1.)     While the American economy is struggling, things continue to be worse in Europe.    Consider Italy, where the economy is in its 4th recession in the last ten years, and unemployment is soaring.     So a supermarket has come up with a novel way of hiring new workers.    Each customer who spends over $40 is given a lottery tickets.    The grand prize winners of the lottery are given “temporary part-time assistant jobs” at the supermarket.

2.)     There is good news from Italy today, out of the University of Naples, where a new study has determined that French Fries are good for you.    The leader of the research says that thanks to the starch in potatoes, French Fries absorb only about 5 percent of the oil they’re fried in, unlike eggplant and pickles which absorb at least 30 percent.    However, that only works when you’re frying fresh potatoes, not frozen fries, like the ones served in fast food restaurants.     Using fresh potatoes means your fries will be more like having a baked potato.    The study recommends leaving the skin on the potatoes and frying them in sunflower oil.

3.)     Exactly how long does it take for someone to get annoyed waiting for an elevator?      Theresa Christy is a mathematician with the Otis Elevator Company and she did the research and figured it out.    Her discovery - 20 seconds.     Chances are, at the point you’re either pacing around, checking your cell phone or even pressing the elevator button to help make it come faster.