Mayan Hashtag Hijinx

With the approach of the end of time (as predicted by the Mayan calendar), the Twittersphere has teemed with end-of-the-world confessions by those wishing to go out with a clean conscience. Believing that confession is good for the soul of even the Dismal Science, Dr. Goose - who tweets under the name of @DrGooseEcon - created a hashtag to facilitate economists' unburdening:

#EndOfTheWorldEconfessions I answered the household survey under an assumed name.

— Dr. Goose (@DrGooseEcon) December 20, 2012

Thanks to noted economist Justin Wolfers, #EndOfTheWorldEconFessions became a trending topic among the global society of Twitter econ nerds. Here then are some of the top econ-fessions on Twitter:

#EndOfTheWorldEconfessions I secretly want to make Basel I, II, and III into the best movies ever.

— Rob Blackwell (@ABWashBureau) December 20, 2012

#EndOfTheWorldEconfessions I imagine the Fed's dual mandate as a duel mandate between Ron Paul & Ben Bernanke

— Betsey Stevenson (@BetseyStevenson) December 20, 2012

I have used Venn diagrams drawn on napkins to make a point in the context of a romantic spat #EndoftheWorldEconfessions

— Matina Stevis (@MatinaStevis) December 20, 2012

Accidentally announced a Blue Light special at the discount window. #endoftheworldEconfessions

— Philadelphia Fed (@philadelphiafed) December 20, 2012

#EndofTheWorldEconfessions Sometimes I forget to maximize utility.

— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) December 20, 2012

...and the number one econ-fession:

#EndOfTheWorldEconfessions: Every October I make early-morning prank calls to famous economists, in a convincing Swedish accent.

— Justin Wolfers (@justinwolfers) December 20, 2012

#NYCPoetweet

A limerick's hard to complete/In the space of a typical tweet/Haiku, it is true/Are simpler to do/But not a remarkable feat. #NYCpoetweet

— Dr. Goose (@LimericksEcon) April 6, 2012

The New York City Mayor's office is observing National Poetry Month with its third annual "Poetweet" Twitter poetry contest. Dr. Goose invites fellow New Yorkers to join him in this poetic celebration; click on the foregoing link for details. I am thrilled to say that, as of this moment, the limerick contest entry shown above has been retweeted 84 times, a record for @limericksecon.

Seismic Media

In our national corridor of power
Was a quake felt in many a tower;
Though the trembling in it
Would last for a minute,
The twittering lasted an hour.

From the Beltway to Broadway, and from the Federal Reserve to the New York Stock Exchange, people up and down the East Coast stopped what we were doing yesterday, gripped by fear and uncertainty at the (mostly) slight trembling of the Earth and swaying of buildings. The 5.9-scale quake, which would have barely raised eyebrows in California, unleashed an all-time wave of Twitter messages as millions of earthquake virgins used social media to share their "first time."