Looking for other reporting on the change to shorter work week, I found an interesting article at The Economist's website about another change to French labor law recently passed by the National Assembly to make it more difficult for employers to lay off workers when their business is profitable. The conflict between the ideals of social justice and economics are fascinating. As with the 35 hour work week, business types are predicting this will hurt the competiveness of French industry and reduce foreign investment. It may be too soon to say if the 35 hour work week is a success or not, but it seems to me you have to applaud the French for at least trying to make business act like it's part of society (which it is) and bound by rules other than the those of the markets.
Saturday, June 30, 2001
America, faites-attention!
35 Hour Work Week Does Not Destroy France. The reporting in this article is a little light in the loafers. Witness: "There is even anecdotal evidence that French male, blue-collar workers are doing the midweek shopping; or learning how the iron works." Still, there's a valuable lesson to learned from the French. (Never thought you'd hear that, eh?) People can have more free time without the country falling to pieces. Despite dire forecasts, going to a 35 hour work week didn't make France into Germany's bitch. (link via the web today)
Looking for other reporting on the change to shorter work week, I found an interesting article at The Economist's website about another change to French labor law recently passed by the National Assembly to make it more difficult for employers to lay off workers when their business is profitable. The conflict between the ideals of social justice and economics are fascinating. As with the 35 hour work week, business types are predicting this will hurt the competiveness of French industry and reduce foreign investment. It may be too soon to say if the 35 hour work week is a success or not, but it seems to me you have to applaud the French for at least trying to make business act like it's part of society (which it is) and bound by rules other than the those of the markets.
Looking for other reporting on the change to shorter work week, I found an interesting article at The Economist's website about another change to French labor law recently passed by the National Assembly to make it more difficult for employers to lay off workers when their business is profitable. The conflict between the ideals of social justice and economics are fascinating. As with the 35 hour work week, business types are predicting this will hurt the competiveness of French industry and reduce foreign investment. It may be too soon to say if the 35 hour work week is a success or not, but it seems to me you have to applaud the French for at least trying to make business act like it's part of society (which it is) and bound by rules other than the those of the markets.
Thursday, June 28, 2001
Minipops
It's a shame Minipops is defunct. There's a quite nice little archive though of icon sized pop figures there. The Fall, Yo La Tengo, and Fugazi (and many more) are all represented. (link via why oh why?)
Thursday, June 21, 2001
Sad passings...
John Lee Hooker & Carroll O'Connor both died today. O'Connor's portrayal of Archie Bunker was at least 30 years ahead of its time -- to this day there hasn't been an American tv character as wrong and hilarious since -- though Sherman Hemsley's George Jefferson shouldn't be slighted. Hooker's songs about drinking, One Bourbon, One Scotch, And One Beer being probably the most famous thanks to Thorogood's cover, pretty much determined the course of thirty odd years of the blues/boogie strain of rock-n-roll via The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds (and the bands that sprang from 'em), etc...
Wednesday, June 20, 2001
Tuesday, June 19, 2001
Oh so close...
We've been on the edge of our seats since the 7th inning, but Wakefield just lost his no-hit bid in the 9th. That knuckler must've been fluttering pretty good tonight.
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