French Minimum Wages On The Rise

In France, the minimum wage in France, le SMIC, (Salaire minimum de croissance) rises from 8.86 Euros/hour to 9 Euros/hour (12.46 US dollars) as of January 1st, 2011. This constitutes a 1.6% increase.

For a 35 hour work week, this means that the monthly salary will rise to 1365 Euros (1890.39 US dollars), adding roughly 250 euros (346.22 US dollars) to the yearly minimum income.

Miss Germany 2011

So Miss Germany was selected last night. A stunning blonde named Anne-Kathrin Kosch now represents the country in international beauty competitions.


But that's now who I noticed most at the competition. See who else made an appearance at the ceremony.

Internet start up - Craiglists Ad Translated.

Translation:

You work, I get paid.

You have about 4 weeks to implement this crazy cool idea I had the other day while I was sitting on the toilet.

You see, my parents doled out tons of cash to send me to fancy business schools, but all I ended up with is a useless degree and nothing nothing to prove for it. I don't know how to actually do anything. But the Internet is really fun, and I love browsing for free porn and pretending to know what Twitter is all about when me and my grad school friends hang out in our parent's luxury yachts down in the Florida Keys.

So that's where you come in the picture. I need you to do all the work. I can't actually pay you anything because my parents just recently cancelled my Gold Amex card, but I met tons of people over the years and they all have super important families. You get 4 weeks to implement something like Twitter, I don't really know yet what it is, but I will shoot you 10 emails per second once I have it all real clear in my head.

Here is where I throw in some rant against big businesses. Aren't geeks all like anti-capitalism and pro-socialism? My econ prof said something like that once in class. I think.

I will need your phone number to call you at all times of the day, every time some thought crosses my mind. I won't be satisfied with anything you produce, and ridicule you in front of my frat brother friends.

You should sign up for this because you're a CS grad and you have no life. And you should be happy that I am even considerign talking to you, I mean look at me. And look at you. Seriously.

Interested in Applying? Original Craiglist Ad Here!

75% of French in favour of a maximum salary: no more than 327600 Euros a year!

We always knew there was something about the French that just didn't sit well with us. Now we can put our finger on it!

A new Ifop poll released today reveals that a whopping 75% of French, in other words 3 out of 4 Frenchman favour a state-ordained maximum salary for private businesses.

The sruvey was conducted in January with 1007 French over the age of 18. 75% of the people polled agreed that "the compensation of certain executives of large companies has now reached unreasonable levels."

Only 25% thought that State has no business setting the wage policies of private businesses.

The upper limit that the French Socialist Party would like to see implemented is 20 times the minimum salary (SMIC). The SMIC is currently at 9 Euros/hour, at a full time job (35 hours is full time in France) this makes a maximum of 1,365 Euros a month.

This would mean that the absolute maximum salary would be 20 times 1,365 Euros = 27300 Euros a month, i.e. 327,600 Euros a year maximum salary.

Link to original Ifop Study (in French)