Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Finding a job, human rights, and Mish's Google talk

Barbara Kiviat tells us how we can find jobs using social networking sites. Essentially, if more people knowing you're looking for a job helps, then social networking sites get the word out quickly to a lot of people who can vouch for you. I don't usually blog on this sort of article, but I think it's interesting how technology affects the job market.

On another issue I don't usually blog about--here, particularly--the SCSU Scholars argue that a problem with poverty being called a "human right violation" is that such a claim requires identifiable violators to violate rigid laws. One violates a right, or one does not violate a right, there is no inbetween. In the case of poverty, the so-called 'poverty line' is unclear, and there are no clear violators. It's an interesting argument, but my first thoughts are that prejudice also comes in degrees (arguably, a reason that it still exists in places where we consider ourselves to have moved past that), and that institutionalized corruption is largely to blame for poverty in developing nations. Institutionalized corruption is difficult to fight, though, especially when they're, almost by definition, better financed than those who would fight.

Mish gives a talk at Google on the state of the economy. Among other things, he predicts we'll dip into another recession. I've heard some people predict a second or a third dip into recession, but I haven't heard a lot of explanation for it. I think he's off base at times, but it's an interesting talk.

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