Times Are A-Changin'

It really does get better, according to The Economist!

Still... nothing beats atheists and agnostics...

Injustice we trust

The Economist has a couple of articles on America's justice and prison system, one of which gives an overlook of their general problems in comparison with those of our peers, and the other is a more detailed briefing of their current state and the contributing factors that go with it.

A Picture is Worth A 'Lost Decade'

Thank you, George W. Bush and coterie, for this wonderful mess you created for us.

And in your face supporters of the latter's economic policies.

(Found via Think Progress)

Balkan Demographics

The Economist analyzes demographics in the Balkans. Population seems to be declining all across the board, although it is expected that by 2050 the population of Albania will have increased. I don't know if I agree with that, but they know best... sorta....

The World of Couch Potatoes

Ever wonder how much television people of different countries watch on average?

The Economist satisfies your curiosity.

Immigrants & National Pride

The chart below, taken from The Economist, shows pride in one's country. Australia and Canada top the list. (Flip of the middle finger to you Canada scorners!)

This second chart taken from Think Progress shows the percentage of foreign-born individuals in the top three countries with foreign-born population. Australia and Canada once again top the list—and in that order, too!

Whaddya know?! Immigrants are not detrimental to 'trust, admiration, respect and pride in [one's] country,' to use the language of The Economist.

Suck it, Xenophobia!

Times Are A-Changin'

The Economist had an article today about the discrepancy in approval rates of the United States between Eastern and Western Europe. Approval rates apparently soared in countries like Germany or Great Britain, but merely budged upward in countries like Poland and Romania. The article puts a lot of the blame for the phenomenon on the U.S. stance on the missile defense system that had been promised to eastern European countries but is no longer planned, as well as on the NATO actions regarding the region.

I would venture to add that many countries in Eastern Europe still have a lot of misconceptions about the United States and its role in European and world affairs, as well as in the politics that each party represents in the United States. In other words, it makes no difference whether a Democrat or Republican is president; to Eastern Europe, America remains America. Obama's race may have a role in it, too... but that's just my opinion and I cannot support it statistically.

And I also liked their cartoon on the article.

California in the News

California seemed to be the main preoccupation of last week's edition of The Economist, from the expansion of the state in the 1960s and its initial and recurring problems, to the troubled state of the University of California system, and the legalization of marijuana and the economic consequences that accompany it.

NPR follows up with a report on the popularity of medical marijuana in the state. The audio can be found at the same link, since it cannot be embedded here. More marijuana news from a retirement community in Orange County, where the residents are trying to popularize the use of marijuana, as well as encourage its cultivation within the community. The accompanying audio is, again, at the same link.

Birth Rates

According to The Economist, a new study in Nature contradicts the popular belief that the rich have fewer children. With a rise in the Human Development Index (indicator of better life), populations in those countries began to have fewer children. As the HDI increased further, however, those same populations began to have more children, as indicated by the graph below. Many factors are suspected to be behind this trend.

On related news, Europe is showing an overall increase in its birth rate. Certainly good news for those xenophobic nativists who fear that the increases occur only within muslim immigrant populations.

Torture Around the World

The Economist published results from a poll on torture today. Apparently, almost half of Americans think that some degree of abuse should be allowed, bringing its acceptance slightly higher than in Russia. Meanwhile, only about 10-15% of Spaniards, Brits and French seem to want it.