Current Facts 7

Oil Employees Number One Over Consumers
ExxonMobile passed General Electric last week to become the world's largest company, in terms of market value. The oil giant was valued at $385.8 billion, compared with $378.6 billion for GE. The change reflects the ongoing boom in the oil and gas industry.-Bloomberg.com
The Week, March 4, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 197, pp. 36

Apache is sharing the wealth of $50-a-barrel oil with its employees. The thriving energy producer plans to give its 1,900 workers big stock awards. Most employees will receive shares worth double their annual salaries.-Business WeekThe Week, March 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 199, pp. 38

Air Charged Cell Phones
Now you do not have to look for a power outlet to charge your cell phones. Department of Industrial Design at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi have come up with a mobile turbine which generates around 3 to 4 watts of energy - sufficient to charge a mobile phone. It costs around $4, fits in your pocket and runs on air.

Assisted Living
More than 1 million elderly Americans are now living in "assisted living" facilities-a 300 percent increase since 1995. Residents pay an average of $2,524 a mounth out of their life savings for private rooms and services.-The New York Times.
The Week, February 11, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 194, pp. 18

Job Hunting Drop
The percentage of Americans either working or looking for work dropped to a seasonally adjusted 65.8% in January, the lowest level since 1988. Economists said the rate fell because of discourage jobseekers stopped looking for work--USA Today
The Week, February 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 195, pp. 36

Sailing Record Broken
A 28-year-old English woman has set a new world record for a solo sail around the world. Ellen MacArthur made the 26,000 mile circumnavigation in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds, beating the old record by more than a day. Aboard her 75 foot trimaran, MacArthur slept only four hours a day and subsisted on freeze-dried meals and desalinated water from the sea. She suffered damage to her main sail twice, and she burned her arm badly on a generator. “It's been an absolutely unbelievable journey, both physically and mentally,” MacArthur said. “I feel absolutely exhausted, but I'm elated to be here.”
The Week, February 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 195, pp. 4

Spam
The time spent deleting spam costs, US businesses $21.6 billion annually.—CNN.com
The Week, February 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 195, pp. 18 & 36

Transplants
Every day, an average of 70 Americans receive organ transplants. But due to a shortage of donated kidneys, livers, hearts and lungs, the number of people on the national waiting list is now 87,306.--USA Today
The Week, February 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 195, pp. 18 & 36

Traveling Star
Using the MMT Observatory in Tucson, astronomers have discovered a star three times bigger than the sun, leaving our galaxy at a speed of over 1.5 million miles per hour (670 kilometers per second). The first-of-its-kind finding not only confirms an earlier theory about the existence of such speeding stars, but also reinforces the notion that the Milky Way spins around a black hole.
This incredible speed likely resulted from a close encounter with the Milky Way's central black hole, which flung the star outward like a stone from a slingshot. So strong was the event that the speedy star eventually will be lost altogether, traveling alone in the blackness of intergalactic space.
Taken from Slashdot and PhysOrg.com

Spending Statistic
The $152.6 billion that Congress has thus far authorized for the war in Iraq is enough to fund the Department of Homeland Security for more than three years, provide a year's worth of health care for 34 million people, or build 17,957 new elementary schools.-Newsday
The Week, February 11, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 194, pp. 18

Terrorists & Firearms
Dozens of suspects on terrorism watch lists legally bought firearms in the US last year, according to the Government Accountability Office. Between February and June, 44 people on watch lists applied to buy or carry guns. All but nine of the applications were cleared by the FBI. Federal officials promised to improve the system for matching gun-purchase applications with terrorist watch lists.
The Week, March 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 199, pp. 6

Record Flight
Adventurer Steve Fossett flew around the world in 67 hours last week, becoming the first pilot to circle the globe solo without stopping. Fossett, 60, nearly gave up over Hawaii, when the fuel levels in his 13 tanks appeared low. Then, pushed by strong tail winds, he radioed his crew, saying, “Let’s go for it.” Tens of thousands cheered as Fossett touched down where he had started, in Salina, Kan. The 23,000-mile trip—in a jet designed by aviation innovator Burt Rutan—nearly doubled the record for a jet flight without refueling. Fossett had already circumnavigated the globe alone once, using a balloon, but he said this trip was harder. “Believe me,” he said, “it’s great to be back on the ground.”
The Week, March 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 199, pp. 7

Shoppers
Around 70 percent of shoppers turn right when they enter a store. Merchants design their stores and product displays accordingly.-Cargo
The Week, March 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 199, pp. 38

Newborns
Every day, about 11,000 newborn infants die around the world. Three-fourths of them could be saved if they were delivered with sterile instruments, and if Third World doctors had access to antibiotics and tetanus shots.-Boston Globe
The Week, March 18, 2005, Vol. 5, Iss. 199, pp. 20

Second Largest Earthquake
Northwestern University seismologists say the earthquake that set off the Dec. tsunami was three times larger than originally thought. It was the second largest earthquake ever recorded.
Discover, April 2005, Vol. 26, No 4, pp 4

Prescription Drug Deaths
Prescription drug deaths go up 25 percent in the first week of every month, says a sociologist at the University of California in San Diego. Pharmacies are busiest at this time, which may underlie the facilities.
Discover, April 2005, Vol. 26, No 4, pp 4

Whale Hearing Loss
Yale researchers say tributyltin oxide, a chemical used to keep barnacles off boats, may cause hearing loss in whales. The toxin may damage the immune and hormone systems of other marine mammals as well.
Discover, April 2005, Vol. 26, No 4, pp 4