A demographic turning point
For the first time in U.S. history, there were more recorded deaths than births among white Americans in 2012, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data. The difference was tiny—there were just 12,400 more deaths among non-Hispanic whites than births—but marked a demographic turning point, as the white population shrinks.
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Officials turn down Senate races
In recent months, more than a dozen popular Republican and Democratic elected officials in such states as Iowa, Michigan, Georgia, and Nebraska have turned down chances to run for U.S. Senate seats out of concern that nothing is accomplished there. “At the federal level, it’s so partisan, it’s dysfunctional,” said Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who turned down a chance to run for an open Senate seat.
The Wall Street Journal
Income inequality in the music world
Income inequality even extends to the world of rock ’n’ roll. Between 1982 and 2003, the top 1 percent of popular musicians doubled their share of concert revenue, from 26 percent to 56 percent. The top 5 percent collected nearly 90 percent of all concert income.
The Washington Post
China's urbanization project
In a massive act of social engineering, China plans to relocate 250 million of its citizens from farms and tiny villages to newly constructed small cities over the next 12 years. The urbanization project—designed to modernize China and boost its economy—is equivalent to moving the entire population of the world’s 12 largest metropolitan areas.
The New York Times
A new tool for law-enforcement
Law-enforcement officials in 26 states are using face-recognition technology to search driver’s license photos in criminal investigations.
The Washington Post
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Very rich and very poor in California, and morefeature California is home to 111 billionaires, yet it also suffers the highest poverty rate in the country.
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Arctic cold kills tree insects, and more
feature This winter’s arctic temperatures have had at least one beneficial impact: They’ve killed ash borers, gypsy moths, and other tree-eating insects.
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Congress's poor record, and more
feature The 113th Congress is on course to pass less legislation than any Congress in history.
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Gender differences in employment, and more
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A first for West Point, and more
feature For the first time, two male graduates of West Point were married at the military academy’s chapel.
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A God given land?, and more
feature More white evangelical Protestants than U.S Jews believe that Israel was “given to the Jewish people by God.”
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Jailing the mentally ill, and more
feature American prisons have replaced state mental hospitals as a place to warehouse the mentally ill.
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Treating Internet addiction, and more
feature Treating Internet addiction; Freshman virgins at Harvard; A salary handicap for lefties; Prices for vintage automobiles soar; Gun permits for blind people