Life expectancy in the US: It has increased steadily, except during wars and pandemics (of which the 1918 flu pandemic is the most important). (For those obsessed with race, I will observe that black… (View Post)

My nearest grocery store installed automatic tills (as I guess you call them) some months ago. Three comments: 1. That store (part of a small local chain) chose machines that only take credit and deb… (View Post)

Also off topic, but relevant to bettors on American politics: Here is Aaron Blake's latest ranking of the top ten Republican presidential candidates: 10. Asa Hutchinson 9. Doug Burnum 8. Vivek Ramasw… (View Post)

Completely off topic, but commendable: The Oakland NAACP does something brave — and wise: "OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland NAACP has called on city leaders to declare a state of emergency due to r… (View Post)

There is also a small amount of American country music in Africa, as I learned from a NYT article some years ago. A young Kenyan woman was aspiring to be the Dolly Parton of her hill country. (She lo… (View Post)