My Career as a Nightclub Boss...

So on a recent trip back to my second home I notice a prominent city nightclub is for sale. I had a little go on the Internet at finding out who owns it as when I win the EuroMillions I may buy it. Now this place has never been cool- I knew it as a Jumpin' Jaks but its also been the second incarnation of Wales first super club and host to Paul Oakenfold amongst others, and some other sweaty dark club - but the reason I liked it so much was the lay out:



As you come in you go up a split flight of stairs then queue into an area containing booth to pay, toilets and cloak room, facing you is a wide set of stairs and a sense of anticipation. Up the stairs is a sunken dance-floor with a stage at one end and a few tables at the other, apart from where the stage is there is a raised area around the dance floor with more tables and bars along two walls. Very simple. Even at 18 I was telling people its the layout I'd want in my club, it always reminded me of the Copacabana in Goodfellas for some reason.





Its got some good memories for me as Jumpin' Jaks, from being the first club I ever went in in Swansea to the '£10 all in' Fridays of second year where we used to get there early and get drunk before requesting Haddaway's 'What is Love?' and being 7 of us up on the stage before anyone else was even on the dance-floor. But I wouldn't keep the Wild West Theme, I think as I'd be a multi-millionaire before the purchase ever happened I'd make it a classy joint - perhaps I'd even call it the Copacabana. That or a sports bar that showed classic films on weeknights.

My Career as an Academic....

Having a quick read through some old essays to help lil sis, or rather to help myself avoid prison by finding a way to explain how to write an essay before killing her, I found myself engrossed in a third year Labour Economics essay:

"The evidence from these empirical studies leads us to rather similar conclusions. That transfer payments lead to a reduction in labour supply as the model predicted, and that tax credit systems can induce an increased level of participation in some individuals whilst leading to a reduction in the participation of others, again as the model predicted. Although studies such as that of Brewer et al (2005) find an aggregate increase in labour market participation. The model indicated whether tax credits would increase and individuals labour supply or not would be dependant upon the preferences of the individual, and the empirical studies all identified the same clear groups in which labour supply was increased or not. All the studies indicated labour supply would increase for single parents (or single mothers), males with unemployed wives and females with unemployed husbands whist reducing the labour supply of both females and males who had working partners. This could perhaps be termed “The Breadwinner effect”, as the tax credit only increases labour market participation in households where there is only one major source of income, a breadwinner."








This enthralling final paragraph contains my solitary contribution to Economic Academia in its final sentence. As I envisioned it at the time, the marking lecturer would be impressed and immediately email me, he'd then pass word of my achievement to his peers at other Schools of Economics, a short while later a phone call from The Economist followed by the IHT would int erupt my morning viewing of One Tree Hill, I'd be awarded a first and invited to do some research with the Fellows of the department and our empirical study into The *MyName* Effect or 'Breadwinner' Effect would show working tax credits to be pointless and simultaneously bring about the fall of the Labour government paving the way for my cheeky move to Whitehall or the Bank of England.

Sadly nothing, as far as I know, came of it. Although I will have to check Professor Murphy's recent work just in case....



The two men pictured are Nouriel Roubini and Gary Becker, two academics I wouldn't mind being. Roubini as well as being more of a Rockstar than most modern day Rockstars, predicted the global recession. Whilst Nobel Laureate Becker is credited with being the first to apply Economics to traditionally Sociological subjects such as drug addiction and crime.

Near Death Experience...

No not some operating table dream, I have a cold/chest infection. I routine illness, except for the fact I'm asthmatic so my lungs take this chance and rub their metaphorical hands together with glee as they decide to try and off me once more. A cough and lungs full of mucus, a mild inconvenience until your lungs decide to close up at the same time. Leaving me wheezing like that blue penguin in toy story and lightheaded from lack of oxygen, I wouldn't mind but i went to the gym this morning and everything was FINE!

I'm no hypochondriac, I've worked with a broken ankle before and even played a game of 11-a-side football with the flu - albeit with a sweatshirt under my football shirt and halftime doses of : pro plus, lucozade, beechams, brandy, cough medicine and other such items. We threw away a goal lead to lose 2-1, but the highlight was me and my housemate and leftback going up for the same header resulting in a massive black eye for him and probable concussion for me.

But yeah, I can take any illness, any pain, just not the inability to respirate. Okay?!!