STATISTIC of the DAY
Saturday, July 4
 
  Percentage of Japanese in their 20s who ate whale meat as of 2008: 

12%
According to a 2008 survey by Japan's Nikkei business newspaper.
Source: Agence France Presse, 6/22/2009

 
   
PLAY THE GAME!
Department of Thoughtful Economic Analysis
 
 
INFORMATION: Words & Phrases
  First recorded written use of the term "chicken out" to refer to someone who backs down out of fear : 

1941
According to 20th Century Words put out by Oxford University Press, the use of "chicken" as a term for cowardly was first used in 1706, but then died out. In the 1930s, this use of the term "chicken" again gained popularity.
Source: 20th Century Words, Ayto, 1/1/1900

 
   
PEOPLE: Money
  Amount, in dollars, of total personal savings in China as of 2005: 

$1 trillion
China also has a savings rate of nearly 50%. In comparison, the U.S. has around $158 billion in personal savings and an average savings rate of about 2%.
Source: Wall Street Journal, 11/19/2005