Category Archives: USA

It Is Flu Time!

Right now it is flu season in the northern hemisphere. The flu (influenza) is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses.

Google Trends created the map shown above, based on aggregate data generated by users searching for the word “flu” and related terms, in order to estimate flu activity worldwide. According to data captured by Google Trends, flu activity is very intense in the U.S. at the moment. Canada, Russia, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands and Japan show high flu activity as well.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks the geographical spread of flu across the United States, however, the collected data does not reflect intensity of influenza activity.

As can be seen in the map, the flu has spread relatively quickly in the last three weeks throughout the continental United States. California, Mississippi and the District of Columbia show local influenza activity at the moment.

 

We Live Longer

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Average global life expectancy is now 70.4 years; 73.3 for women and 67.5 for men.

Life expectancy has gone up significantly in places like Iran, Bangladesh, the Maldives, South America and Africa, where the increase has been of 13 years or more, compared to previous decades. North America, Western Europe and Australasia have seen a modest increase of 7 plus years.

The rise in life expectancy has been possible thanks to the improvement in health programs and the control/cure of many infectious diseases that ended up in death, especially in young children.

But, there are places where the rise has been negligible like Eastern Europe, with an average increase of just 1 year. Other places have even experienced a decline in life expectancy. Such is the case of Lesotho and Belarus, which have seen a rise in HIV and alcoholism, respectively.

According to a report published by The Lancet, although we live longer now, the quality of life has declined due to the rise in obesity and its consequences: diabetes, high blood pressure and heart conditions.

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World Leaders on Twitter

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Heads of state have realized the importance of being active in social media. The number of heads of state with Twitter accounts increased 78% in 2012 with respect to 2011, according to a report by the Digital Policy Council. Roughly 75% of them have Twitter accounts. According to a Washington Post article, world leaders that tweet more come from countries that have a tradition of transparency. 63% of the them come from “politically stable” countries.

President Barack Obama (@BarackObama) has the largest number of followers on Twitter for a head of state, with more than 25 million followers. In second place comes Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez (@chavezcandanga) with 3.8 million followers. Turkish president Abdullah Gül (@cbabdullahgul) comes in third place with 2.6 million followers, and Queen Rania of Jordan (@QueenRania) is fourth with 2.5 million followers. Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) comes in fifth place, and Brazilian president Dilma Rouseff (@dilmabr) comes in sixth place.

Other countries with leaders who have Twitter accounts include, Germany, India, Morocco, Tunisia, India, Argentina, Somalia among others. Even Pope Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) has Twitter presence.

For more information visit: Digital Daya: World Leaders on Twitter – Ranking Report, December 2012.

 

Gun Ownership Worldwide

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Using data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on homicides by firearms worldwide, we can see that the United States has the highest average of gun ownership, 88.8 per 100 people. The U.S. is followed by Yemen with 54.8 average per 100 people, Switzerland with 45.7, and Finland with 45.3 average per 100 people. Although, these countries rate at the top in gun ownership, their numbers are much lower compared to the U.S.

According to this data, countries with the lowest gun ownership include: Tunisia, East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Fiji, among others.

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The United States of Walmart

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Walmart opened its first store in Rogers, Arkansas, back in 1962. From there it spread slowly through the South East. By 1986, twenty five years later, Walmart had 817 stores in the continental U.S. As of 2010, Walmart had 4,384 stores covering the entire country, including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico, but heavily concentrated in the East Coast and part of the Mid West.

Walmart is the world’s third largest public corporation, preceded only by Dutch Shell Company y Exxon Mobil.

For the interactive map, visit: Flowing Data: Watching the growth of Walmart

 

The Best and Worst Places to be Born in 2013

Back in 1988, the United States was ranked first as the best country to be born. Twenty five years later, the U.S. is ranked number 16.

The Economist Intelligence Unit compiled the where-to-be-born index which measures which country will provide the best opportunities to someone born in 2013. It links the results of life satisfaction surveys to indicators that affect the quality of life in those countries, such as geography, demographics, culture, government policies, the economy, etc.

Based on those factors, the best places to be born are Switzerland, Australia followed by Norway, Sweden Denmark, and Singapore. At the bottom of the list you will find Nigeria, Kenya, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Angola, Pakistan, among others.

 

The Global Public Debt Clock is Ticking

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Global public debt is increasing every second. This debt clock shows government debt, in dollar terms, for almost all countries. Governments with the highest debt include the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, India, China, and several western European nations.

Additional indicators such as public debt per person, public debt as percentage of GDP, total annual debt change, and country debt comparisons can be seen in the interactive map at: The Economist: The global debt clock

 

Gun-Related Deaths vs. Gun Ownership in the U.S.

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According to data from The Violence and Policy Center, the death rate by firearms in the U.S. is 10.19 per 100,000 people. Data from Gallup puts gun ownership at 34% nationwide. States with higher percentage of gun ownership also show a high number of deaths by firearms. Louisiana ranks 1 in number of deaths by firearms at 18.03 per 100,000, and 13 in gun ownership at 45.6%. Wyoming ranks 2 in number of deaths by firearms at 17.64 per 100,000, and 2 in gun ownership at 62.8%. These states are followed by Montana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Nevada, Tennessee and Alaska. In comparison, Massachusetts ranks 50 in number of deaths by firearms at 3.14 per 100,000 (lowest of all fifty states), and 48 in gun ownership at 12.8%. Hawaii fares well, ranking 49 in number of deaths by firearms, and 50 in gun ownership at 9.7% (the lowest of all fifty states).

See interactive map at: Aljazeera.com – Interactive: US, Yemen lead the world in guns

 

Sexual Well-Being Around the World

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Durex, the condoms manufacturing company, conducted a survey of 26,000 people in 26 countries, asking about their sexual well-being. The results are summarized in an interactive map that allows you to see how each participant countries rates in terms of frequency of sex versus sexual satisfaction levels. For Nigeria, for example, 53% of respondents were having sexual intercourse weekly, with 67% reported being satisfied. For Greece, 87% of respondents were having sexual intercourse weekly, with 51% being satisfied. For Japan, 34% of respondents were having sexual intercourse weekly, the lowest amongst the participant countries, with only 15% being satisfied, also the lowest rate of the surveyed populations.

For the interactive map, visit: Durex: Sexual Wellbeing Survey – Frequency of Sex versus Satisfaction Levels

 

How Far Are You From the Nearest McDonald’s?

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According to this map, you cannot get too far away from a McDonald’s fast food chain store, at least not in the Eastern half of the United States. These restaurants tend to concentrate around populated centers and along highways.

This map, showing the distance to the nearest McDonald’s store, was based on a list of more than 13,000 stores located in the continental U.S.

For more detail, see: Data Pointed: Where The Buffalo Roamed – How Far Can You Get From McDonald’s?