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Asian economy tiger Singapore has its economy at fast pace with a record growth of 14.7% in 2010

The tiny island in Asia has its economy expanded significantly during the year of 2010 with a growth rate of 14.7%.  Citing Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, businessweek.com reported that the 2010 growth rate was the best performance ever for the city-state economy, compared to the previous record growth rate of 13.8% which occurred in 1970. Singapore PM also projected next year growth rate will be around 4.0 to 6.0%.

Starting January 1, 2012, meat and poultry producers must attach nutrition labels for pork, beef, lamb, and ground meat

America’s Department of Agriculture has passed a new rule to require meat producers to place nutrition labels on their meat and poultry products starting January 1, 2012.  As per a press release by usda.gov, the new labeling rule will apply to meat products such as pork, beef, lamb, and ground meat.  The nutrition labels must show total number of calories, the amount of fat, protein info from meat, total percentage of cholesterol, total sodium, and amount of vitamins in each product.

Number One: Facebook.com was the most visited website for the first time in 2010 and the social network champ beat Google badly

Facebook.com has taking over the Internet starting in 2010, as the social network king is now the number one most visited websites.  Based on data collected from January to November 2010, hitwise.com reported that Facebook.com received 8.93% of all visits from America’s web visitors. 

The domination of Google has came to end in 2010, as the search giant only captured 7.19% of visits, as per data from hitwise.com.

Yahoo! Mail was number three and captured 3.52% of visits. At number ten was Bing decision engine, the new search engine from Microsoft.

(Table: hitwise.com)

Top-10 most admired man for 2010 are Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, while top-10 most admired woman are Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey in America

 
As the year 2010 will soon end in few days, Gallup released its most admired man and woman for 2010 in America.  For top-10 man category, President Barack Obama is the most admired man for year 2010, then follows by George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Bill Gates (billionaire philanthropist, Microsoft software company founder, and chairman), Pope Benedict XVI, Rev. Billy Graham, Jimmy Carter, Glenn Beck, and the Dalai Lama. 

For top-10 woman category, Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in 2010, and follows by Sarah Palin (former Alaska governor and former Republican president candidate), Oprah Winfrey (talk show host), Michele Obama, Queen Elizabeth, Angelina Jolie, Margaret Thatcher (former Britain PM), Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma), Laura Bush, and Barbara Bush.

 
(Screenshots: Gallup)

The third-generation Kindle is the champion sales for Amazon store for 2010 holiday shopping season with price starting at $139 per unit

In a press release, Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO said that the ecommerce giant company has sold millions of the all-new Kindle e-reader product.  The price of third-generation 6” screen Kindle Wi-Fi starts at $139 per unit and Kindle 3G starts at $189 per unit.   Kindle has a month-long battery life and has e-ink display which helps users to read without worrying eye-strain. 

According to Amazon.com, most of new users turned on their Kindles for the first time on Christmas day.  On the same day, users also downloaded and purchased more Kindle books than on any other day in the company history. 

Drug overdoses (incl. pain killers) is fastest-growing drug problem for all age groups in America with high ratios of death were white men and women

More Americans are dying from drug overdoses in all age groups, including prescription pain killers.  According to Reuters Health, today’s number of deaths due to drug overdoses is ten times higher than the total of deaths in late 1960s.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers lead by Dr. Richard Miech who is a head of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver.  The team of researchers uses data from America's Census.

Among victims, high ratios of death were white men and women in recent years, as this group of population were nine times to die than other races.  Citing the research study as reported by Reuters Health, black men and women were only three times more likely to die due to drug overdose in recent years than they were 40 years ago.

Travel agency and clothing store use their building to grow marijuana near northern Los Angeles

Local police officers arrested five people who use a travel agency and clothing store located in Montrose near city of Glendale (northern part of Los Angeles) to grow 381 marijuana plants, reported upi.com. 

The plants are estimated to be valued at $200,000.  Five men age between 22 to 32 years were arrested by Montrose police department and will spend the Christmas eve in jail.

America’s ecommerce holiday sales jumped over 15% this year with top sales in online apparel and electronics

Online sales in America are booming during this year’s holiday seasons.  Ecommerce captures the top share of this year’s holiday season total sales as per data from MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, New York-based company, reported by bloomberg.com. 

Online sales reached $36.4 billion since October 31 to December 22 of this year, reported bloomberg.com.  Compared to one year ago, sales were totaled $31.5 billion (an increase of $4.9 billion).   Citing data from SpendingPulse, top sales were in online apparel sector which increased 26% from one year ago.  Other sector, electronics sales also went up by 12% from one year ago.

