👋 Hello there,
Welcome to another edition of the Stellar Recap, a weekly newsletter where I share interesting content you may have missed over the week. This issue features 90 bullets.
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📊 Business, Economics & Personal Finance
~1 in 7 Social Security recipients ages 65+ depend on their benefits for nearly all their income (🔒WSJ).
A survey of 1.8K US employers showed that companies are planning for salary increases of 4% this year (🔒WSJ), down from 4.4% last year but more than the pre-pandemic 3% average.
A new survey found that 46% of US employees said they’re bored most of the workweek.
The wealthiest 10% of US households now own ~93% of the stock market, even though a record high 58% of households own stocks.
In 1970, ~45% of US private workers had a pension but only 11% did by 2022. Meanwhile, 48% had defined contribution plans like 401(k)s. The 100 largest US corporate pension plans now have more money than they need to meet their retirement obligations, so companies are reconsidering offering them to hire and retain workers.
New data from the BLS showed that jobs in Jacksonville, FL, Las Vegas, NV, and Raleigh, NC, grew 3.8% from Nov. 2022 through 2023, which was the largest growth among US metro areas with with 1M+ residents.
Oscar Mayer is accepting applications for its next class of “hotdoggers” who will spend a year driving the Wienermobile across the US for $35.6K.
The unemployment rate in the eurozone fell to 6.4% in Nov., a record low.
America’s bestselling alcohol brand by volume last year was High Noon hard seltzer, at 21.4M cases worth $1.5B in sales. Tito’s Vodka brought in the most in total retail dollars with ~$2.5B in sales from 12M cases.
Experts predicted that the number of AI and Machine Learning specialist jobs will double between 2023 and 2027. Agricultural equipment operators will likely see the largest employment gains overall.
Listings for hybrid and remote jobs paying $100K+ fell by 69% QoQ, according to career site Ladders
~11% of restaurants in the US serve Mexican food. 85% of US counties have at least 1 Mexican restaurant. The 15% of counties without any Mexican restaurants have ~4M people living in them, which is ~1% of the total population.
An analysis of 2M white-collar workers by employment-data provider Live Data Technologies showed that remote workers were promoted 31% less frequently than people who worked in an office (🔒WSJ), either full-time or on a hybrid basis.
56M Americans ages 65+ make up 17% of the US population but they hold >50% of wealth ($96.4T). Yet, 43% of 55- to 64-yr-olds had no retirement savings in 2022. 50% of those ages 65-74 said they had <$410K to supplement Social Security and fund their retirement — much of which might be tied up in real estate. The median retirement account for that age group has only $200K. The median cost of a semiprivate room at a nursing home is $94K/yr and home services is ~163/day, so that amount won’t go very far.
🧘 Health, Healthcare & Safety
Scientists are replicating happiness studies. So far, some have stood up to the test but others have failed to replicate, including positive associations between well-being and volunteering, random acts of kindness, or meditation.
The Census Bureau estimated that 5.3% of US adults had long Covid as of Oct. 18-30, 2023. Oveall, the Census bureau estimated that more than 1 in 5 US adults who’ve contracted Covid have experience long Covid at some point.
A new study suggests that cyberbullying in the form of online racial discrimination is linked to PTSD symptoms in Black youth.
A new study of 30 male US Veterens found that a psychoactive substance called ibogain was associated with an average 80%+ decrease in symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression after just 1 mo. of treatment.
A review of 300+ inspector general reports found that VA hospitals have fallen short on treating people with mental illness since 2020. This includes missing mandatory mental health training, failing to follow up with patients, and—in extreme cases—losing track of Veterans or failing to prevent suicides under their own roof.
Shopping data from Instacart showed that the top 5 wellness purchases by US consumers in 2023 were 1) sleep and sound machines, 2) canned fish (especially mackerel), 3) mushrooms, 4) microgreens, and 5) non-alcoholic cocktails.
10 states and DC don’t have any residential addiction treatment facilities for adolescents and 13 states don’t have any that accept Medicaid. For families who paid out of pocket for care, the mean daily treatment cost was ~$1.2K at for-profit facilities and $395 at nonprofits.
