Water, Water, Everywhere, But Not Enough To Waste

Here’s a fact worth pondering: Farming accounts for 70 percent of all the water that’s used for any purpose, worldwide. And demand for it is growing, along with the planet’s population and our increasing appetite for meat. That’s according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which recently published this poster and others in a striking series on the vital role of water in growing our food.

As Europe Ages, Its Economies Look Vulnerable

“Old Europe” is getting old, and fast. The share of seniors in the population of Western European countries is growing rapidly, due to a combination of increased longevity and low fertility rates. That fact is having two major effects on many economies within the European Union. Over the short term, many nations are struggling to pay for generous health coverage and pensions.

The 7 Dumbest Things Job Seekers Write on Their Resumes.

The advice of Rob McGovern, the founder of CareerBuilder and Jobfox . As CEO of Jobfox, a job search networking site and résumé writing service, McGovern sees the most common —and dumbest— mistakes job seekers make on their résumés. Here, he shares his top seven. How many of them are you making?

If capitalism has failed, how the hell do we pay for our Shreddies?

I might be an economic dunce, but if our failing currencies are replaced by a medieval bartering system, what will we have to do to get our favourite breakfast cereals?

Men and women differ in how they categorize the world.

New research suggests gender plays a role because men tend to organize the world into distinct categories whereas women see things as more conditional and in shades of gray

Is Facebook Forever?

The last decade has seen many social-networking sites rise and fall like little empires. Will Facebook follow, or is it here to stay?

There’s only one way to change: Slowly, over time

Speak to any quality psychotherapist, fitness trainer, nutritionist, financial advisor, organizational consultant,—anyone in the change business—and they will tell you that the chief complaint of those trying to change their ways is, “Why does it have to take so long?”  

Who Killed 3-D?

This time last year, there were whispers among film executives and industry-watchers that 3-D cinema had worked its way down a blind alley with its pockets full of cash. That summer, the format seemed like the answer to all of Hollywood’s problems: shrinking ticket sales, video piracy, home-theater viewing. The studios had put out a run of record-smashing, premium-priced blockbusters: Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, Clash of the Titans, Shrek Forever After, and Toy Story 3—a half-dozen 3-D movies that earned more than $2 billion in domestic sales. Yet by the end of August 2010, the future of cinema was starting to look unsteady on its feet. Box-office returns from the next wave of 3-D films were disappointing. The revival needed reviving.

Greeting the dawn is a recipe for success and moral strength.

If you boiled down all the self- help books in the world and added the wisdom of Solomon, you could not improve on these three words: get up early. So the findings of Dr Joerg Huber, presented to the British Psychological Society, should not surprise us. Dr Huber has discovered that early risers are slimmer, happier, healthier and more successful than those who lie in.

Who are the world’s biggest employers?

ONE of the biggest headaches for policymakers in many rich countries has been how to create jobs during a period of fiscal austerity and anaemic growth. The private sector has been slow to generate jobs, and government-spending cuts usually end up cutting jobs. And governments employ a lot of people: in our chart of the ten biggest global employers, below, seven are government-run.

How to Negotiate Your Salary Like an FBI Agent

During a job search, candidates must adopt the skills of many professions. You analyze the job market like a research scientist, craft a resume like a best-selling author and network like a seasoned politician. There’s also an occupation to emulate at the crucial moment when salary is discussed: FBI Hostage Negotiator.

Tiger vs. Dragon: A Demographic Comparison of India and China.

One of the biggest story lines of the 21st century is going to be the continued economic rise of China and India. According to the World Bank, both countries grew at a rate of 9.1% in 2009. Here’s a chart of their growth since the 1960s:

The Myth of Geniuses

There is no doubt that some individuals, such as Steve Jobs, make enormous contributions to their fields that dwarf the efforts of peers in terms of practical consequences, intellectual advancement, creative achievement, and so forth. Such achievement is partly due to environmental factors. Otherwise, which individuals rise to the top is due either to genius talent or unusual dedication.

China’s billionaires double in number

China’s ultra-rich continue to multiply rapidly, with the number of dollar billionaires on the latest rich list doubling in just two years.

25 Quotes on Humor

Humor really is our saving grace, and it helps keep us psychologically healthy…

4 Misconceptions About the Simple Life

Ιt is important to recognize inaccurate stereotypes about the simple life because they make it seem impractical and ill suited for responding to increasingly critical breakdowns in world systems. Four misconceptions about the simple life are so common they deserve special attention. These are equating simplicity with: poverty, moving back to the land, living without beauty and economic stagnation.

The key trends in social commerce.

Social commerce is more than just a buzzword; it’s becoming the de facto way to do business online. It emerged as a result of brands finding new ways to connect with consumers through the open graph, and a customer demand for more fluid interaction with brands. Done correctly, it is a win-win for both the brand and the consumer and there are many new opportunities to use social commerce methods to affect the consumer journey, including to the point of post-purchase.

Europe’s debt crisis: Five ways it’s been put to good use

Europe’s debt crisis has roiled financial markets and populations. But beyond nationwide strikes and gyrating markets, Europe has put its crisis to good use. Here are five trends that will ultimately strengthen the European Union and the euro currency.

9/11: beyond words

The 9/11 attacks may be impossible to quantify, but key words and figures help to explain their magnitude. If the horror of 11 September 2001 was immediately evident to the millions of people who were transfixed by the images on their television screens, the precise scale of it would take much longer to realise. The most indelible number of all those associated with the attacks – the death toll – was one of the slowest to emerge.

The meaning of 9/11′s most controversial photo

Thomas Hoepker’s photo of New Yorkers apparently relaxing as the twin towers smoulder says much about history and memory.

Why Do So Many People Believe in the Fantasy of Infinite Growth on a Finite Planet?

How do you feel about the economy these days? How about the environment? Do you think we’re sitting in a better spot than we were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago? It’s hard to find folks who are satisfied with either economic or environmental conditions.

The World Is More Complex than It Used to Be.

It’s not you — the world has become more complex. Consider 1980.

The Long-Term Effects of Spanking.

Disciplining young children is what parents are supposed to do — most moms and dads have no trouble agreeing with that. But should the punishment include spanking?

Can Online Social Networks Replace Real Socializing?

Google+, the new social network from the search giant, is only a month old, but it’s already been declared a big success. So far there have been more than 20 million unique visitors, sharing nearly one billion items every day. Analysts have dubbed it a potential “Facebook killer.” Why do we need yet another social network?

The economics of good looks and the line of beauty.

Pretty people still get the best deals in the market, from labour to love.

The big economic picture.

What about the bigger picture? Has output recovered to where it was before the 2008 financial crash?