Although the economic crisis has caused the stock market to go down, mortgages to be foreclosed and jobs to be lost, it is keeping marriages together. Unhappy couples are staying together because they can’t afford to split up. It’s become too expensive to set up 2 households, especially when the present house – usually a couple’s biggest asset – has lost significant value. Not only has this situation resulted in a 25% increase in marriage counseling, but 37% of lawyers have reported a decrease in divorce. For now the new wedding vow may be “for richer, for poorer … until a good economy do us part”.
A bad economy has caused many people to part - with possessions. This has resulted in pawn shops across the U.S. doing record business. Customers at a pawn shop in Beverly Hills have pawned paintings by Chagall, Lichtenstein, Picasso and Warhol; Cartier and Rolex watches; DeBeers diamonds and Baccarat crystal. Jordon Tabach-Bank, owner of the Beverly Loan Co, has never had so many white collar customers wanting loans of $50,000 or more – a situation he attributes to the credit crisis. Pawn shops have become alternative banks for loans. They are keeping doctors, lawyers and business executives unable to get credit from being discredited.
Because of its problems with credit General Motors – the biggest sponsor of professional football – didn’t buy advertising time during Super Bowl XLIII. Having cut its advertising budget by 20%, the auto manufacturer didn’t have $6 million for a 60-second ad to be seen by 1/3 of the country. Nevertheless, there continued to be a GMC Defensive Player of the Week for the rest of the season and the Super Bowl MVP was still awarded a Cadillac. Even in bad times the NFL is one of the best places for advertising and General Motors still wanted to play ball.
The economy is also being blamed for the increased numbers of employees watching Internet porn. It’s being seen as their need to escape reality. According to Nielsen Online, ¼ of the employees who use the Internet visit porn sites during the workday. That’s up 23% from 2007. In fact, porn hits are higher during office hours than any other time of day. Not only does porn viewing cause loss of productivity and increased risk of sexual harassment lawsuits, adult sites expose computers to viruses. As a result, termination may be a reality employees can’t escape.
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