Collapsing Bridges
The odds are 1 in 4 million that you’ll be on a bridge when it collapses at some time during your life.
Read moreCategory: Facts & Trends
Deck Chairs Thwart Pirates
Somali pirates who tried to storm a luxury cruise ship were sent packing by a group of retired British and German tourists wielding deck chairs. When the armed pirates pulled up to the ship off the coast of Somalia, the elderly passengers picked up whatever deck furniture they could find to repel the invaders. The pirates peppered the boat with […]
Read moreOh, That Smell
A specimen of the world’s largest flower, the titan arum, is about to bloom at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. To attract carrion insects, the flower emits a stench botanists likened to “a very dead elephant.”
Read moreAutomation
47%: Share of U.S. jobs that are at high risk of becoming automated in the next 20 years, according to Oxford University research.
Read moreThe Cost of Pot Legalization
$1.4 Billion – Projected annual revenue Mexican drug cartels stand to lose because of pot legalization in Colorado and Washington State.
Read moreDriving On The World Wide Web
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.
Read moreADHD Facts
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which used to be known “being a kid”, is the most commonly diagnosed psychological “disorder”. • Nearly 10% of American children have, at one time or another,been diagnosed with ADHD. • The state with the highest incidence of ADHD is North Carolina, where some 15% of children have been diagnosed with the disorder. • ADHD […]
Read moreProtests in Australia
A new wave of demonstrations across Australia is planned for June after the government of Western Australia moved to close remote Aboriginal settlements, saying it could no longer afford to subsidize communities plagued by social problems such as alcohol and drug abuse.
Read moreRenaming Pork
The pork industry is renaming various cuts of meat to give them “consumer-friendly” names. The National Pork Board has been given approval from the USDA to rename pork chops “porterhouse chops,” “ribeye chops,” and “New York chops,” depending on the cut, while pork butt—which is from the shoulder—will be labeled “Boston roast”.
Read moreCost of Tobacco
$15.6 BILLION – The amount of money Quebec Justice Brian Riordan ruled three tobacco companies must pay to more than 1 million smokers in Quebec who have become ill from tobacco use or say they can’t quit smoking. The companies said they would appeal the ruling.
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