Day: December 13, 2004

Proudfoot productivity study

Here (PDF) is a scary report which suggests that in Spain in the period 1995-2003 average annual growth in hours worked per person was 3.4% while labour productivity fell on average by 0.3%. That’s not good news with a shrinking, ageing workforce. Management planning and control is apparently the big problem, and I’m sure Proudfoot…

Xulet

… used to be one of the terms used to designate a boy on apprenticeship with a shepherd. Now it sometimes refers to the (electric) fencing that, to some extent, replaced such boys.

Finnegans Wake: omissions

“barcelonas” appears twice in Finnegans Wake, but “Barcelona” not once. There is one “kalebrose”, but no “kalebeul”. (Thanks, JWdeB.)