Empire of Pain is a multi-generational biography of the Sackler family; it is an expose on one of the biggest business and medicine scandals of the last few decades; and it is a warning about how the tools that the government and our scientific and academic institutions can be manipulated to do people harm for profit.
Continue reading “Book Review: Empire of Pain”Author: Douglass Gaking
Doug is a certified business educator and music educator. He currently teaches businesses and computer science at Avon High School in Avon, Indiana and is the executive director of IGNITE Performing Arts, Inc. in Shelby County, Indiana. He was a band and choir director for 13 years and continues to judge and clinic with ensembles. He performs drums and percussion, composes and arranges music for concert band, marching band, and percussion ensemble, and teaches and writes about business, finance, and economics. He has a B.M. in Music Education from Butler University and an M.B.A. in Economics from Southern New Hampshire University. He is also an avid reader and a lover of art, history, science, and nature, especially birds and other wildlife.
The Founder Movie Class Discussion Activity
It’s the week before fall break, so I’m just gonna let movies and AI teach my class this week. I’m a terrible teacher, right? Before you rush to judgment, check out this lesson to see how I leverage a feature film and generative AI to create an engaging multi-day lesson. We’re not just watching a movie and answering questions, we’re applying 10 weeks worth of business class content and exercising writing and critical thinking skills.
Continue reading “The Founder Movie Class Discussion Activity”
Sale-leaseback: Corporations’ New Scheme To Steal American Homes
Maybe you are elderly and on a fixed income, or for some other reason you cannot afford a major increase in your cost of living, but you live in a Midwestern city where the cost of living is traditionally low. You’ve owned your home for years and have plenty of equity, so you should have financial security, right?
Not so fast. Private equity firms and other “property investors” have bought up homes in your neighborhood to flip them and/or rent them out, driving up house prices. Your county assessor raised their appraisal of your home, and now you can’t afford your new property tax bill. But have no fear, the millionaires and billionaires who caused this problem for you are also here to offer a solution.
Continue reading “Sale-leaseback: Corporations’ New Scheme To Steal American Homes”
Book Review: Active Value Investing
I read a lot of books about finance and investing, and this is one of the best. I seriously put this on par with Benjamin Graham (The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis, Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters), and John Mihaljevic (The Manual of Ideas). It is that good.
Continue reading “Book Review: Active Value Investing”