Random links

Submitted by David on Thu, 2010-08-19 01:40
On the Virtue of Wasting Time
"drinking beer with friends is perhaps the most underestimated of all Reformation insights and essential to ongoing reform"
Nini and the European Dream: In Spain, almost everyone is ‘not in education or employment.’ It’s the end of the job for life
"... NINI is the Spanish government acronym for “Not in education or employment” – that is, lost to the economy. But it’s not really a joke, because now almost everyone is NINI. The under-30 unemployment rate in Spain has just hit 44 per cent, twice the adult rate. Italy also has passed the 40 per cent mark, and Greece has gone even further. If you count all the people who’ve given up looking, it means the number of people between 20 and 30 who have any form of employment in these countries is something like one in five."
When Congress Is Away, the Market Will Play
Some researchers found that "'about 90% of the capital gains over the life of the Dow Jones Industrial Average have come on days when Congress is out of session.' The finding could of course be a fluke but Ferguson and Witte found the relationship to be particularly strong when Congress’s approval ratings are lower."
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Ending Poverty
The byline: "In the 1990s, Paul Romer revolutionized economics. In the aughts, he became rich as a software entrepreneur. Now he’s trying to help the poorest countries grow rich—by convincing them to establish foreign-run “charter cities” within their borders. Romer’s idea is unconventional, even neo-colonial—the best analogy is Britain’s historic lease of Hong Kong. And against all odds, he just might make it happen."

Comments

David

Thu, 2010-08-19 09:45

Case across this article on Greek unemployment, suggesting that it's up to 70% in some areas.

Sarennah

Mon, 2010-08-23 13:38

That might explain why half of France seemed to be wandering around aimlessly, hanging out in cafes and on the beaches - I suspect it wasn't just vacation but some of them are simply NINAs!

David

Mon, 2010-08-23 16:04

Also add in much longer vacation time for the typical European employee