We think it’s fair to say ninth-grade student Kiara Molina had a great day Thursday.
Not only did the teen introduce President Barack Obama before one of his major speeches, but the president called it “one of the best introductions I’ve ever had.”
A wonderful map created by William Samari, Ray Yamartino, and Rafaan Anvari of DogHouseDiares illustrates what every country does better than every other country.
They collected the information from various sources and sprinkled in some quirkier rankings since many countries led the world in multiple things.
“Myanmar leads the world in ‘Speaking Burmese.’ That’s kind of a silly thing but still true,” Anvari told BI. “UK leads in fascist movements, but that’s all movements in history, not active movements.”
(Some of the categories are hard to read so we published the full list below the map.)
Country
Leads World In…
Measure
Afghanistan
opium
total
Albania
–
Algeria
middle paleolithic flake tool techniques
Andorra
reading
rate
Angola
speaking umbundu
Antarctica
emperor penguins
endemic
Antigua and Barbuda
–
Argentina
exporting soccer players
Armenia
–
Australia
deadly animals and melanoma
total and per 100,000 people
Austria
mohnflesserl
Azerbaijan
software piracy
avg per computer
Bahamas
–
Bahrain
–
Bangladesh
peacekeeping
total and per 100,000 people
Barbados
–
Belarus
wisents
Belgium
relaxing
%
Belize
destroying the ozone
per capita
Benin
–
Bhutan
farming
%
Bolivia
brazil nuts
total
Bosnia and Herzegovina
having land mines
total per sq mi
Botswana
diamonds
Brazil
making coffee
total
Brunei
–
Bulgaria
living the american dream
rate
Burkina Faso
illiteracy
rate
Burundi
unsatisfied
index
Cambodia
long alphabet
total
Cameroon
killer lakes
Canada
maple syrup and asteroid impacts
total
Cape Verde
–
Central African Republic
expensive internet
total
Chad
not wasting electricity
per capita
Chile
staying married
crude divorce rate (per capita)
China
co2 emissions and renewable energy
total
Colombia
rain
avg
Comoros
–
Congo, Democratic Republic of
pygmy chimpanzees
endemic
Congo, Republic of
saving energy
Costa Rica
happiness
index
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
malaria
deaths per 100,000 people
Croatia
–
Cuba
baseball
total
Cyprus
–
Czech Republic
beer consumption
per capita
Denmark
education
index
Djibouti
–
Dominica
–
Dominican Republic
–
Ecuador
endangering plants
total
Egypt
africa cup of nations
total
El Salvador
–
Equatorial Guinea
–
Eritrea
african cycling
Estonia
prevalence of women
sex ratio (total)
Ethiopia
employing children
percent
Federated States of Micronesia
–
Fiji
–
Finland
drinking coffee
per capita
France
tourism
total
Gabon
sun-tailed monkeys
Gambia
not spending money on military
total reserves
Georgia
khachapuri
Germany
almost winning the world cup
total
Ghana
–
Greece
olive oil consumption
per capita
Greenland
personal space
pop per sq mi
Grenada
olympic medals
per capita
Guatemala
–
Guinea-Bissau
–
Guyana
–
Haiti
–
Honduras
homocide
rate
Hong Kong
high IQ
avg
Hungary
canoeing
total and total
Iceland
penetrating the internet
percent
India
movies and low prices
total
Indonesia
volcanoes
total
Iran
brain drain
total
Iraq
not safe for journalists
total
Ireland
quality of life
score
Israel
r&d
% of gdp
Italy
UEFA competitions
total
Jamaica
–
Japan
robots
per 10,000 manufactoring workers
Jordan
large falafel balls
total
Kazakhstan
uranium
total
Kenya
flowers
total
Kiribati
–
Kuwait
highest valued currency
exchange rate
Kyrgyzstan
walnut forests
total
Laos
solar energy
per capita
Latvia
eco-friendly
index
Lebanon
–
Lesotho
mortality
rate
Liberia
–
Libya
heat
avg
Liechtenstein
teachers
per capita
Lithuania
–
Luxembourg
generosity
per capita
Macedonia
–
Madagascar
lemurs
total
Malawi
malawisaurus
Malaysia
caves
total
Maldives
–
Mali
kulicoro firefinches
endemic
Malta
–
Marshall Islands
–
Mauritania
–
Mauritius
–
Mexico
getting struck by lightning, cartels and boxing
total and total
Moldova
alcohol consumption
per capita
Monaco
–
Mongolia
velociraptor bones
Montenegro
–
Morocco
couscous
none
Mozambique
–
Myanmar
speaking burmese
total
Namibia
wealth inequality
wealth gini
Nepal
not killing themselves
per 100,000 people per year
Netherlands
tall people
avg male and female height
New Zealand
