North Korea may be one of the happiest places on Earth… according to a study by North Korea. Guess who is last? That’s right, the “American Empire.” However you know the study was fair and balanced since they didn’t rank themselves first on the list. They gave the title of Worlds Happiest Place on Earth to China.
Korea’s Chosun Central Television recently came out with a happiness index compiled by local researchers. Their findings? China is the happiest place on the planet, earning 100 points (a perfect score!). At number two is none other than North Korea itself. Cuba, Iran and Venezuela (in that order) round out the top five.
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An essay at Etsy explains more about the way clothing used to be. In 1900, a new dress could cost a couple month’s wages. Thanks to overseas labor, modern machinery, and synthetic fabrics, it only takes abut an hour to earn the price of a discount store dress.
As clothes have become cheaper, our clothing consumption has gone through the roof. In 1930, the average American woman owned an average of nine outfits. Today, we each buy more than 60 pieces of new clothing on average per year. Our closets are larger and more stuffed than ever, as we’ve traded quality and style for low prices and trend-chasing. In the face of these irresistible deals, our total spending on clothing has actually increased, from $7.82 billion spent on apparel in 1950 to $375 billion today. And the discounters are reaping the rewards.
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The USDA food pyramid was revamped in 2005 as My Pyramid, with more accurate but also more confusing information about recommended nutrition. Now it’s been revamped again, and the pyramid is gone. The new graphic is called MyPlate, which somewhat resembles a pie chart laid on a table setting.
At a news conference Thursday morning, First Lady Michelle Obama, together with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, unveiled the new icon, called My Plate. The plate features four labeled sections: two larger, equally sized sections representing vegetables and grains, and two smaller sections for fruit and protein. Perched on the right side is a smaller circle for dairy — perhaps for a cup of yogurt or low-fat milk — and to the left sits a fork, completing the full dinner-plate effect.
“When it comes to eating, what’s more useful than a plate, what’s more simple than a plate?” Obama said. She called the new design “a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods we’re eating.”
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How It Works: Armored Glove: The breathable glove weighs less than three pounds and is encased by a hard shell that extends across the forearm. A pull pin preps the stunner (generated by four electrodes on the wrist), and a button at the palm activates it. Similar buttons trigger the laser pointer, video camera and flashlight.
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