Read this and you'll look smart. You don't have to be intelligent to impress people -- you just have to fake it. Here's a daily list of fascinating articles that will wow your friends, surprise your co-workers and make you seem sharp at a cocktail party or over the lunch counter....
- Sure, November was cookie month, but it's unlikely that alone could save the Girl Scouts. The group is struggling to stay relevant and have hemorrhaged 250,000 members in five years.
- Two dueling international airports in Moscow owned by rival organizations could be a model of competition in the aviation industry because it results in lower fees, better service and more adequate facilities.
- The French Foreign Legion has changed its mission but the grueling training courses in jungle warfare held in the equatorial rain forest have remained roughly the same.
- The wealthy who can still sustain their luxurious lifestyle are opting out of opulence -- and some are saying it's because of the new phenomenon to come from the economic crisis: luxury shame.
- The average TV advertisement takes about eight showings to get on viewers' nerves -- it used to take 15 to 20 to become irritating about a decade ago. But as companies try to reach out to an increasing fragmented audience the result is the repetition of ads ad nauseum.
- Cell-phone makers are hoping the touch screen will prove to be a boon to holiday business -- much like the blockbuster success of the iPhone. But with a dismal economy analysts cast doubt on whether the gadgets will be scooped up as quickly.
