Facts & Trends

Speedy Trial?

Estimated number of cases pending in India's court system: 30,000,000 ...
teen suicide

Bullying teens into suicide

Children and young adults who are bullied are more than twice as likely to consider suicide and two and a half times as likely to try to kill themselves, a new study has concluded—and those taunted online are even more ...

Slow TV

An Icelandic public broadcast station aired 24 hours of live sheep birthing, part of its “slow TV” campaign, which also featured chess, knitting, and wood-burning ...

IS CLIMATE CHANGE LARGELY THE RESULT OF HUMAN ACTIVITY?

The pollster Ipsos MORI put the question to people in 20 countries. Here’s a sampling of how many said yes: ...

God vs. Harvey Weinstein

Number of Academy Award winners in the past twenty years who thanked God in their acceptance speeches: 7 Who thanked Harvey Weinstein: 30 ...

By the numbers

141: The number of seasonal former IRS employees rehired by the agency between 2010 and 2013 despite having botched or failed to file their own tax returns, according to a February report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. 8.8 ...

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU?

Gallup ranked 143 countries by how great a share of respondents said they had recently had positive experiences such as laughter or enjoyment. A sampling, from greatest to least: 1 - Paraguay 8 - Costa Rica 15 - U.S. 134 ...

A BIG MARKET

Americans spend $100 billion annually on cocaine, heroin, pot and meth. Many users spend small amounts at a time—$10 may buy a day’s supply of heroin, for instance. But over time users may build a tolerance to a drug and ...

How Pot Affects Driving

Reduced awareness Brain imaging shows that it’s harder for people who are high to focus on several things at once, such as a changing stoplight, an approaching bicycle and a car signaling a turn. Hallucinations Research is sparse, but pot-related cases ...

Lake Mead Level Lower Than Ever

Lake Mead, the main reservoir on the Colorado River, is now just 38 percent full — lower than at any time since it was filled in the 1930's.  If the lake sinks lower still during summer months, officials may cut ...