bad about f****** his brother’ is among the painful revelations that come out. That final ‘happy birthday’ must be one of the most hollow ever…

1. Office Prank Victim Gets Revenge – Big Style

We all know the type – the guy who is the butt of all the office jokes and is forever having all his stuff covered in tinfoil, clingfilm put over the toilet seat for him, and turds left in his filing cabinet (What? You don’t do that at your office?). But next time you are going to prank this suffering loser, think twice – he may just go mental and punch your lights out like this nutter. And what did this guy do to deserve two black eyes, you say? He sent a resignation letter to the boss on the other guy’s behalf…

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Pinnacle Foods Group, owned by private equity firm Blackstone Group, will buy frozen-food provider Birds Eye Foods for $1.3 billion. Bloomberg has the scoop:

Blackstone Group LP’s Pinnacle Foods Group LLC agreed to buy Birds Eye Foods Inc., the largest U.S. frozen-vegetable company, for $1.3 billion, adding to its Duncan Hines and Swanson food brands as the pace of buyouts increases.

Birds Eye has sales of more than $930 million, according to Pinnacle. The Rochester, New York-based company is currently owned by Pro-Fac Cooperate Inc., a New York agricultural cooperative; funds affiliated with Vestar Capital Partners, a New York-based buyout firm; and Birds Eye management.

Image: Brands of the World

AOL layoffs affecting 1/3 of the company’s workforce, or up to 2,300 people, will hit during the next few months. The layoffs come as a result of restructuring after the Time Warner spin-off. Bloomberg reports:

AOL is aiming to reduce its annual operating costs by about $300 million through the restructuring, the New York-based company said today in a regulatory filing. AOL expects to take as much as $200 million in restructuring charges in the first half of 2010 if the plan is approved by the new board after the spinoff, according to the filing.

AOL employs about 6,900 people, AOL spokeswoman Tricia Primrose said in an e-mail, indicating job cuts of about 2,300. The company will begin a voluntary layoff program Dec. 4 and is looking for as many as 2,500 volunteers, she said. AOL will begin firing employees if the voluntary departures fall short.

Ouch.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that a computer glitch would cause delays and cancellations of flights nationwide. The Wall Street Journal has more:

The problem involved the FAA computer system that files automated flight plans, forcing air traffic controllers to revert to the much more time-consuming approach of entering flight plans by hand.

Delays began on the East Coast and were rippling out to the west. The problem wasn’t affecting radar coverage or communications with planes in the air, the FAA said. The air traffic controllers union, however, said the FAA systems that provide information on weather and wind speeds at airports also weren’t functioning.

USA Today elaborates:

CNN reports the FAA computer system affected by the malfunction is centered in Atlanta. “The system — the National Airspace Data Interchange Network, or NADIN — appears to be the same one that failed in August 2008. The FAA said flight plans are being processed through the network’s Salt Lake City, Utah office,” CNN says on its website.

CBS adds “the practical ramifications of this problem are that the entire air traffic control system on the East Coast is slowed to about 40-50% of what a normal day would look like. Controllers must input flight data for each takeoff and landing manually.”

The FAA has a history of similar technical failures. They blamed the previous NADIN failure, in 2008, on a Windows upgrade, but offered no more specifics than that, according to Portfolio. By all indications, this was a) not unprecedented, and b) will probably happen again sometime.

Sometimes, however, companies design truly creative outdoor ads. They’re original enough to penetrate consumer ad fatigue, and innovative enough to convince you their product might actually be worth checking out. We’ve compiled 35 brilliant ads that make you do a double-take:

1. Bite: Ogilvy & Mather

Image: Comunicamos

This Indonesian billboard makes it clear that Formula Toothcare gives you really strong teeth.

2. Engagement Ring: Robbins Diamonds

Robbins Diamonds reminds drivers that no engagement ring means angry girlfriend. The sign is on the way to the Philadelphia airport.

3. Barbell: Fitness Company

This German metro advertisement adds levity to weight-lifting.

4. Nail Biter Bag: Jung von Matt Berlin

Image: How Advertising Spoiled Me

The woman on this bag is supposed to be biting nails, not eating a hand. Either way, she catches attention for the nail-biting balm Stop n’ Grow.

5. Beau Rivage Resort & Casino

Source: Frederik Samuel

A Mississippi resort and casino brings much-needed tranquility to the baggage claim.

