Two’s Company, 300 Million’s a Crowd
On Oct 17, 2006, the 300 millionth American was either born or crossed the border. Keeping count of this number is the U.S. Census Bureau which estimates that a new American is ‘added’ every 11 seconds.
2006 Artown Breaks Records
Breaking the festival’s previous attendance and economic impact records, Reno’s 11th annual Artown had 285,000 people attending Artown events creating an economic impact of an estimated $13 million.
When Looks Kill
In a study of 13,000 American and 24,000 Canadian women, researchers found that women who have received breast implants are two to three times as likely to kill themselves as those who have not.
~ New Scientist Print Edition, October 19, 2006
Fancy Footwear
This coming spring, Patagonia will be launching its new footwear line. There will be 31 different styles made from materials such as organic cotton, hemp, veggie-tanned leathers and scrap rubber. One percent of the shoe sales will go to grassroots environmental organizations, adding to the $20 million already donated by Patagonia since 1985.
~ Pacific Coast Business Times, October 2006
Walk a Flight, Power a City
‘When we walk along a pavement, eight watts of energy is wasted – absorbed by the ground – with each heel. Yet it’s possible to harvest at least 30 percent of that energy,’ says Claire Price, leader of the Pacesetters Project, which aims to install the world’s first human-energy-harvesting staircase in the U.K. next year. Price is also working to create a way to harvest energy from treadmills.
~ The Independent UK, October 26, 2006
