Nearly 10,000 desperate refugees were rescued from overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean this week, a record high, but another 400 are believed to have drowned when one of the boats sank, also a record. Most of the migrants were from Syria or sub-Saharan Africa, fleeing war and poverty. European Union officials said some half-million people are massed in Libyan ports […]
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Percent increase in armed robberies at pharmacies since 2006: 81
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About 25 percent of the world’s population, or 1.6 billion people, do not have electricity in their homes.
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Smarty pants, after Google developers announced that they were teaming up with Levi’s to make jeans with conductive fibers that could be used as touch screens, allowing users to answer the phone or send a text just by swiping their thighs.
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Nearly 50% of American adults now use some form of alternative medicine, spending an estimated $27 billion a year on herbal and other supplements and on such treatments as acupuncture, chiropractic, and energy healing.
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Chance that an American fast-food customer uses posted calorie information to make food buying decisions: 1 in 6
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One in six roofers suffers an injury each year. The least risky profession: Legal services.
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A home-brew club in Oregon will soon start making beer from treated sewage water. Clean Water Services, which runs four wastewater treatment plants in the Portland area, will let the Oregon Brew Crew use recycled sewage to make batches of beer. “I’m excited,” said Lee Hedgmon, president of the club. “I’m trying to think of a really cool recipe.” Hedgmon […]
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$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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Parts of the Northeast received up to 18 inches of snow over Memorial Day weekend. Snow blanketed parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, and upstate New York.
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