6. Smoking Bus: Nicotinell

Image: Billboardom

As long as this bus is moving, this man is smoking. And suffering. The solution? Nicotinell gum.

7. Cracking the Sidewalk

Image: Highly Optical Illusions

Placed around Singapore, these martial arts school ads make good use of sidewalk cracks.

8. Lettuce Billboard: McDonald’s

Image: GroovyGreen

Yep, that’s really lettuce growing on a McDonald’s billboard. Fresh.

9. Mini With Boobs: FHM

Image: AdFreak

British men’s rag FHM Magazine painted boobs on this Mini. Eye-catching and genre-appropriate.

10. Shaving the Lawn: BIC

Image: Brian Sibley

A giant BIC razor shaves grass in England. The razor mows well, but unfortunately, the brand name is hard to see.

11. Clean Sidewalk Stripe: Mr. Clean

Image: Branding & Marketing

Mr. Clean keeps one stripe on this Italian crosswalk clean. And he’s proud of it.

12. Miele Vacuum Cleaner: Miami Ad School

Image: AdArena

Two art students from the Miami Ad School created this vac-tastic Miele billboard.

13. Lego Crane: IDB-FCB

In Chile, building companies don’t work on weekends. So one ad agency hung a giant Lego from a crane in a visible Santiago location. The result: A sweet ad. (Source)

14. Weighed Down: Silberman’s Fitness Center

Obviously overweight? Silberman’s offers a solution.

15. Goalkeeper: Adidas

Image: Say No to Crack

Drivers literally can’t miss this massive Adidas ad, which the company posted at the Munich airport during the 2006 World Cup.

16. Big Idea: The Economist

Image: Funny Billboards

The Economist posted an award-winning London ad whose motion sensor light illuminates when someone passes by.

17. Dropped Call: Cingular

Image: AdFreak

Located outside the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, this Cingular ad makes the dropped call issue very visible. (Source)

18. Popped Gum

Image: Billboardom

This kid in Mumbai had a nasty pop.

19. Strong Tape

The tape “holding up” this billboard is really strong. Simple, yet effective.

20. Kill Bill

Image: Toxel

Ad designers did a bloody good job with this Kill Bill-board.

21. We’ll Match It: Benjamin Moore Paints

Image: Billboardom

Benjamin Moore paints gets the hue right.

22. Leaky Mascara: Max Factor

Image: Say No to Crack

The eyes in this Max Factor ad cry mascara when it rains. Catchy–and, to women, scary.

23. Checkmate: Santa Monica BMW

The real message here: Do not mess with Santa Monica BMW.

24. McDonald’s Time

Source: Chicago Business

It’s always McDonald’s time, according to this sundial-like billboard in Chicago.

25. Paint Spill: Coop Paint

Image: Hojimoto/Flickr

Columbus, Ohio’s Atlas Building just didn’t look the same after a Coop’s Paint spill.

26. Not American: Smart Car

This Smart Car ad pokes fun at American auto engineering.

27. Hidden Danger: Mexico Unido

Image: Coloribus

Mexico Unido reminds innocent passerby that danger lurks around every corner.

28. Coca Cola Ladder

This Coca Cola ad embodies desperate thirst using only a bottle, a ladder, and a giant straw. Kind of makes you want one, doesn’t it?

29. Run: Nike

Image: Billboardom

For a transparent billboard, this Nike ad is mighty eye-catching.

30. Mars Chilled

Image source

Mars Chilled will transform your tongue into a frog-like appendage. Or it will capture and freeze your tongue. It’s that good.

31. Giant Cork: Heye & Partner

Image: Bored.com

This advertising pillar turned into a giant cork for a German wine trade fair. It works–as long as nobody pins flyers on it.

32. Accessories: Saatchi & Saatchi

Image: Bored.com

This guerilla marketing campaign took place in Geneva, for an accessory store. Saatchi & Saatchi replaced chains with giant jewelry in several locations. (Source: Adverbox)

33. Irresistible Scent: Gain

Image: Say No to Crack

You can just see the fresh smell on this 3-D billboard.

34. Rubber Duckies: Adidas

Image: Thomas Rockstar

Adidas filled a Copenhagen fountain with blue rubber duckies for Copenhagen Fashion Week. The bottoms of the ducks said “Reward for my return at Adidas original store.” People would keep the cute ducks…and wander into the local Adidas store. (Source: Thomas Rockstar)

35. Butt Billboard

Image: Creative Juice

This billboard is eye-catching…in a bad way.