A Plastic World
A new study has calculated that there are 5.25 trillion small and large pieces of plastic, weighing a total of 269,000 tons, floating in the world’s oceans
Read moreCategory: Facts & Trends
Alternative Healing
Nearly 50% of American adults now use some form of alternative medicine, spending an estimated $27 billion a year on herbal and other supplements and on such treatments as acupuncture, chiropractic, and energy healing.
Read moreCost of Tobacco
$15.6 BILLION – The amount of money Quebec Justice Brian Riordan ruled three tobacco companies must pay to more than 1 million smokers in Quebec who have become ill from tobacco use or say they can’t quit smoking. The companies said they would appeal the ruling.
Read moreIt was a good week for . . .
. . . breathing deeply, after a Chinese travel company shipped bags of fresh mountain air to the smog-choked city of Zhengzhou as a treat for residents. “I felt my baby move right when I breathed in,” said a pregnant woman who waited on line for a sniff.
Read moreMost trustworthy nation
Europeans believe Germany is the most trustworthy but also least compassionate nation in the European Union, according to the most recent Pew survey of European attitudes. Respondents from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic all listed Germany as the most trustworthy European country. Only Greece, which is smarting under German-imposed budget cuts, listed Germany as least […]
Read moreMillennials: The most selfish generation yet?
“I am about to do what old people have done throughout history,” said Joel Stein in Time: “Call those younger than me lazy, entitled, selfish, and shallow.” But this time, I have factual proof. The Millennial generation—the 80 million Americans born between 1980 and 2000—is the most self-absorbed one yet, having been shaped by digital technology, overprotective baby boomer parents, […]
Read moreFamily in Korea
“Family” is traditionally the most important part of Korean life, but families are now falling apart. The national divorce rate has tripled from 2013 to 2014. South Korea has had the highest suicide rate among developed countries for eight consecutive years. In 2012, 39 people per day killed themselves. Suicide is the leading cause of death for 10- to 30-year-old […]
Read moreInteresting States
PENNSYLVANIA Longest-running gas station (since 1909) RHODE ISLAND First U.S. circus performance SOUTH CAROLINA Largest sculpture garden (more than 1,400 works) SOUTH DAKOTA Most well-rested state TENNESSEE First self-service grocery store TEXAS Largest bat colony UTAH Highest per capita consumption of Jell-0 VERMONT Highest percentage of cat owners
Read moreAIR TRAVEL
THE PROBLEM Flight delays, a large share of which are caused by weather, cost the U.S. economy $31 billion annually. Regulators have been slow to approve technology that could provide pilots access to weather data. THE INNOVATION Mobile technology can keep pilots abreast of the latest weather information and plan ways to avoid bad weather in advance, even if they’re […]
Read moreTHE MANY FACETS OF UNRESTRICTED WARFARE
Military: Atomic warfare, Conventional warfare, Bio-chemical warfare, Ecological warfare, Space warfare, Electronic warfare, Guerilla warfare, Terrorist warfare Trans-Military: Diplomatic warfare, Network warfare, Intelligence warfare, Psychological warfare, Tactical warfare, Smuggling warfare, Drug warfare, Virtual warfare (deterrence) Non-Military: Financial warfare, Trade warfare, Resources warfare, Economic aid warfare, Regulatory warfare, Sanction warfare, Media warfare, Ideological warfare
Read more