Current Facts 32

Millitary Fat
1 in 5 millitary-age Americans are too fat to join the armed services. The military has turned away 48,000 overweight applicants since 2005, a number greater than all the US troops fighting in Afghanistan.
The Week Magazine, 4.3.09, v.9, i.406, p.16.

Vacant Homes
1 in 9 homes in the US is now vacant. The 14 million houses, condominiums and apartments that are empty are just as likely to be in subdivisions as inner cities and many are priced at $500,000 or more (USA Today - The Week Magazine, 2.27.09, v.9, i.401, p.16). The median price of homes sold in Detroit in December was $7,500 (Chicago Tribune - The Week Magazine, 3.13.09, v.9, i.403, p.42). About 19 million homes and apartments in the US, or 1 in 7, are sitting vacant. Only 6 million of those are for sale or rent (New York Times – The Week Magazine, 3.20.09, v.9, i.404, p.38).

Cell Phone Future
Scientists say the cell phone of the future will be voice charged, doing away with plug-in charging. With the use of piezoelectric materials which generate voltage when a force is applied. Researchers have found these materials are most effective when produced in units the size of a few atoms.
Knowledge BBC Magazine, April 2009, v.1, i.4, p.20.

Millionaires & Billionaires
The number of US households with a net worth of more than $1 million fell by more than 25% last year, from 9.2 million to 6.7 million.
Only 793 people made the new Forbes billionaires list, down from 1,125 last year. The combined wealth of the world's billionaires was $2.4 trillion, down $2 trillion from the previous year.-Forbes.
The Week Magazine, 3.27.09, v.9, i.405, p.18, 38.

Landfills
Landfills are getting 30% less trash. People are buying fewer new consumer items, so there's less packaging to discard. Manufacturers are creating less waste, and a stagnanthousing market means less construction debris.-Washington Post.
The Week Magazine, 3.27.09, v.9, i.405, p.18.

Annual Rise in Sea Level
The sea level has been rising 0.12 inches annually since 1993.
Knowledge BBC Magazine, April 2009, v.1, i.4, p.81.

Malls
More than 400 of the 2,000 largest malls in the US have closed in the past two years.
The Week Magazine, 4.3.09, v.9, i.406, p.11.

Depopulation - Falling Birth Rates
In Europe, Russia, China and Brazil the average couple is having fewer than two children. In the US, 20 percent of baby boomers had no children at all. Birth rates are falling rapidly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
The Week Magazine, 4.3.09, v.9, i.406, p.12.

Telephone Industry Revenue
The annual revenue for the telephone industry is $210 billion, almost 8 times that of television and 23 times that of radio.
Armchair Reader The Big Book of Incredible Information, 2008, pg. 69.

Deducting Dairy
Falling milk prices and reduced demand for butter and cheese have forced farmers to sell of hundreds of thousands of dairy cows to be slaughtered for meat. This year, 1.5 million of the nation’s 9.3 million dairy cows may go to the slaughterhouse.-Associated Press.
The Week Magazine, 2.27.09, v.9, i.401, p.16.

Vehicle Repossessions
The number of vehicle repossessions in the US last year jumped 12 percent, 1.67 million.-USA Today.
The Week Magazine, 3.13.09, v.9, i.403, p.18.

Newspaper Decline
The Rocky Mountain News, a 149-year-old Denver daily, published its last edition last week. In recent months, four major newspaper companies filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for 33 daily newspapers including – the Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Minneapolis Star Tribune.-Associated Press.
The Week Magazine, 3.13.09, v.9, i.403, p.18.

Freight Shipments
Railroad companies have idled 30 percent of their carrying capacity, 206,000 boxcars (end-to-end would reach from New York City to Salt Lake City).
The Week Magazine, 3.6.09, v.9, i.402, p.35.

US is Leading Manufacturer
Despite the recession, the US remains the world’s leading manufacturer, measured by the value of goods produced. US factories turned out a record $1.6 trillion of goods last year, nearly double 1987’s output. For every $1 of value produced in China’s factories, the US generates $2,50. –International Herald Tribune.
The Week Magazine, 3.6.09, v.9, i.402, p.35.