The feeling is even better now knowing that we stayed patient and made good decisions even though we were behind.

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People who may have felt powerless are now feeling empowered to challenge businesses to do better in a very public way using social media.

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In a similar vein, well run foreign retailers such as Tesco and Aldi, a German hard discounter, may find their expansion in America goes better now that so many local rivals are feeling pain (the two firms are fighting a price war against each other at home in Europe).

ECONOMIST: American retailing

So if human carbon dioxide emissions actually do make any difference, are you feeling any better about those SUVs and coal plants now?

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And people haven't recovered all that they had lost in their 401(k)s, but they're feeling a little better when they open that envelope now than they did six months ago.

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And given the servicing the U.K.'s massive debt load requires, this would leave people feeling only slightly better off after austerity than they do now.

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