The Awl http://www.theawl.com/ Be Less Stupid Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:00:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 Office Colds And The Heroes Who Perpetuate Them http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/office-colds-and-the-heroes-who-perpetuate-them http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/office-colds-and-the-heroes-who-perpetuate-them#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:00:18 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/office-colds-and-the-heroes-who-perpetuate-them















Related: A Field Guide To Your Office Nemesis

Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Related: A Field Guide To Your Office Nemesis

Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/office-colds-and-the-heroes-who-perpetuate-them/feed 7 Your Handy Guide to Understanding America's Jobs Situation http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/your-handy-guide-to-understanding-americas-jobs-situation http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/your-handy-guide-to-understanding-americas-jobs-situation#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:00:11 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/your-handy-guide-to-understanding-americas-jobs-situation Do you want to be able to talk knowledgeably at fancy dinner parties with the ruling class about employment in America? Sure you do! So here are just a few simple graphs from our pals at the St. Louis Fed with a longer view—going back to either 2000 or to the early 90s, depending on data available—that explaining the trending in employment, hiring, unemployment and workforce participation in America. Above: what they call the "U6" number. That's the combined percentage of unemployed and underemployed, essentially.

Now let's look at job openings, at actual hires and at layoffs since the year 2000, in that order. These are all fairly good trends at the moment!

And what's the actual hard "unemployment rate" among civilians, as a percentage?

And the actual number of new people just recently seeking unemployment assistance.

Finally, this is the "civilian labor force participation rate." That expresses the percentage of employed and unemployed people in the group of people who could be employed in the country—so that excludes students, the retired, the young, the imprisoned, etc.

There! Now you're just as informed as a plutocrat!

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]]> Do you want to be able to talk knowledgeably at fancy dinner parties with the ruling class about employment in America? Sure you do! So here are just a few simple graphs from our pals at the St. Louis Fed with a longer view—going back to either 2000 or to the early 90s, depending on data available—that explaining the trending in employment, hiring, unemployment and workforce participation in America. Above: what they call the "U6" number. That's the combined percentage of unemployed and underemployed, essentially.

Now let's look at job openings, at actual hires and at layoffs since the year 2000, in that order. These are all fairly good trends at the moment!

And what's the actual hard "unemployment rate" among civilians, as a percentage?

And the actual number of new people just recently seeking unemployment assistance.

Finally, this is the "civilian labor force participation rate." That expresses the percentage of employed and unemployed people in the group of people who could be employed in the country—so that excludes students, the retired, the young, the imprisoned, etc.

There! Now you're just as informed as a plutocrat!

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2012/01/your-handy-guide-to-understanding-americas-jobs-situation/feed 19 How To Write A Satirical Pop Culture Book Sold At Urban Outfitters http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/how-to-write-a-satirical-pop-culture-book-sold-at-urban-outfitters http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/how-to-write-a-satirical-pop-culture-book-sold-at-urban-outfitters#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:00:06 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/how-to-write-a-satirical-pop-culture-book-sold-at-urban-outfitters
















Previously: It’s A Wonderful Lie: Bank Fraud, Bailouts And Ponzi Schemes In Bedford Falls

Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Previously: It’s A Wonderful Lie: Bank Fraud, Bailouts And Ponzi Schemes In Bedford Falls

Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/how-to-write-a-satirical-pop-culture-book-sold-at-urban-outfitters/feed 7 It’s A Wonderful Lie: Bank Fraud, Bailouts And Ponzi Schemes In Bedford Falls http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/it%e2%80%99s-a-wonderful-lie-bank-fraud-bailouts-and-ponzi-schemes-in-bedford-falls http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/it%e2%80%99s-a-wonderful-lie-bank-fraud-bailouts-and-ponzi-schemes-in-bedford-falls#comments Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:00:47 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/it%e2%80%99s-a-wonderful-lie-bank-fraud-bailouts-and-ponzi-schemes-in-bedford-falls

















Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/12/it%e2%80%99s-a-wonderful-lie-bank-fraud-bailouts-and-ponzi-schemes-in-bedford-falls/feed 2 A Field Guide To Your Office Nemesis http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/a-field-guide-to-your-office-nemesis http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/a-field-guide-to-your-office-nemesis#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:20:52 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/a-field-guide-to-your-office-nemesis

















Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/a-field-guide-to-your-office-nemesis/feed 17 An Illustrated Look At Some Of Literature's Near Brushes With Death http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/an-illustrated-look-at-some-of-literatures-near-brushes-with-death http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/an-illustrated-look-at-some-of-literatures-near-brushes-with-death#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:00:35 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/an-illustrated-look-at-some-of-literatures-near-brushes-with-death Last week, JK Rowling announced that, midway through writing the Harry Potter series, she nearly killed off Ron Weasley "out of spite." Ron isn't the first supporting character to narrowly avoid death in an author's rough draft. Here we look at some other close calls—and how those deaths would have affected the culture at large.





















Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> Last week, JK Rowling announced that, midway through writing the Harry Potter series, she nearly killed off Ron Weasley "out of spite." Ron isn't the first supporting character to narrowly avoid death in an author's rough draft. Here we look at some other close calls—and how those deaths would have affected the culture at large.





















Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/an-illustrated-look-at-some-of-literatures-near-brushes-with-death/feed 4 The New Parents' Guide To Car Shopping http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/the-new-parents-guide-to-car-shopping http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/the-new-parents-guide-to-car-shopping#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:00:46 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/the-new-parents-guide-to-car-shopping
















Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/the-new-parents-guide-to-car-shopping/feed 12 A Tabulated Breakdown Of The U.S. Postal Service http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-tabulated-breakdown-of-the-u-s-postal-service http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-tabulated-breakdown-of-the-u-s-postal-service#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:00:15 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-tabulated-breakdown-of-the-u-s-postal-service
















Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-tabulated-breakdown-of-the-u-s-postal-service/feed 4 A Monday Morning Diagramming Of The NFL http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-monday-morning-diagramming-of-the-nfl http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-monday-morning-diagramming-of-the-nfl#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:00:04 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-monday-morning-diagramming-of-the-nfl
























Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/09/a-monday-morning-diagramming-of-the-nfl/feed 1 A Thoroughly Scientific Investigation Of NASA's Sci-Fi Future http://www.theawl.com/2011/08/a-thoroughly-scientific-investigation-of-nasas-sci-fi-future http://www.theawl.com/2011/08/a-thoroughly-scientific-investigation-of-nasas-sci-fi-future#comments Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:00:35 +0000 Jon Methven http://www.theawl.com/2011/08/a-thoroughly-scientific-investigation-of-nasas-sci-fi-future Last week, it was announced that NASA is partnering with Tor/Forge to put more science in their science fiction. We like the idea of keeping the brilliant NASA engineers busy now that they’re no longer firing shuttles into the cosmos, but we see more than one potential problem with this arrangement.

























Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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]]> Last week, it was announced that NASA is partnering with Tor/Forge to put more science in their science fiction. We like the idea of keeping the brilliant NASA engineers busy now that they’re no longer firing shuttles into the cosmos, but we see more than one potential problem with this arrangement.

























Jon Methven is the author of This Is Your Captain Speaking, due out in 2012 by Simon & Schuster. He can be reached here, or follow him on Twitter @jonmethven.

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