The growing wave of politically correct speech and thought has many people concerned about the way America is celebrating Christmas. Organizations are listing retailers that don’t use the word Christmas in their advertising , court cases are filed over the inclusion or exclusion of nativity scenes, and…

A White Christmas for North Carolina in 2010 meant a little extra money in the wallets of customers of a Wilmington jewelry store. The owner of Perry’s Emporium, Alan Perry promised to refund the cost of jewelry purchased at his store between November 26 and December 11th, if Ashville got more than three…

PERSEVERANCE The Energizer Bunny first appeared in commercials in October 1989. Two decades later, the pink bunny pounding on a drum, wearing sunglasses and flip-flops has kept “going and going and going.” The symbol of battery maker, Energizer Holdings has become so famous that “The Energizer Bunny”…

SOUL An Australian council gave an Irishman special permission to dig through a local garbage dump. The man is desperately trying to find a lottery ticket worth 1.5 million dollars ($700,000 US), that he says he accidentally threw out in an empty grocery bag. Newsagent Sue Virgin said the winning ticket…

NAME The clerk at a German gas station recently helped police arrested the man who stole his identity and used his credit card. The thief attempted to buy $90 worth of items at the gas station. When he handed the clerk a credit card, the clerk saw that the name on the card was his own. He locked the…

Japan’s cataclysmic earthquake has brought its economy to its knees as it struggles to recover from a national tragedy. Up until now, the effects of the disaster seemed localized and most other nations remained largely unaffected. However, it is becoming more evident that Japan’s woes may deeply affect…

In an email sent to coworkers on the day he retired, a German man admitted that he had nothing to do at work for the past 14 years. The man boasted that he had earned the equivalent of $980,000 for doing nothing. The worker said he was forced to retire at the age of 65 because his job had been eliminated.…

What do you do if you have a zoo without a zebra? The Marah Zoo in Gaza recently faced that question. Their answer? Take a donkey, cut its hair short, and dye its fur black and white. For most in Gaza who have never seen a zebra, it worked. “Don’t tell anyone,” said Mahmud Berghat, the zoo’s director,…

The city of Santa Teresa, New Mexico has pumped millions of dollars into the state’s economy. The border-crossing, port-of-entry has streets lined with warehouses filled with goods of every kind. The city remains unincorporated, and though there are plenty of buildings, the city lacks shops, cafes, gas…

A recent survey by the Gallup organization found the recent economic hardship in America has not had much effect on the number of people attending religious services each week or the number of people who say religion is an important part of their daily life. The Gallup study conducted in March 2009 found…

HONOR The owner of a café in Salt Lake City, Utah offers patrons a unique method of paying their bill. Instead of charging customers for their meals, Denise Cerreta lets the people who enjoy a meal in her café pay on the honor system. She placed a money chest at the rear of the café, and asks customers…

TRUST A new Gallup survey suggests that Americans are in fairly good moods. The poll released last week reveals 56 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country. In the past, polls have found American’s reported contentment is predictably linked with their confidence…

The placebo effect is the idea is that simply believing that a medical treatment will work is enough to make that treatment effective. A patient who thinks he is taking an aspirin for a headache is likely to get the same relief if he swallows a sugar pill meant to look like a painkiller. The effect is…

COST Americans just commemorated the first anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. While we mourned the loss of life, and were energized by the demonstrations of patriotism, the cost of September 11th will be felt for a long time to come. New York City Comptroller William Thompson says,…

Entrepreneur Michael Gerbitz is working to overcoming terror and boycotts by offering a simple product everyone consumes--water. Gerbitz recently began marketing a new mineral water from Israel as part of a plan to support Israel and help victims of terror. He says the new product offers supporters of…

An online computer game retailer revealed that it now owns the souls of thousands of shoppers due to clause it inserted into an online agreement. On April 1, 2010, British retailer GameStation, inserted what they termed an “immortal soul clause” into a contract signed before shoppers finalized their…

Businesses spend millions every year to attract customers and prove that they deserve the trust of the public. According to the 2013 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient, that money is well spent because six out of ten American shoppers study a company’s reputation before buying from them. The reputation…

Retail stores are not typically known for their generosity, but consumer electronics giant Best Buy has recently been unexpectedly generous to two customers. Both of the shoppers ordered iPads online and were shocked when a box filled with five of them arrived at their door. When contacted, the company…

Some errors can have serious consequences. In Montana, a local phone book misplaced the listing for the Bar 3 Bar-B-Q restaurant. Instead of the correct place, they listed it in the category “Animal Carcass Removal,” not a very appetizing listing for a restaurant. The owner said the listing led to prank…

Someone once observed that nice guys finish last. New research suggests there is a measure of truth in the statement. Nice men may not finish last, but they may earn less money. The study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found that “niceness” defined as agreeableness did…

DEBT Recently low interest rates are luring many Americans to take on record levels of debt, which might create a repayment crisis in the future. Mortgage rates are at record lows, car dealers are offering zero percent financing, and “buy now pay later” advertisements are everywhere. Spurred by the easy…

Though five years have passed since the last major financial crisis, many Americans say they are still very concerned about their job security. U.S. workers say they are most concerned about having their benefits reduced, or their hours cut. A Gallup survey found 43 percent of American workers say having…

We are told in the Bible that we should be honest in our dealings with others. Yet when you eat fish at restaurants these days you can never be sure of what you are getting. The group, Oceana tested tuna sold at grocery stores and restaurants in the U.S. and discovered that nearly 60% is not tuna but…

The economic crisis in Greece has many families doing anything they can to raise extra money. The government recently stepped in and published guidelines to help prevent citizens from being ripped off by pawnshops offering to exchange gold for cash. Authorities say many businesses are promising to pay…

The economic crisis in Greece continues to grow. One commentator suggests that there is a fatal flaw in the Greek system that has caused the crisis and is preventing a solution. He called the fatal flaw the ‘hamartia.’ --The Week, July 1-8, 2011 p. 14 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell…