Prince William Deployed to Caribbean

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RACHEL MARTIN, host:

Hey, thanks for listening and welcome back to the Bryant Park Project from NPR News. We are always online at npr.org/bryantpark, and you know, we've given you the news that you need to be a well-informed member of society.

MIKE PESCA, host:

Right, especially as asteroids come up.

MARTIN: Totally. Now, we will give you the news that you need to be a well-informed...

PESCA: A horse's tush. Oh, I see what you mean. Right, right. An interesting person.

MARTIN: An interesting person when you're standing around the water cooler. We do it in The Ramble.

(Soundbite of music)

MARTIN: Michael, what do you have to say for yourself?

PESCA: Unlike proper dinner-party seating, the current economic downturn is not going boy-girl, boy-girl. Some new stats out show that women gained about 300,000 jobs over the same period that men lost 700,000 jobs, leading some to say that the American recession is a "guy thing."

The household survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a snapshot of the labor market from last November through last April. The survey found that the unemployment rate rose twice as fast for men compared to women in that period. The reason? Men are concentrated in sectors of the economy that are doing the poorest, like manufacturing and construction.

Women work in areas of the economy that are still growing, like education and healthcare. But it's not all good news for the ladies, because their wages have been stagnant, and the men still have an overall higher rate of employment, 72 percent versus 58 percent.

MARTIN: We're still struggling, Mike, we're still struggling. So, you may have thought it was just those rich and famous old guys who can still snag the young beauties. No, no, no, no, no, no. Even if you're broke, some research says older guys marry younger. In fact, the older the groom, the more likely that he would go for someone much younger than him.

Researchers at Stanford University suggest that, quote, "The poor guys marry down just as much as the rich ones do, and that likelihood increases with age once men cross men cross into their 40s." Stanford sociologist Paul England says the male ideal of beauty is found among the 20-somethings, and that ideal does not change as men age.

PESCA: Prince William is off to an assignment with the Royal Navy and he may be patrolling for drug-runners in the Caribbean. The Ministry of Defense is not confirming the story published in London's Daily Mirror. The British Navy routinely maintains a presence in the Caribbean as part of an effort to subvert the robust drug trade in that region.

Drug-runners use the waters around Trinidad and Tobago, or you might say Tobago, to move their product from South America to North America. Prince William, as military man, has raised some criticisms lately. His recent visit to British soldiers in Afghanistan was characterized by some as a PR stint. He was also caught - he also caught some flak, not literally, but - what's the opposite of literally? Figuratively.

MARTIN: Figuratively.

PESCA: He flew a military helicopter to attend a bachelor party. Hard to imagine why he would catch flak for that. The prince is expected to begin his assignment in June.

MARTIN: We should say, as soon as that story came out, I kind of scoffed and said, oh, poor prince, has to go to the Caribbean, wah, wah. But it is tough. He has to get on the ground training, and he can't go to any real battlegrounds.

PESCA: I scoffed, too, but thought it was the musician Prince. So I didn't understand how that would be an interdiction in the drug wars.

MARTIN: That would be confusing for you.

PESCA: Yeah.

MARTIN: Presidential candidate Mike Gravel is reaching out to a new base of support. The Libertarian and former Democratic senator from Alaska is trying to make a case for his presidential aspirations to the Internet star, Obama Girl. This is not pretty, I'm warning you.

PESCA: Well, half of the equation is.

MARTIN: Half of the equation is pretty. Here is his YouTube pitch.

(Soundbite of YouTube video)

Senator MIKE GRAVEL (Libertarian, Alaska): I'm not a YouTube celebrity.

OBAMA GIRL: Do you even sing R&B?

Senator GRAVEL: I'm seeking the presidency. You should drop your crush on Obama. You let her know that you're off the chain.

OBAMA GIRL: And so you want me on your campaign.

Senator GRAVEL: I've got 62 years of this political game.

OBAMA GIRL: When I dig on you Mike, but I've got a crush on Obama.

MARTIN: Yeah. You know, editor Trish McKinney was like, oh, they totally dubbed him in! It can't be him. No, it is him.

PESCA: And William Hung is now saying, I'm the second-worst singer in America! Or is that one of those older guys with the crush on the 20-something standard of beauty?

MARTIN: Check it out on YouTube. It is not to be missed.

PESCA: If you dare.

MARTIN: If you dare. Hey, folks, that's your Ramble. All these stories and more, always on our website. All kinds of good things, npr.org/bryantpark.

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