Sounds like a wonderful job, Larry, and one which directly and immediately impacts on others.

I felt that when I taught children. There again you can see your influence on how they will think, and care about not only their own future, but the worlds'. At least I really need to believe that's the case.

Rapaire, I do completely agree with what you've said about the OBSCENE amounts of money wasted on those kind of "studies". I have heard some that have made me laugh and scream at the same time because they are so inane, and you just know someone somewhere is gleefully making a wad of dough for nothing more than coming up with something unutterably idiotic and convincing someone else to give them money for it. BILLIONS wasted each and every year that could have been spent on education, the enviornment, inner city programs...

I also agree that we no longer think in terms of time as a continuum. A tree takes years to reach it's maturity, and an hour to be cut down.

..xx..e