Quotes & Notes from Harper’s Findings & Index
~ January 2023 issue ~
A few quotes from Harper’s Findings (January 2023 issue):
· Tree ring records indicate that a Miyake Event has about a 1 percent chance of occurring in the next decade, though it is unclear whether it would destroy human civilization.
· A survey of eighteen countries found that children who play around rivers, lakes, and seas have better mental health as adults.
· A switch to year-round daylight saving time would result in 36,550 fewer U.S. deer deaths each year.
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Reflections on Harper’s Index (January 2023 issue):
Republicans are less supportive of ongoing U.S. support for Ukraine.
The U.S. military was found to have fake accounts on Twitter. There were more than 100 found since 2012. Truly, a single fake account is already one too many.
Voters have turned against “mainstream media” in ways that continue to be disturbing. In this case, a false belief that trusted news sources might be somehow against democracy. This is false, frightening, and radically absurd thinking. The conspiracy theorists are winning far too many battles.
As well we know, pay is not keeping up with the cost of inflation. Many already know that this has been the case since the 1970s. It’s just gotten worse. Stats elsewhere reveal household funds and wealth by age groups / generations revealing that opportunities have not been the same for any generation since the Baby Boomers.
Europeans are suffering. Many are cutting back on food and heat in order to save money. They are also cutting into their savings or, increasingly, taking out loans to keep up with bills. Sound familiar?
Americans are looking for second jobs to keep pace with inflation. This alongside the well-known fact that we already work far too many hours and that a 4-day workweek would be more beneficial to both our health and our productivity is distressing and disheartening.
A troubling stat that from research on workplace bullying found that 1/3 of American workers say they have been bullied at work. This increased to 4/5 when the question is posed to tech workers.
At a continuing pace, U.S. students continue to fall behind in math.
More than 2/3 of Americans say they have had a paranormal experience. A startling percentage of American homeowners say they believe their house is haunted.