Some of the most unusual economic indicators you've probably never heard of-

A thread...

1. Men’s underwear Index: Accordingly to this index, a decline in men’s underwear sales indicates a poor overall state of economy, while an upswing in sales predicts an improving economy.
Hence, by tracking the sales of men's underwear, we might be able to detect the relative health of the economy.
2. The First Date Indicator:
When an economy bottoms out, people seek the comfort of relationships to overcome depression and loneliness. The indicator shows how there is an increased traffic on online dating sites during recession.
This was seen during the crisis of 2008, when US-based online dating service Match. com reported the highest surge in traffic in over seven years.
3. The Garbage Indicator:
The more money people have, the more they buy, and the more they toss away. This indicator suggests that a booming economy is likely to lead to increased waste disposal. According to economists, the indicator has an 82% accuracy to US economic growth.
4. The R-Word Index:
This indicator, created by The Economist, keeps a count on how many times the word “Recession” appears in the news. The idea is that during an economic downturn there is a surge in the usage of the “scary word starting with R.”
5. The Champagne Index:
When you have reasons to celebrate, you pop open a bottle of champagne. So champagne sales are normally associated with rising income levels in the economy. They tell us whether shoppers are buying luxury or premium goods, indicating the market sentiment.
6. Buttered Popcorn Index - Conventional wisdom suggests that when the economy is in tatters, people tend to get frugal. But when times are tough people also need an escape, like watching a movie with a bucket of buttered popcorn.
This indicator shows how the movie business can thrive during an economic downturn. Reports found that the US box office saw one of its best years during the 2008 recession, and plummeted as the markets eased later

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This is a pretty valiant attempt to defend the "Feminist Glaciology" article, which says conventional wisdom is wrong, and this is a solid piece of scholarship. I'll beg to differ, because I think Jeffery, here, is confusing scholarship with "saying things that seem right".


The article is, at heart, deeply weird, even essentialist. Here, for example, is the claim that proposing climate engineering is a "man" thing. Also a "man" thing: attempting to get distance from a topic, approaching it in a disinterested fashion.


Also a "man" thing—physical courage. (I guess, not quite: physical courage "co-constitutes" masculinist glaciology along with nationalism and colonialism.)


There's criticism of a New York Times article that talks about glaciology adventures, which makes a similar point.


At the heart of this chunk is the claim that glaciology excludes women because of a narrative of scientific objectivity and physical adventure. This is a strong claim! It's not enough to say, hey, sure, sounds good. Is it true?
I hate when I learn something new (to me) & stunning about the Jeff Epstein network (h/t MoodyKnowsNada.)

Where to begin?

So our new Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's stepfather, Samuel Pisar, was "longtime lawyer and confidant of...Robert Maxwell," Ghislaine Maxwell's Dad.


"Pisar was one of the last people to speak to Maxwell, by phone, probably an hour before the chairman of Mirror Group Newspapers fell off his luxury yacht the Lady Ghislaine on 5 November, 1991."
https://t.co/DAEgchNyTP


OK, so that's just a coincidence. Moving on, Anthony Blinken "attended the prestigious Dalton School in New York City"...wait, what? https://t.co/DnE6AvHmJg

Dalton School...Dalton School...rings a

Oh that's right.

The dad of the U.S. Attorney General under both George W. Bush & Donald Trump, William Barr, was headmaster of the Dalton School.

Donald Barr was also quite a


I'm not going to even mention that Blinken's stepdad Sam Pisar's name was in Epstein's "black book."

Lots of names in that book. I mean, for example, Cuomo, Trump, Clinton, Prince Andrew, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen - all in that book, and their reputations are spotless.