U.S. Energy Efficiency Over Time

Progress is a real thing.

 

21st Century Life Skills

Basic life skills that every middle class adult is expected to know in the 21st century in the United States:

1. How to type well and reasonably quickly.

2. Moderate proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Windows.

3. How to drive an automobile (unless physically impaired from doing so) and how to refuel it and what routine maintenance is necessary.

4. Knowing what to do in a car accident.

5. How to use a web browser.

6. How to call and text message and use other basic features (including the app store) of a smart phone.

7. How to tie a necktie (men only, although there are probably parallel female garments that women have to understand how to wear such as earrings and bras).

8. How to tie your shoes.

9. How to use Google maps and do Google searches.

10. Understanding of basic emojis and internet acronyms.

11. Understanding the organizational chart at a basic level, of all levels of government in the U.S.

12. Understanding of time zones and daylight savings time and leap days.

13. An ability to book a commercial airline ticket for yourself and to rent a car and book a hotel/motel.

14. An understanding of how credit cards and debit cards work.

15. A basic understanding of residential leases and mortgages.

16. A basic understanding of the financial markets.

17. An understanding of the main taxes applicable to you (retail sales, federal income, state income, property taxes) that aren't "invisible" (like gasoline taxes).

18. An understanding of basic accounting and finance concepts.

19. How to videoconference in one of several possible tools (Face time, Zoom, MS Teams, Webex, etc.).

20. A rudimentary understanding of the legal process in civil and criminal cases.

21. Knowing how to cross the street as a pedestrian.

22. Knowing how to handle weather conditions and natural disasters in your area.

23. Knowing the threats posed by wildlife and plants in your area.

24. How to read and speak in English.

25. How to use elevators and escalators.

Progress On Hunger

Progress is a thing. A smaller share of people go hungry now than they did in the past, and that share is falling rapidly in South America in particular. 

The share of people who are hungry has been decreasing faster in South America than anywhere else in the world. It is down by one-third since 2020, according to a report published on July 21st by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Just 3.5% of people in the region consume insufficient calories, the lowest level recorded. Eliminating hunger by 2030 is one of the UN’s “sustainable development” goals. “If there is a region in the world that can potentially achieve that, it’s South America,” says Máximo Torero, the FAO’s chief economist.

Lula, as the president is commonly known, made food security a priority when he returned to office in 2023. By 2025 Brazil had made it off the UN’s Hunger Map, which tracks countries where more than 2.5% of the population suffers from chronic hunger. Chile and oil-rich Guyana were also removed. Argentina is almost there at under 3%. Colombia and Paraguay are approaching at 4%, while Peru and crisis-battered Venezuela are making inroads near 5%. Even Ecuador and Bolivia have improved a tad, to 11% and 20% respectively. Only Suriname is moving in the wrong direction.

From The Economist.