1/ In 2021, Americans read diverse titles and authors from multiple genres. Public libraries in 14 cities across the US provided data to discover this year's most popular library books. qz.com/2102283/the-mo…
2/ Fiction books were the most popular overall, including The Vanishing Half, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Midnight Library, and The Four Winds. The most common checked-out non-fiction book was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. qz.com/2102283/the-mo…
3/ Not surprisingly ebooks were popular with readers. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah was the most common book checked-out at the top of libraries’ ebook circulation lists. It held the top spot at five libraries. qz.com/2102283/the-mo…
4/ While the pandemic certainly increased the amount of digital checkouts, particularly when public libraries were closed, ebook checkouts were on the rise before 2020. qz.com/2102283/the-mo…
5/ Even if ebooks are popular, people are still physically returning to their beloved libraries.
1/ New York City just became the largest city in the US to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings, a step toward the city’s efforts to become carbon neutral by 2050. qz.com/2102743/new-yo…
2/ The new law prohibits new buildings from using gas for heating and cooking beginning in Dec. 2023. It will apply to buildings lower than seven stories beginning in 2023, and buildings taller than seven stories beginning in 2027. qz.com/2102743/new-yo…
3/ As the largest US city to pass a natural gas ban, the measure is expected to prevent 2.1 million tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere by 2040, according to an estimate. qz.com/2102743/new-yo…
1/ The tornadoes that ripped through six US states on Dec. 10 were some of the deadliest on record. While the intensity of any given storm is difficult to predict, Friday’s storm brought together a unique set of factors that contributed to its severity. qz.com/2101506/what-m…
2/ The powerful thunderstorm system that gave rise to the tornadoes was the result of unseasonably warm, humid air combined with a powerful cold front created by the La Niña weather pattern that the US is currently experiencing. qz.com/2101506/what-m…
3/ But what set this storm apart was the distance over which it was able to stay strong. The storm traveled 250 miles across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky over the course of roughly three hours. qz.com/2101506/what-m…
1/ America’s post-pandemic shopping spree is taking its toll on the environment. Ships chasing record-high container prices are speeding across the ocean to load up as often as they can, raising emissions at the fastest rate since 2008. qz.com/2090157/supply…
2/ Container ships are speeding up as much as 22% faster in good weather, and consuming more fuel in the process. Congestion at overflowing ports are leaving a record number of ships idling in the water, pumping pollution into surrounding neighborhoods. qz.com/2090157/supply…
3/ The most dramatic increases in emissions have come from vessels serving US demand, with container ship emissions at port up 94%. METIS estimates an overall increase in total annual emissions of 15%, between 2020 and 2021. qz.com/2090157/supply…
1/ Nearly a third of hospital-based healthcare workers in the US haven’t been vaccinated against covid-19, according to an analysis by the CDC. qz.com/2093173/30-per…
2/ Hospitals near or in cities with less than 50,000 people had the lowest vaccination rates (63%), while those in larger metropolitan areas had the highest (71%). Rural hospitals had vaccination rates of 65%. qz.com/2093173/30-per…
3/ Vaccination rates were the lowest among healthcare workers in critical access hospitals, which are rural hospitals supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid that operate in areas that would otherwise not have access to healthcare. qz.com/2093173/30-per…
1/ More than a million nurses will leave the workforce by 2026, according to a recent estimate. Meanwhile, demand will keep rising. California and New York are both expected to face a shortage of more than 500,000 nurses. qz.com/2072332/the-us…
2/ A survey by ShiftMed found that 49% of its nurses are somewhat likely to quit the field in the next two years. Overall, 76% of nurses said they felt the desire to help others wasn’t enough to keep them in the job. qz.com/2075945/higher…
3/ Nearly 60% of nurses said they would not leave their jobs if they had higher salaries, and nearly as many (54%) said they would stay if their workplace had a larger staff, which would allow for better shifts and higher quality of care for patients. qz.com/2075945/higher…
1/ Food in the US is getting more expensive, and that’s largely being driven by rising beef prices. In the past year, the consumer price index for food rose 0.9%, while the index for beef rose 17.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. qz.com/2074615/why-is…
2/ Covid-19 outbreaks forced meatpacking facilities to shut down, reducing beef production. Labor shortages have also slowed down production, from the food workers processing the beef to the truck drivers transporting it. qz.com/2074615/why-is…
3/ The ongoing supply chain challenges such as rising freight rates are also affecting meat production. Rising corn and soy prices, which make the feed for livestock more expensive, factor into the soaring beef prices. qz.com/2074615/why-is…