TODAY'S FAVORITE HEADLINES

“The idea that ‘I will sacrifice to save my job’ is dying,” said Ralf Berchthold, a spokesman with Ver.di, the largest services union in Germany. “People are ready to fight now.”

Source: For Europe’s Middle-Class, Stagnant Wages Stunt Lifestyle
By CARTER DOUGHERTY and KATRIN BENNHOLD
Published: May 1, 2008
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"People are cleaning out their houses of gold, silver, whatever, to get money just to fill their cars with gas," said Nat Leonard, 51, whose grandfather opened Society Hill in 1929. "People are pawning out like crazy."

Business is up maybe 20 percent over last year

Economy great - for pawnshops
Posted on Fri, May. 2, 2008
By Alfred Lubrano
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
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"You lose money, you jump out the window, too bad. It's your problem," said Vincent Chan, head of China research for Credit Suisse. "For any market to grow, this is something the government should realize: At the end of the day it's the investors who bear the responsibility of the investment, not other people."

China Leaves Small Investors Behind on Road To Capitalism
By Ariana Eunjung Cha
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, May 3, 2008; A01
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"The real genius to Ameya Preserve is that it foresees that global warming might take the fun out of being rich. What if they wouldn't let you jet to two vacation homes per week? But at Ameya, some of the wealthiest people in the world would get to feel that, with no noticeable change in their habits or behavior, they could still be part of the solution. In this way, what Dokken offers most closely resembles the medieval sale of Indulgences; instead of examining or changing behavior, well-heeled sinners simply paid the fine, went right on sinning. After all, they could afford it."

Source: Luxury community of "conscience" - When the locals cried green-wash, the elite developer cried class envy. Welcome to Paradise Valley.
By Fred Haefele
salon.com