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50 Reasons We're Living Through the Greatest Period in World History
FOOL.COM ^ | January 29, 2014 | Morgan House

Posted on 02/13/2014 9:59:34 AM PST by FreeAtlanta

Everyone should be thankful for how far we've come. - Morgan Housel - Financials

1. U.S. life expectancy at birth was 39 years in 1800, 49 years in 1900, 68 years in 1950, and 79 years today. The average newborn today can expect to live an entire generation longer than his great-grandparents could.

2. A flu pandemic in 1918 infected 500 million people and killed as many as 100 million. In his book The Great Influenza, John Barry describes the illness as if "someone were hammering a wedge into your skull just behind the eyes, and body aches so intense they felt like bones breaking." Today, you can go to Safeway and get a flu shot. It costs 15 bucks. You might feel a little poke.

3. In 1950, 23 people per 100,000 Americans died each year in traffic accidents, according to the Census Bureau. That fell to 11 per 100,000 by 2009. If the traffic mortality rate had not declined, 37,800 more Americans would have died last year than actually did. In the time it will take you to read this article, one American is alive who would have died in a car accident 60 years ago.

4. In 1949, Popular Mechanics magazine made the bold prediction that someday a computer could weigh less than 1 ton. I wrote this sentence on an iPad that weighs 0.73 pounds.

5. The average American now retires at age 62. One hundred years ago, the average American died at age 51. Enjoy your golden years -- your ancestors didn't get any of them.

read more at link ...

Article Link: 50 Reasons We're Living Through the Greatest Period in World History (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/29/50-reasons-were-living-through-the-greatest-period.aspx)


Posted with Article Posting Assistant: (http://code-happy.bahits.com/?p=62)

(Excerpt) Read more at fool.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: livingbetter; notprogressives; realprogress; standardofliving
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I found this fascinating. I hope you all enjoy and share it.

FrAtl

1 posted on 02/13/2014 9:59:34 AM PST by FreeAtlanta
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To: FreeAtlanta

We live in interesting times.


2 posted on 02/13/2014 10:04:12 AM PST by rightwingcrazy
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To: rightwingcrazy
1. U.S. life expectancy at birth was 39 years in 1800, 49 years in 1900, 68 years in 1950, and 79 years today. The average newborn today can expect to live an entire generation longer than his great-grandparents could.

Those numbers are skewed by still-borna nd infant deaths. If we fator in the baies that are purposely killed trough procured abortion, we wouldn't look that much better.

5. The average American now retires at age 62. One hundred years ago, the average American died at age 51. Enjoy your golden years -- your ancestors didn't get any of them.

Yeah. It WAS nice. SocSec will kick in at 70 for most of us. With fewer young people to keep the Ponzi scheme going, it will crash. More of us will have to work longer to feed the welfare state.

America averaged 20,919 murders per year in the 1990s, and 16,211 per year in the 2000s,

That is completely explainable by demographics alone. As the population ages, fewer 16-30 year old males are around to do the killing.

The cherry picking in this article continues, but the fact is, it is harder to raise your children decently. It is harder to support a household on one income. It is harder to be generally left alone. It is harder to find a community with ike-minded people who share your idea of a proper society, if not your exact goals (forcing most of us to settle for the virtual version).

I think Joseph Sobran looked at it all, and decided the main improvement was in car stereos.
3 posted on 02/13/2014 10:25:44 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("We are not sluts."--Sandra Fluke)
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To: FreeAtlanta

I’d take the shorter life expectancy of 1950 - with a BETTER quality of life than the 79 years we get now - under a socialist regime and unemployed and my retirement account stolen from me.


4 posted on 02/13/2014 10:26:57 AM PST by joethedrummer
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To: FreeAtlanta

Viable human organs being printed by machines

and

the greatest Republic in history collapsing as we watch;

A quote by a genius comes to mind...

“...the best of times and the worst of times.”

I’d love to comeback in 200 years, and read a true history of this era. I just don’t want to live through it (or be 240+ years old).


5 posted on 02/13/2014 10:27:10 AM PST by warchild9
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To: FreeAtlanta

that’s “come back”

/fumble fingers on a Note keyboard


6 posted on 02/13/2014 10:28:15 AM PST by warchild9
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To: FreeAtlanta

Number one doesn’t take into consideration how many people who were born never saw puberty.


7 posted on 02/13/2014 10:28:47 AM PST by cuban leaf
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To: Dr. Sivana

I was alluding to the purported Chinese curse. “Better” is not necessarily better.


