Commentary on the internet and looking for love, why countries save or spend, Ron Paul’s libertarianism, the contraception debate, China worries, starting at Tesco, and Rick Mercer’s Rant on Vic.

Googling for love.

Economist -- The modern matchmakers
Internet dating sites claim to have brought science to the age-old question of how to pair off successfully. But have they?

Institutional building blocks not cultural habits is the key to saving or not saving. (ed’s note – it becomes cultural).

CNN -- Why America spends while the world saves
The following is an edited transcript of my interview with Sheldon Garon, a professor of history and East Asian studies at Princeton University and author of the new book, Beyond Our Means: Why America Spends While the World Saves.

The strange candidacy of Ron Paul.

New Yorker -- Party Crasher
On December 16, 2007, on the two-hundred-and-thirty-fourth anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Ron Paul, congressman and Presidential candidate, presided over a nationwide fund-raiser.

The contraception and abortion debate breaks out.

New York Times  -- The ‘Safe, Legal, Rare’ Illusion
AMID the sound and fury of the latest culture-war battles — first over breast cancer dollars and Planned Parenthood, and then over the White House’s attempt to require that religious employers cover contraception and potential abortifacients — it’s easy to forget that there is at least some common ground in American politics on sex, pregnancy, marriage and abortion.

Related.

Slate -- The Pro-life Case for Planned Parenthood
We have a late-breaking frontrunner for dumbest policy idea of 2008: defunding Planned Parenthood in the name of fighting abortion.

The problem(s) with China.

Forbes -- Rearranging The Deck Chairs On The SS Chinese Economy
“Starting from this year, we have lowered the target of economic growth,” Vice President Xi Jinping told the Irish Times in an interview published Saturday.

Related.

The Knowledge Effect -- Foxconn Technology – Graphic of the Day
Apple’s top manufacturer in China, Foxconn Technology, is having no problems luring new workers to churn out an array of Apple gadgets, despite the firm’s reputation as a tough employer amidst a thorough probe into its labor practices. Today’s graphic shows the the different Foxconn locations throughout China. It also shows the change in number of employees & revenue since 2006.

Getting a foot into the job market. (ed’s note – my first job was in the parking lot at the Metro Zoo).

Independent -- If you want a job, 'slave labour' at Tesco isn't a bad place to start
They seem to think that working in a shop is something that should make you feel demeaned.

Quote worth noting.

“They seem to agree with a young woman called Cait Reilly, who seemed to think that to work for three weeks in a shop, while the taxpayer paid her benefits, was a breach of her "human rights".”

Rick lets loose.

The Rick Mercer Report – Rick’s Rant
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