In New York, the entire winter has been filled with weather advisories, along with freezing rain, decreased blood circulation, sleet, swipes right, unused gym memberships, compromised public transportation infrastructure, depression, lassitude, lonely gloves, too much binge-watching, opportunistic slush of a certain sentience and the first 2,000 words of novels in various states of abandonment.
Millions of unused gym memberships show the commercial power of our desire to be healthier – if also (for many of us) our lack of drive to follow through on that desire.
So is the rise of political spin, which negates the tradition of Westminster debate he reveres.Mr Clarke has no illusions about the funk British democracy is in, with its plunging party memberships, hated MPs and falling turnouts.
Essex University's Mr King points out that a lot of the evidence for decline is drawn from a handful of parties Britain's two main ones, the German SPD, the French and Italian Communists which did indeed once promote clear ideologies, enjoy mass memberships, and organise local branches and social activities.
Donors without big memberships, such as companies, would concentrate on the most expensive part of a campaign, buying television time; nearly all the growth in "soft money" has gone on this.
Among the opening sessions was one entitled "The economics of paying too much", a rich genre that spans gym memberships, banking fees and inkjet cartridges.
Several churches with memberships of millions backed her, as did various regional barons who used to support Mr Estrada.
But as the dollar slid, it reversed course and cut interest rates, which boosted spending on everything from golf-club memberships at home to splashy buildings in Manhattan.
NOTHING has come to embody corporate greed like executive perks: the corporate jets, chauffeured limousines and country-club memberships that bosses consume in a seemingly deliberate attempt to outrage public opinion.
Since late last year, however, three new restaurants have opened in the district, and office workers have been eagerly turning up for lunch at prices over ¥1,000.Whether or not tastier lunches are the reason, fitness-club memberships also seem to be on the rise, according to Kenji Nishida of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The first 30 minutes are usually free for members (annual memberships range from a $35 deposit to a $145 fee), and charges rise the longer users hang on to the bikes.
