23 positive reminders for 2023
I read this recently and think it's worth sharing:
1. Over the last 20 years, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty has almost been cut in half.
2. The average life expectancy around the world today is 72. In 1800, among all babies who were ever born, roughly half died during their childhood. Life expectancy was just 30 years and no country had a life expectancy above 40. Life expectancy at birth was only 45 years in 1870.
3. Flying has gotten 2,100 times safer over the past 70 years. 2016 was the second safest year in aviation history. The odds of being fatally injured in a plane crash are just 0.000025%.
4. The real price of plane travel in the U.S. has fallen by more than half since the late 1970s.
5. The share of homes that had electricity in 1870 was exactly zero. Today the proportion of people with electricity is 85%.
6. In 1905, a Vermont doctor and his chauffeur were the first to successfully drive a car across the country from San Francisco to New York. It took them 63 days. Today you can fly cross country in a matter of hours while using wireless Internet.
7. There was no entertainment available to the average family in 1870, except for a few travelling musicians or circus performers or in-home board or card games. Today our entertainment options are almost unlimited.
8. The average American now retires at age 62. One hundred years ago, the average American died at age 51.
9. The percentage of the population living past their 65th birthday was only 34% in 1870 but jumped to 56% by 1940 and 77% by 2000.
10. Up until the 1870s, people typically worked 11-12 hour days. By 1900, the typical worker put in 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. It wasn’t until 1940 that it came down to the standard 40-hour, 5-day workweek. And these weren’t office jobs sitting behind a desk. The conditions for most workers were terrible and hazardous to their health.
11. The proportion of people killed annually in wars is less than a quarter of what it was in the 1980s, one-seventh of what it was in the early 1970s, one-eighteenth of what it was in the early 1950s, and 0.5% of what it was during World War II.
12. The world’s nuclear stockpiles have been reduced by 85% since the Cold War.
13. The world has gotten richer (as measured by Gross World Product) in 51 of the last 55 years.
14. Since 1960, the fraction of a person’s life taken up by work has fallen by 25% through a combination of shorter workweeks, more paid time off, and longer retirements
15. Every single country in the world today has a lower infant or child mortality rate than it had in 1950.
16. Between 1961 and 2009 the amount of land used to grow food increased by 12%, but the amount of food that was grown increased by 300%.
17. Between 1950 and 2009, the rate of death in traffic accidents fell six-fold.
18. Roughly half of the adults in the world own a smartphone.
19. Just 7% of the world’s population lived in a free or relatively free society in 1850. Today that number is closer to two-thirds.
20. Early in the 19th century, 12% of the world could read and write. Today it’s 83%.
21. In 1820, more than 80% of the world was unschooled. It’s estimated that by the end of the century, this number will be close to zero.
22. In 1920, just 28% of American teenagers ages 14-17 were in high school. The latest stats show over 80% graduated high school, of whom 70% went on to college.
23. In 1940, less than 5% of Americans held a bachelor’s degree. By 2015, it was up to one-third.
Adapted from: A Wealth of Common Sense, Ben Carlson, 6 April 2023
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Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?
4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?
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Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.4% Yes
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14.9% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️