If you are happy, your state is likely to recover from the recession more quickly. That's the finding of new research that determines that economic recessions are weaker, expansions are stronger, and recovery is faster in U.S. states where people are more optimistic.
Almost every developed nation in the world was hit by the financial crisis, their economies became paralyzed. And then there's Sweden. The Scandinavian nation has accomplished what the United States, Britain and Japan can only dream of: Growing rapidly, creating jobs and gaining a competitive edge. The banks are lending, the housing market booming. The budget is balanced.
In America these days, if you are watching too much news, you're not getting the truth about the economy as much as political messaging and strategy. The truth is that the U.S. still has the strongest economy on the planet. America's performance should be measured against the current competition, not against the records it set in the 1990s or 2000s.
Friday's non-farm payrolls report overshadowed some relatively good news in other key U.S. employment metrics. Many indicators have been pointing to stronger labor markets than the big figure highlighted Friday (80,000 jobs gained for June). And a few new data points confirm this thinking.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a long history of being attacked for being bad for business and stifling job creation. But the Harvard Business Review says OSHA workplace inspections protect workers without overburdening employers or reducing their sales.
Just two years ago, Greece was on the ropes. Today, investors are increasingly confident of the nation's ability to pay its debts. Rarely has a country repaired its image with creditors so quickly.
Hailey is handy with an electric drill, and homeless folks in Bremerton, Washington are glad. The nine-year-old is building them mobile sleeping shelters.
A hospital in the French city of Clermont-Ferrand is opening a wine bar where terminally ill patients will be able to enjoy a glass or two with their families, because they had the right to "enjoy themselves".
Russell Brand has not used drugs for 10 years. He has a job, a house, a cat, good friends. But temptation is never far away. He wants to help other addicts, but first he wants us to feel compassion for those affected -- like Amy Winehouse. It is my belief that if you regard alcoholics and drug addicts not as bad people but as sick people then we can help them to get better.
Tissue engineers are building organs using the body's own cells and letting the body do most of the work. At Wake Forest University in North Carolina, for example, where the first bladders were developed, researchers are working on kidneys, livers and more. Labs in China and the Netherlands are among many working on blood vessels.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg is the ultimate success story, and he is a generous guy. This is typical of the latest generation of wealthy entrepreneurs. Young donors are more interested in creating partnerships and being actively involved in their giving, unlike older philanthropists, who simply wrote checks every year.
A children's charity in Norway set up an experiment to see what people near a bus stop would do if there were a boy sitting alone on the bench shivering. The heart-warming video of men taking off their coats for the boy -- and women giving their gloves, scarves and hoodies -- was posted on YouTube today along with a plea to help other children, especially the children of Syria.