The FDA has identified “at least a few cases” where CAR-T immunotherapies may have caused blood cancers. In some cases where genetic sequencing was available, the CAR construct was present in cancerous cells — and onset was soon after receiving the therapy. So, "it does look like there's a causal relationship" in some cases. The FDA still believes that the benefits of treatments outweigh the risks.
The American Red Cross said that its facing a severe blood shortage. Other blood donation organizations also reported inventories are running low but they stopped short of calling the situation an emergency.
According to data from GVA, 656 mass shootings took place in the US last year, with 712 people killed and ~2.7K wounded. GVA defines a mass shooting as a min. of 4 victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident.
~1 in 10 adolescents around the globe have used non-prescription weight loss products like diet supplements, laxatives, and diuretics.
Reported levels of the Covid virus in US wastewater systems are higher than they have been since the first Omicron wave (🔒NYT), though severe outcomes still remain rarer.
Alcohol-induced deaths more than doubled from 2009 to 2021, according to data from Kaiser Family Foundation. New Mexico had the highest rate of deaths at 50 per 100K.
A record ~20M people have signed up for health insurance this year through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces as of Jan. 10, up 25% YoY. The open enrollment period closes on Jan. 16.
Gender dysphoria diagnoses rose in every state except for South Dakota between 2018 and 2022. Diagnoses grew the most in Virginia at 274%.
The WHO reported that at least ~10K people in ~50 countries died from Covid in Dec. There was a 42% MoM increase in hospitalizations and a 62% MoM increase in ICU admissions. The virus has been killing ~1.5K people per week in the US over the last month and 35K hospitalizations (up 20.4% WoW) in the week ending Dec. 30. Confirmed flu cases are up 17.5% WoW. CDC estimated there have been at least 10M illnesses, 110K hospitalizations, and 6.5K deaths from flu so far this season.
🎓 Lifelong Learning
Mathematicians used a system called finite geometry to deduce that someone would need to spend ~$69 to buy 27 different tickets with a specific set of numbers to be guaranteed some kind of win in the UK’s 2x-weekly lottery - but you’re only guaranteed to win at least 1 free play. If you’re lucky, you’d win back ~50% of what you spent.
How Aaron Koelker used a receipt printer to print a 6-ft long map of the Wakulla River in Florida.
Mapping the lopsided demographics of Middle-earth in Lord of the Rings.
🌴 Lifestyle & Travel
After an exit door flew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9—mid-flight—on an Alaska Airlines (AA) flight on Jan. 5 (see an illustration), AA canceled all MAX 9 flights through Jan. 13. United canceled 167 flights. AA and United are the only 2 airlines in the US that operate those planes. AA is offering passengers that were on that plane $1.5K (🔒WP).
Some exclusive Dubai cocktail bars are offering glacier ice imported from Greenland.
🗳️ Politics, Security & International Affairs
The number of people experiencing homelessness was up for the 7th year in a row last year, rising 12% (or by ~70.65K) YoY to ~653.1K. The number of homeless Veterans increased 7.4% YoY, which was the largest jump in 12 yrs. ~35.6K Vets experienced homeless which was equivalent to ~22 in 10K Vets. Black Americans represented 37% of the homeless population despite being 13% of the overall US population.
Last Mon., an explosion at a historic Texas hotel in Fort Worth injured 21 people, including 1 person who was in critical condition.
In 2022, there were ~171.7K active-duty US troops abroad, with 31% and 21% of permanently assigned in Japan and Germany respectively.
32 dealerships in Jersey and Georgia had their licenses revoked or suspended after regulators identified 11.6K+ temporary license plate tags were issued illegally. The real number of illegally issued tags is likely much higher.
The EU and UK imported ~2.3M barrels of crude a day from the US in Dec. (🔒WSJ), up ~2x the amount in the months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
France elected its youngest-ever prime minister last week. Gabriel Attal is age 34 and the first openly gay politician to serve in the role.
The number of people who were victims of homicide in Ecuador rose from ~4.8K in 2022 to ~8K in 2023, which was the highest increase in Latin America. Ecuador’s president recently declared the country is in a state of “internal armed conflict” and has deployed the military to “neutralize” gangs.
