72 percent of Australian males smoked in 1945 versus 17 percent in 2007 according to the NSW Cancer Council, whereas the federal Department of Broadband said an average of 84 percent of Australians over 14 had a mobile phone, and that was in 2006

The difference between an eye (with millions of neurons, a network of controlling muscles and a hard-to-reach position) and an ear (a fixed structure of comparatively simple bone) is like repairing a toy dump truck and a space shuttle. But life for those with sight deficiencies is equally difficult.

Romance novels account for $1.375b (12.9 percent of sales), set to grow to 13.3 percent according to business intelligence analyst Simba Information, publisher of the authoritative Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2008. Publishers collectively released 8,090 romance titles in 2007, up 25.9 percent over the previous year.