Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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  • short reads

    Crucial Help from Cyberspace

    This is number of American adults who say that the internet has helped them make big decisions or negotiate their way through major life episodes in the last two years. Research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that 45% of internet users report using the internet as a crucial source of information during a major life decision.

  • short reads

    Fantasy Sports Fans

    That’s the number of U.S. adults who play fantasy sports — a game in which contestants pick real professional athletes to be on their virtual teams, then compete against other virtual teams based on statistics arising from the real-world performances of the players they have chosen.

  • short reads

    States with Anti-Abortion “Trigger” Laws

    That’s the number of states — Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and South Dakota — that have so-called trigger laws waiting on the books to make abortion illegal as soon as federal policy permits. Three others have adopted policy statements opposing abortion.

  • short reads

    Americans and Their Cars

    That’s the percent of drivers who say they think of their car as “something special — more than just a way to get around.” This number has fallen by nearly half, from 43% in a 1991 Gallup survey.

  • transcript

    Five Years After 9/11, ’Dialogue’ with Islam Cause for Hope

    Bethesda, Maryland A native of Pakistan who served as his country’s high commissioner to Great Britain, Akbar Ahmed offers the unique perspective of an anthropologist who has lived in and studied both Islamic and Western cultures. The BBC has described him as “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam.” He is the principal investigator for […]

  • report

    Al Jazeera’s Global Gamble

    Officials of Al Jazeera International discuss their plans for launching the English-language version of the controversial Arab news channel. Why the long delays? Is the network anti-American? That, plus, a chronology of the rocky relationship between Al Jazeera and the US government.

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    What’s Next for the Ethnic Media?

    While much of US news media endured shrinking audiences recently, ethnic media have seen growth. In our seventh roundtable discussion, industry analysts assess the growing clout of ethnic news outlets in the US as well as the formidable business challenges they face, including slowing industry growth.

  • transcript

    Five Years After 9/11, The Clash of Civilizations Revisited

    Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts A reviewer of political scientist Samuel P. Huntington’s first book compared him unfavorably to Mussolini. A reviewer of his 19th and latest book dubbed him “Patrick Buchanan with footnotes.” But those reactions were mild compared with the controversy over the international political paradigm advanced in Huntington’s most influential book, The Clash of […]

  • report

    The Surprising Impact of Global Warming on Tourism

    Which countries will win, which ones will lose in the race for tourism dollars as global warming heats up. (Hint: Book that Mongolian vacation now.) And did embedded reporters slant the news in Iraq?