Deaths In Jail
About a dozen inmates die behind bars each day, or about 4,400 jail and prison inmates each year. In jails, suicide is the leading cause of death.
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Hog Slaughter
Portion of hogs slaughtered in the United States that are raised by a single Chinese company: 1/6
Read moreMILITARY ANIMALS
2,500 – Number of U.S. military dogs on duty worldwide $2,000,000 – Amount the U.S. spent on developing a robotic mule
Read moreRepublican Debt
Percentage of the current U.S. debt that was accumulated during Republican presidential terms: 71
Read moreHealth catastrophe
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the worst place in the world to give birth, according to Save the Children. One in 30 Congolese women dies from complications of childbirth, and tens of thousands of them have been impregnated through rape by militants or soldiers. Save the Children ranked countries based on the rates of maternal death and infant […]
Read moreU.S. Black Children Living In Poverty
Percentage of black U.S. children under the age of five who live in poverty: 43
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 moreBaby Boomer Drug Use
Baby Boomers who frequently used recreational drugs like marijuana and cocaine in their youth are now turning back to drugs like Oxycontin for relief of age-related pain and illness. As a result, the fatal-overdose rate for people ages 45 to 64 has become higher than that for 25 to 44-year-olds for the first time. More than 12,000 Boomers died of […]
Read moreGreat Government Giveaways
The Dutch city of Utrecht will give unconditional monthly payments of about $1,000 to select citizens starting in January 2016 to see whether “basic income” can work as a means of welfare. Various other governments have resorted to unusual handouts to achieve certain ends: DUBAI City officials tried to boost public transport in November by raffling off prizes, including 8.8-lb. […]
Read moreRISING OCEAN TEMPERATURES
The oceans, like the rest of the planet, set a temperature record in 2014, at 60.9°F (16°C), or 1.03°F above the 20th century average. Acidity is up as well—a bad combination for sea life.
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