Another collection of facts to get you thinking and hopefully leave you still thinking.
Western tourists and businessmen who are illegally buying tiger skins in China are responsible for the slaughter of one of the world's most endangered species. The wild tiger population has dropped from some 100,000 a century ago to fewer than 5,000 today. Most live in India, with some in other countries of South Asia as well as the Far East. Buyers view the skins “as the ultimate in home decor, but this pushing the tiger into extinction. The animal are so critically endangered that each individual is vital to the survival of its species. Between 1994 and 2003, there were 684 tiger skins seized, but that figure is thought to be a mere fraction of those smuggled.
It is estimated that in every 3,000 matings between a lion and a lioness only one cub would make it past its first year.
About five million children die of hunger each year, worldwide 852 million people do not have enough food-815 million in underdeveloped countries, 28 million in developing countries, and 9 million in developed countries. The greatest scandal or shame is not just that hunger exists but that it persist even though the nations of the world have the means to eliminate it.
Canadians are increasingly embracing common-law unions as a precursor to marriage, this generation of Canadians under 35 years has experienced a level of divorce and separation among their parents like no other. So they are cautious to jump into marriage. A national survey conducted among nearly 2,100 Canadians aged 18 to 34 found that “22 per cent . . . are cohabiting with a partner, while 27 per cent are married, “A previous Vanier Institute study found that in 1975, 61 per cent were married, while only one per cent were living with a partner in a common-law relationship.
Scientists have calculated that only half a minute of joyful laughter is worth about 45 minutes of static rest. A spontaneous burst of laughter is comparable to three minutes of aerobic exercise, whereas ten warm smiles equal ten minutes of intensive rowing. Other benefits of laughing include a threefold increase in the amount of air drawn into the lungs as well as improved circulation, digestion, metabolism, brain function, and elimination of harmful substances.
To encourage local residents to pay their $1.15 million of unpaid property taxes, city officials in Rajahmundry, India, offered to waive penalties and interest. When that approach failed, the officials hired 20 teams of drummers to play outside the homes of negligent taxpayers. The drummers “put up a spectacle outside the houses of defaulters, draw them out and explain their dues to them and the need to clear it at the earliest, they don't stop until people agree to clear the dues. The unusual method seemed to get results. After the drummers played nonstop for just one week, the city recovered 18 percent of its property tax backlog.
Internet sites that reunite old schoolmates are fueling a surge in marital break-up as bored husbands and wives can easily contact old flames, reports Britain's Guardian Weekly. A lot of people have a rosy impression of the first relationship they had at school or college. If they are feeling unhappy with their partner, they begin wondering what it would have been like if they'd stayed with the old flame. It is now easier than ever for unhappy spouses to “log on to the internet and scan for romance,” instead of trying to sort out their emotional problems of the marriage.
Using the stairs produces more nonfatal injuries each year than motor vehicle accidents. Every year, an estimated 1,091 American stair climbers are killed and 769,400 are injured. What causes the missteps that result in falls? Generally, people misjudge the distance and plant one of their feet wrong.
Leno is at it again with his collection of suspectable facts, anyway this is better than vol one. where is 2?
#2 by sMOKY, Dec 20, 2007
ALWAYS NEW LAUGH WAS good, u can imagine how i luaghed when i heard that the internet was leading to higher divorce rates. certainly was not in the blue print.
#3 by Liane Schmidt, Dec 24, 2007
Love this article. Interesting and entertaining.
Best wishes Leno.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
#4 by quiet voice, Dec 29, 2007
Hi there, enjoyed reading these things. Sad about the tigers, I will excercise now, by laughing a lot and finally the non-fatal staircase fall is personal. Take care.
