Facts & Trends

$6 trillion - Upper estimate of the cost to the U.S. of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ...

A Colorado man was given a ticket by police this week for shooting his balky computer eight times and "killing" it.  Police say Lucas Hinch, 37, had become "fed up with fighting his computer for the last several months," so ...

The Department of Homeland Security has spent $2 million over the past three years on four studies analyzing why its workers suffer from such chronically low morale. It has yet to publish or act on the findings of any of ...

A ladder might be installed near the peak of Mount Everest.  Authorities in Nepal say the ladder would provide a shortcut over a steep cliff, and thus ease congestion near the 29,035-foot-high summit of the world’s tallest mountain ...

Nearly 30 million people worldwide are exploited and treated as property. These victims—adults and children—are forced to work, marry, serve in wars or provide sex ...

Number of reported cases in the past decade of an Antarctic fur seal having sex with a king penguin: 4 Then eating it: 1 ...

Boston police found a scribbled checklist on suspected burglar Evan Dorsey that included such goals as "find crystal meth," "sell drugs," "rob a dealer," and "do one altruistic thing for a stranger." ...

The Pew Research Center asked people in 40 countries if it was necessary to believe in God to be moral. Here is a sample of those who said it was: 95% - Egypt 86% - Brazil 53% - U.S. 14% - ...

Of the world's 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones, but only 4.5 billion have access to a working toilet ...

Kilowatt-hours of energy used each year by the average Ethiopian citizen: 52 By the average U.S. refrigerator: 454 ...