HABITAT LOSS
The sicker the oceans get, the more of their habitable regions vanish. Loss of aquatic habitats is mirroring the earlier pattern on land, which began with the Industrial Revolution and continues today.
Read moreCategory: Facts & Trends
Military Golf Courses
Number of golf courses worldwide operated by the U.S. military: 151
Read moreThe Most Popular Names
The five most popular names for baby girls in 2014 were (in order) Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Isabella, and Ava, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. For boys, the most popular were Noah, Liam, Mason, Jacob, and William.
Read moreEarthquakes In Oklahoma
Percentage change since 2008 in the number of earthquakes in Oklahoma registering magnitude three or higher: +5,400
Read moreVolcano Disaster
A volcano in the Galapagos Islands erupted for the first time in 33 years, threatening the unique ecosystem that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The island is home to the world’s only colony of pink iguanas; officials said they were not in immediate danger.
Read moreCalorie Information
Chance that an American fast-food customer uses posted calorie information to make food buying decisions: 1 in 6
Read moreBarrel of monkeys
A wild rhesus macaque who’s stalked Tampa Bay for three years bit and scratched an elderly woman. “He gets up in my tree and starts shaking it because he wants to be fed,” said Jeff Seilbach, a neighbor of the attacked woman. “If you don’t feed him, he cops an attitude.”
Read moreBad week for:
Color commentary, after Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price used the F-word 77 times in a five-minute rant berating sportswriters for reporting that a player was injured. “Does every f—ing team that we f—ing play have to know every f—ing guy that’s here?” Price complained. “It’s a f—ing disgrace.”
Read morePRESS FREEDOM
Reporters Without Borders ranked 180 countries on the basis of conditions for press freedom. A sampling:
Read moreLive Eel In His Rectum
A New Zealand man showed up at a hospital emergency room with a live eel in his rectum. The man gave no explanation as to how the wriggling creature ended up where it was, but doctors were apparently able to remove it without complication. “The eel was about the size of a decent sprig of asparagus,” said a hospital employee, […]
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