Facts & Trends

To keep out foreign extremists and refugees seeking work, Saudi Arabia is now building a 600-mile wall along its border with Iraq, and is strengthening fortifications along its 1,060- mile border with Yemen ...
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$6 trillion - Upper estimate of the cost to the U.S. of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
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Factor by which a placebo for Parkinson’s disease is more effective when the patient is told it costs $1,500 rather than $100: 2 ...
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An Australian man hid naked inside a top-loading washing machine to surprise his girlfriend, and had to be freed by police, who used olive oil as a lubricant ...
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A Florida man with a "moral opposition" to trimming the plants, grass, and weeds in his yard has racked up over $130,000 in fines.  Neighbors complain that Sean Law's unkempt lawn is an eyesore that's driving down property values, but ...
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"In America today you can murder land for private profit.  You can leave the corpse for all to see, and nobody calls the cops." - Paul Brooks ...
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. . . ordering a margarita, after heavy rains, tree disease, and cartel violence sent prices for Mexico’s limes soaring from to $14 a case to $100.  “We don’t buy them [anymore],” said the owner of a San Antonio Mexican ...
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Almost one in three Americans has been arrested for a crime other than a traffic violation by the age of 23, according to a new study of 7,335 young people.  The 30 percent arrest rate, sociologists said, reflects a more aggressive ...
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The two deadliest drugs in America are both legal.  Tobacco kills more than 500,000 Americans a year.  Alcohol is linked to 88,000 deaths a year (including those caused by drunk driving and violent behavior) and more than 4.6 million emergency ...
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Percentage of Americans and Chinese, respectively, who believe their government is “on the side of average citizens”: 12, 80 Who believe their government is “on the side of corporations”: 73, 17 ...
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