The IMF has sharply cut its growth forecast for the global economy this year and reason number one is the euro area. Just last September, in its World Economic Outlook, the IMF had projected world output to grow by 4 percent in 2012, now because of the euro zone debt crisis it expects growth of just 3.3 percent. The organization made clear what this dramatic reassessment means.

“Given the depth of the 2009 recession, these growth rates are too sluggish to make a major dent in very high unemployment,” the IMF said.

The good news first: the U.S. economy added 200,000 jobs last month. That dropped the headline unemployment rate to 8.5 percent from 8.7 percent. (The broader measure of unemployment, U6, which includes those out of work for more than 12 months and discouraged workers and those with part-time jobs who want full-time work remains in double digits).

When I left college and first got into the job market I shaved my beard and got a haircut. It was simple and relatively cheap. Today's youth have a more difficult time of it. They have added tattoos to the mix and getting rid of them is painful and pricey.