According to ~1.5K global experts who were asked to evaluate 34 global risks, misinformation and disinformation are the largest risks in the next 2 yrs and extreme weather events are the largest risks in the next 10 yrs.
The International Court of Justice began holding preliminary hearings on South Africa’s claims that Israel has committed genocide in its war against Hamas, which, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, has left 23K+ Palestinians dead.
Iran seized an oil tanker bound for Turkey in the Gulf of Oman (🔒Reuters) in retaliation for the US confiscating the same ship and its oil last year.
A Somali armed group linked to al-Qaeda, al Shabaab, seized a UN helicopter (🔒Reuters), killing 1 passenger and capturing at least 6.
In 2023, TSA intercepted a record 6,737 firearms at airport security checkpoints. 93% were loaded.
⏩ Pop Culture, Art, Sports & Entertainment
Lily Gladstone became the 1st indigenous person in Golden Globes history to win best performance by a female actor in a dramatic film for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon. The film Oppenheimer won the most awards (5), including best film and best director. See the full list of winners here. This year’s swag bags were worth $500K and included a $50K luxury yacht charter, a $114 truffle eye serum, and $69K emerald earrings.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua set a new rookie record for receiving yards last Sun. when he recorded his 7th 100+ yard game of the season. The previous record was set by Bill Groman in 1960.
Taylor Swift and Beyonce earned $1.6B from concert ticket sales in 2023, which was more money than the next top 5 artists combined.
Global music streams surpassed 4T last year, increasing by 34% YoY.
The nominees for the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced last Wed. Succession scored the most TV nominations with 5. Barbie and Oppenheimer each scored the most film nominations with 4.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences uncovered a scheme at ESPN involving fake people who were added to lists of nominees so that the fake names would get Emmy awards that could be stripped, reengraved, and given to on-air TV personalities who were ineligible for the prizes. 37 trophies have been returned so far.
🏡 Real Estate
Buffalo, NY, will be the hottest housing market in the US in 2024, according to Zillow.
State Farm, will raise auto and home insurance rates for its California customers by 21% and 20%, respectively this year, which is less than the proposed 24.6% and 28.1% increase that CA regulators rejected. It will also increase the renter's insurance rate by 11.4%, down from the requested 20% hike.
The average price of a single-family home in Canada has risen more than 200% since 2006. The government has created a new program that offers money to cities to ditch zoning restrictions (🔒WSJ) that thwart residential construction.
A new survey showed that 57% of renters described their current financial situation as "poor" compared with just 29% of homeowners.
27K Russians have moved to Phuket, Thailand, in the past 12-18 mo., which has fueled a development boom on the island.
~27% of Denver homes were owned outright in 2022, up from 25% in 2017, but well below the ~40% national rate.
50% of local housing properties were identified as at risk for "insurance correction" due to wind risk in 368 US counties (out of ~3.1K). Of those, 100% of homes were at risk in 94 counties. 46 counties had at least 50% of local housing properties identified as at risk for "insurance correction" due to fire risk. No counties showed at least 50% of properties at risk for “insurance correction” due to flood risk.
🌎 Society
Crimes motivated by race, ethnicity, or ancestry decreased by 1% from 2021 to 2022, but they still constituted 56% of all reported hate crimes. Black and African American people were the most frequent targets overall.
New data showed that the number of stray dogs in US shelters has increased by 22% since 2021 (🔒Bloomberg). Canine deaths in shelters are up 27% YoY and 78% from 2021, due to overcrowding.
The number of undergraduates studying petroleum engineering in the US fell (🔒FT) from ~7K in 2019 to ~3.9K in 2023.
There are an estimated ~101.5K people in the US aged 100+, which represents ~0.03% of the population. By 2054, that number will increase to ~421.7K people or 0.1% of the population.
New data showed that 34% of adults in Japan between ages 20-49 have never been in a romantic relationship and >25% have no intention of getting married. ~20% of women in their 20s and ~25% of men in the same age bracket said having a romantic relationship is a waste of time and money.
