How Much is the Government Making Off of Alcohol?

via blog.turbotax.intuit.com

This illustrates how much money individuals are being taxed to consume alcohol, and subsequently how much the Federal and State governments are generating in tax revenue. There is also a breakdown of how different types of alcohols are taxed in the various states, as well as international comparisons — to put thing in perspective. Some of the figures may be surprising. What do you think?

Moody's Recovery Status Map

via www.economy.com

Moody's Economy.com closely tracks economic conditions in the major economies of the world and summarizes the results on this interactive map. Analysts follow a wide range of indicators to ascertain a country's position in the business cycle. Specifically, we focus on gauges of employment, industrial production and retail sales--high-frequency indicators that capture the breadth of economic activity. Countries where the indicators are dropping are labeled In Recession. Those where declines have slowed are said to be Moderating. Countries where the indicators have begun rising again are Recovering. Economies that have advanced past their previous growth peaks are labeled Expanding.