Studies like this don't really impress me: Women Who Lost Virginity Early More Likely To Divorce. It's nice to see empirical support for the idea that poor upbringing results in poor results, but I don't think we can conclude from this kind of study that premarital sex leads to divorce. I think we can merely conclude that skanky behavior marks a person for continuing questionable behavior later in life. If you're the type of person who has sex before marriage, you're more likely to be the type of person who doesn't frown hard enough on divorce. * * * * * * * * A year ago, economic gloom lists were the province of the libertarian crowd. Now, they're commonplace, so much so that even the left-wing Times has gotten into the act. Here's a roundup of factoids and survey stats indicating that the economy isn't looking so hot, to put it mildly. Excerpt: "24 The percentage of Americans who have currently a six-month emergency fund. An equal percentage of those surveyed (24%) say they have no emergency savings whatsoever." * * * * * * * Note: Light blogging winds blowing ahead. Blogging time and script will be scarce. * * * * * * * Smoking Fascists take another obnoxious step: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided on the final images that will serve as mandated warning labels on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. The images are disturbing. They include a man smoking through a hole in his neck, healthy lungs juxtaposed with a diseased set, a cancer-ridden mouth filled with rotting teeth, and a dead body with autopsy stitches down its chest." Link. * * * * * * * I guess I applaud: A bill in Congress would make privately issued student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy. Link. The result should be a decrease in student loans, which will decrease the bottomless well of money that flows to colleges and universities, which will decrease the ability of colleges and universities to jack up tuition. That's how I see it, anyway. I haven't seen any commentary on the issue.
