Facts & Trends

"Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic.  But will they keep it?  Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom?  Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction." - Thomas Jefferson ...

"The worlds largest oil rig exploded and sank off Brazil. The company said the environmental impact would be minimal, partly because of the isolated location, and partly because they re lying through their teeth." - Jon Stewart ...

California firefighters spent two hours extracting a naked woman from a chimney after she tried to sneak into her ex-boyfriend's home at 5 a.m.  The 35-year-old took off her clothes in the hope it would help her fit down the ...

Percentage of black U.S. children under the age of five who live in poverty: 43 ...

Due to the high demand of the "dip season," a national shortage of Velveeta has shoppers hunting stores for the gooey, bright-yellow "cheese product."  People planning Super Bowl parties are calling the shortage of the dip-friendly substance a "cheesepocalypse."  One fan ...

A Chinese fishmonger found a 3-pound live bomb inside a squid he was cutting up.  Police took the squid away and blew it up in a controlled explosion ...

A Middle Eastern company has unveiled a fetching new line of Lycra leotards for racing camels to improve their performance on the track. Camel racing is popular across the Arab world, and Abu Dhabi based firm Al-Shibla says its compression ...

The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked more than 130 cities from most to least expensive, according to a survey of prices across 160 goods and services. Here’s a sampling: 1 - Singapore 2 - Paris 9 - Seoul 22 - New York ...

Jamie Fox, a 22-year-old from Great Britain with a degree in music, was given a job as a human scarecrow on a farm.  Fox will make $400 a week scaring off partridges by playing an accordion, ukulele, and cowbell ...