Cremation
For every deceased person who is buried, four are now cremated.
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Watch Your Step in Naples
The almost-bankrupt Italian city of Naples began DNA-testing dog feces on its poop-covered sidewalks, so it can prosecute residents who don’t pick up. “I know some people find it funny that with all the problems the city has, we would focus on dog poop,” said an official.
Read moreRedrawing Borders
Italy and Switzerland have agreed to redraw their border because global warming is melting the Alpine glaciers that mark their respective boundaries. The border had been fixed since 1861.
Read moreMillennial Views
The lower you go on the generational totem pole, the more ethnically diverse you get. Young adults between 18-24 (so-called Millennial) don’t like racial labels because they don’t recognize the dividing lines of the past—they are the vanguard of a “colorblind” culture. But their wildly . diverse life experiences have created an almost-random pattern of values and beliefs, including: • […]
Read moreDriving and Cell Phones
Chance that a U.S. automobile accident occurs when at least one of the drivers is texting or talking on a cell phone: 1 in 4
Read moreDeaths Caused By Traffic Accident
Number of deaths in traffic accidents for every 100,000 vehicles on the road in developed nations: 11 In Ethiopia: 3,865
Read moreProperty Tax Paid Using Dollar Bills and Loose Change
A California man has paid off a $14,000 property-tax bill using only dollar bills and loose change. Larry Gasper says he wasn’t deliberately trying to inconvenience county officials with the unorthodox payment, which he transported to county offices in a wheelbarrow—causing the clerks’ jaws to drop. It’s just that he’s very short of money, and had to scrape up the […]
Read moreLove and Hunger
Number of reported cases in the past decade of an Antarctic fur seal having sex with a king penguin: 4 Then eating it: 1
Read moreThe Healthiest Fruit
All fruit isn’t created equal when it comes to preventing diabetes. A Harvard University study that tracked the diets of more than 185,000 people over 12 years shows that eating strawberries, oranges, peaches, plums, and apricots has no impact on a person’s likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. But grapes, apples, grapefruit, and blueberries do help ward off the disease. […]
Read moreMelanoma
The rate of U.S. diagnoses for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has doubled in the past 30 years, from 11.2 cases per 100,000 people in 1982 to 22.7 cases per 100,000 in 2011, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released June 2. As a result, the agency expects the cost of melanoma care to […]
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