(Just a Little) Recreational Reading for Policy Wonks [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] I’m sure I’m not the only Minneapolis Realtor who’s now fielding questions from concerned clients...Read More
Mining Taboos (Abortion, Suicide, etc.) for Laughs. Really. Maybe Louis C.K. is saving incest, bestiality, and genocide for his next stand-up special. In this one, titled merely “2017” (it’s a riff on Christianity), he contents himself tackling such taboo subjects as abortion, suicide, beheading, transexuality, and latent homosexuality (if you hadn’t noticed, sex and sexuality loom large...Read More
“The Air a Library and the Record of Every Life Lived” “Is it so hard to believe that great shuttles of souls might fly about, faded but audible if you listen closely enough? They flow about the chimneys, ride the sidewalks, slip through your jacket and shirt and breastbone and lungs, and pass out through...Read More
Appraisal Reconsideration “True”or “False” Consider the following scenario, then answer “Yes” or “No”: An appraisal on a recent home sale comes in low. The next week, a (very) similar home that had been “Pending” at the time the appraisal was done subsequently closes . . . . for well above asking price. Can the closed...Read More
What’s a Little Didacticism in a Movie With Margot Robbie & Brad Pitt? Are collateralized debt obligations (“CDO’s”) easier to understand when a gorgeous Margot Robbie — enjoying a champagne bubble bath — explains them? (maybe, if you’re not too distracted). How about when the teacher is Selena Gomez or Chef Anthony Bourdain? That’s the...Read More
What’s on the Crumpled Green Post-It Note?? With all the cameo’s and NFL game footage, it’s hard to tell where the fictional “Draft Day” ends and the (just-concluded) real Draft Day begins. Suffice to say that the multiple plot lines are reasonably suspenseful, and the movie is a fun way to spend two hours —...Read More
