The new economics

Rico says that, courtesy of his friend Kevin, this is the new reality:

If you had purchased $1000 worth of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have $49 worth today.
If you had purchased $1000 worth of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have $33 worth today.
If you had purchased $1000 worth of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have shares worth nothing today.
But if you had purchased $1000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for the recycling refund, you would have received $214.
Based on this, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily and recycle. It's called the 401-Keg.

(Of course, Rico says if you had purchased $1000 worth of gold one year ago, you would have $1500 worth today.)