The Reunification of Korea – a brief history

1910 – Japan forcibly “annexes” Korea and ravages the country. Often banning the language, forcing Japanese names, labor camps, and, during World War II, a sex-slave trade. 1945 – World War II ends and Korea is split into two governing zones, the North by the Soviet Union and the South by the U.S. A problem …

Happy Monday! 50 big name bankruptcies

I’ve got the Monday’s. What better way to celebrate than troll the bankruptcies. Did you know that Rembrandt lost it all in 1656 and so did Mark Twain in 1894 ? Here is a list of the major brands that went under during the Great Recession (2008-11). Of note, many of these companies are still alive, …

Do young Americans want to work?

As in, get a job? Despite all the haranguing on our economy and jobs market, why aren’t we talking more about the massive labor imbalance in our country? A recent Rutgers University survey of 571 Americans who graduated from college between 2006 and 2010 found that only 53% held full-time jobs. And yet, it’s not hard to …

Our consumer-driven growth model is broken: Now what?

Last week at dinner, our friend (@doyendon) challenged 1X57 to find, or at least contemplate, a solution to consumer-based economies, aka contemporary capitalism, which is causing a global crisis of unconscionable proportions – with food and energy prices soaring, world populations surging, and weather-related disasters like tornadoes, tsunamis, droughts, fires and floods increasing in frequency and scale. In a …

A Poem: Signs the economy is picking up

Last week the bells were sounding alarm The jobs report was down Housing is still in a depression The pundits are starting to talk double dip But what about my report Pennies on the ground 15x more pennies on the streets I’m hauling in the copper Strength in the economy? Bums are now only taking …