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(Nationwide, hiring has...) WASHINGTON: Unemployment rates rose in more than half of US states in July and fewer states added jobs, echoing national data that show the job market may have lost some momentum. The Labor Department said Monday that unemployment rates increased in 28 states.

The Germany tax rates for an individual are 14% - 45% of their total income. Singles pay on income above EUR 250,731 (couples, on income above EUR 501,462) income tax of 45% before 5.5% solidarity tax and 8%-9% church tax.  An individual is liable for tax on his income as an employee and on income as a self-employed person. An individual who meets the test of a "permanent resident" of Germany will have the tax calculated on his income in Germany and from overseas

Germany's low unemployment rate hides real hardship

Article #4

Mr. Rangel admitted that he occupies four rent-stabilized apartments in a high-class New York City building. It turns out that in a city with a very tight housing market, Mr. Rangel has fought himself a pretty good deal, thanks to rent-control laws that are apparently aimed at helping the poor and middle class. Mr. Rangel, the powerful Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, uses his fourth apartment, six floors below, as a campaign office, despite state and city regulations that require rent-stabilized apartments to be used as a primary residence. Mr. Rangel, paid a total rent of $3,894 monthly in 2007 for the four apartments at Lenox Terrace, a 1,700-unit luxury development of six towers, with doormen, that is described in real estate publications as Harlem's most prestigious address. The current market-rate rent for similar apartments in Mr. Rangel's building would total $7,465 to $8,125 a month. 

As the supply of diamonds keeps becoming scarcer, the demand for diamonds is increasing greatly. Global factors affecting the large demand for diamonds are increase in consumer wealth, better marketing tactics, western influence, and future value/prices. In India specifically where the population growth rate reached over 25 % - which has also led to the rise of a middle class - diamonds are now being seen as a "status symbol", or as a way to show off, the demand for diamonds is increasing quickly. China has as well due to strategically improved marketing tactics and western influences increased its use of diamond wedding rings up to 40 % of all women. As diamond prices are higher than a few years ago, diamonds can be seen as worthy to invest in because of their increasing value and finite supply. 

The world demand for diamond keeps increasing signaling that diamonds are becoming scarcer and scarcer. Producers will therefore increase the prices of diamonds as it is a limited source, producers will also however try to find more diamonds so that the resource isn't as limited. Depending on the consumer's income, demand for diamonds will decrease with higher prices. Consumers will also switch to an alternative market - an increase in demand for other stones, gems - as their behavior will change. Consumers will also ration diamonds and if purchasing it, purchase it in lower amounts.

This article covers a decrease in China's rate of inflation (disinflation, especially in regard to the prices for groceries. It also mentions that Chna 'may be reaching a new normal of growth'.

Article #1

The consumer incentives have changed and have increased the demand to now be much higher than previously. What this does to the producer incentives is that it makes then want to supply more because they will both make more money for each unit and be selling more at a faster rate. The new resource allocation that would take place from this event would be that previously allocated resources for other things are now being moved towards agriculture and food producing industries. For example if cows were previously being bred due to their high price, because the demand has increased the producers may now be willing to buy these cows for dairy products or milk.

Article #3

Article #2

In this nes article it talks about the great problem that Spain is facing in the recession regarding unemployment. They do mention that even though unemployment has dropped from 27.2% to 26.3%.through this we can see that maybe some figures with regard to unemployment could be seasonal as the unemployment figures dropped during strong tourist season. Neverhteless most of the people without jobs have been unemployed for over a year which means that a lot of this unemployment is cyclic, which we can see as spain is in the middle of a terrible recession. Even though the Spanish economy is starting to experience slight profit and growth, they do experience long term issues in regard to the high youth unemployment that is at 56%.

The happy news is that the American economy is producing more jobs and the unemployment rate is continuing to fall. The less happy news is that, in the words of economist Gary Burtless, this is happening "at a heartbreakingly slow pace." This is how the article starts. According to Burtless, employer survey show that payroll have been rising about 190,000 a month, fast enough that we would expect unemployment to fall. However, the article states that it would take about 5 or 6 years to reach unemployment. Futurists envisioned a world where the wealth produced by an economy required few laborers. The truth is that in the plant today, the rich are richer and everyone else is living with less.

Article #3