Did you miss CETERIS NON PARIBUS? One reader, presumably sober, commented that “This is a genuine masterpiece!”
U.S.: A demographics roadblock for globalization
Recent research by YouGov shows that after the age of 45, Americans view free trade as a bad thing.[1] That was never such a big deal in the past since older workers were a minority of the voter population. That’s not the case anymore. As today’s Hot Chart shows, for the first time in U.S. history people aged 45+ will account for the majority of the prospective voter population in the upcoming election (by the way, that’s the same age group that overwhelmingly voted for Brexit during the UK referendum). This means that the protectionist rhetoric has traction, and both presidential candidates know it. This could be a dangerous and slippery slope for the global economy and that’s why we expect gold to keep its lustre through the end of the year. (NBF)
Neat stuff:
Shifting Incomes for American Jobs
HOW TO BOOST PRODUCTIVITY, CHINESE WAY
This from the Facebook page of the People’s Daily:
A video went viral online in which a trainer hired by the said Changzhi Rural Commercial Bank spanked the employees on stage with a plank. “Why you ranked the lowest today?” The trainer is caught on tape asking, and the employees waited in a row to answer, “Because I have not exceeded myself”. Then the trainer spanked them from behind. One employee could be seen apparently in unbearable pain that she jumped out of the row.
The announcement made by the Shanxi Rural Credit Cooperatives said that this was a “Breakthrough in Performance” training session for their employees. The trainers were hired from “Hongfeng Leadership Academy” in Shanghai. One of the trainers graded their performance on June 18, and punished those who ranked bottom by spanking and cutting hair.
The bank said it has stopped the training session, asked the Leadership Academy and its trainer to openly apologize, and suspended several managing personnels from the branch. Economic compensation is in discussion for the spanked employees, said the announcement.
Caliphate crumbling: IS loses ground
The American-led fight against Islamic State is gaining momentum. On Wednesday coalition aircraft struck targets around the recently liberated city of Fallujah, in central Iraq. Preliminary estimates put the death toll at 250 militants, which would make it one of the deadliest attacks against IS. In northern Iraq, the army is advancing towards an air base from where it could stage future attacks on Mosul, the biggest city held by IS. The jihadists are also facing pressure in Syria, where a month-long offensive by American-backed rebels is closing on the northern city of Manbij. Success there would cut an important supply route linking Turkey to Raqqa, the self-proclaimed caliphate’s de facto capital—and the next target, say American officials. But IS has pushed back elsewhere, such as in al-Bukamal, near the border with Iraq. And territorial losses have not, it seems, hurt the jihadists’ ability to strike abroad.
Pretty thoughtful cartoon (Tks Terry):
