oh, larissa

Percentage of Women in National Parliaments.

For an interactive world map click here
(via Thiagu via ilovecharts)

(via onepointofview:ilovecharts)

Average income of the top 0.01% of US families as a mulitiple of average income of the bottom 90%; shrinking top marginal federal tax rate.

How Will You Die? (via fuckyeahgraphicdesign: newsweek: tanya77)

It would be interesting to see if see if there are any significant differences in the form of cancer.

Whenever Norway’s extensive social welfare system and high standard of living is discussed, conservatives like to say that they can only afford it because they are sitting on so much oil.

If that’s the case, then why does Sweden have a nearly identical system and standard of living, without much oil at all?

(click to enlarge; via axinomancy)

Bundanoon. It was here it all started. In a little rural community in New South Wales, Australia, with approximately 2,500 inhabitants. Bundanoon. Today they will all gather and by show of hands decide to ban bottled water from the town. All shop owners has agreed, despite the fact that they lose over a thousand bucks a years, each. They say it’s a moral question. I say it’s fucking brilliant.

It all started when a big bottled water company wanted to buy land from the town for drilling wells. Visitors and tourists will be encuraged to use tap water by being provided with empty bottles and public water fountains along the main street. Bottled water is a $500 million business in Australia and the townspeople are hoping that their initiative will catch on and spread. Lets all hope so. (via onepointofview)

July 08, 2009, 7:29pm

Despite appearances regarding Canada’s 1st place spot, it is interesting to note that:

• “Canada’s net taxation was 33.4% of GDP in the last year there is data for, while the US’s was 28.2%, both significantly lower than the mid 40%’s to 50%’s common in Europe.
• Government spending in Canada was 39.3% of GDP in Canada and 36.7% of GDP in the US. This smaller difference than revenues indicates that the US government operates further in the red, which is true. Canada has had a federal surplus every year since the 1990s, while the US has had a surplus in 2 years (1999 and 2000) since 1968. (sources: 1, 2)”

I don’t have data on hand, but it would be interesting to compare with Germany — which is sitting just below the OECD average, and also with Sweden and Australia against Canadian or American figures and factors.

Europe’s democracy deficit from The Economist

“Britain and the Netherlands kicked off the four-day process of electing members for the European Parliament on Thursday June 4th. It is one of the biggest democratic exercises in the world, with over 375m voters in 27 countries. But some voters lack enthusiasm. As the European Union has expanded, turnout has dwindled: from 62% at the first election in 1979 to 45% in 2004. Some blame a general decline in democratic engagement but, aside from countries with compulsory voting such as Belgium, the difference in turnout for national and European parliaments is substantial. And worryingly for Europhiles, turnout is worst in many of the newest members of the club, in eastern Europe.”

The government debt of the ten richest countries attending the G20 summits will hit 114% of GDP by 2014, up from 78% in 2007, according to a new IMF study. To measure how much fiscal pain would be required to bring gross debt ratios to a sustainable level, the IMF looked at demographic pressures and assumed that long-term interest rates exceed economic growth rates by a percentage point (the long-term pre-crisis average) and then calculated by how much primary budget balances would have to improve. The economists define this level as 60% or, for Japan, half of today’s figure (ie, 85%). Their results suggest that Ireland and Japan have most to do. Both would need to boost their primary balances by more than 12% of GDP, compared with what is forecast for 2014. Britain would need an improvement of close to 6%. The gap in America is 3.5% and in Germany just under 2%. (The Economist via sabine)

In study after study of men and women who get paid more and promoted faster, the quality of “action orientation” stands out as the most observable and consistent behavior they demonstrate. They launch directly into their major tasks and then discipline themselves to work steadily and single-mindedly until those tasks are complete.

You can actually develop a “positive addiction” to endorphins and to the feeling of enhanced clarity, confidence and competence that they trigger. When you develop this “addiction,” almost without thinking you begin to organize your life in such a way that you are continually starting and completing ever more important tasks and projects. You actually become addicted to success and contribution.

You must think constantly about the rewards and benefits of being an action-oriented, fast-moving, focused person. See yourself as the kind of person who gets important jobs done quickly and on a consistent basis.

- Eat That Frog (via spaceships)

May 30, 2009, 11:35am

Catherine Rampell over at the NYT Economix blog, created this graph of the average time spent eating in various countries, measured against the country’s obesity rate. She noticed originally that the French seemed to have a low obesity rate, despite the fact that they spent a lot of time eating. I’ve always been a horrendously slow eater, but I actually think, for whatever reason, it’s been good for my health. Something about eating slow limits the amount of food you eat, and makes you savor what you do eat.

(via ninakix)