Tag: raising

The Century Long Search For The Elusive Answer To The Question “Does Raising The Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?” Shows Why Economics Is So Difficult – But Data Sure Helps
Journalism

The Century Long Search For The Elusive Answer To The Question “Does Raising The Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?” Shows Why Economics Is So Difficult – But Data Sure Helps

Veronika Dolar, SUNY Old Westbury For decades it was conventional wisdom in the field of economics that a higher minimum wage results in fewer jobs. In part, that’s because it’s based on the law of supply and demand, one of the most well-known ideas in economics. Despite it being called a “law,” it’s actually two theories that suggest if the price of something goes up – wages, for example – demand will fall – in this case, for workers. Meanwhile, their supply will rise. Thus an introduction of a high minimum wage would cause the supply of labor to exceed demand, resulting in unemployment. But this is just a theory with many built-in assumptions. Then, in 1994, David Card, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of this year’s Nobel winners, and the late Alan Kru...
‘Clink Clink’ You’ll Hear When Raising A Toast To The End Of 2020 – The Icy Backstory To That
LIFESTYLE

‘Clink Clink’ You’ll Hear When Raising A Toast To The End Of 2020 – The Icy Backstory To That

If ever there was a year to toast drawing to an end, it’s 2020. Over the festive period, people around the world will be raising a glass to better times ahead. Accompanying sighs of relief will likely be the subtle tinkling of ice. In researching a book on the social, medical and moral history of gin and tonic, I have imbibed – moderately – in bars from the Raffles Hotel in Singapore to the Morse Bar in Oxford. At each venue, my G&T was always served over ice. The history of chilled drinks goes back to antiquity. But it was the innovative “frozen water” trade from New England to India in the mid-19th century that popularized ice. Frigid luxury By that time, ice had been used to chill the drinks for millennia – but only ever for the elite. Chilled wine was all the rage in first-cent...
Raising More Concerns About Climate Change – A Record-Smasher, The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season
ENVIRONMENT, TECHNOLOGY

Raising More Concerns About Climate Change – A Record-Smasher, The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season

It was clear before the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season started that it was going to be busy. Six months later, we’re looking back at a trail of broken records, and the storms may still not be over even with the season’s official end on Nov. 30. This season had the most named storms, with 30, taking the record from the calamitous 2005 season that brought Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans. It was only the second time the list of storm names was exhausted since naming began in the 1950s. Ten storms underwent rapid intensification, a number not seen since 1995. Twelve made landfall in the U.S., also setting a new record. Six of those landfalling storms were hurricane strength, tying yet another record. Tropical storm tracks show how busy the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was. Brian McNoldy, ...
Air Pollution And COVID-19 Deaths – Studies Raising Questions About EPA’s ‘Acceptable Risk’
COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Air Pollution And COVID-19 Deaths – Studies Raising Questions About EPA’s ‘Acceptable Risk’

The pandemic is putting America’s air pollution standards to the test as the COVID-19 death toll rises. The U.S. government sets limits on hazardous air pollutants to try to protect public health, but it can be difficult to determine where to draw the line for what is considered “acceptable risk.” Power plants, factories and other pollution sources release hundreds of million pounds of hazardous pollutants into the air every year. As the coronavirus spreads, the pattern of deaths suggests there are serious weaknesses in the current public safeguards. Several studies have explored connections between air pollution and severe cases of the respiratory illnesses. The latest, published on Oct. 26, estimates that about 15% of people who died from COVID-19 worldwide had had long-term exposure ...