sheep and rugby
totaland total
Nicaragua
–
Niger
making babies
births per woman
Nigeria
yams
total
North Korea
censorship
index
Norway
democracy
index
Oman
–
Pacific
white shark cafe
Pakistan
field hockey
total
Palau
swimming with jellyfish
Palestinian Territory
not having cancer
per 100,000 people per year
Panama
defenselessness
total
Papua New Guinea
linguistic diversity
index
Paraguay
drinking tea
per capita
Peru
sandboarding
Philippines
social media
percent
Poland
kielbasa
subjective
Portugal
graduating high school
rate
Puerto Rico
–
Qatar
GDP
per capita
Romania
download speed
Russia
raspberries and nuclear warheads
total
Rwanda
women in parliament
% of seats held
San Marino
–
Sao Tome and Principe
–
Saudi Arabia
oil
total reserves
Senegal
–
Serbia
water polo
Seychelles
–
Sierra Leone
–
Singapore
science
total
Slovakia
making cars
per capita
Slovenia
casinos
per 1,000 inhabitants
Solomon Islands
–
Somalia
pirates
total
South Africa
ostrich
total
South Korea
workaholics
hrs per year per person
South Sudan
inflation
rate
Spain
organ donation
rate
Sri Lanka
cinnamon
Sudan
–
Suriname
forests
percent
Swaziland
–
Sweden
atheism
total
Switzerland
employment
rate
Syria
–
Taiwan
–
Tajikistan
–
Tanzania
national parks and wildlife
Thailand
rice exports
Timor-Leste
–
Togo
bad driving
road death per 100,000 cars
Tonga
–
Trinidad and Tobago
–
Tunisia
gun control
per capita
Turkey
apricots
total
Turkmenistan
corruption
index
Uganda
young people
median age
Ukraine
population control
percent
United Arab Emirates
prevalence of men
sex ratio (total)
United Kingdom
fascist movements
total
Uruguay
eating beef
USA
falling off beds and chairs, getting killed by lawnmowers, nobel laureates and eating hot dogs
As much as we try to fight it, most people have a very stereotypical image come to mind when they think of coders and software entrepreneurs: pale, unshaven, twenty-something males.
Lyndsey Scott is none of those things. Though passionate about acting, she majored in computer science in college and then went on to become a model for brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Gucci, and Prada.
We first learned about Lyndsey and her surprising workload from her profile on Stack Overflow, a site that lets programmers ask questions about their code and get helpful responses from other members of the community with expertise on specific topics.
She’s something of a celebrity on the site: users gain reputation points for providing helpful answers and the site keeps track of the number of views each profile attracts. To date, she’s gained over 1,000 reputation points and her profile has been viewed over 38,000 times.
Earlier this week, Lyndsey and I had a chat about her modeling and coding careers. Read on for her thoughts on developing for iOS over Android, being a “lurker” on a coding forum, and what it takes to get young women into coding and computers.
In this infographic you’d find everything you need to know about headaches. Almost all of us have had a headache at some time with different causes . Besides medication options, you can find 8 easy remedies for headache in this infographic.
Also this poster shows the common locations of headaches.
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Unless you’re a college kid establishing credit for the first time or someone looking to reestablish credit after a major financial setback such as bankruptcy, there’s really no reason to carry department store credit cards. The scenarios above usually make them a great last resort, but if you already have established credit and are looking to dump debt for good, then check out three reasons to ditch those department store cards once and for all.
1. They are useless when you have a real emergency.
Look in your wallet right now. Ask yourself what good that Victoria’s Secret card would do if you had a flat tire tomorrow. Or, how would that Macy’s card help out in the emergency room? Not looking good, eh? In the face of an actual emergency, department store credit cards are simply worthless. And oftentimes the money you can’t find in your budget to save is going towards the interest on department store stuff you didn’t need and likely couldn’t afford in the first place.