8 posted on 02/13/2014 10:29:14 AM PST by rightwingcrazy
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To: Dr. Sivana

Another thing: Animals live longer in zoos than in the wild. Longer life does not mean higher quality of life. i.e. it is not necessarily an improvement.
“...to live is Christ and to die is gain.”


9 posted on 02/13/2014 10:31:10 AM PST by cuban leaf
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To: FreeAtlanta

The scope of progress was brought home to me several years ago when I had a life-threatening pituitary tumor identified through an MRI scan, with its removal planned after a CAT scan, and accomplished by an operation reliant on a fiber optic scope up my nose that used miniaturized surgical tools to cut out the tumor; and, to remedy a resulting loss of adrenal function, I take a steroid medication every day. All of these were not only invented after I was born, but were far beyond the science of that era.


10 posted on 02/13/2014 10:32:18 AM PST by Rockingham
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To: joethedrummer

Reminds me of the curse the warrior made to the hunchback warrior wannabee who sold them out at the end of “300”: May you live forever.


11 posted on 02/13/2014 10:33:10 AM PST by cuban leaf
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To: rightwingcrazy
I was alluding to the purported Chinese curse. “Better” is not necessarily better.

Your meaning was clear. My beef is with the author.

His use of "Greatest" also reminds me of the legendary prophecy of the Oracle at Delphi ... "If you attack, a great army will be destroyed."
12 posted on 02/13/2014 10:35:34 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("We are not sluts."--Sandra Fluke)
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To: Rockingham

A friend of ours was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She refused all treatment but went to the Gerson treatment. No drugs. She is, a year later, cancer free.

All via diet.


13 posted on 02/13/2014 10:36:08 AM PST by cuban leaf
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To: cuban leaf

On one line a set of my great-great-grandparents lived into their early 80s, but 6 of their 12 children died before reaching adulthood. One of my grandfathers, who lived to be 93, had 4 siblings who died in childhood.


14 posted on 02/13/2014 10:46:14 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: cuban leaf
Apparently, the Amercian Cancer Society does not agree with your suggestion.

"Available scientific evidence does not support claims that Gerson therapy is effective in treating cancer, and the principles behind it are not widely accepted by the scientific and medical communities. It is not approved for use in the United States. Gerson therapy can be dangerous. Coffee enemas have been associated with serious infections, dehydration, constipation, colitis (inflammation of the colon), electrolyte imbalances, and even death."

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/gerson-therapy

15 posted on 02/13/2014 11:00:57 AM PST by Lou L (Health "insurance" is NOT the same as health "care")
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To: FreeAtlanta

I’m just thankful for the indoor toilet.


16 posted on 02/13/2014 11:13:19 AM PST by DannyTN
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To: FreeAtlanta

I’m just thankful for the indoor toilet.


17 posted on 02/13/2014 11:13:19 AM PST by DannyTN
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To: Lou L

Apparently, the Amercian Cancer Society does not agree with your suggestion.
“Available scientific evidence does not support claims that Gerson therapy is effective in treating cancer, and the principles behind it are not widely accepted by the scientific and medical communities. It is not approved for use in the United States. Gerson therapy can be dangerous. Coffee enemas have been associated with serious infections, dehydration, constipation, colitis (inflammation of the colon), electrolyte imbalances, and even death.”


I don’t know if you were serious or not, but just so you know, I take them as seriously as I take Al Gore regarding Global Warming. I have zero respect for that orgainzation.

BTW, the movie, The Beautiful Truth (you can watch the whole thing on Youtube) is a real eye opener. Years after we saw the movie, we met our friend and she was in the middle of one of those “mexican quack” therepy’s that ended up working. It was the Gerson diet.

I feel as if we have been completely duped by an industry in a country where it costs roughly $850,000 to DIE of cancer.


18 posted on 02/13/2014 11:20:57 AM PST by cuban leaf
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To: Lou L

Apparently, the Amercian Cancer Society does not agree with your suggestion.
“Available scientific evidence does not support claims that Gerson therapy is effective in treating cancer, and the principles behind it are not widely accepted by the scientific and medical communities. It is not approved for use in the United States. Gerson therapy can be dangerous. Coffee enemas have been associated with serious infections, dehydration, constipation, colitis (inflammation of the colon), electrolyte imbalances, and even death.”


BTW, I consider the ACA’s comments above to be libel. Have you ever read the side effect risks of many popular medications (including those for cancer)? They often span multiple pages and often include death as well.


19 posted on 02/13/2014 11:23:58 AM PST by cuban leaf
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To: FreeAtlanta

Nice article. We’ve been very blessed in America.

I sure hope we don’t blow it.


20 posted on 02/13/2014 11:37:02 AM PST by DannyTN
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