Moms who got iron and folic acid supplements during pregnancy will produce smarter babies

A team of international health researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health found iron and folic acid supplements could help mothers to produce smarter babies. 

According to reuters.com, the international health study was paid by the National Institutes of Health and billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates non-profit foundation.

Based on the study of 676 school-age kids in rural Nepal, researchers found 80% of the kids in the age group of 7 to 9 years old were admitted in school.   Those school kids were born by mothers who got iron and folic acid supplements and other nutrients while they were pregnant.

A good start but not so impressive: Microsoft sold over 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices and gadgets during the first six weeks after launch in the first week of November in North America

The software giant company has sold over 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices and gadgets since the new operating system officially debut in North America in the first week of November and the third week of October in Europe, Australia, and Asia. 

Citing Achim Berg, Corporate VP of Microsoft Mobile division, wsj.com reported that the new operating system sales were in line with Microsoft projections.

According to wsj.com, Apple sold 14.1 million units of iPhones from July to September.  In the same period of time, RIM BlackBerry has sold over 14.2 million units of smartphones.

The benefits of breastfeeding and academic achievement: breastfed boys may get higher test scores in math, reading, writing, and spelling

Boys are usually benefited from moms breastfeeding as they will do well at school and last into their school years.  The new study was published by the journal Pediatrics.  Citing the study, webmd.com reported that boys who breastfed for over six months as infants may get higher test scores in math, reading, writing, and spelling than children who were breastfed for short term.  The study also considered many factors to analyze their research samples, include moms age, family income, and children activities at home.

Google extends Gmail free phone calls in North America for all of 2011

Google is giving away a great Holiday Seasons present to phone users in North America with extra time to make free phone calls.  The free phone service was launched in August and the initial cutoff date for the free offer was December 31 this year.  However, to celebrate the New Year of 2011, the search giant will extend free calls for everyone who has a Gmail account in America and Canada.  Users are urged to visit www.gmail.com/call to start the free service.

Bad combo, kids and soda, as 75% of children (5 to 12 year old) consume caffeine on daily basis

A latest study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center found 75% of children (5 to 12 year old) consume caffeine on a daily basis.  Kids are less likely to sleep due to the amount of caffeine from drinking sodas. 

The study also found kids at ages 8 to 12 years drink an average of 109 milligrams of caffeine per day (or about 3 cans of soda), reported HealthDay News.  Doctors have warned parents to look after their kids as large amounts of caffeine could have harmful effects on kids sleep behavior and their daily routine and activities.

The reborn of Admiral Zheng He as China launched an ambitious plan to build powerful armada and aircraft carrier

Chinese Admiral Zheng He (1371–1435) had built a very powerful armada during his era and its fleet admiral had visited many nations in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia), South Asia (India), and East Africa.  After 700 years later, the new China will replicate the successful of Admiral Zheng He into the 21st century. 

The powerful armada and aircraft carrier program was officially published in a book by China’s Ocean Development Report (2010), one of China’s top ministry level agency.  The book was later cited and reported by Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, as per ft.com (it needs subscription). 

According to dailymail.co.uk, the Chinese first carrier will go in service sometime in 2015 with a carrier fleet with at least 27 destroyers, 52 frigates, and 66 submarines.

Many nations in the region include Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have raised their concerns about China’s powerful military plans and strategies.

The side effect of air pollution to kids: pregnant women who lived within 1,000 feet (300 meter) of a freeway have higher risks to carry babies of having autism

A study conducted at University of Southern California by a team of researchers headed by Heather E. Volk, PhD, MPH, found moms who lived near freeways such as busy metropolitan areas are more likely to have kids with autism. Researchers found air pollution during pregnancy has strong negative effects on babies. 

Citing the study which is now available online via Environmental Health Perspectives and published by America’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, webmd.com reported that babies born to moms who lived near freeways were 86% more likely to have autism than non-freeways moms.

One in six Americans gets sick due to food poisoning (incl. outbreaks caused by salmonella bacteria in eggs and peanut butter)

Major food suppliers and stores recalled eggs in 2010 and peanut butter in 2009 were mostly due to salmonella bacteria.  According to data from America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, outbreaks due to salmonella bacteria totaled 28% of deaths and 35% of hospitalizations in recent years, reported webmd.com.