2. The interest rates are too high.
Forget about those fake introductory rates the nice lady at the counter offers you. As genuine as she appears, she’s trying to meet her daily enrollment goal and keep her boss off her back. It’s your job to read the fine print and understand the APR.
The APR is the actual yearly cost of using the credit card and includes the additional fees or costs associated with your transactions. An important point to remember with many department store credit cards is that rewards, perks, and discounts shouldn’t come at a price of high interest rates or overwhelming fees. Interest rates on some department store cards may range from 16 percent to as high as 22 percent, despite the low APR pitch that you were probably given for the first three to six months.
3. You’re probably paying for your “rewards” points.
Some retailers require that cardholders spend a minimum amount, sometimes as high as $1,000 annually, before you can even begin to accrue any rewards. By that time you can find yourself riddled in debt attempting to earn a $25 gift card for your birthday. . . really?
Additionally, with many department store credit cards, only a percentage of your purchases will go toward earning rewards rather than the total amount spent. And, some of these merchants have deals that only pertain to customers who carry a set minimum balance on their cards.
And if that’s not enough, with some chains, in order to earn even a three percent reward on total purchases would require $100 spent to earn just $3. Should you carry a modest balance to the next month, you may owe anywhere from $16 to $22 on average just because of interest. So, really, you’ve just “rewarded” yourself with additional debt that you could’ve avoided all together by saving and paying cash.
4. They make you more likely to buy impulsively.
The thought that you can swipe now and pay later is probably at the root of most people’s issues with credit card debt of any kind. If you didn’t have a Target card would you really roam around the store browsing and filling up your cart with randomness? Probably not. If you had to pay cash or swipe your debit card, you’d probably wisely avoid certain parts of the store and stick to the list you came in with!
If you are already riddled with debt, stick to having a major credit card that allows you to have access to money during the times you may really need it. If you insist on keeping your fave department store card, just stay alert and manage it wisely. Take advantage of the savings, but without losing out over the long term by paying extra fees. Never buy something merely to earn rewards and never credit more than you can pay off at the end of each month.
Time is money, especially if you are launching a business. As you kick off the new year, let go of old habits and focus on becoming more efficient.
From figuring out the perfect sleep temperature to dumping the clutter from your desk and learning how to let go of “perfect,” streamlining everyday tasks can lead to a more productive lifestyle, according to San Francisco-based startup organization Funders and Founders.
Want to know more ways to become more productive? Check out the series of infographics below.
Have you ever wondered why you are not losing weight after following the exact same diet as your best friend and she manages to lose those 10 pounds fast and easy? Ever asked yourself why you get sick so often or why is your immune system so weak?
Are you eating the right foods for your blood type? It is important to learn how your blood type affects your health and wellness, same as your weight and believe it or not your blood type makes you more susceptible to certain diseases.
Why does this happen? We understand that there are four blood groups A, B, AB and O, and that blood type is determined by genetics. There are certain antigens (these could be proteins, carbohydrates and glycoproteins) that when they enter the body, the immune system produces antibodies against them. We respond differently to these antigens depending on our blood type.
Blood is classified by: New: AB
Old: O
Agrarian: A
Nomadic: B
Blood type and diet: Certain foods such as legumes contain a carbohydrate-binding protein called lectin. This substance is most likely to cause inflammation in the body, but it will produce stronger reactions in certain blood types. Therefore it can make you more susceptible to certain diseases and other factors like fatigue, poor digestion and weight gain.
There are a lot of chemical reactions going on in our bodies all day long, digestion is one of them and our blood type can affect how we digest the food, meaning it will be crucial in terms of weight loss or weight gain
Blood Type O Recommended to eat:
-High-protein found in meat and fish
-Reduce carb intake
-Avoid diary
Blood Type A Recommended to eat:
-Vegetarian diet (lots of veggies!)
-Grains (beans, legumes)
Blood Type B Recommended to eat:
-Red Meat (avoid chicken)
-Dairy
-Fruits and vegetables
Blood Type AB Recommended to eat:
-Lean meat
-Dairy
-Seafood
-Vegetables and legumes
Blood types and diseases: As previously mentioned every blood type is different because of their antigens located on the surface of the red blood cells. Each blood type creates certain defenses to help fight diseases.
