See The Alcohol Industry Is Hooked on Its Heaviest Drinkers: While many drinkers cut back, some people who consume 15 or more drinks a week say they are unfazed by health risks; ‘It is delicious poison’ by Laura Cooper of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"A fifth of adults account for an estimated 90% of alcohol sales volumes in the U.S., according to an analysis published in 2023 by equity research firm Bernstein."
"Bernstein’s 2023 [said] . . . that people who consume more than 14 drinks a week represent as much as 20% of adults in the U.S."
pp See In Shipbuilding, the U.S. Is Tiny and Rusty: Trump seeks to revive production of boxships and tankers that left America long ago by Inti Pacheco and Costas Paris of The WSJ. Excerpt:
"In the 1970s, U.S. yards were building about 5% of the world’s tonnage, equating to about two dozen new ships a year. But the number of ships coming out of these yards has slowed to a trickle. The U.S. accounted for about 0.1% of the world’s tonnage in 2023."
"China now dominates the shipbuilding industry, accounting for more than half of world tonnage in 2023 and 74% of orders for new ships last year."
See Christianity declines among U.S. adults while 'religiously unaffiliated' grows, study says by Jason DeRose of NPR. Excerpts:
"The portion of the U.S. population identifying as Christian has declined significantly over the last two decades, but a massive new Pew Research study finds that trend may be leveling off.
The study, which surveyed 37,000 Americans, found that 62% identify as Christian. By comparison, when Pew did a similar study in 2007, 78% said they were Christian."
"All three major branches of Protestantism have declined in share of the population since 2007. Evangelical Protestants now make up 23%, down from 26%. Mainline Protestants account for 11% of U.S. adults, down from 18%. And people who attend historically Black Protestant churches make up 5% of the population, down from 7%."
"the percentage of U.S. adults who identify as a religion other than Christian is on the rise. It's now about 7% compared to less than 5% in 2007."
"Back in 2007, Pew found that nearly two-thirds of those who were politically liberal were also Christian. Now, that number has dropped to just over one-third of liberals who say they're Christian."
See U.S. Homes Sales in 2024 Fell to Lowest Level in Nearly 30 Years: Higher mortgages rates and record home prices kept sales subdued for the second straight year by Nicole Friedman of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"The U.S. population has grown by about a quarter since the mid-1990s, so the weak home sales numbers are even more dramatic today."
See A ‘Pay Penalty’ Is Keeping Men Out of Classrooms: Male teachers can help struggling boys, but few men choose to go into teaching by of The WSJ Matt Barnum and Paul Overberg. Excerpts:
"In the 1970s and ’80s, nearly one in three public school teachers were men, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Education. Now, not even one in four teachers are male, according to the latest federal data.
One reason for men’s limited interest in teaching is pay, teachers say. The “teacher pay penalty,” as some researchers call it, is more severe for men than women. The typical college-educated man made $95,000 in 2023, compared with $65,000 for male teachers—a $30,000 pay gap, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of census data stored at the University of Minnesota. The comparable gap for women was $12,000.
Teachers often have perks that other professionals don’t, including more generous benefits packages, access to a pension and summers off. But unpaid summers may be less appealing for men who may face societal and familial pressures to earn more money, say researchers."
"Teacher salary, adjusted for inflation, has been roughly flat for three decades as schools have spent increased funds on other priorities, including additional staff."
"A 2006 study found that male teachers were less likely to see boys as disruptive. A 2017 paper showed that students had “more positive perceptions of their teachers” when they shared a gender. A few studies have also linked male teachers to improved learning among boys, though others haven’t found such a clear connection."
See American Kids Are Getting Even Worse at Reading: New national test scores show a continuing slide in reading skills by Matt Barnum and Sara Randazzo of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"The 67% of eighth-graders who scored at a basic or better reading level in 2024 was the lowest share since testing began in 1992, results from a closely watched federal exam show. Only 60% of fourth-graders hit that benchmark, nearing record lows."
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