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41% of 490 regular food-bank users in Montreal, surveyed by a McGill University lecturer, said they have a postsecondary school education.--
MACLEAN'S
In 1998, Canada will admit about 225,000 immigrants legally or 0.8% of the population. The US allowed 915,900 legal immigrants in 1996, 0.3% of the population.--
WORLD PULSE
The top 12 list of workers least likely to be laid off are software engineers, aeronautics engineers, systems engineers, construction managers, computer artists and animators, Web site designers, computer programmers, database administrators, internal consultants specializing in information, technology systems, tool-and-die makers, software development analysts and financial services managers.--
THE GLOBE & MAIL (QUOTED IN THE GUIDE)
Most people assume that singles work longer hours than parents, for the obvious reason that, without the responsibility of child rearing, they have more time to devote to their careers. But a Boston University researcher interviewing employees at a financial services company and an insurance firm discovered that there was no difference in actual time spent on the job between the two.--
THE GLOBE & MAIL (QUOTED IN THE GUIDE)
The US Patent and Trademark Office estimates it has granted 350 patents for mousetraps in the past two centuries.--
IDOL MONEY REVIEW AND WORLD MONITOR
USA Weekend recently surveyed students (grades 6-12) on their self-image. Of the 272,400 teens who responded, only 40% considered themselves attractive; 50% of the girls wanted to lose weight and just as many boys felt the need to "tone up". When asked what is the most important influence in their lives, teens ranked parents first and religion second. 36% said they think adults don't value their opinions. 71% reported that they got "really depressed" either occasionally or often. 37% have friends who have discussed or actually attempted suicide (the third leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds). Fewer than 25% of teens reported feeling pressured to drink, smoke or do drugs, but more than half said they felt the need to "look a certain way" and "have a boyfriend/girlfriend". Asked how they generally feel about themselves, 93% said "really good" or "kind of good", 6% said "not very good" and 1% said "bad".--
USA WEEKEND (QUOTED IN FOCUS ON THE FAMILY PLUGGED IN)
A handshake in its oldest recorded use (2800 B.C. in Egypt), signified the conferring of power from a god to an earthly ruler. This is reflected in the Egyptian verb "to give", the hieroglyph for which was a picture of an extended hand.--
CHRISTIAN COURIER
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