that the revenue that is generated from gambling is more than the revenue derived from movies, cruse ships, recorded music, theme parks and spectator sports combined?
that in a lifetime the average European or North American will discard more than 600 times his or her adult weight in garbage and about a ton of trash per person per year?
that every year, Americans buy more than 100 million cell phones, yet fewer than 20% of old cell phones are recycled and that recycling just a million cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing 1,368 cars off the road for a full year?
that of all the restaurants that are opened, 90% of them fail in the first year and of the remaining ones that survive, 90% of those fail in the second year?
that recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, and 4000 kilowatt hours of electricity; this is enough energy to power the average North American home for 5 months?
that 1 recycled tin would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours; 1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes; 1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours?
that Confucius about 2,500 years ago argued that the government should not compete for profit with the people, as it would only result to the exploitation of the population?
that Pytheas has presence in 41 countries?
that the Boeotian Hesiod about 3000 years ago theorized on the entrepreneurship typical of the market (an early laissez-faire), identifying the effects of government debasement of the coinage, which causes a decrease in its purchasing power (think Adam Smith, Keynes and post Keynes), arguing about the importance of competition and the importance of justice and the law in order to foster order and harmony in society?
that annually, the amount of garbage that is dumped in the world’s oceans is three times the weight of fish that is caught from the oceans?
The seismic shock, with the U.S. subprime sector at its epicenter, delivered to the global economy in the latter part of 2007 created a tsunami of economic and fiscal chaos that swept the globe in 2008. As we approach 2009, further aftershocks are emerging on a near daily basis and show little sign of abating. It is the opinion of Pytheas that this is not an ordinary downturn, but rather a structural correction in global capital markets which will impact upon every sector of the economy and real estate market.
