Saying no to gun purchases
The FBI denied 72,659 attempted gun purchases under the background check system in 2010—about 1.2 percent of applications. Of those rejected, half had criminal records, and 19 percent were fugitives.
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Long voting lines in Florida
At least 201,000 voters attempting to vote in Florida in November gave up in frustration over long lines, an Ohio State University study estimates. Some polling places had lines so long they stayed open more than two hours past the scheduled closing time.
Orlando Sentinel
Al Gore's millions
With a fortune of $300 million, politician-turned-environmental activist and investor Al Gore is now worth more than Mitt Romney. Gore recently exercised $30 million worth of Apple stock options, and personally netted $100 million from the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera.
Time
Taller husbands, shorter wives
In only 3.8 percent of American married couples (of different genders) is the wife taller than the husband.
TheAtlantic.com
Super Bowl ads, then and now
A 30-second ad on this year’s Super Bowl cost $3.8 million. For the first Super Bowl, in 1967, a 30-second ad cost $37,500.
USA Today
Female premiers in Canada
The selection of Kathleen Wynne last week as the new premier of Ontario means that 88 percent of Canada’s population lives in provinces or territories led by women. Female premiers also preside over Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland, and Nunavut.
Bloomberg.com
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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
feature
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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