Blood type and personality:
Blood Type O -Outgoing
-Initiators
-Creative
-Social
-Confident. Blood Type A -Most likely to be calm
-Perfectionists
-Most artistic
-Bold
-Trustworthy
-Sensitive Blood Type B -Goal oriented
– Strong minded
-Independent Blood Type AB -Split personalities: outgoing and shy
-Confident and timid
-Responsible
-Care a lot for others
Blood type and fertility: Women chances of fertility are different in different blood groups; this happens due to the fact that the amount of a hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) varies, depending on the blood type.
Some studies to prove this theory show that women with blood types A and AB were generally less likely than others to produce the follicle-stimulating hormone.
Please note that according to many nutritionists, there is not enough scientific evidence to support these claims, and if you’re among those who manage their diet based on scientific evidence, then you have to wait for more results to come up.
A Queens mother says a school bus driver left several young children to fend for themselves when he couldn’t find their school.
Rochelle Mason says she dropped her 7-year-old son off at the bus stop on 224th Street and 145th Road in Springfield Gardens Thursday morning.
She says that the bus driver told the kids he did not know how to get to the school, and after making several wrong turns, returned to the bus stop and dropped off the children.
With no adults there waiting for them, they had to walk to school or walk back home.
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do,” said Darius Mason, Rochelle Mason’s son. “I was like, ‘Is there someone who’s going to help us?’ And then this lady who was here, she saw the bus driver just leave us there, so then she helped us, and she helped us get home.”
Rochelle Mason says she then called P.S. 181, where she says officials didn’t even realize there was a problem.
She says she called the Allied bus company, which denied that it was one of their drivers on that route.
It took over the route from the Atlantic Express bus company, which closed on December 31 and had its routes reassigned to other companies.
“At this point, I feel very uncomfortable putting him on the school bus,” Rochelle Mason said. “I can’t get any answers from the bus company. That’s not acceptable. You cannot leave children in the street.”
Allied Transit had no comment when NY1 called.
NY1 also reached out to the Department of Education for comment
Ever feel like you’ve been hit on the head after a bad night’s sleep? According to scientists, the thought isn’t as far-fetched as it seems.
A study found going without sleep for just one night causes changes in the brain similar to those that occur after a blow to the head.
The researchers said the healthy young men examined in the study showed a spike in the same chemicals which indicate brain damage.
Being sleep deprived causes a similar change in the brain to that seen after a head injury – it results in a spike in the chemicals associated with brain injury
Professor Christian Benedict, of Uppsala University, Sweden, explained that the chemcials NSE and S-100B are biomarkers for brain damage, such as concussion.
He said: ‘What we found was their levels in the blood rose in the group that went without sleep for a night. This was not to the extent that would happen after a head injury, for instance, but it was still significant.
The brain requires sleep to cleanse itself of toxic substances. A lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s
‘During sleep, the brain cleans itself of toxic substances and NSE and S-100B increase in response to these substances.’
He said the findings back up previous research showing how the brain uses sleep to cleanse itself.
Professor Benedict also said his study could support previous studies which linked a lack of sleep with increased risk of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
The rise of the chemicals in the blood after sleep loss may suggest not getting enough sleep is conducive to a loss of brain tissue, he explained.
Professor Benedict, whose study is published in the journal Sleep, added: ‘In conclusion, the findings of our trial indicate a good night’s sleep may be critical for maintaining brain health.’
A third of the UK population suffer from sleep-related problems, while the average person now sleeps for only seven hours a night, compared with almost nine a few decades ago.
Many scientists believe irregular sleeping patterns lead to illnesses ranging from aches and pains to heart disease, while less than eight hours’ sleep a night can lower the IQ the next day.
Wondering why American students are not performing at their best? Or why we struggle to solve the problems of children getting adequate resources so they can compete in the global race for knowledge, opportunity and equity?
No need. The answer’s right here and it doesn’t take much to figure it out. We’ve made education a commodity to be traded, cut, neglected and manipulated for the better part of the economic downturn, and even before, and the policy is catching up to us. School districts all over the country had to cut back on teachers, other staff, educational resources and worse, a commitment to enable all children to take part in what should be the world’s premier public school system.
It shouldn’t have worked out that way.
