Building a wall
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.
Read moreTag: facts
Cost of War
$6 trillion – Upper estimate of the cost to the U.S. of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
Read moreGreat Government Giveaways
The Dutch city of Utrecht will give unconditional monthly payments of about $1,000 to select citizens starting in January 2016 to see whether “basic income” can work as a means of welfare. Various other governments have resorted to unusual handouts to achieve certain ends: DUBAI City officials tried to boost public transport in November by raffling off prizes, including 8.8-lb. […]
Read morePlacebo For Parkinson’s Disease
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
Read moreNaked Surprise
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.
Read moreA very green thumb
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 Law says it’s his right to grow crops on his property in a natural manner, and calls it a “blunt […]
Read moreThe Man Who Removed His Own Appendix
Leonid Ivanovich Rogozov was a Soviet general practitioner who took part in the sixth Soviet Antarctic Expedition in 1960–1961. He was the only doctor stationed at the Novolazarevskaya Station and, while there, developed appendicitis, which meant he had to perform an appendectomy on himself, a famous case of self-surgery. Leonid Rogozov was born in Dauriya Station, Chita Oblast, a remote […]
Read moreThe Murder Of Land
“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
Read moreIt was a bad week for . . .
. . . 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 restaurant. “We substitute lemons.”
Read moreArrest Rate In America
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 societal attitude toward such crimes as vandalism, underage drinking, drunken driving, shoplifting, and drug possession.
Read more