Today there were one in six Americans gets sick due to food poisoning with estimated 128,000 people went to hospital and about 3,000 people died every year.  Compared to ten years ago (1999), there were one in four Americans got sick due to tainted food.  Citing data from CDC, webmd.com reported that in 1999 there were 325,000 people went to hospital and 5,000 people died due to outbreaks.

Time magazine picks Facebook’s CEO Mark Elliot Zuckerberg as the 2010 Person of the Year

Time magazine calls Facebook’s CEO Mark Elliot Zuckerberg as the connector.  Zuckerberg found the company while he was a student at Harvard University and he started his company from his dorm.  At young age and twenty-something old, Zuckerberg’s company connects over half a billion people around the world.  Friends and families are connected via Facebook social relations networks and exchanging info every second and hour. 

According to Time, Facebook captured 25% of all pages viewed by Americans during the month of November 2010, while there are 700,000 people around the world sign up as a member on a daily basis.

(Photo: Time Magazine)

Top four biggest airlines now from Asia, include Air China, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and China Southern

More people in developing countries (incl. Asia and South America) use airplanes to travel in recent years and the growth has helped aviation industry to recover during the global economy turmoil.  Based on the latest data reported by International Air Transport Association (IATA), four of the world's five biggest airlines now have their headquarters in Asia. 

The top four biggest airlines in the world based on their market capitalization are:

• Air China $20 billion
• Singapore Airlines $14 billion
• Cathay Pacific $12 billion
• China Southern $11 billion

Aside from Asian nations, according to AP, a Latin American airline dubbed as LATAM (a combo of Chile's LAN and TAM of Brazil) has a market cap of $11 billion.   America’s popular airline Delta and Germany's Lufthansa both have a market cap of $10 billion each.

Commercial airlines in America have collected over $2.5 billion baggage fees and $1.7 billion cancellation and change fees so far in 2010

Based on data from Bureau of Transportation Statistics, cnn.com reported that America’s commercial airlines have collected over $2.5 billion on baggage fees since early 2010 to this month (an increase of 22.5% from one year ago).   Top three baggage fees collectors are Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and US Airways.

For cancellation and change fees, major airlines in America have collected $1.7 billion from January to September 2010.  Top collectors for cancellation and change fees include Delta, American, and United Airlines.

In order to return to profitable level, major airlines will continue to collect fees in years to come.  Citing Boyd Group International, cnn.com reported that 9% to 12% of airline's revenue will be collected from all kind of fees.

Not getting much Christmas joy at gas pump stations this year in America, as average price of a gallon of gasoline hit $3 and oil refinery shutdowns for the Holiday Seasons

It is only two more weeks to celebrate Christmas Eve while Americans are busy driving to shopping malls to get their presents.  At the same time the average price of a gallon of gasoline hit $3 this week in America, reported AP.  In several states, the price per gallon has reached over $3 a gallon.  According to AP, in West Coast states (incl. California) drivers are paying an average $3.21 a gallon, while in East Coast states (incl. New England) gas will cost about $3.09 a gallon.

The recent hikes in gas prices were due to refinery shutdowns and increasing global demand.  Also, crude oil price has increased over 5% since the beginning of December and finally hit $90 per barrel this week, reported AP.  The $90 benchmark was the highest level since two years ago.

The deadly health effects of one cigarette a day or exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke

America’s surgeon general published a report showing that tobacco smoke are really harmful to health especially for people with pre-existing disease.  The report was released by Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, MD, the current sitting surgeon general for President Obama administration. 

The report outlined damage of cigarette smoking on human cellular and organ level.  In recent years data showing cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease in America.

American life expectancy dropped slightly to 77.8 years in 2008, compared to 77.9 years in 2007, women to live 5 years longer than men (80.3 years vs. 75.3 years)

America’s health experts at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released 2008 data for American life expectancy.  Heart disease and cancer were the two killers in America which totaled about 48% of all deaths in 2008.  Stroke has moved down a little bit to number four killer of Americans.  At number three killers in 2008 was chronic lower respiratory diseases; include asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. 

According to CDC, the average life expectancy in America was 77.8 years in 2008, compared to 77.9 years in 2007 (a drop of one month). American women could live up to 80.3 years while men could live up to 75.3 years.

Giving Pledge: 16 American billionaires will give away the majority of their wealth to charities, include 26-year-old Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, his wife Melinda Gates, and investor Warren Buffett started "Giving Pledge" organization about one year ago. Mr. Gates was influenced mostly by Mr. Buffett after the investor tycoon gave him a book titled "The Gospel of Wealth," reported wsj.com.  The book discussed about steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie who argued about wealth left by rich individuals usually wasted by their heirs, but it would be more beneficially if they gave to charitable use. 

