Labels: academic review, Community, decriminalize, dodyg, tomorrow's pioneers

"UNEMPLOYMENT is creeping ever higher. In the United States it will soon exceed 10%. In parts of Europe it is closer to 20%. Around the world young people are finding it all but impossible to get a job.

So far policymakers have focused on rescuing the economy from free fall, boosting demand, however indiscriminately, and rescuing failing companies, however expensively (AIG received $180 billion-worth of government support). But policymakers are beginning to turn their minds to the potentially more rewarding question of creating tomorrow?s jobs, rather than trying to save yesterday?s. The buzzwords in government circles are entrepreneurship, innovation and venture capital.

This makes perfect sense, in theory. Innovative start-ups are efficient engines of job creation and long-term economic growth. In America start-ups have accounted for almost all the net job creation in the past couple of decades. In the developing world, new technologies are helping to break the cycle of poverty. An extra ten mobile phones per 100 people in a typical developing country boosts GDP growth by 0.8 percentage points, according to the World Bank, by helping small entrepreneurs flourish."

The Economist is recommending the Israeli Model.

"Last year Israel, a country of just over 7m people, attracted as much venture capital as France and Germany combined. Israel has more start-ups per head than any other country (a total of 3,850, or one for every 1,844 Israelis), and more companies listed on the NASDAQ exchange, a hub for fledgling technology firms, than China and India combined. It may not have the same comforting ring as ?the Swedish model? or ?the polder model?, but when it comes to promoting entrepreneurship, ?the Israeli model? is the one to emulate.

H/T Andrew Sullivan.

"Over lunch before, my friend said "I hope noone gets killed today". I agreed, and then I realised what we'd said. It's a strange reality we're living in." (Kylie)

" According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the country has now recorded more than 250 000 cases of influenza-like illness, with 235 patients requiring intensive care. As of 2 November, 70 deaths from acute respiratory illness have been reported.

Regions in western Ukraine continue to show the highest rates of acute respiratory illness/influenza-like illness. The level of activity in the Kyiv area is also increasing rapidly.

Laboratory testing in Ukraine has confirmed pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in samples taken from patients in two of the most affected regions. As the pandemic virus has rapidly become the dominant influenza strain worldwide, it can be assumed that most cases of influenza in Ukraine are caused by the H1N1 virus." (WHO)

"A 10-ton fishing boat has been sunk by gigantic jellyfish off eastern Japan." Telegraph

"The Czech constitutional court has ruled that the Lisbon Treaty is in line with the constitution, clearing the way for President Vaclav Klaus to sign it.

Why is this guy smiling?

Because Lisbon Treaty introduces these changes to EU

"What are the main institutional changes introduced by the Treaty?
Differently from the current Treaties, the Treaty of Lisbon offers the perspective to keep one Commissioner of each Member State in the Commission. European Union leaders have committed themselves to take a decision in this vein on the basis of the Treaty provisions.

The European Parliament will have no more than 751 members. The delegate numbers for each country have been fixed to a maximum of 96 and a minimum of 6 for each Member State.

A new permanent post, the President of the European Council, is created. He or she will be appointed by the European Council for a two and a half years period. This will provide greater continuity and stability to the work of the European Council.

It creates a High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He or she will also become Vice-President of the Commission, and will chair the External Relations Council. This will strengthen coherence in external action and raise the EU?s profile in the world, ?putting a face? on the Union." (europea.eu)

And Tony Blair is the leading candidate for the position.

EVERYBODY'S GOT A CAR!