Richard Florida: "The Geography of Craft Beer."

The article is short, but interesting: The Geography of Craft Beer, by Richard Florida (The Atlantic Cities)

America has more craft beer breweries today than at any other point since 1887. Merriam-Webster added the term to their dictionary this year. Even President Obama has his own brew.

The number of breweries is increasing dramatically, according to the Brewers Association, a trade organization — just take a glance at this nifty chart on their website — and 350 more were added between June and the same time last year. Among these breweries, 97 percent are "craft brewers" — meaning they are relatively low-production, independently owned, and "interpret historic styles with unique twists and develop new styles that have no precedent."

Resisting the temptation to expound (yet again) on the teetotaling Mittled Romney's intrinsic unsuitability for high office, it's worth following the link to mull over the demographic and economic patterns.

With the help of my colleague Charlotta Mellander, I took a quick look at how the concentration of craft breweries per capita correlates with key state demographic and economic characteristics. As usual, I point out that correlation points only to associations between variables and does not imply causation. Other factors may come into play. Still, this analysis points to a number of interesting patterns.

Income is a wash, education is good for craft beer, while religion ... not so much. Which brings us back to Mittled. Why risk the White House brewery for a Dry?

Finland.

"The Fenni live in astonishing barbarism and disgusting misery: no arms, no horses, no household; wild plants for their food, skins for their clothing, the ground for their beds."
Tacitus (c. 55-120) Germania

Society: The only way is Finland, by Tim Walker (The Independent)

America may once have been the Land of Opportunity, but thanks to its rising levels of inequality – not to mention the nightmarish visa restrictions – our political class now has another destination in mind. "If you want the American Dream," Ed Miliband says, "go to Finland." This week, the Labour leader told a conference on social mobility that "if you are born poor in a more equal society like Finland, Norway or Denmark, then you have a better chance of moving into a good job than if you are born poor in the United States".

Localization, economics of happiness, and Louisville mayoral cluelessness in the service of 1Si.

Helena Norberg-Hodge discusses how economic decisions stand in the way of personal happiness in this timely interview, which is destined to skim off the kitchen linoleum like a common house fly with damaged landing gear. Keep reading for how all this relates to One Southern Indiana's most recent catastrophic public spectacle.

“Localization is the Economics of Happiness,” at Yes!

... What's the economy for, anyway? Do the rules and policies we create to govern the flow of money and goods exist to create ever more money and goods, or to improve our lives? And if we decide we'd like to prioritize the latter, how do we rewrite the rules to do that?

The thoughts of Norberg-Hodges that struck me hardest follow below, and those who had the painful misfortune to hear Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer speak to the faith-based acolytes of One Southern Indiana at the latter's annual back-slapping-orgy last week know exactly why (italics are mine):

... We need to be shortening distances and creating more accountable and visible arenas, basically decentralizing and localizing our economies. But because of deregulation of both trade and finance at the global level, businesses are being pressured to grow faster and faster, to become more global, to increase in scale at any cost. The idea is either you go big and global or you die. But for our real needs, relatively small businesses closer to home can actually provide for our needs more efficiently and sustainably.

Courtesy of WFPL, here's what Fischer told the oligarch support society last week:

“We must internationalize all of us. If your business has the capacity to export and your not exporting I would say your days are probably numbered because the world is rapidly shrinking and rapidly changing and your foreign competitors are exporting right away.”

Now look back at the Tribune's unquestioning coverage of 1Si's down home camp meeting, with special emphasis on Jeff Gillenwater's comments:

Regionally speaking: Louisville mayor talks about regional initiatives at One Southern Indiana event

(JG): "As it stands, 1Si staging an event is front page news but 1Si misleading the public with billions of dollars and decades of consequences at stake isn't even treated as news. When that changes, this region's chances of improvement via honest dialogue and transparent interaction will correspondingly increase."