Economyth

A report says one in every two students in India drop out by 9th grade. Here’s the full article in India’s ENews.
If this is true, it poses some potential danger to a nation that has 63% of its population between ages 15- 64. Here’s details on demographics
Many factors can be responsible for students to drop out of school, and we just discussed one in class – how it’s easy to get a job with a foreign company that pays a lot of money. As CBS reports, it’s easier for American companies to higher people in India. Here’s an article by CBS.

Funny that Mugabe would be so concerned that voters are hungry. Infact he has set up a committee to look into feeding people according to Zimbabwe’s Herald Newspaper. Read more

As food prices rise all over the world, ABC news reported that many people in Zimbabwe are moving to South Africa for better chance of survival. This has caused a lot of fights between the natives and the immigrants. Here’s an article on how the food prices have forced many to leave Zimbabwe: Here’s details

It’s about time Mugabe set up a food committee…

Something about African leaders and power, once they’re elected, they don’t like to leave office. This is probably so in any country – every president wants a second term. But when one has ruled for 28 years, it’s polite that he passes power to someone else, that’s what Mugabe has refused to do. “The Zimbabwe Standard,” an online newspaper reported how Mugabe is deliberately delaying the election run-off to remain in power. Since he has refused to step down despite the clear winning of the opposition party, everyone is waiting for the result of the run-off. Read more here

Meanwhile, as the president, Mugabe still has the power. With that power, the AFP just released a story on how Mugabe may be responsible for plotting the assassination of about 40 members of the opposing party: Find out how Zimbabweans are waiting for Godot.

This is a broadcast video that emerged with the reporting I did for my Economics project. It covers a lot of general economic news… I hope its fun to watch!   CLICK ME!

Recent expansion in the domestic healthcare industry has spared the country from lower unemployment and made it easier for politicians to claim America has avoided a deep recession. Continued reliance on healthcare as the driver of the U.S. economic engine, however, could create an unhealthy scenario.

Domestic healthcare cannot be easily packaged, shipped or emailed overseas, which means, for the most part, that Americans have paid for economic growth in this area. But consumers who bankrolled the healthcare boom soon may not have the money to continue spending on medical services. Already battered by soaring food and fuel costs, U.S. consumers with health insurance may have to choose between paying the pump to drive to work and buying medical services that aren’t covered under their policy. Those who lose their jobs or are forced to accept part-time work simply will not be able to purchase healthcare. Clive Cook in the FT highlights one solution that none of the Presidential candidates have talked about.

Yahoo Finance reported on a list of the best places to live in the United States according to Relocate-America.com. Number One? Charlotte, NC. The only city in the top ten that is not in the Midwest or South is Seattle, WA.

According to Yahoo, Relocate-America.com takes into account an area’s growth, its educational and employment opportunities, crime rates and housing options before granting it a spot in the top 100.”

 ”Charlotte’s diversity of housing options and home affordability were two of the reasons users nominated the city, Nickerson said. The city’s strong economy, boosted largely by the banking industry, was another selling point.”

No more oil will spring from the deserts of Saudi Arabia anytime soon. Despite repeated requests by President Bush for Saudi Arabia to increase oil production in the face of a barrel of oil reaching $128 and gas hitting $4 at the pump, Ali Al-Naimi, the Saudi oil minister, refused. Al-Naimi asserts that “supply and demand are in balance today.” That statement stands in direct contract to skyrocketing global demand Jad Mouawad writes about in his New York Times piece, “Oil Price Rise Fails to Open Tap.”

Here is a short list I put together of some helpful personal finance/consumer blogs I read periodically.

The Simple Dollar

Trent Hamm used his own financial crisis as motivation to learn anything and everything about how finances work to fix his own situation. He started this blog to share information about what he learned. He blogs about things like how to save money at the grocery store and conducts his own financial analysis experiments to show how DIY pays off.

The Consumerist

Part of the Gawker Media family, the Consumerist is a good place to go for consumer news and useful information about products on the market. They have tons of info, too, on travel news–especially airlines–and those frequent consumer oddities like being given a credit card without applying for one.

Get Rich Slowly

This blog is pretty much all about personal finance, with tons of tips about how to get deals and save money on everything from cars to tea.

The Checkout

This is a Washington Post blog written by three female Post business reporters who offer their perspective on what are often national, but sometimes global topics.

So says economist blogger Ronald R. Cooke in the article Unemployment: What Is The Real Story?

The “Bureau Of Labor Statistics (BLS) understates the rate of inflation,” wrote Cooke.

The unemployment rate in April is closer to 8.1% rather than the 5 percent figure released by the BLS on May 2, he said. Cooke also gave reasons why the jobless figure could increase to over 12% before this business cycle is over.

Weak Dollar Crimps Study Abroad appeared today in the WSJ. The article shed light on something I hadn’t thought about before.

The weak U.S. dollar is impacting students’ choices of where to pursue higher education.

There has been a decrease in the number of American students going to Western Europe, especially the United Kingdom, for study abroad programs and higher education, wrote authors Kelly Evans and Sarah Murry.

Instead Asia, Africa and Latin America – countries in which the greenback buys more compared to Europe – have become more attractive and affordable choices for students.

“While London, Florence and Madrid continue to be top destinations for Syracuse students, she says, Hong Kong, Beijing and Santiago are growing quickly in popularity.”

This article took me by surprise because I had thought the higher-end universities in Europe would offer scholarships, loans and bursaries, especially to those American students who they really wanted in the irprograms. But I guess that because the U.S. dollar is down, some financial aid may still not make it possibel for most/some? students to study in parts of Europe.