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Counter Intelligence: Girl Scouts, Warfare & Shame

Read this and you'll look smart and have something to talk about...

Monday, Dec 1, 2008 | Updated 7:49 AM EST

Counter Intelligence: Girl Scouts, Warfare & Shame

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The wealthy are opting out of opulence -- and some say it's because of luxury shame.

Read this and you'll look smart. You don't have to be intelligent to impress people -- you just have to fake it. Here's a daily list of fascinating articles that will wow your friends, surprise your co-workers and make you seem sharp at a cocktail party or over the lunch counter....

Sure, November was cookie month, but it's unlikely that alone could save the Girl Scouts. The group is struggling to stay relevant and have hemorrhaged 250,000 members in five years.
Two dueling international airports in Moscow owned by rival organizations could be a model of competition in the aviation industry because it results in lower fees, better service and more adequate facilities.
The French Foreign Legion has changed its mission but the grueling training courses in jungle warfare held in the equatorial rain forest have remained roughly the same.
The wealthy who can still sustain their luxurious lifestyle are opting out of opulence -- and some are saying it's because of the new phenomenon to come from the economic crisis: luxury shame.
The average TV advertisement takes about eight showings to get on viewers' nerves -- it used to take 15 to 20 to become irritating about a decade ago. But as companies try to reach out to an increasing fragmented audience the result is the repetition of ads ad nauseum.
Cell-phone makers are hoping the touch screen will prove to be a boon to holiday business -- much like the blockbuster success of the iPhone. But with a dismal economy analysts cast doubt on whether the gadgets will be scooped up as quickly.