The record was 18,967 days on Oct. 28, which stretched back to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963. The previous mark was 18,966 days from George Washington’s inauguration on April 30, 1789 to William Henry Harrison’s death by pneumonia on April 4, 1841. Eight presidents died in office during a span of 122 years, which included three by assassination—Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley— during one 36-year stretch.   read more

“Wow,” said sociology professor Samuel Preston. “This is a vivid indication that something is awry in these American households.” Said study co-author Deaton: “Half a million people are dead who should not be dead. About 40 times the Ebola stats. You’re getting up there with HIV-AIDS.” The cause of the higher death rates for this cohort may have something to do with being unhappy, according to data collected by two Princeton economists.   read more

Four Senate Republicans have formed a group that will “focus on ways we can protect our environment and climate while also bolstering clean energy innovation that helps drive job creation,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte. “I’m not a scientist, and I’ve got the grades to prove it,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said in the Republican debate. “But I’ve talked to the climatologists of the world, and 90 percent of them are telling me that the greenhouse gas effect is real. That we’re heating up the planet.”   read more

The researchers found certain crimes tend to go up when daylight saving ends each year, as it did last Sunday. “Most street crime occurs in the evening around common commuting hours of 5 to 8 p.m., and more ambient light during typical high-crime hours makes it easier for victims and passers-by to see potential threats and later identify wrongdoers,” they wrote. Their research showed that robberies declined about 7% when daylight saving time goes into effect.   read more

“People whose best-self concepts were activated felt better and were more resilient to stress, more resistant to disease and burnout, better at creative problem solving and performance under pressure, and formed stronger long-term relationships with their employer,” researchers Daniel M. Cable, Francesca Gino, Jooa Julia Lee and Bradley R. Staats wrote. The researchers also concluded that when employers remind their workers about their “best selves,” they’re less likely to burn out or quit.   read more

The survey also asked people what they think CEOs and workers should be paid. For CEOs, it was $200,000 and for workers it was $30,000, giving a wage gap of 7 to 1. “The actual wage gap between a CEO and the average unskilled worker is about 830 to 1," wrote Leopold. "Yet Americans believe it should be only 7 to 1. Perhaps the biggest reason we are so misinformed is that it is not in the interests of our political parties for us to see the truth."   read more

Ramon Ochoa probably isn’t laughing now. Ochoa, who had previously served about six years for firearms possession by a felon, got into trouble with his probation officer, which resulted in Ochoa being back inside a Fresno courtroom. Standing before Judge Lawrence O’Neill, Ochoa received a one-year sentence for violating his probation after he mouthed off at the staff of the halfway house. Ochoa’s mouth got him into more hot water when he laughed at O’Neill’s sentence and said...   read more

The average middle-class family is about to become the average poor family. Half of all wage earners made less than $28,851.21 in 2014, according to statistics from the Social Security Administration. That’s just a bit more than the federal poverty level for a family of five, which is $28,410. The average wage is a bit higher, $44,569.20. The data shows that about 67% of wage earners in the United States made less than that figure.   read more

“People who are considering turning to the Internet for guidance on home gun storage should be aware that the information they find is unlikely to give them all the advice they need,” according to lead researcher Katherine L. Freundlich. Researchers found 87 pages about safe gun storage on the Internet, which included incorrect information, as well as advice that was low in technical quality and readability.   read more

The researchers first asked subjects to rate foods based on their addictive potential. They then studied what characteristics those foods shared. Processed foods were almost all considered worse on the scale than unprocessed ones, according to the study. As might be guessed, chocolate led the list, followed by ice cream, French fries and pizza. The least addictive food is beans with no sauce, followed by broccoli, cucumbers, water and brown rice.   read more

President Obama nominated two women to serve as commissioners at the SEC, an agency that has had only 11 females on its board during its 81-year history. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who championed Lisa Fairfax’s appointment, “urged the administration to choose someone for the Democratic seat who would be a strong advocate for investors and committed to enforcing the law. Ms. Fairfax fits the bill,” said Greg Vadala. Fairfax would be only the third African-American commissioner in SEC history.   read more

In 1994, gun owners had an average of 4.2 guns, which given that each owner has only two hands, would appear to be more than enough. But now that number has risen to 8.1 guns per owner. One reason for this, says the Post, is that the NRA stokes fear that the government will take away guns, particularly in the wake of mass shootings, which could cause people to stock up on firearms. In addition, “prepper” groups build arsenals to prepare for a perceived coming crisis.   read more

The placebo effect appears to be increasing, making it more difficult for drug firms to determine whether their latest creations are actually doing patients any good. And a new study has shown that the phenomenon is most prevalent in the U.S. Researchers found that just taking part in clinical trials in the U.S. has a healing effect. There’s no reason why this might be so, although the advertising to consumers of prescription drugs, which isn’t allowed in most other countries, might play a part.   read more

The most dangerous type of call was a disturbance. In those cases, 11 officers were killed. Nine were killed while conducting traffic pursuits or stops; seven died after being ambushed; seven were investigating suspicious circumstances; five were conducting investigative activities; four died in arrest situations; four were involved in tactical situations; and three were killed while dealing with mentally ill individuals. One officer died as the result of an unprovoked attack.   read more

An 11-year-old boy was suspended for 364 days from school after school officials searched his backpack and found a leaf they believed was marijuana. But months later, the boy’s parents discovered that the leaf was in fact not marijuana. Field tests for the drug had come back negative three times, but school officials refused to end the suspension. The school officer who pursued the prosecution, Deputy Morgan Calohan, had the boy charged despite the negative tests.   read more

The controversial power of eminent domain has cost the Sheahan family their property near Area 51 in Nevada, ending their ownership that dates back about 150 years. The federal government has wanted the Groom Mine property, which overlooks the secret air base, offering as much as $5.2 million for it. But the Sheahans refused to accept the buyout, saying the land was “priceless” to them. Groom Mine is surrounded by Area 51’s security buffer zone which is patrolled by troops.   read more