Soaring Price of Wings Begets Boneless Substitutes

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

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.

In just half an hour

(NEWSER) - Competitive eating legend Takeru Kobayashi wolfed down 337 chicken wings in half an hour today in Philadelphia, shattering the previous record of 255, set just last year. Some 20,000 spectators turned up for Wing Bowl XX, and Kobayashi took home a $20,000 cash prize, the AP reports. It was Kobayashi's first year at the Bowl, the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. "I could probably eat another 100 wings or so," he said afterward. More»

Civil war has led to staggering prices in Angola's capital

(NEWSER) - If you thought the most expensive city in the world was someplace like London or New York, wait until you get a load of the prices in Luanda, Angola. A house will set you back $10,000 a month, a hotel room $400 a night, and an SUV rental $200 a day, the BBC reports. And don't even ask about the food—tomatoes cost more than $7 a pound. Beef costs more than $20 per pound—"and that is frozen, not even fresh," one resident complains. Luanda has been the most expensive city for expatriates two years in a row in one major survey. More»

...according to economists, who share their forecasts with WaPo

(NEWSER) - We know the "what": The payroll tax cut is set to expire within days, meaning changes to jobless benefits and doctors who treat Medicare patients will kick in, and the average American will miss out on $40 a paycheck . The Washington Post explores the "what does it mean" side of things, discussing the consequences with economists. Should the policies be extended, about $140 billion would get pushed into the economy. In coming up with their calculations, economists have to make some assumptions about what Americans would do with that $140 billion, but the Post reports that growth would likely slow by 1% to 1.5%, and between 500,000 and 750,000 new jobs that would have been created won't be. More»