June 29, 2020

Global debt is expected to climb to a new all-time high of more than $257 trillion. That works out to around $32,500 for each of the 7.7 billion people on the planet and more than 3.2 times the world’s annual economic output. Reuters, January 13, 2020

On June 22, 1633, astronomer Galileo Galilei was forced by the Pope to recant his view that the earth orbited the sun and that the sun was the center of the solar system rather than the other way around. He was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment and was kept under house arrest until his death in 1642. In 1992 that the Roman Catholic Church admitted it had been wrong. Smithsonian Magazine, June 22, 2020

On June 22, the temperature in Verkhoyansk, a small Siberian town, hit 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s likely the hottest temperature ever recorded inside the Arctic Circle. CBS News, June 23, 2020

The personal savings rate, in April, hit a historical record high of 33%. Reuters, May 29, 2020

Nearly half of twitter messages agitating to “reopen America” are likely coming from bots. The tweeting appears to be aimed at sowing division and definitely matches the Russian and Chinese playbooks. NPR, May 20, 2020

With global call centers closed, Americans only received 2.9 billion robocalls in April which is down from 4.8 billion in February. PRNewswire, May 6, 2020

In several states, becoming a barber requires significantly more training than to become a police officer. For example, in North Carolina, licensed barbers need 1,528 hours of training whereas police officers only require 620 hours. In Louisiana, it requires more training to become a licensed manicurist (500 hours) than a police officer (360 hours). Law Enforcement Today, June 12, 2020

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