Ireland vs. Spain: Who is on the rebound?

Interesting post by New York Times writer Paul Krugman.

The Princeton economist and Nobel Prize winner for economics says that Spain is doing better than Ireland. Not a clean comparison, Krugman acknowledges. Ireland had a bigger bubble economy than Spain. So any turnaround for the PIGS is like being the tallest dwarf on the futbol team.

But the 10-year bond charts are interesting

If you look at the interest rates for bonds, EU financial markets clearly have less concerns about Spain than Ireland. Notice the declining interest rates for Spain. A very good thing in choppy waters.

Ronda's Flea-Market Economy

Outdoor flea markets are a big part of Ronda's pueblo economy.

They are hubs for bargains, bartering and social gathering. In most cases, there is a not a tourist in sight. And it's a part of the Ronda life that many travelers don't see.

The largest open-stall market takes place every Sunday, near Ronda's Supersol grocery at the city fairgrounds. About 60-80 open-air vendors sell locally sourced vegetables, fruits, cured olives, and roasted nuts. One day, I watched one grower run cured olives through a machine that automatically removed olive stones ... with mixed results, I discovered later.

Good Service is Key to Economic Relevance

Great post by Ronda Today's Andy Cameron. In a piece that attempted to forecast the economic impact of Michelle Obama's visit to Ronda, Cameron made an important point about service.

Cameron said Ronda's hotels and restaurants need to " re-evaluate their service standards, insist their staff smile more, and if possible, encourage staff to learn a few words of English and other major languages." That's what I call a friendly poke among friends.

Let me take it a step further. The Ronda area will never become an A-list destination unless it develops a business culture of good service. And when I say good service, I am really talking about world-class service.

Obamas NOW Planning A Side-Trip to Ronda

(Updated: As predicted yesterday, the Obamas will visit Ronda this week ... How the trip unfolded is below).

Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha are in Marbella, Spain until Sunday, August 8. President Obama remains in Washington DC and older daughter Malia is at summer camp in the U.S. until Friday.

There is lots of speculation that missing father and daughter will join the rest of the first family as early as Friday night. Secret Service advance teams have reportedly staked out Cordoba, Granada, Majorca and Ronda for possible FLOTUS ... or POTUS visits. Here's what we know. The first lady's mother-daughter trip is considered private, so no excursion details have been released.