Mass shootings and mental health, and more

Mass shootings and mental health

Since 2009, there have been 43 mass shootings of four or more people—an average of one such killing spree a month. In only four of the 43 shootings had anyone raised concerns about the mental health of the killer to authorities.

The Washington Post

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The cost of the 2012 elections

The total amount of money spent on the 2012 elections, from the bottom to the top of the ballot, was a record $7.3 billion, the Federal Election Commission said this week. Candidates spent $3.2 billion, parties $2 billion, and outside political committees $2.1 billion.

Politico.com

The heft of Super Bowl players

In 1983, the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl with a single 300-pound player on the roster. This year’s Super Bowl teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, had 24 players who weigh more than 300 pounds.

The Wall Street Journal

Applications to law school plummet

Law school applications have plummeted 38 percent since 2010, due to the rising cost of a law degree and declining job prospects and salaries for lawyers. “Thirty years ago if you were looking to get on the escalator to upward mobility, you went to business or law school,” said Indiana University law professor William D. Henderson. “Today, the law school escalator is broken.”

The New York Times

China's coal consumption

With 47 percent of global coal consumption, China now burns almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined.

ScientificAmerican.com