Although it is said that the function of the market is to satisfy human wants, Robert Lane, in his book, 'The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies', notes that advertising often uses dissatisfaction of the current state of affairs to achieve its purpose. ... posted on Mar 13 2003, 918 reads

American adults average 72 minutes behind the wheel each day, according to the Department of Transportation. In his best selling book, "Bowling Alone", Robert Putnam concludes that each additional ten minutes in daily commuting time cuts involvement in community affairs by 10 percent.... posted on Mar 07 2003, 1,096 reads

USC economic historian Richard Easterlin issued an amazing principle in 1974, later known as the "Easterlin paradox": because people judge themselves in relation to others, any real jump in income makes little difference in how they feel about themselves. Having more isn't enough -- unless someone else has less. Even gains in relative income make little difference: We just compare ourselves to a h... posted on Mar 06 2003, 1,201 reads

There was not a single fatality among the 600 million passengers who flew aboard U.S. registered commercial airplanes last year.... posted on Mar 01 2003, 964 reads

In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world's nuclear weapons combined.... posted on Feb 22 2003, 1,007 reads

Everyday 24,000 people die simply because of inadequate access to basic health care. That amounts to over 8.8 million people who die due to completely avoidable health causes. At a conference, one audience member asked why a major newspaper doesn't run a big headline like: Yesterday 24,000 People Could Have Been Saved With Basic Health Care. John Donnelly of the Boston Globe did.... posted on Feb 14 2003, 921 reads

For every one dollar sent to the poorest countries in aid, 1.30 is sent back to the lenders (rich countries) as debt repayment. For instance, Africa spends over 14.5 billion dollars yearly repaying debts. It receives only 12.7 billion in aid.... posted on Feb 12 2003, 1,061 reads

How much is 25 hours worth, without electricity? In 1977, New York City's blackout cost upwards of 737 million dollars!... posted on Jan 28 2003, 1,022 reads

We listen at 125-250 words per minute, but think at 1000-3000 words per minute; number of business studies that indicate that listening is a top skill needed for success in business -- more than 35. (Source: International Listening Association)... posted on Jan 25 2003, 1,013 reads

According to Business Week, the average CEO made 42 times the average blue-collar worker's pay in 1980, 85 times in 1990 and a staggering 531 times in 2000. (Source: AFL-CIO "Executive Paywatch")... posted on Jan 24 2003, 906 reads