Day: May 16, 2011

Waitresses Who Stand Closer Get Bigger Tips

Buck Banks

22.6%

Amount waitresses can increase their tips by standing 0.6 meters closer to patrons (0.15 meters away versus 0.75 meters), according to a study by the University of Southern Brittany in France. Researchers say close proximity is one of four nonverbal ways for waitresses to boost tips, the others being smiling broadly, touching customers briefly on the arm or shoulder, and squatting next to the table when introducing themselves.

The Unconvincables: Gov. Rick Scott Denys Climate Change

Trish

I’ve not been convinced that there’s any man-made climate change. Nothing’s convinced me that there is.

— Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R-Tea), who presides over a state where 95 percent of the population lives within 35 miles of the coast, and where, by the turn of the century, the waterline will be between 2 and 5 feet higher.

Health Insurers Report Record Profit – But Leave 50 Mil Uninsured, Shift Uninsureds’ $49 Bil Unpaid Hospital Bill to Taxpayers

Jon Ponder

art-leechesFour recent health-care related stories in the news, taken together, put the current state of the crisis into perspective:

  • Despite failing at its core mission of providing insurance to everyone, the insurance industry rakes in record profits:

    The five largest insurers — WellPoint, Cigna, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and Humana — which along with some other competitors boasted a 250 percent return over the past decade, earned over $15 billion in 2010. That’s 22 percent growth over their combined $12.2 billion earnings in 2009.

  • And yet, the insurance megacorps are demanding large premium hikes:

    Yet the companies continue to press for higher premiums, even though their reserve coffers are flush with profits and shareholders have been rewarded with new dividends. Many defend proposed double-digit increases in the rates they charge, citing a need for protection against any sudden uptick in demand once people have more money to spend on their health, as well as the rising price of care.

  • These companies have rigged the system so that one-sixth of the U.S. population can’t afford insurance:
    […]