🧪 Science, Climate, Environment & Technology
Samsung remained on top of the list of companies obtaining US patents last year with 6,165, down ~1% YoY. Qualcomm was #2 with 3,854 patents, up ~50% YoY. Overall, US patent registrations fell 3.4% YoY, which was the lowest level since 2019.
Eurasian tundra reindeer can put their brains into a sleep-like state during rumination which refers to the process of regurgitating and re-chewing food.
Volkswagen will add a ChatGPT-powered chatbot to all vehicles with its IDA voice assistant which drivers can use to control infotainment, navigation, and air conditioning, or to answer general knowledge questions.
Private company Astrobotic launched a lander to the moon last Mon. but it suffered “a critical loss in propellant” which doomed the mission. It was carrying 5 NASA research payloads.
A new study predicted that Colorado’s river system could shrink by up to 30% over the next 30 yrs due to human-caused climate change.
Researchers created “a fortune-telling algorithm [that] can predict a person’s life outcomes with eerie accuracy, such as their lifetime earnings or their likelihood of facing an early death.”
New data confirmed that 2023 was Earth’s warmest year (🔒NYT) in at least a century and a half. Averaged across last year, temps. worldwide were 2.66°F higher than they were between 1940-1960.
According to Copernicus, 2023 was the 1st year in which every day exceeded 1°C above the preindustrial average, while ~50% of days topped the 1.5°C marker. Nov. 17 and 18 were the 1st days in any year to exceed 2°C above the preindustrial average.
Alaska’s snow crab season has been canceled for the 2nd year in a row. In early 2022, biologists discovered that 90% of the snow crab population had disappeared, which they linked to rising temps. in the Bering Sea affecting the crustaceans’ food supply and driving them to starvation. Alaska’s fisheries provide 60% of the US’s seafood.
Meta will default teen users on its platform to the most restrictive content settings and prevent them from searching about certain topics including struggles with self-harm and eating disorders, or that includes restricted goods or nudity.
Most of the Lower 48 states were blasted with wind and blanketed in frigid temps. last week. More major weather events are in the forecast for this weekend through this week. ~83% of Americans are likely to see temps of <32°F by Tue., with 32% experiencing Arctic air at or below 10°F.
The frigid air and storminess are due to a polar vortex which is split into 2 centers in the lower atmosphere (between the altitudes of ~40K - 199K ft) which is acting as 1 giant storm system that is allowing frigid Arctic air to slide south into the US.
Producing a single glass bottle of wine generates 1.25 kg of CO2. Alternative containers like box wines and aluminum cans can be up to 51% more carbon efficient.
The oldest fossil evidence of photosynthesis has been found inside tiny cyanobacteria, called Navifusa majensis, that lived ~1.75B yrs ago, which is 1.2B yrs earlier than the previous record-holder.
The US unveiled the results of a monumental undersea mapping effort that could add 1M sq km of sea floor—2x the area of California—to its territory.
Late last month, the senior editors of Springer’s journal Theory & Society announced their collective resignation. A new editorial board has already been selected and listed on the website, suggesting that this editorial board had already been recruited before the prior editorial team had resigned en masse.
Using Microsoft’s AI, researchers identified from a list of 23M candidates 18 new materials that could be used in batteries in just 80 hrs. One of those candidates uses 70% less lithium than traditional lithium-ion batteries and it successfully powered a lightbulb and a clock.
On Jan. 1, the area covered by snow in the Lower 48 states was just 20.3%, the lowest level for the date since such records began in 2003. That level has since more than doubled, with 45.2% covered by snow as of Jan. 10.
A new study found that ambient light sensors in smartphones—intended to help adjust screen brightness—can eavesdrop on hand gestures and screen touching, raising privacy concerns.
Honda announced a new EV line, called the Honda 0 Series which includes 2 concept vehicles called the Saloon and the Space-Hub.
A report from the Brazilian Academy of Sciences found that 47% of female researchers have dealt with sexual harassment in Brazil, compared with ~10% of men.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency estimated that 445K tons of salt are applied to the state’s paved surfaces every year. That amount is equivalent to a cone that’s ~160 ft high and 500 ft wide. 50 of the state’s lakes and streams are listed as impaired due to high levels of chloride and 75 are getting dangerously close.
Wishing you a good week
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