Forty-one million American workers get less than 6 hours sleep. That’s about 30% of the civilian workforce. In 2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed more than 15,000 workers. Forty-four percent of night-shift workers didn’t get enough sleep, with workers in transportation and warehouse industries getting the least. The National Sleep Foundation poll found 50% of pilots; 44% of truck drivers; and 29% of bus, taxi and limousine drivers seldom got enough sleep on workdays. Among all workers those ages 30-64 were likeliest not to get enough sleep. Ironically, spreading yourself too thin leads to middle-age spread.
More Americans are going to college in 2012 and more of them are looking for scholarships to help pay the increasing cost. In addition to scholarships for honor students, star athletes and gifted musicians, there are scholarships for more unusual talents. At Juanita College in Pennsylvania there’s a scholarship for left-handed students and Loyola University Chicago has one for students with the last name Zolp. The Stuttgart Arkansas Chamber of Commerce offers $2,000 to the best duck caller; and coincidentally, Duck Tape awards $5,000 for the best prom dress made of tape. Instead of mortarboards, perhaps high school graduates should wear thinking caps.
Sixty-two percent of adult children receive financial help from their parents – the average amount being $12,185. According to a study presented at a 2012 meeting of the Population Association of America, 42% of parents helped pay bills, 35% helped with college tuition, 23% helped with vehicle expenses and 22% helped pay rent. Eighty-two percent of higher-income parents ($99,910 or more) provided financial help compared to 47% of lower-income parents ($37,274 or less). However, the help from both groups equaled about 10% of their incomes. Interestingly, children with more agreeable personalities received more financial help. Maybe parents should post this finding on the refrigerator.
American doctors are earning less in 2012 and 46% of the 24,000 doctors surveyed by Medscape wouldn’t choose to be doctors again. Among 25 specialties the highest paid doctors were radiologists and orthopedic surgeons ($315,000) followed by cardiologists ($314,000) and both anesthesiologists and urologists ($309,000). The lowest paid doctors were pediatricians ($156,000) preceded by family medicine doctors ($158,000), internal medicine doctors ($165,000), diabeticians/endocrinologists ($168,000) and psychiatrists ($170,000). However, in all the specialties female doctors tended to earn 40% less than their male counterparts – but I strongly doubt female doctors learned 40% less in medical school.
Comments