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TAKE NOTE
Rich, Poor Gap Widens, but Everyone is
Doing Better
In most states, the gap between the highest-income families and poor
and middle-income families grew significantly between the early 1980s
and into the early 2000s, according to a study by the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute, Washington,
DC.
The study found that in 38 states the incomes of the richest grew
by an average of 62 percent ($45,800), while the incomes of the poorest
families grew by 21 percent ($3,000). It should be noted the Institute
is regarded as a liberal think tank.
Conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation were quick to
point out that the study shows all families are doing better. Even
those in the bottom quintile are better off today than they were at
the start of the period.
To Sleep ... Perchance to Stay Asleep
It’s not clear if it’s our harried work and lifestyles
that are keeping us up at night, or if we’re just being led
by advertising promoting drugs as the answer for getting a good night’s
sleep, but one thing is for certain: Americans are popping sleeping
pills like never before.
About 42 million sleeping pill prescriptions were filled last year,
up nearly 60 percent since 2000, according to the research company
IMS Health.
Most newer sleep aids are believed not to carry the same risks as
older drugs, but some doctors worry about the effects with 10 percent
of Americans now saying they regularly struggle to fall asleep or
to stay asleep throughout the night.
One common side effect reported is “the next day effect,”
a continued sleepiness hours after waking from a pill-induced sleep.
Everybody's Talking
IBM reported in January that by midyear it would make its corporate
instant messaging system, Lotus Sametime, work with three consumer
platforms: America Online, Yahoo and Google.
That means office workers will be able to communicate instantly with
friends or family outside of work. IBM claims 20 million users of
its instant messaging system inside companies worldwide, including
more than 25 companies with more than 100,000 users apiece. |
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