Tuesday, May 20, 2008

What's Happening Now Around the World

Did You Ever Wonder About...?

A (theoretical) timetable of events around the world, gleaned from a variety of news sources:

  • Every 2 seconds someone in America requires a blood donation. (American Red Cross)
  • Every 6 seconds someone dies from tobacco use. (World Health Organization)
  • Every 6 seconds an Australian buys an item of clothing on eBay. (The Age)
  • Every 6 seconds someone is killed or injured on a road somewhere in the world. (Make Roads Safe)
  • Every 15 seconds the Large Synoptic Survey telescope in Chile photographs a section of the night sky. A complete panorama of the firmament is completed every three days. (The Guardian)
  • Every 25 seconds someone in the United States is burned or scalded in the home. (Health News Digest)
  • Every 26 seconds a student drops out of an American public high school. (America's Promise Alliance)
  • Every 30 seconds someone in the world commits suicide. (W.H.O.)
  • Every 30 seconds a child with birth defects is born in China. (China Daily)
  • Every 30 seconds someone in the world loses a limb as a consequence of diabetes. (U.S. News & World Report)
  • Every 35 seconds a child in the United States is reported neglected or abused. (KansasCity.com)
  • Every 45 seconds a plane takes off or lands at Heathrow Airport, London. (The Economist)
  • Every minute 1,000 people around the world sign up fr a cellphone. (TheStar.com)
  • Every minute 253 children are born into the world. (U.S.Census Bureau)
  • Every 4-8 minutes violent, profane, or sexual content appears during prime time "family hour" television programming. (Parents Television Council)
  • Every 8 minutes a woman in a developing country dies of complications from an unsafe abortion. (W.H.O.)
  • Every 15 minutes someone in Scotland has a heart attack. (British Heart Foundation)
  • Every 38 minutes Louisiana loses a football-field-sized portion of its wetlands. (Science Daily)
  • Every hour & 44 minutes there is a case of "dowry death" in India. (The Guardian)
  • Every 2 hours someone in New Zealand fractures a hip. (Osteoporosis New Zealand)
  • Every 10 hours a driver with a suspended license crashes in Maine. (The Morning Sentinel)
  • Every day more than 1.6 million blog posts appear online. (Technorati)
  • Every day 6,800 are infected with H.I.V. (United Nations)
  • Every fortnight a language falls out of use. (The New York Times)
  • Every month 300 specialist nurses leave South Africa. (W.H.O.)
  • Every month the American government adds around 20,000 names to its terrorist watch lists. (A.C.L.U.)
  • Every month about 130 million rides are taken on the New York City subway. (M.T.A.)
  • Every year the average American eats nearly 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish. (The New York Times)