The 2008 World Values Survey has come back with some surprising news. Reported happiness had actually risen in 40 countries and decreased in just 12. Political scientist Ronald Inglehart, who has been involved in this research for 20 years, says the results defied conventional wisdom on the subject of happiness, which has held that levels remain more or less static. “We knew it couldn’t happen,” he says. “I said to myself, ‘Do I dare report this?” The survey found that freedom of choice, gender equality, and increased tolerance are responsible for a considerable rise in overall world happiness. The results shatter the more simplistic and traditionally accepted notion that wealth is the determining factor, says Inglehart. The list of happiest countries is top heavy with European nations (Denmark is number one) but even with all of its’ recent woes, the US still comes in at 16 — hope springs eternal. (more…)

If you answered Spain, you would be correct. This new breed of restaurant is emerging across Barcelona.  A Bistronomia is a restaurant opened by a young chef without investors or a lot of money but with excellent technical training. Most of these bistros have little or no decor as all the attention goes toward offering creative, well prepared food. These restaurants are dedicated to offering high quality, contemporary, and (occasionally) clever food at reasonable prices. Here’s a trend that I hope crosses the pond sooner than later.  (more…)

As the Beijing Olympics wind down, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed with the nagging feeling I have about the performance of the athletes. As world records fell with regularity and clearly pre-pubescent girls defied gravity, I knew that cheats were lurking. I do remember a time when great athletic feats were met with awe rather than skepticism. As a die hard cycling fan, I learned to look carefully to see if something seems not quite right in any sporting event I might watch. After Floyd Landis’s remarkable ride back into contention in the 2006 Tour de France, he leaped off the bike and looked ready to bite the head off of a bunny. When Roger Clemens re-emerged essentially transformed into the Hulk, it went well beyond conventional wisdom that it was simply a new training regimen. Still, if you love the game, you look away and hope that you are wrong. As I look at the new heroes and heroines from these games, I can only hope that their wins came from the natural talent, hard work, and personal sacrifice that make an athlete excel rather than from a hypodermic needle. After all, since ancient times, we all need a hero now and then.

Even Target, the darling of the fashion world and shoppers of all stripes, is feeling the pain of the economy. Executives there have announced they plan to put more emphasis on the lattter portion of their ”Expect more. Pay less” slogan. While this shift might make the most loyal Target customer squeamish (myself included), numbers don’t lie. As Target’s stores falter, Wal-Mart’s “Save Money. LIve Better” is doing a better job of hitting the target.  (more…)

Women are waiting longer to have children, and more women than ever are choosing not to have children at all, according to a new Census Bureau report. Twenty percent of women ages 40 to 44 have no children, double the level of 30 years ago the report says. Hispanic women are the only group bucking the trends found in the study. One in five new mothers in 2006 were foreign born with California having the highest number. With other factors competing for women’s time (e.g., employment, later marriage), it will be interesting to see if the trend levels off or continues. (more…)

The food police are at it again (this time in Germany) trying to save us from ourselves. Politicians there have recently announced their intentions to ban the popular candy, Kinder Surprise, for fear the small toy nestled inside the egg is a choking hazard. They contend that children cannot differentiate between toys and “nutritional matter” and therefore the treat is dangerous. Ferrero, the company that manufacturers the product, has fired back angrily that there is no evidence to support that children over the age of five cannot differentiate between chocolate and hard plastic (there’s a shocker). Furthermore, there are no cases on record of a child choking on a Kinder Surprise toy. (Probably because their parents confiscate the toys immediately for themselves but that is another blog.) The German government at this point is unmoved by the growing protests of adults and children alike at the potential banning of the beloved confection. It is now very difficult to get Kinder Surprise eggs in the US due to strict import bioterrorism rules (I swear) as well as the same choking hazard that the German government now fears. As a result, I always make certain to enjoy one of my favorite treats whenever I travel abroad. At least I know the madness will never expand to Italy where the pleasure of food and drink always trump misguided rules or regulations. They didn’t coin the phrase la dolce vita for nothing.  (more…)

While women still do the majority of work in the home, numerous studies indicate that men are getting more involved. Scott Coltrane, a sociologist who studies family dynamics, says that compared to the 1960s, the portion of housework done by men in couples has doubled, with men performing 30% of the housework. Men have also tripled the amount of childcare they do since the 1960s, Coltrane reports. In the kitchen, a recent study by The NPD Group found that more men than ever are preparing dinner — 18% in 2007, compared to 14% in 2003. Some of those men are watching the Food Network, which draws 40% male viewership during prime time according to Nielsen. A study for Edelman conducted by StrategyOne is keeping an eye on these trends. “Pride in My Home: A Perspective From Today’s Men,” found that among men who live alone or in a couple, 76% reported being primarily or partly responsible for buying groceries, and 63% reported being primarily or partly responsible for purchasing both cleaning products and laundry supplies. It would be nice to think men are being more active in the home because they are fair-minded and enlightened, but with more women working full time and their incomes rivaling or eclipsing their husbands’, the days are long gone when a husband was the sole provider who could expect the missus to be waiting at the door with his pipe and slippers. (more…)

The social networking site Facebook has surpassed its’ rival MySpace globally thanks in large part to tools that allow users to translate their own content into many languages. Of Facebook’s 132 million users, nearly 63% are outside North America. The site, which had been translated into 20 languages including French, Spanish, and Mandarin, has recently added 69 more. “Now, through translations, we are seeing a lot of growth in international countries,” says Javier Olivan, international manager at Facebook in a recent interview. Although Facebook has focused on translating tools, it isn’t ruling out opening local bureaus (like MySpace) to help make the site more culturally relevant—and to sell ads. But executives aren’t convinced that new offices are necessary. Once there are users, the thinking goes, advertisers will follow. “The platform is open, and as soon as advertisers find value they just start creating campaigns,” says Olivan. “So it is pretty much universal.” C’est une bonne idee! (more…)

Next month, Fine Living will launch a new show with a provocative concept — mocking Martha Stewart.  “Whatever Martha!” will take a look back at clips from Martha Stewart shows from the 1990’s as her daughter and the daughter of the chairman of Martha’s parent company mock everything from the content to Martha’s clothing. Interestingly, the concept was first floated by Martha herself as a way to connect with a younger consumer. “I think 20-somethings and 30-somethings will watch this show and laugh along but still come away learning something,” Martha Stewart said. Martha is not worried about her die-hard fans as she doesn’t expect them to be interested in tuning into the new show once they understand the premise. Keeping contemporary and relevant while maintaining your core consumer — sounds like it’s a good thing. (more….)

Cyclists are a happy bunch — chatting, laughing, flirting, cranking out the miles and listening to tunes. As we cycle, there is always a nice cooling breeze even on hot summer days. Runners are another story. Everytime I pass a runner on my bike, I can’t help but expect to look back and see them keeling over while clutching their chest, knee, hamstring, etc. In general, they are a humorless, hardcore, and cranky breed. I guess you would be too if every step felt like it could be your last. However, according to a new study, seems like they might be onto something. A Stanford University study reported this week running reduced the risk of heart attack, Alzheimers, as well as other diseases. Guess this means I can’t make fun of my friends who are runners anymore. Nah.  (more…..)