US Teen Birth Rate Lowest Since 1940
The falling US teenage birth rate sunk to its lowest level since record-keeping began in 1940, according to a new government report. From 2007 to 2010 the rate fell another 9 percent and was seen among all racial and ethnic groups. (Since 1991, the overall teen rate has dropped by 44 percent.)
Germany Elects First Jewish Mayor Since Holocaust
For the first time since the Second World War, a Jew has been elected as mayor of a major German city. The voters of Frankfurt (a city with a 1% Jewish population) this week elected Peter Feldmann its second Jewish mayor -- the first since Ludwig Landmann was pushed out of office when Hitler rose to power in 1933.
Half of German Renewable Energy Owned By Citizens, Not Utility Companies
In Germany, where 20% of electricity comes from renewable sources, 51% of all wind and solar energy is owned by individual citizens or farms, totaling $100 billion worth of private investment in clean energy. - WindWorks.org
US Helps to Relieve Afghan Hunger Caused by 2011 Draught
The U.S. is helping to alleviate hunger in Afghanistan through its Food for Peace program, a program originally started during the Eisenhower administration. A $40 million donation was used to purchase wheat from Kazakhstan for distribution in 14 affected Afghan provinces. (Food For Peace)
Fewer Pirate Attacks on World Seas in 2011
With more international boats patrolling the high seas, piracy in 2011 dropped for the first time in five years. Pirate attacks in the South China Sea were cut by almost two thirds and Bangladesh incidents plunged by more than half. -Associated Press
Stunning Millenium Goal Progress on Educating Children
Over the past 12 years, the world has made stunning progress toward the goal of increasing the number of children attending primary school -- adding 37 million kids to school rolls, an increase of 35 percent. - NY Times
NYC Murder Rate Declined 74% in 18 Years
The New York City murder rate for the first half of 2011 declined 8.8 percent compared to the same period last year. The 2011 murder rate is also 22.5 percent lower than in 2001 and 74.9 percent lower than in 1993. - Reuters News
Rainforest destruction cut by 25%
Destruction of the world's rain forests has declined by 25 percent in the three most important regions -- the Amazon, the Congo and the Borneo Mekong -- during the last decade, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
Identity Thefts Plummet
Last year the number of people victimized by identity theft decreased 28 percent, to 8.1 million, according to a report by Javelin Strategy & Research -- 3 million fewer victims than in 2009.
UN Finds Global Hunger Easing in 2010
The number of people in the world suffering chronic malnutrition fell for the first time in 15 years -- down 9.3 percent in 2010, according to the United Nations' food agency. - FAO
Cyber Crime Down 50 percent in 2009
A cybercrime report released in July 2010 revealed a 50 percent drop in the number of attacks on retail stores in 2009, with 143 million stolen records, down from 360 million the year before. (CS Monitor)
South Africa Lifts GDP With World Cup Investments
South Africa's economy is one percent higher than it would have been without the spending and infrastructure development that went into hosting the soccer World Cup, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday. (Reuters, July 2010)
Mild Season for Tornado Alley
"During a remarkable 17-day lull from mid-May through early June, there were no tornado watches issued anywhere in the United States, a period that is typically the height of the season in Tornado Alley," reported the AP this week. (July 31, 2009)
Bird Rediscovered After 80 Years
Beck's petrel, a small seabird relative of albatrosses and shearwaters, was rediscovered in 2007 by Israeli ornithologist Hadoram Shirihai in a group of Pacific islands near Papua New Guinea. There hadn't been a confirmed sighting of the bird since 1929. Read more in Wikipedia. - June 11, 2009
Community Foundation Giving Increased 6.7 Percent Despite Economy
Even in the face of a worsening economy, the nation's 717 community foundations raised their giving by an estimated 6.7 percent in 2008 to a record $4.6 billion, and outpaced corporate foundation funding for the first time, according to Key Facts on Community Foundations, a May 2009 report from the Foundation Center.
Tunnel To Towers Run Celebrates Heroes Of 9/11 (Video)
In celebration of the heroes from September 11, 2001, "The Tunnel To Towers Run" follows the path Stephen Siller and other first responders took on 9/11 as they raced toward Ground Zero. What started in 2002 with 2,500 runners has grown to 15,000 participators, raising more than $4 million for charity.
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Buyers of Low-Fuel Cars Get a Sales Tax Exemption
A new sales tax exemption that encourages Washington car shoppers to choose hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles will save them an estimated $18.6 million over the next two years. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
AIDS Deaths Down in 2007
The number of AIDS deaths worldwide dropped 10 percent in 2007, as did the number of new infections in children, because of increasing access to treatment, the United Nations reported. Prevention efforts like condom use and education tripled in some countries. (2008/07/29)
Cyprus Leaders to Resume Direct Peace Talks
The leaders of divided Cyprus are to enter direct peace negotiations on September 3 aimed at ending the 34-year-old division of the island -- Europe's last cold war divide. (Read More)
50 New Species Discovered Each Day in 2006
16,969 species new to science were discovered and described in 2006 -- an average of nearly 50 species per day -- reports the International Institute for Species Exploration in partnership with the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. (Read All Good Bites)