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Let the Figures Tell the Truth
FIREARMS MURDERS AND CIVILIAN GUN OWNERSHIP
United States
270,000,000 civilian firearms - 88.8 for every 100 people
Ranked 1 in the world for civilian gun ownership
In the latest year, there were 9,146 homicides by firearm - 2.97 per 100,000 population. 60% of all homicides are by firearm
FIREARMS MURDERS AND CIVILIAN GUN OWNERSHIP
England and Wales
3,400,000 civilian firearms - 6.2 for every 100 people
Ranked 88 in the world for civilian gun ownership
In the latest year, there were 41 homicides by firearm - 0.07 per 100,000 population. 6.6% of all homicides are by firearm
Now, Lest We Forget
After all, the U.S. military budget -- currently standing at $964.8 billion (FY 2011) -- has risen dramatically over the last 13 years and is the largest in U.S. history. Currently, U.S. military spending constitutes nearly as much money as the military spending of all other countries combined. Furthermore, in the context of severe budget cutting by Congress, popular domestic social programmes are being sacrificed to support the U.S. military budget -- so much so that it currently consumes more than half of the U.S. government's discretionary spending.
With a military budget like this, the US has either directly occupied many countries, or indirectly has done so, via hundreds and hundreds of military bases around the world. So far so good. But the big question is: Is the US or its citizens any safer, more secure, happier, healthier, and peaceful? I leave the answer to you. For me, this much I would like to say: perhaps it is time for the US government to begin to worry more about their own citizens, their human rights, their democracy, welfare and well-being, rather than the Iraqis, Afghanis, Persians, the Chinese, the Russians, and more. Perhaps it is time for them to realise that: Charity starts at home! Otherwise, sooner or later, the US will fall, and will fall very badly, not because of external threats, but through "Internal Combustion".
Read more:
The gun ownership and gun homicides murder map of the world
Which countries in the world have the highest firearms murders - and the highest rates of gun ownership? Click on a country to see how it compares - and use the dropdown menu to see the map in different ways
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/jul/22/gun-ownership-homicides-map
Please now watch this very moving and timely video: Pete Seeger: Where Have All the Flowers Gone? When Will They Ever Learn?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1y2SIIeqy34
See More:
Armed to the teeth: The US obsession with guns
Newtown shooting: when it comes to guns and violence, America is like a failed state Observer editorial, Sunday 16 December 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/16/newtown-shooting-america-gun-laws-failed-again
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2011 census figures on religion, ethnicity, living arrangements and economic activity, England and Wales
Here are the key points:
(Reprinted from the Guardian 11.12.12)
Population
• Population of England and Wales was 56.1m in 2011.
• Population up 7% since 2001. Population grew in all regions.
• 23.4 million households; 2.4 residents per household.
Religion
• Christians down 13 percentage points to 59%.
• Respondents with no religion up 10 points to 25%.
• Muslim population up from 3% to 5%.
Ethnicity
• White ethnic group down five points to 86%.
• Whites in London 59.8%.
• 80% in England and Wales are white British, down seven points.
• In London white British figure is 45%, down from 58% in 2001.
• Other ethnic groups in England and Wales: Asian (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, other) 6.8% (2001: 4.4%), black 3.4% (2001: 2.2%), Chinese 0.7% (2001: 0.4%), Arab 0.4% (2001: not listed), other 0.6% (2001: 0.4%).
• 2.2% in England and Wales are mixed race (up from 1.27% in 2001).
• 12% of households had partners or household members of different ethnic groups, three points up from 2001.
Nationality
• One in three Londoners born in foreign country.
• Figure is one in 20 for north-east.
• 13% in England and Wales born outside UK.
• Just over half of these arrived in last 10 years.
• India, Poland and Pakistan are top three countries foreign-born people in England and Wales come from.
• 7.4% of people in England and Wales hold non-UK passport.
Language
• In 91% of households, everyone speaks English. In 4% no one speaks English as main language.
Age
• 16% are 65 or over (an increase of 0.9 million).
• 0.8% are 90 or over (up from 0.7%).
• 6% are under five (increase of 406,000 since 2001, although same proportion).
Home ownership
• Number of households with a mortgage falls from 39% to 33%.
• Home ownership (including owning home outright) falls from 69% to 65%.
• Those owning home outright rises from 29% to 31%.
• Private renters rise from 9% to 15%.
• Renting from council drops from 13% to 9%.
• In inner London more people rent than have mortgages (29.2% v 19.4%).
Marriage
• 46.6% are married, down from 50.9% in 2001.
• 0.2% (105,000) in a civil partnership.
Health
• 81% in good or very good health. (Category changed since 2001.)
• 18% have a limiting long-term illness (same figure as 2001).
• 10% say they provide unpaid care for someone with an illness or disability (same figure as 2001).
Education
• 27% have degree-level qualifications; 23% have no qualifications.
Transport
• Number of cars and vans has increased from 11 per 10 households to 12 per 10 households.
• London only region where number of cars and vans is lower than number of households.
Read more:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/dec/11/census-2011-religion-race-education/print
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Greek opposition leader calls for European debt conference
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras says only viable solution to debt crisis is 'a haircut for Greece and entire southern periphery'
“Only weeks after the EU and IMF announced a third plan in as many years to rescue Greece from insolvency, the country's most popular party – its radical left opposition – has called for a European debt conference to "finally" settle a crisis it claims is no nearer to being solved.
In an exclusive interview, Alexis Tsipras, who heads the stridently anti-austerity Syriza, insisted that with the debt drama spreading it was vital that foreign lenders take a leaf out of the history books by dealing with the eurozone's crisis-hit southern periphery in much the same way that Germany had been treated after the second world war.