How hard has the Great Recession hit young adults in the U.S.? According to a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, only 54.3% of young adults aged 18 to 24 have a job. It’s the lowest rate since the government …
FBI File on Steve Jobs Probed Apple Founder’s Drug Use, Character
The FBI’s 191-page file on the late Steve Jobs — released Thursday — reveals that the feds were keenly interested in the Apple founder’s character, as well as his past drug use and criminal history. The FBI opened an …
JC Penney and Ellen, Lowe’s and All-American Muslim: A Tale of Two Bigotries
JC Penney did the right thing this week, standing by its celebrity spokeswoman Ellen DeGeneres despite a conservative activist group’s demand that it drop association with her because she’s gay. The group, One Million Moms, asked Penney to “remain neutral in the culture war” by firing a gay celebrity. (“Neutrality” must mean …
Valentine’s Day 2012 Spending, By the Numbers
According to one estimate, 60% of all Valentine’s spending occurs in the five days leading up to and including the holiday. That means we’re in the prime Valentine’s spending period right now. Here are some more factoids related …
TIME’s Interview With Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti
This week’s edition of TIME International features an interview with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti (subscribers can read the story here). In the mean time, check out our video interview with Italy’s new leader.
A Deal Just For You: Niche Sites With Deals for Moms, Dudes, Jews, Dog Lovers, the Military & More
All along, skeptics said that the enormous success of daily deals couldn’t be sustained in the long run. And indeed, in recent months, the industry appears to have suffered some setbacks. Roughly one-third of all deal sites …
White House Announces $25 Billion Mortgage Settlement
This post was updated at 1:25pm
It’s been a long slog, but government officials and representatives from major U.S. banks have come to terms on a settlement that would put an end to federal and state investigations into …
Beans vs. Single-Serve Cup: Just How Much More Does K-Cup Coffee Cost?
We all know how much coffee costs at Starbucks—too much. But it’s hard to get a handle on exactly how much coffee made at home costs, and how the price of a cup from freshly-ground beans compares to a cup from a single-serve …
Why Can’t You Discharge Student Loans in Bankruptcy?
If you’re struggling to pay credit card debt, car loans or even gambling debt, you can wipe the slate clean in bankruptcy. Struggling to pay your student loans? Sorry, you’ll just have to figure that one out on your own.
Curious CapitalistEconomy & Policy
Three Economic Lessons Imported From Turkey
I just returned from a week in Istanbul, where I was reporting a piece on what Turkey’s burgeoning contemporary art scene tells us about where the country is headed politically (you can look for that in our upcoming style and …
Behind the Hype: The Myth of Flexible Work Hours
In an always-on wired world, much has been made of the flexible work schedule. It let’s young people get their job done from the beach, or at midnight; allows middle-aged employees to take a leave to, say, care for an ailing …
Graphic: Executive Pay
Facebook’s initial public offering filings revealed the salary of its top execs as a percentage of company income, which is four times that of Apple’s executive staff. How does it compare to other top American companies?