• U.S.

In Brief: Dec. 6, 1999

2 minute read
Alain L. Sanders

OUT OF BOUNDS When trouble breaks out at kids’ sporting events, who are the likely culprits? More often than not, it’s the parents–an embarrassment that has prompted the National Alliance for Youth Sports www.nays.org to develop a parental-sportsmanship course that includes a handbook, a video and an ethical code. It instructs parents to respect players, coaches and officials and to “place the emotional and physical well-being” of the child “ahead of a personal desire to win.” Thirty leagues are already using the materials. Florida’s Jupiter-Tequesta Athletic Association is making the course mandatory.

THE PRICE OF HAPPINESS What’s a good marriage worth? Economists David Blanchflower of Dartmouth and Andrew Oswald at England’s University of Warwick calculate that a lasting marriage adds happiness equivalent to an extra $100,000 a year. They also say that yes, higher income equals greater happiness; that to make up for the sadness of losing a job would require an extra $60,000 a year; and that while the gap has diminished over the years, whites are happier than blacks–about $30,000 happier.

WHAT, US WORRY? Despite a year full of news of natural disasters, from storms to fires to earthquakes, emergency preparedness is not a high family-agenda item. Half of Americans believe a disaster is not likely to strike their home (including 30% of those already hit), and 55% haven’t even discussed disaster planning with their families (including 37% of those already victimized). An Independent Insurance Agents of America poll found that such planning is most neglected (69%) in the Northeast and least neglected (45%) in the West.

–By Alain L. Sanders

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