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Cruel and unusual: as more states abolish capital punishment, what will happen to federal prisoners sentenced to die?

Secret Garden

Secret Garden, a painting by Danielle McKinney, whose work is on view through May 15 at Fortnight Institute, in New York City.

Courtesy the artist and Fortnight Institute, New York City

The Windsor Championship Dog Show, England, 2007

The Windsor Championship Dog Show, England, 2007. Photograph by Martin Parr from Magnum Dogs, which was published last month by Thames & Hudson.

Nightshift B15

Nightshift B15, a painting by Aaron Gilbert, whose work is on view through May 1 in the exhibition 1981–2021 at P·P·O·W, in New York City.

Courtesy the artist and P·P·O·W, New York City

Percentage of number-one pop songs that credited a single songwriter in 1990 : 40

In 2020

Percentage by which the average length of a hit single has decreased since 1990 : 24

Portion of jobs in California’s arts and culture industry that have been lost during the pandemic : 1/2

Of jobs in New York City’s arts and culture industry : 2/3

Percentage change in the value of the global art and antiques market last year : –22

In the value of the NFT market during the first quarter of this year : +2,053

Percentage of Republicans who held negative opinions of technology companies in 2019 : 37

Today : 65

Minimum number of former Justice Department officials hired by Amazon in the past ten years : 13

Of former Defense Department officials : 69

Percentage by which judges who are former corporate lawyers are less likely to side with workers in labor disputes : 43

By which judges who are former prosecutors are less likely to do so : 56

Portion of appellate judges who were formerly prosecutors or corporate lawyers : 7/10

Number of U.S. workers who were projected, before the pandemic, to be displaced by automation by 2030 : 36,900,000

Who are now projected to be : 45,300,000

Percentage of Swiss voters who supported a March initiative to ban women from wearing niqabs or burqas in public : 51

Estimated number of Swiss women who wear niqabs : 30

Who wear burqas

Number of U.S. state legislatures that are considering new voting restrictions : 47

Number of such bills being considered : 361

Average percentage by which the rate of police killings in a U.S. city decreases one year after its first Black Lives Matter protest : 14

Five years after its first Black Lives Matter protest : 30

Percentage of Democratic or Democratic-leaning voters who are “extremely concerned” about Trump supporters : 82

Who are “extremely concerned” about voter suppression : 53

Estimated percentage by which the option to vote by mail increased voter turnout in Texas last year : 0.02

Amount by which utility deregulation has increased electricity costs for Texans since 2004 : $28,000,000,000

By which electricity providers overcharged Texans during February’s winter storm : $16,000,000,000

Percentage of U.S. electric-­car owners who are concerned about being able to charge their vehicles on the road : 47

Portion of U.S. electric-­car charging outlets that are in California : 1/3

That support only Tesla vehicles : 1/5

Percentage by which streaming video in standard rather than high definition reduces its carbon footprint : 86

By which turning off the camera during a Zoom call reduces its carbon footprint : 96

Minimum number of state governments that are funding efforts to modify the weather with cloud seeding : 6

Number by which the sperm count of the average human male is declining each year : 5,000,000

Year in which human sperm counts will reach zero at the current rate : 2045

Percentage decrease in the projected number of U.S. births this year : 8

Percentage of single Americans who say they are masturbating more than once a day : 30

Who say they are masturbating more than ever before : 48

May 18, 2021

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Secret Garden

The Windsor Championship Dog Show, England, 2007

Nightshift B15

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From the Archive

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SARS was found in tears.

A psycholinguistic analysis of posts on Twitter and Weibo during COVID-19 lockdowns found that residents of Lombardy grew increasingly focused on leisure and residents of Wuhan grew increasingly focused on religion.

Convalescent plasma helps Syrian hamsters fight SARS-CoV-2.

Falling levels of tourist trash during pandemic lockdowns was found to have caused rat infighting, and macaques were reported to have attacked a lab assistant in Delhi and stolen vials of COVID-­19-­infected blood, which at least one monkey then tried to eat.

The World Health Organization warned that SARS will probably return this winter.

Percentage of U.S. electric-car owners who are concerned about being able to charge their vehicles on the road : 47

Portion of U.S. electric-car charging outlets that are in California : 1/3

Falling levels of tourist trash during pandemic lockdowns was found to have caused rat infighting, and macaques were reported to have attacked a lab assistant in Delhi and stolen vials of COVID-19-infected blood, which at least one monkey then tried to eat.