Will anyone give ex-president Bush a job?

Food for thought amidst the general gloom and doom:

Ex-US President Bush is looking for work in the worst job market in America in a generation. What are his options, asks Slate.com columnist Daniel Gross?

An ex-president's first move is usually a book deal. Clinton got $10 million to $12 million for his memoirs. But with sales down, the industry just isn't that interested in what the Bush inner circle is peddling.

Bush has indicated he would like to earn money as a speaker. "I'll give some speeches, to replenish the ol' coffers," he said in September 2007. Clinton has been a prolific speaker. But speaking agents expressed little interest in Bush – and not, they say, just for political reasons. "I'm in business to make money, and I don't think I'd make money doing it," says Bill Leigh, chairman of the Leigh Bureau speaking agency.

Read more on whether anyone will give Bush a job.

Why Not Start Your Weekend on Wednesday?
The general perception is that we are not spending enough, and governments from London to Tokyo and Washington are giving cash to the publis in the hope that we would spend more. Is the economy so dependent on consumption?

In the short run, yes. Economists worry about a sharp fall in consumer spending, because when demand for goods falls, so does demand for labour. Our desire to spend less is quickly revealed as a desire to spend less hiring each other to make things. Result: economic collapse, unemployment, misery.

In the long run, the picture is completely different. We earn roughly twice what our parents did when they were our age. When today's teenagers are in their 40s, there is no reason why they shouldn't decide to enjoy their increased prosperity by working less instead of earning more. Rather than being twice as rich as their parents, they could be no richer but start their weekends on Wednesday afternoon.

If this were a gradual process, mass unemployment would not result. People would simply earn less, spend less, wear a few more secondhand clothes, and spend more time reading or going for walks. This would be perfectly possible. We are rich enough already.

Here's the big question of the season, then: Why don't we focus less on money and more on leisure (or spiritual concerns, if you must)? Why haven't we all decided to work less, spend less, and consume less?

Help! I'm overeducated for my job

You've got a BA or even an MBA, but because of the current bad times, you could only find work selling groceries in a provision shop. How do you explain that to your friends, your former professors, and, heaven forbids, your future mother-in-law?

Click the headline to read the sensible advice from an expert on life and manners.