Sedentary habits keep rising
Americans are less active than ever. A new government study found that people’s sedentary time outside of work increased by about 40 percent between 1965 and 2009. On average, Americans take 5,117 steps a day—far fewer than the 10,000 recommended by the American Heart Association.
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A new home for Twinkies
Bankrupt Hostess announced that it would move ahead with plans to sell its Twinkies brand to two investment firms after receiving no competing offers. The new owners, who offered $410 million to snap up Twinkies, Ding Dongs, and Ho Hos, say the snack cakes could be back on store shelves by summer.
Associated Press
Taco Bell's new hit
Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos are a huge hit. The fast-food chain sold 372 million last year, or more than 1 million a day, boosting store sales by 8 percent; the company had to add 15,000 jobs to handle the growth.
TheDailyBeast.com
Companies stretch the workweek
Not since World War II have American factory workers put in more hours than they did in February, when they worked an average 41.9 hours a week. Overall, U.S. companies have stretched the average workweek to 34.5 hours, up from 33.8 in 2009 and just shy of the 34.7-hour peak in 2006.
Bloomberg.com
Women's wages still fall short
Women still earn more than $10,000 a year less than their male counterparts, according to U.S. Census data. The disparity is greatest in Provo, Utah, where women’s pay in 2011 was just 61.6 percent of men’s, and the median income for women was nearly $20,000 less.
Yahoo.com
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What will security guarantees for Ukraine look like?Today's Big Question From boots on the ground to economic sanctions, here are the measures that might stop Russia taking another bite out of Ukraine
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The US Open's controversial 'superstars' doubles formatTalking Point New shortened competition attracts star pairings and bigger audiences to grand slam tennis event
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Crossword: August 21, 2025The Week's daily crossword
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The bottom linefeature Where to stash your cash; Facebook's tax refund; The value of old phones; The wealth of America's megabanks; Grateful alumni
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The bottom line
feature High cellphone taxes; Companies shore up pension funds; The bite of high gas prices; More dads stay home; Americans' scarce savings; Clorox sales hit a peak
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The bottom line
feature Taxi drivers with college degrees; Morgan Stanley's revealing nicknames; Sleep deprivation and lost productivity; A retreat for Barnes & Noble; Signs of a stabilizing economy
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The bottom line
feature Companies cut spending because of fiscal cliff; Administrative bloat and tuition costs; Market for new and existing homes improves; Annual federal deficit as share of GDP decreases; Federal rules for contracts get flouted
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The bottom line
feature No-growth small businesses; Swift sales for Taylor's new album; Predicting doctors' costs; Airlines face shortfall in qualified pilots; Will Japan slip into recession?
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The bottom line
feature Apple's corporate tax rate; A housing market still in the tank; Boeing's Dreamliner earns rave reviews; Billions owed in child support; Goldman Sachs trims its ranks
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The bottom line
feature No new jobs in August for small business; Lowest corn harvest in 17 years; Louboutin wins battle over red soles; The growing American lower class; U.S.'s competitive ranking drops; The expanding wealth gap
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The bottom line
feature Facebook tries gambling; The not-so-rich Americans; Pauly D's banner year; Gibson Guitar pays a fine; Let's get women on board!