FINE YOUNG ECONOMIST

International Development, Economics, Policy & Satire var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-26988288-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[fineyoungeconomist]

US STATES RENAMED WITH COUNTRIES WITH SIMILAR GDPS

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ARE YOU HAPPY BANGLADESH?

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CULTURAL EXCHANGE VS CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

Cultural appropriation is a term that isn’t often heard in daily conversation, which means it’s inevitably misunderstood by those who feel attacked by feminists, sociologically-informed bloggers, and others who use the term.

Many a white person sporting dreadlocks or a bindi online has taken cultural appropriation to mean the policing of what white people can or can’t wear and enjoy. Read more

[fineyoungeconomist]

MIPSTERS MUSLIM HIPSTERS

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WHY CARE ABOUT THE NSA?

The FYE does not believe we must decide between "safety" and our "privacy". That is a false choice. In fact, the FYE believes that the NSA lays the groundwork for a police state, where civil liberties are put at risk.

"If Joe McCarthy had access to the NSA's tools, what could have been done with that? How many more lives could have been ruined?"

If you're an activist, historically, we have seen information like this used against activists ie. the FBI spying on MLK Jr., East Germany, etc. 

"Its naive to imagine you can have separate branches of government, when one branch, the executive, knows the entire private life and communications, private conversations, of every other branch." 

[fineyoungeconomist]

ADVERTISEMENT USES BEASTIE BOYS AND RUBE GOLDBERGS TO GET GIRLS TO BE ENGINEERS

The company Goldiebox produces and distributes toys to "disrupt the pink aisle." And there is nothing more that the FYE loves more than Rube Goldbergs. The FYE has wasted hours watching the Japanese Rube Goldberg show, "Pythagoras Switch".

The FYE has niece, and second coming soon. They are brilliant and your FYE is working hard to create them in his own image; making them interpret charts and graphs from an early age, exercising their synesthesia, and shock therapy music education. 

[fineyoungeconomist]

EMPATHIC CIVILIZATION

Author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our development and our society. This video is based on Rifkin's lecture at the RSA.

[fineyoungeconomist]

CAUSES OF DEATH VISUALLY BROKEN DOWN. 

1.7 billion years of Human Life are forfeited yearly do to early death. 40% of these deaths (in Yellow) are preventable with basic medication, clean water, and basic neo-natal care. For 38 cents, you could save a diarrhea victim. 

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington created the massive database on which this graphic is based. Known as the Global Burden of Disease, it quantifies the incidence and impact of every conceivable illness and injury. 

The FYE's father has been doing this for years, in his head. He is a genius. At a dinner party, my father may ask you some personal questions about your lifestyle and family health history. Then he will draw you one of his famous, "Pie Charts of Death" where he diagrams what you will mostly likely die of and includes percentages. He usually will do this loudly, and share his findings with others at the party.

[fineyoungeconomist]

JUDGE NAPOLITANO PUT ON HIATUS FOR RAGING AGAINST THE MACHINE

This was on Fox News "FREEDOM WATCH". He referred to recent US military interventions as "meaningless wars". He stated Bush, Obama, and Romney policies were all the same. We have no choice. 

Judge Napolitano of Fox News delivers this eerily insightful five minute tirade. Sadly, he probably would have been fired from MSNBC, Al Jazeera America, and CNN as well. 

[fineyoungeconomist]

PHILIPPINES LEAD NEGOTIATOR GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE OVER CLIMATE CHANGE

At an opening speech at the UN climate talks in Warsaw, Yab Sano added an unscripted pledge to fast during the conference, until meaningful progress had been made. He said:

“In solidarity with my countrymen who are struggling to find food back home and with my brother who has not had food for the last three days, in all due respect Mr. President, and I mean no disrespect for your kind hospitality, I will now commence a voluntary fasting for the climate. This means I will voluntarily refrain from eating food during this COP until a meaningful outcome is in sight.”

"What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness. The climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness right here in Warsaw,"

Sano is looking for "concrete pledges" for a Green Climate Fund meant to distribute money to the developing world for coping with climate change, and agreement on a loss and damage mechanism for global-warming effects that are too late to avoid.

Choking back tears, he told delegates the typhoon, estimated to have caused 10,000 deaths, had hit his own home village in a country frequently battered by such storms. 

Mad respect. 

[fineyoungeconomist]

MIDDLE EAST INTERESTS SOMEWHAT EXPLAINED

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GUY FAWKES MASK FACTORY IN SAO GONCALO IN RIO DE JANEIRO

Business is booming for the sweatshop owner of the Guy Fawkes mask factory in Brazil. Canada outlawed the wearing of masks during civil demonstrations and protests this year. 

[fineyoungeconomist]

GREENPEACE VIDEO ON BARBIE CUTTING DOWN RAINFORESTS FOR PACKAGING

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MOST POPULAR BABY GIRLS NAMES BY STATE

How important is your name? Freakonomics finds trends throughout the the years, and patterns in how lower-income families name their children versus upper-income families. But they also argue that your name doesn't have any affect on how your life turns out.

[fineyoungeconomist]

RAY DALIO EXPLAINS HOW THE ECONOMY WORKS

Ray Dalio, founder of the radically transparent hedgefund Bridgewater released this animation clearly describing debt and credit cycles. The FYE strongly recommend you watch, as it makes fundamental economic theories easy to understand. 

In other news today, three economists who specialize in "over thinking it" won the Nobel Peace in economics for their contributions supporting and debunking the theory of "efficient markets". The FYE believes markets are not efficient, and are primarily driven by very inefficient human emotions of greed in good times, and by fear in uncertain times. 

[fineyoungeconomist]

CHINESE POLITICIANS FAR RICHER THAN US POLITICIANS

"Many Americans grumble about the wealth of their politicians, but they are paupers compared with their Chinese counterparts. The 50 richest members of America's Congress are worth $1.6 billion in all. In China, the wealthiest 50 delegates to the National People's Congress, the rubber-stamp parliament, control $94.7 billion. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, is the richest man in Congress, with $355m. China's richest delegate is Zong Qinghou, boss of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, a drinks-maker, whose wealth is almost $19 billion (including assets distributed to family). Last year Mr Zong was China's richest man, but was overtaken by Wang Jianlin, who is not a member of the NPC. Wealth can bring problems wherever you are. On September 20th, a man, angry at being refused a job, attacked Mr Zong with a knife near his home in Hangzhou. Mr Zong survived, with nasty cuts to his hand."

Source

[fineyoungeconomist]

HOTNESS QUOTIENTS OF ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES

In 2006, James Felton, Peter T. Koper, John Mitchell and Michael Stinson conducted pointless research that sought to establish if perceived hotness of professors affected their RateMyProfessors evaluations for teaching quality. The FYE thinks its plain mean and we shouldn't pay attention to it. 

However, there is general consensus that math, computer science, engineering, and chemistry enjoy a dis-proportionate amount of uglies- but you know what? Those dweeby pizza-faces got us to the moon. 

Economists surely do not belong in the quartile. Faulty data. 

HOT STUFF

  Felton et al. ranked the relative hotness quotients of 36 different academic disciplines. Whatever. I bet this is Felton's personal hotness chart. What a creep.