Day: April 28, 2015

Study: Google Searches for ‘N-Word’ Correlate to Black Mortality

Buck Banks

journal.pone.0122963.g001In what can only be described as an act of exquisite irony, given the riots in Baltimore, the University of Maryland yesterday released a study that finds a correlation between the number of Google searches for the “N-word” and its variants, and the rate of mortality among African Americans in a given geographic area.

According to David Chae, author of the study and assistant professor of epidemiology at University of Maryland:

“Racial disparities in health and disease represent a significant public health concern. Research suggests that racism is a major culprit that contributes to the gap in mortality between Blacks and Whites,” said Chae. “Our study points to the utility of an Internet-search based measure to monitor racism at the area-level and assess its impact on mortality.”

[…]

Undocumented Immigrants Pay Nearly $12 Billion in Taxes

Buck Banks

$11.8 billion

Amount in U.S. taxes undocumented immigrants pay. Washington Post: “Here’s a talking point for Democrats: President Obama’s executive actions on immigration will generate an extra $845 million in taxes annually from immigrants living here illegally. But that’s just a drop in the bucket compared with the $11.8 billion they already pay.”

U.S. Has Special-Ops Forces in 81 Countries

Buck Banks

81

Number of countries around the world where the United States has deployed special-operations forces. Wall Street Journal: “These days, the sun never sets on America’s special-operations forces. Over the past year, they have landed in 81 countries, most of them training local commandos to fight so American troops don’t have to. From Honduras to Mongolia, Estonia to Djibouti, U.S. special operators teach local soldiers diplomatic skills to shield their countries against extremist ideologies, as well as combat skills to fight militants who break through.”