Apple stores saw 300 million visits last year, there are 311 million in the United States

From Jim Dalrymple of The Loop: According to Apple, the company has seen almost 300 million worldwide visitors so far in its fiscal 2012…To give you some type of comparison, by July 2011, the population of the United States was estimated to be 311 million people. There is also an interesting data point from Apple’s …

The rise of mountain lions in the Midwest

Cougars are on the rise in the Midwest. From 1990 to 2008, the number of sightings confirmed by wildlife professionals increased. That’s good news for fans of big cats, which were extirpated from most of that area around 1900. Here’s a breakdown of the rise of mountain lions in the Midwest, by the numbers. 3: …

As environmental regulations boost seal populations in New England – great whites return as well

This week, several great white sharks were spotted off the coast of Chatham, Mass., and two more near Cape Cod were swimming just 30 feet from the shore. One of the sharks was measured at 12 to 15 feet. The summer months induce a chain reaction for shark sightings: Warm ocean temperatures entice more gray …

The most visited countries in the world

France – 77 million United States – 61 million China – 56 million Spain – 53 million Italy – 43 million United Kingdom – 28 million Turkey – 27 million Germany – 27 million Malaysia – 25 million Mexico – 22 million   Interesting to note that both France and Spain receive more visitors than …

Progress in the Middle East – if you measure by the number of Facebook users

There are growing signs of progress in the Middle East, if you measure by the total number of Facebook users. That number has skyrocketed since 2010, going from 15 million to near 40 million. Of those users, a growing number are starting to prefer using the site in their own native language, Arabic. Of the …

Historical and Recreational Map of Los Angeles – by Jo Mora, 1942

“Historical and Recreational Map of Los Angeles,” designed by Jo Mora in 1942 and dedicated to his “buen amigo” Charles Lummis. The map squeezes in an extraordinary amount of historical facts and figures onto its 23- by 30-inch surface, depicting almost the entire history of Los Angeles up to that point, while looking toward the …

1493: Columbus created China’s population boom and the Little Ice Age (book review)

I’ve found a fascinating new book along the lines of Guns, Germs, and Steel. This one called 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann. For some insight into what it’s all about, here are some excerpts from the author. — Via the Bloomberg Presents Podcast — Introduction The Eastern and Western Hemispheres had …

1493: Columbus created China's population boom and the Little Ice Age (book review)

I’ve found a fascinating new book along the lines of Guns, Germs, and Steel. This one called 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann. For some insight into what it’s all about, here are some excerpts from the author. — Via the Bloomberg Presents Podcast — Introduction The Eastern and Western Hemispheres had …

The Earth is filling up, by NPR (video)

It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population, especially in the West. As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, …