Did the U.S. weaponize ticks?
Considering the U.S.'s history of biological warfare, maybe this theory isn't as crazy as it sounds.
19 July, 2019
Image source: BERTRAND GUAY / AFP / Getty Images
- Some believe that the Lyme-ridden ticks on the East Coast of the U.S. are the product of government experiments in biological warfare.
- Under this theory, the ticks were released accidentally or on purpose, exposing millions to the extremely dangerous disease.
- There's good cause to be skeptical, but the U.S. has a history of conducting biological warfare tests on its own civilians; maybe there's something to it?
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The biggest threat to America? Americans.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Jared Diamond explains why some nations make it through epic crises and why others fail.
19 July, 2019
- "A country is not going to resolve a national crisis unless it acknowledges that it's in a crisis," says Jared Diamond. "If you don't, you're going to get nowhere. Many Americans still don't recognize today that the United States is descending into a crisis."
- The U.S. tends to focus on "bad countries" like China, Canada and Mexico as the root of its problems, however Diamond points out the missing piece: Americans are generating their own problems.
- The crisis the U.S. is experiencing is not cause for despair. The U.S. has survived many tragedies, such as the War of Independence and the Great Depression – history is proof that the U.S. can get through this current crisis too.
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Hispanic people experiencing largest homeownership gains in America
At 18 percent of the population, Hispanics account for 67.2 percent of U.S. net homeownership gains.
18 July, 2019
Photo credit: INTI OCON / AFP / Getty Images
- After a 50-year low, Hispanics have seen the largest homeownership gains for any ethnic demographic.
- The uptick likely results from a bevy of gains Hispanics have seen in recent years.
- This rise in homeownership is part of an increasingly diverse United States.
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Scotland is generating so much wind energy, it could power all of its homes — twice over
Why doesn't the U.S. generate more electricity from wind?
17 July, 2019
Image source: Jason Blackeye
- Wind turbines in Scotland produced more than 9.8 million megawatt-hours of electricity in the first half of 2019.
- Scotland is a global leader in renewable energies, generating more than half of its electricity consumption from renewables.
- The U.S. currently generates about 7 percent of its electricity from wind.
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One man's idea for the 'greatest PTSD healing curriculum' in America
Activist and Big Think reader Roy M. Arce explains his idea for a new community policing team and how it can halt vicious cycles of PTSD and homelessness.
14 July, 2019
Photos: Roy M. Arce.
- Roy Arce is a U.S. veteran with PTSD whose traumatic experiences with police led him to draft a proposal for how communities and police can work better together.
- A new kind of police response team – made up of at least one police officer and a trained community peace representative – would be part of what Arce calls "the greatest PTSD healing curriculum" in the U.S.
- This civilian proposal would also seek to treat homelessness in one of the country's most affected regions.
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