The latest lists of tycoons who will give to
"Giving Pledge" organization include 26-year-old Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, Star War’s director George Lucas, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, AOL founder Steve Case, real estate investor Carl Icahn, and former junk-bond expert Michael Milken, as per wsj.com.

43 million Americans or 14% of population live on food stamps in September 2010, an increase of 16.2% from one year ago, 3.5 million in California and 3.8 million in Texas

In September 2010, there were 42,911,042 people live in America received food stamps, as per data from America’s Department of Agriculture.  The 43 million people represented 14% of total population.  This was an increase of 16.2% from one year ago.

Two large states in America in term of total recipients include 3,466,974 people in California or 9.4% of population and 3,837,839 people in Texas or 15.5% of population.

Data from Department of Agriculture show three states or district reached over 20% of population on food stamps.  Those states include Washington, D.C. with 21.5% of its population relied on food stamps, Mississippi with 20.4% of population, and 20.1% people in Tennessee received food stamps in September.

AT&T is the worst wireless provider in America while Verizon and U.S. Cellular are two of the best carriers

Using samples of 58,000 ConsumerReports.org readers, the popular magazine reported that AT&T is the worst wireless provider in America.  As ConsumerReports.org wrote “Of all the carriers rated, AT&T was the only one to drop significantly in overall satisfaction.” 

Of the 58,000 samples, over 50% survey respondents owned an Apple iPhone.  The mobile device from Apple is exclusively available via AT&T wireless in America.

Based on the study, U.S. Cellular and Verizon are at the top spots for best wireless providers.  The popular consumer magazine for January 2011 issue is now on sales at newsstands. 

RIM BlackBerry will give Indian government with access to BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) communications databases starting the end of January 2011

Many governments in Asia countries include India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia, and others have been trying to intercept and monitor BlackBerry Messenger communications (BBM) since this past summer and now the Indian government top level officials will soon have access to BBM databases starting the end of January 2011, reported pcworld.com. Many nations in the region are worried that terrorists are using the mobile devices to plan attacks.  Since August 2010, nations have threatened to block BBM services in the regions if RIM could not provide access to its databases.

Samsung has sold over one million tablet computers “Galaxy Tab” running on Google Android 2.2 OS since launched globally in October 2010

Samsung has shipped more than one million units of Galaxy Tab running on Google Android 2.2 OS around the world, as reported by eweek.com.  The Apple iPad rival was launched globally in October and reached America's carriers include Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile since mid-November.  The Tab has a 7-inch screen and weighs less than one pound.  Without wireless provider contract, the tab has a market value of $599. According to eweek.com, Samsung Galaxy Tab has great sales days during Black Friday and Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving holiday in America.

(Photo: Samsung Mobile)

California cells are full of cellphones while mobile devices are banned in any federal prisons

There has been significant growth of cellphones in California prisons in the last few years.  According to LA Times, prison guards caught 1,400 units in 2007, and then the unit count increased to 6,995 in 2009, and later jumped to 8,675 units in 2010. 

As California prisons have been overcrowding for many years, it would be very hard to punish mobile phone usages.  Lawmakers are now working on new rules to intensify penalties as officials believes inmates can utilize the phones to manage criminal activities behind cells.

China has developed and tested one of the fastest passenger train in the world with a record speed of 302 miles per hour or 486 kilometers per hour

In 2012 China will start to operate one of the fastest train in the world which link between capital Beijing and Shanghai.  The mega project will cost $32.5 billion and to connect capital Beijing and Shanghai will only take five hours. 

The super speed passenger train was tested this week and run a new record high of 302 miles per hour or 486 kilometers per hour.  According to AP, previous record high include 2007 French TGV train which run at 357.2 miles per hour or 574.8  kilometers per hour, and 2003 Japanese train which has a speed up to 361 miles per hour or 581 kilometers per hour.

Russia to host 2018 FIFA World Cup and Qatar to host 2022 FIFA World Cup with big losers include England and USA

22 members of the FIFA Executive Committee met this week in Zurich’s Messe and decided the future hosts for World Cup.  In order to win, a nation only needed 12 votes. 

For 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia won with 13 votes with losers include England, a joint between Belgium and the Netherlands, and a joint bid from Spain and Portugal.

For 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar won to host the biggest soccer tournament in the planet and eliminated Australia, Japan, Korea Republic and USA.