Single households on the rise
The share of U.S. households made up of just one person is now 28 percent—the highest level in U.S. history. These singles spend more than their married counterparts—$34,471 per capita in 2010 compared with $28,017 for married individuals without kids—and contribute $1.9 trillion to the economy each year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The odds of having a fatal plane crash
In the past five years, the odds of a U.S. plane having a fatal crash have been 1 in 49 million, a decline of 93 percent from the period between 1994 and 1998. The improved odds stem from new technologies and better analysis of precrash factors.
Bloomberg Businessweek
The iPhone 4S's bandwidth needs
The Siri-equipped iPhone 4S uses twice as much bandwidth as the iPhone 4 and nearly three times as much as the iPhone 3G. The smartphones’ increasing popularity could lead to congested data networks, slowing service even for those who don’t use the iPhone 4S.
The Washington Post
$133 billion of TARP monies are still owed
The U.S. government is still owed about $133 billion allocated by the Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to the fund’s watchdog. Some 458 companies, mostly small banks, still owe the fund money, but AIG, General Motors, Chrysler, and the auto companies’ financing arms are on the hook for about $90 billion of the outstanding funds.
Time.com
Tax burden is lower under Obama than Reagan
The federal tax burden is lower under President Obama than it was under President Reagan. In 1983, tax revenues were 17.5 percent of GDP; in 2010, they were 14.9 percent of GDP. Taxes under Obama are comparatively low because of the Bush tax cuts, the effects of the financial crisis, and tax cuts included in Obama’s stimulus package.
The Washington Post
-
Weapons: Julia Garner stars in 'hyper-eerie' psychological thrillerThe Week Recommends Zach Cregger's 'top notch' new film opens with 17 children disappearing at exactly the same time
-
Freakier Friday: Lohan and Curtis reunite for 'uneven' but 'endearing' sequelThe Week Recommends Mother-and-daughter comedy returns with four characters switching bodies
-
Al fresco art: the UK's best sculpture parksThe Week Recommends Soak up the scenery with a stroll through these open-air galleries
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardonTalking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidentsThe Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: which party are the billionaires backing?The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to goThe Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
