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A Hong Kong business man set a record when he sold a downtown parking space for $969,000. The man owned four parking spaces in front of a 79-story office building known as The Center. He sold all of them for sums in the high six figures, but the last spot brought the highest price of $969,000. The buyer’s…

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…

Kynan Eng is president of a computer company that uses computers and brain research to help people live better lives. Eng wanted to use his expertise to respond to online questions about the intersection of neuroscience and human-computer interaction. When we went to Quora, he found himself distracted…

Analysts say that the prolonged economic downturn is having a negative effect on the suicide rates in our country. The Centers for Disease Control announced that suicides among Americans 35 to 64 have jumped 30 percent since 1999. The biggest jump is 49 percent and affects men from 50 to 54. The figures…

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…

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…

A forgotten block of Wisconsin cheese dating back to the 1970s will be sold for $10 an ounce. Edward Zahn was preparing to close down his shop when he moved several stacks of cheese and discovered several boxes that had been forgotten for years. The crates contained blocks of cheddar cheese that were…

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.…

Some define Integrity as what you are when no one is looking. In order to expand into the Mexican market, Walmart spent $24 million in bribes to Mexican officials. An American law, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act forbids U. S. companies from paying bribes abroad. The effect of the law is to hobble…

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…

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…

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…

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…

For most people the Christmas shopping season means spending a little more to share gifts with friends. For those in who work in the retail sector, the busy holiday season is a time to boost their loss-prevention efforts. Studies reveal that one in every 11 people who walk into a store are likely to…

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…

The United States has enjoyed its position as the world’s economic superpower for decades. However, in recent years, this dominance has come under fire and many other countries have made their way up the economic ladder to challenge the US. The International Monetary Fund (IMF,) has made a startling…

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…

Economists have long warned of the coming economic difficulty when the number of Baby Boomers retiring overwhelms the remaining workers and crashes the Social Security system. One letter writer in World Magazine reminds the readers of the 40 million taxpayers removed from the work force by the terror…

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…

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…

After several disappointing seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball team decided the best way to begin a new season was honesty. Before the 2010 season began, The Timberwolves took out a full-page ad in the Minneapolis newspaper to talk to their fans. The ad included an open letter to fans that…

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…

INFLUENCE While some viewers felt the advertisement featuring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother Pam that ran during Super Bowl XLIV got lost in the shuffle during the broadcast, Focus on the Family says the ad achieved some positive results. In USA Today’s Ad Meter poll taken the day after…