News Factoids for Second Quarter 2019 {this is Post #450}

Measles cases in the U.S. surged to the second highest level in 2 decades. Reported measles cases jumped by nearly 100 in april, pushing the total recorded in 19 states to 555 this year. That's the second highest total, after the 667 recorded in 2014, since the U.S. declared measles eliminated in the country nearly two decades ago. There were 372 cases last year.

A government report released in April said that over 18 months time in 2016 and 2017, 152 overdose deaths involving kratom were reported in the United States, with kratom as the primary overdose agent in 91 of the deaths. Mitragyna speciosa (commonly known as kratom) is a tropical evergreen tree.

A draft United Nations report by the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services says that up to 1 million species face extinction, many within decades, as a result of human influence. The report, obtained by Agence France-Presse, said that deforestation has led to the loss of greenhouse gas-absorbing trees, polluted waters are killing protein-rich fish, and pollinating insects are dying rapidly. The pace of species loss is 'tens to hundreds of times higher than it has been, on average, over the last 10 million years', report says. The causes are shrinking habitats, hunting & poaching, climate change, pollution, and invasive species – all of which can be traced to human activity.

A double survey several days after the release of the redacted Mueller Report reveals that viewers of Fox Faux News are split: 75% believe Emperor Trump and 25% believe Mueller; viewers of CNN are also split: 75% believe Mueller and 25% believe Emperor Trump. Since Robert Mueller is a man of great honor and there is no reason to dis-believe anything in his historic report, this factoid is clear proof that Fox is all propaganda and that its propaganda works.

About 68 percent of U.S. adults use Facebook, far more than the number who use Instagram or WhatsApp (also owned by Facebook). Among these Facebook users, about three-quarters of them visit the site daily. As of last year, according to Pew, a little more than half of kids ages 13 to 17 reported using Facebook.

The United States annually uses 388 million pounds of potentially fatal pesticides that are banned in the EU, China and Brazil.

ICYMI: Robert Mueller will testify to Congress on July 17th, to a House Committee and to a Senate Committee on the same day; both will be closed to the public, and transcripts of each session are expected to be made public a few days later.

Copyright 2019 by G.E. Nordell, all rights reserved