Kilowatts of Energy Used in Ethiopia and the U.S.
Kilowatt-hours of energy used each year by the average Ethiopian citizen: 52 By the average U.S. refrigerator: 454
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Why There’s a Skyscraper in the Amazon
The $9 billion, 1,000-ft. (305 m) Amazonian Tall Tower Observatory—now the tallest structure in South America—recently entered the final stages of construction. It will be inaugurated in August and fully operational by 2017. Here’s what Brazil and Germany, which co-funded the project, are hoping it will accomplish: Gather data The tower’s height and state-of-the- art instruments will enable scientists to […]
Read moreProtecting The World
25%: Share of the world’s population that the U.S. is legally bound to defend thanks to pacts and treaties signed with over 60 countries, according to a report from the Harvard Belfer Center.
Read moreForced Labor
Estimated number of people held in forced labor worldwide: 21,000,000 Portion who are 18 or younger: 1/4
Read moreCORAL-REEF DECLINE
Heat and acidity are also bad for coral reefs, which have declined by 40% in some areas since the 1970s. Coral organisms reproduce just once a year, making it hard for reefs to bounce back.
Read moreTwo Horns Were A Problem
The world’s most pierced man has been refused entry to Dubai over fears that he might be an evil sorcerer. Rolf Buchholz, who has 453 piercings on his face and body as well as fake horns implanted in his forehead, had just arrived in the conservative Islamic country to perform in a show when airport authorities detained him, saying they […]
Read moreA kind heart
Boston police found a scribbled checklist on suspected burglar Evan Dorsey that included such goals as “find crystal meth,” “sell drugs,” “rob a dealer,” and “do one altruistic thing for a stranger.”
Read moreDANGER ZONES FOR DISEASE
Save the Children ranked 72 developing countries by the strength of their health systems and found that many fell below the nations worst hit by Ebola. Here are the five most vulnerable: 1 – Somalia 2 – Chad 3 – Nigeria 4 – Afghanistan 5 – Haiti
Read moreStuck In A Chimney
California firefighters spent two hours extracting a naked woman from a chimney after she tried to sneak into her ex-boyfriend’s home at 5 a.m. The 35-year-old took off her clothes in the hope it would help her fit down the 1-foot-wide chimney. But halfway down, she became wedged and called the ex on her cellphone. “I said, ‘Where are you […]
Read moreIllegal Trade In Human Kidneys
As diabetes rates rise worldwide, so does the illegal trade in human kidneys.The World Health Organization estimates that 10,000 black-market operations a year are being performed in places like China, Pakistan, and India, as doctors transplant kidneys purchased from poor donors for as little as $5,000 into richer patients paying up to $200,000.
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