Housing and automobiles in the United States generate almost 40% of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions. Emissions vary with an area’s population density and weather patterns.  These in turn affect automotive and transit use, home heating, air conditioning and electricity usage.

It is a commonplace that bribery seems rife in the developing world. In richer countries, however, legal lobbying is the preferred method of operation for those trying to overcome rules. As a country’s industry advances, the preferred mode of transaction might naturally switch to lobbying. So why does corruption seem more stubbornly persistent in the developing world, despite economic progress?

From fundraising and campaigning to organization and voter recruitment, the Internet has changed electoral politics in America. Because of the Web’s inherently open nature, it was thought that its use would reduce the socioeconomic inequality in U.S. politics, where more affluent citizens and groups often have higher participation rates and thereby exert greater power.

According to U.S. government research on drug abuse, the number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction increased 400% from 1998 to 2008, and fatalities from prescription and illegal drug abuse now outnumber vehicle-related deaths in 17 states. Increases in certain crimes are also linked with prescription drug abuse, including theft, home invasions and assaults.