Managing Space

In his book Democracy in America, French observer Alexis de Tocqueville remarks:

"Everything about the Americans, from their social conditions to their laws, is extraordinary; but the most extraordinary thing of all is the land that supports them. When the Creator handed the earth over to men, it was young and inexhaustible, but they were weak and ignorant; and by the time that they had learned to take advantage of the treasures it contained, they had already covered its face, and soon they were having to fight for the right to an asylum where they could rest in freedom."

"It was then that North America was discovered, as if God had held it in reserve and it had only just arisen above the waters of the flood.”

Take Your Vacations!

Americans schedule an average of 14 vacation days a year, the average Britisher schedules 24. Americans typically don't use 3 of those days, giving back time to their employers.

Noise over the Top

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Americans cite noise – more than crime, litter, traffic, or inefficient government – as the biggest problem affecting their neighborhoods. And why not? 138,000,000 people are regularly exposed to noise levels labeled as excessive by the Environmental Protection Agency.