The corporate know-nothings who have wheedled their way into the public policy debate and, worse, have been elected to offices where they’ve had direct experience slashing budgets, blaming public employees and pulling money out of the system because they think it spends too much. Now we’ve reached the crisis point where schools are packing in too many students into classrooms without proper staffing and educational materials. The results are disappointing at best.
But they point to something that’s been underreported, and that is that America’s public school teachers are doing a fabulous job keeping the system afloat and educating our students to the best of their abilities. The shame is imagining just how much better the country would be if we committed to funding and supporting the people who do one of the most important paid jobs in the economy.
Imagine what we could do with class sizes that allow for debate, discussion and hands-on learning in every class. Imagine having enough staff to enable struggling students and those with classifiable learning problems to get the support they both need and are entitled to by law. Imagine having enough money to take students on more than one outside academic trip per year so that they could apply their knowledge to real-world situations.
Imagine a teaching staff that is respected, emboldened and confident that the culture supported its efforts. Imagine governors making full pension payments so the system doesn’t become a political battleground and an excuse to blame teachers and other public employees from being blamed for shortfalls. Remember that the only people making reliable pension contributions are the teachers; every paycheck. Imagine a system where teachers have input into curricular implementation, and where tests are not the end result of every learning task. Imagine a collaborative, supportive environment where veteran educators are respected for their knowledge, not blamed for being too expensive.
If you can imagine such a system, then we have our work cut out for us because if we keep going as we have for the past 10 years, then we will sink further behind countries that don’t need to imagine those school systems–they already have them.
The kidneys are important body organs, they take care of the urination process in our bodies by filtering body waste. Despite being such an important component of our body many of us do not properly care for them and millions of people die each year from kidney disease. There are habits many of us have that can harm our kidneys. Here is a list of some habits to avoid for healthy kidneys:
1. Drinking inadequate water
Not drinking enough water is the biggest contributor to damage that our kidneys bear everyday. The main job of our kidneys is to drain metabolic waste from the body and regulate erythrocyte balances. When we do not stay properly hydrated, the renal blood flow decreases, ultimately resulting in accumulation of toxins in the blood.
2. Long-term full bladder
A habit many of us have is delaying the call of nature. When we leave the bladder full of urine for an extended time, different complications in urinary tract may arise: Hypertrophy of detrusor muscle is one example of such complications which may lead to formation of diverticula. Hydronephrosis (increase of urine pressure in kidneys) is another example which is caused by chronic back pressure on kidneys, ultimately resulting in renal impairment.
Urinary incontinence due to overflow is also another serious complication of long term urinary retention.
3.Consuming too much sodium
Metabolizing the sodium we consume is another job for our kidneys. The salt we eat is the prime source of sodium and the majority of our sodium intake needs to be excreted. When we eat excessive salt the kidneys keep busy excreting sodium, which may cause long term stress on our kidneys. 90% of Americans consume too much salt and here are some useful tips to manage your salt intake.
4. Consumption of too much caffeine When we feel thirsty we often choose beverages other than water like soft drinks and sodas. Many of these beverages contain caffeine. Caffeine can elevate blood pressure and high blood pressure puts strain on the kidneys which can damage them. According to Mayoclinic, most healthy adults, can consume about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day and stay away from harmful effects of caffeine.
5. Pain-killer abuse
Taking pain-killers for low-grade pain is a bad habit many people have. Most pain-killers have severe side effects and can damage different organs, such as kidneys. Research shows taking pain pills long term reduces blood flow and deteriorates kidney’s function.
6. Too much protein Over-consumption of red meat and other protein-rich foods can deteriorate damaged kidneys condition. A protein-rich diet is essentially healthy unless you suffer from kidney damage and your doctor recommends a protein-restricted diet. Too much protein increases the metabolic load on our kidneys.
7. Ignoring colds and flu Ignoring the common cold and flu is a habit that can cause kidney damage. Studies show people who have kidney disease also have a history of avoiding resting while sick. It is also observed that people with kidney disease are more sensitive to significant changes in weather.
8. Too much alcohol consumption
When we drink alcohol we often ignore the proper quantity suitable for good health. Too much alcoholic intake is a kidney-damaging habit. Alcohol contains toxins which put stress on our kidneys and can damage them.
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