All That Blings Is Not Gold

If you click on the title you'll access a sure sign that the recession is weighing heavily on every aspect of the economy. Apparently, rappers have begun asking for jewelers to create the large items they adorn themselves with less than precious stones. Cubic Z. has become the gem of choice for rappers on a budget.

Economics Or Economics

The recent crisis in our world's economy has offered a great opportunity to instruct students while live applications occur. It is also a great time to reflect on how Economics is much more than the study of money. Though the fundamentals of our macro system have stumbled, this has pointed out the basic concept of consequence rooted in Economics. It has also illuminated the need for regulation and the flaws existent in markets. We may question the soundness of our economy but the components of Economics are unshaken. By clicking the title above you will access a great article establishing the fact but also pointing out that the teaching of introductory Economics has required a few tweaks from recent events.

Everything Has An Impact

Click on the title to access a website that will interpret the impact of the everyday products we buy on our planet. This is purely informative, not a sales push. GoodGuide™ strives to provide the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of products and companies. GoodGuide's mission is to help you find safe, healthy, and green products that are better for you and the planet. From our origins as a UC Berkeley research project, GoodGuide has developed into a totally independent "For-Benefit" company. We are committed to providing the information you need to make better decisions, and to ultimately shifting the balance of information and power in the marketplace.

Protectionism Rears Its Ugly Head

Despite rebukes from every economist in the nation, the stimulus package has produced restrictions that effect commerce with other nations. American companies have begun severing ties with Canadian ones and they are retaliating. The rules define products so narrowly that production by foreign companies in America, employing Americans, is halting. A wave of short-sighted positions by politicians could exacerbate problems; trade restrictions are not a strategy for recovery. Click on the title above to get the details.

If You Don't Build It They Won't Come

It's become apparent that the recession is hitting the human trafficker where it hurts, in the wallet. New data released today indicates a remarkable decline in the number of Mexicans entering the U.S. illegally. The exodus from California and Texas back to Mexico is the result of a lack of employment and a disinterest in living clandestinely without a reward. Click on the title above to read about this new trend.

Norway Fights The Temptation

If you click on the title you'll access an article describing the incredible discipline of the Norwegians. A nation with 4.5 million, generally homogeneous people, they fought the urge to spend when their pockets were full and now are thriving from thriftiness. Most people don't realize, but Norway is the third largest exporter of oil in the world. When it spiked at $147 a barrel, they saved. Imagine that? Now they have surpluses and economic growth while the rest of us are on our knees. Just look at the now idle and half finished skyline of Dubai to sense Norway's vision.

The Story Of Stuff

Click on the title above to access a fascination 20 minute film on the failure of our consumer driven society and the push for a new sustainable way. This is extraordinary and very worth the investment in time.

The Recession Weighs On Social Security And Medicare

The public concern has centered around the approaching demise of Social Security, but the article attached makes it quite clear that Medicare is the problem. To make matters worse, the recent recession has sped up the failure of both systems and has Medicare insolvent by 2017. The Obama administration has pushed health care reform to the top of the list, but Congress is facing the unenviable choice of either raising taxes or cutting benefits. If they choose to raise taxes, this could exacerbate unemployment as increasingly costly jobs are outsourced or eliminated entirely.

Fast Food Makes Fat People

The chart above is a follow up to the previous entry. There is a lot of evidence that the more time you spend eating the less likely you are to be obese. Mom was right, "slow down and chew your food".

Societies At A Glance

If you click on the title, you'll be taken to a wealth of information about societal trends in the industrialized world. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development just released its updated “Society at a Glance” report, which provides an overview of social and policy trends in its member countries. Among other things, the report looks at leisure time reported in time-use surveys around the globe, and the researchers found that there are significant differences in the amount of time men and women have for leisure. In 15 of the 18 O.E.C.D. countries — including the United States — men have more time for leisure than women. Americans also spend more time sleeping than every other O.E.C.D. country except France. Interestingly, the French spend the most time of every O.E.C.D. country eating and drinking, and yet the French have the sixth lowest obesity rate. Perhaps fast food really is the problem.

Marginal Propensity To Sin

If you click on the title above you'll find an interesting take on the distribution of sin around the United States. The article was found in the Las Vegas daily newspaper so some of the text has a decidedly Nevada slant. But there are several maps that track the seven deadly sins around the country with very clear color coding. The darker the color the more evil. Florida leads the nation in its share of sin.

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