The graduating class of 2015 is the most indebted in history, owing a total of $56 billion in student loans. About 71 percent of college students graduating this year took out loans, at an average of $35,051 each. In 1996, just 58 percent of students took out loans, owing less than $20,000 each at graduation.
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About a dozen inmates die behind bars each day, or about 4,400 jail and prison inmates each year. In jails, suicide is the leading cause of death.
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Percentage of the average “knowledge worker’s” time that is spent reading and writing emails: 28
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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 tweeted, “If this is true, I’m going to die.”
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Portion of the Indian Ocean that is underexplored by scientists because of pirates: 1/4
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Drivers are doing more than just texting behind the wheel. In a new study by Braun Research, 33 percent admitted they regularly send and read emails while driving, while 28 percent said they browse the internet and 27 percent said they use Facebook.
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Percentage change in the number of overweight people in the developing world since 1980: +261
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75%: The percentage of wages earned by full-time black and Latino retail workers relative to their white counterparts, according to a June 2 report from the NAACP and the liberal think tank Demos.
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Number of square miles of seabed in international waters that were under contract for mining operations in 2000: 0 That are today: 463,323
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British teams of scientists, using satellite tracking, have found that 10.7% of glaciers in Antarctica are starting to retreat at an alarming rate of speed. Much faster than had been expected for average melts. The warm water from the oceans has contributed to the rise in sea levels.
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