Watercooler Stories

HILLARY MAKES TOUGH GUY LIST

For the first time, the Men's Journal annual list "The 25 Toughest Guys in America," includes a woman.

Joining the list topped by NFL quarterback Brett Favre, of the Green Bay Packers, is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

The magazine, which consulted more than 100 experts in more than a dozen fields, says "tough guy" is all about perseverance, fearlessness and a high threshold for pain.

"Is there anyone who doubts that the toughest penalty Bill (Clinton) paid for the Monica (Lewinsky) scandal was at home?" the magazine asked.

GLASS CEILING LOWER

The glass ceiling has gotten a lot lower but U.S. women still have lost ground at the executive management level, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.

Minorities have gained across the board, says the Peopleclick Research Institute, the affirmative action arm of the recruiting company Peopleclick.

At the highest management level, females' share of executive management positions -- an occupational category containing job titles such as chief executive officer, chief financial officer, president and vice president -- dropped 13 percentage points, from 32 percent in 1990 to 19 percent in 2000.

Over the same period, the number of minorities in management job increased from 13 percent in 1990 to 16.7 percent in 2000.

LEAP YEARS ADD TO GDP

This year's leap year has some plus and minuses -- women can propose but those who are paid on a yearly salary provide a free day of work.

While this may cost a U.S. worker making the median income of $53,300 -- $205, from a macroeconomic perspective, the leap year benefits the Gross Domestic Product or output, which is measured in annual increments.

"If we were to think of output per day, our economy produces over $30 billion on average each day," Jason Taylor, an assistant professor of economics at Central Michigan University, says in a statement.

"Therefore we can expect to see GDP around $30 billion higher in 2004 simply because of leap day."