Labor Dept. Creates 20,000 New Hobbies For Nation's Jobless

WASHINGTON—The federal government announced Monday that 20,000 new hobbies would be made available to the nation’s 14 million unemployed people in an effort to keep them occupied with mildly diverting pastimes. “If we can’t get job legislation passed, the least we can do is provide these citizens with something to do during the workday,” Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said of the new federally recommended hobbies, which include Tuesday morning board game leagues, vintage computer-monitor collecting, and finding quick ways to streamline your cell phone contacts. “It is our hope that Americans will take comfort in novel activities such as rearranging the contents of their refrigerator so it looks like a photo from a magazine, as these things don’t require a lot of money, just a lot of effort.” Many are comparing the move to the Give Them Something Shiny To Look At initiative from 2009, which was a temporary success.