fact of the day

[Bob]

For every 1 million tons of oil that is shipped, about 1 ton is spilled. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

 

[Bob]

The United States produces more nuclear-generated electricity than any other country, nearly 1/3 of the world's total. The second largest producer is France, which generates more than 3/4 of its electricity in nuclear reactors. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

 

[Bob]

The 1964 Alaska 9.2 quake lasted four minutes and dropped streets 20 feet (6 meters) below normal. It caused flooding on the coast of Hawaii, more than 3,100 miles away. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

 

[Bob]

A single bat can eat more than 600 bugs in one hour, which is like a person eating 20 pizzas a night. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

 

[Bob]

The idea of Father's Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father's Day celebration, June 17, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane's mayor because it was the month of Smart's birth. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Father's Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
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[poppy]

Despite public anxiety about extremists inspired by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the number of violent plots by such individuals has remained very low. Since 9/11, an average of nine American Muslims per year have been involved in an average of six terrorism-related plots against targets in the United States. Most were disrupted, but the 20 plots that were carried out accounted for 50 fatalities over the past 13 and a half years.

In contrast, right-wing extremists averaged 337 attacks per year in the decade after 9/11, causing a total of 254 fatalities, according to a study by Arie Perliger, a professor at the United States Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center. The toll has increased since the study was released in 2012.

 

[poppy]

IMF study calls BS on Trickle Down Economics, says it doesn't work.

Summary:This paper analyzes the extent of income inequality from a global perspective, its drivers, and what to do about it. The drivers of inequality vary widely amongst countries, with some common drivers being the skill premium associated with technical change and globalization, weakening protection for labor, and lack of financial inclusion in developing countries.

We find that increasing the income share of the poor and the middle class actually increases growth while a rising income share of the top 20 percent results in lower growth—that is, when the rich get richer, benefits do not trickle down.

This suggests that policies need to be country specific but should focus on raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring there is no hollowing out of the middle class. To tackle inequality, financial inclusion is imperative in emerging and developing countries while in advanced economies, policies should focus on raising human capital and skills and making tax systems more progressive.

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.aspx?sk=42986.0

 

[Bob]

Because natural red hair holds its pigment more than other colors, it is harder to dye. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

 

[Bob]

Approximately 90% of all cases of malaria worldwide occur in Africa, and 3,000 African children die each day from its effects. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

 

[Bob]

Gold and copper were the first metals to be discovered by humans around 5000 B.C. and are the only two non-white-colored metals. - Provided by RandomHistory.com