IMF: Global Recession Is Over

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.

The Acropolis, the temple of Delphi, and Parthenon going for $2,070 a day

(NEWSER) - Debt-stricken Greece is taking an unprecedented step and exploiting its own magnificent history to raise cash and help its crippled economy. The Guardian reports that Greece is offering up its architectural masterpieces, including the Acropolis, the temple of Delphi, and the Parthenon, as backdrops for movies, commercials, and photo shoots—for $2,070 a day. The culture minister promises to be selective, but the plan is still controversial as the sites are considered sacred cultural landmarks. More»

Poll finds Anne Sinclair more popular than husband's successor at IMF

(NEWSER) - Standing by her man has made Anne Sinclair a very popular woman in France. Dominique Strauss-Kahn's wife has been named as woman of the year by a French women's magazine after topping an opinion poll, the New York Post reports. With 25%, Sinclair came out ahead of Christine Lagarde, Strauss-Kahn's successor as IMF chief, who scored 24%. Tristane Banon, who accused DSK of attempted rape, came in last in the poll, with 4%. More»

Construction, manufacturing particularly hit hard

(NEWSER) - Only 7% of people who lost their jobs since the financial crisis of 2008 have returned to jobs as good as or better than the ones they used to have, reports the New York Times . Most people who have found new work say it is less lucrative, and 15% say that reduction has been "dramatic" and most likely permanent, according to a new study released today by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers. “The news is strikingly bad,” said a professor of public policy and political science, adding that the numbers represent “a tremendous impression of dislocation and pain and wasted talent.” More»

It avoided harsh austerity measures and is doing better: Paul Krugman

(NEWSER) - Markets are thrilled that Europe finally cut a deal, "however vague the details and however inadequate it may prove," writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . The deal is better than nothing, he writes, but it once again highlights the misguided doctrine he says is doing great harm to the US and Europe: the idea "that, in the aftermath of a financial crisis, banks must be bailed out but the general public must pay the price." At a time when governments should be spending to create jobs, they're buying into the false notion that austerity will work instead. More»