Out-of-wedlock births climb
More than half of births to American women under the age of 30 now occur outside of marriage. For white women with some college education but no degree, the share of out-of-wedlock births has grown especially quickly, climbing from 11 percent in 1990 to 34 percent in 2009.
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Rates of intermarriage rise
About 15 percent of new marriages in 2010 crossed racial or ethnic lines—double the rate of intermarriage in 1980, according to the Pew Research Center. In the new marriages in 2010, 9 percent of whites “married out,” as did 17 percent of blacks, 26 percent of Hispanics, and 28 percent of Asians.
The Washington Post
The world's nuclear bombs
There are now about 20,500 nuclear warheads and bombs in the world, held by nine nations, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The U.S. has 8,500 of them.
USA Today
The nation's most corrupt city
Chicago really is the nation’s most corrupt city. Since 1976, 1,531 public officials in the Chicago area have been convicted of corruption, the most of any jurisdiction.
Chicago Tribune
Government increases categories of illness and injury
Next year, the number of federally mandated categories of illness and injury for which hospitals may claim reimbursement will soar from 18,000 to 140,000, including nine categories for injuries caused by parrots and three relating to burns from flaming water skis.
The Economist
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Facial recognition vans and policingThe government is rolling out more live facial recognition technology across England
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Dive in! The best children's books to spark a love of readingThe Week Recommends These gripping stories will keep kids hooked until the last page
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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