HUMAN VS. MACHINE
44%: Percentage of U.S. firms since 2008 that have reduced their head counts in part because of automation.
Read moreTag: facts
Girls Forced To Fight For Boko Haram
One year after Boko Haram abducted 276 Christian teenage girls from a northern Nigerian boarding school, authorities are no closer to finding them—and more have been taken. Amnesty International said this week that the Islamist group has captured at least 2,000 women and girls since the start of 2014. Those who escape say they were raped in forced marriages and trained […]
Read moreWhat Are We High On Now?
More than 1 in 10 Americans used marijuana 2012. But pot isn’t gaining users as fast as heroin or LSD. Nor is it the most addictive drug.
Read moreFootball and Rugby
Percentage change since 2009 in the number of Americans who play football: -17 Who play rugby: +77
Read moreThe Real Beliefs of Islam
“We can’t end terrorism any more than we can end crime in general. But I look forward to the day when an act of terrorism by self proclaimed Muslims will be universally dismissed as nothing more than a criminal attack of a thuggish political organization wearing an ill fitting Muslim mask. To get to that point, we will need to […]
Read moreSpeedy Trial?
Estimated number of cases pending in India’s court system: 30,000,000
Read moreSlow TV
An Icelandic public broadcast station aired 24 hours of live sheep birthing, part of its “slow TV” campaign, which also featured chess, knitting, and wood-burning.
Read moreBy the numbers
141: The number of seasonal former IRS employees rehired by the agency between 2010 and 2013 despite having botched or failed to file their own tax returns, according to a February report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. 8.8 Million: The number of tons of plastic waste dumped into the oceans every year, according to a study in the journal […]
Read moreHOW HAPPY ARE YOU?
Gallup ranked 143 countries by how great a share of respondents said they had recently had positive experiences such as laughter or enjoyment. A sampling, from greatest to least: 1 – Paraguay 8 – Costa Rica 15 – U.S. 134 – Afghanistan 143 – Sudan
Read moreHow Pot Affects Driving
Reduced awareness Brain imaging shows that it’s harder for people who are high to focus on several things at once, such as a changing stoplight, an approaching bicycle and a car signaling a turn. Hallucinations Research is sparse, but pot-related cases can happen and are an “underappreciated” threat on the road. Slower decisions Being high can impair users’ executive function and problem-solving […]
Read more