Archive
The U.S. ranks 30th in folk religions
According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, there are an estimated 630,000 Americans who practice folk religions. That is enough to make the United States rank thirtieth out of more than two hundred countries ranked in that category. China ranks first, with an estimated 294,320,000 practitioners of folk religions.
The U.S. ranks 24th in foreign born
According to Pew, 14% of the population of the United States was born outside of the United States. That is enough to make the United States tied for twenty-fourth (with Latvia, Spain, and Norway) out of one hundred fifty-five countries ranked in that category. The United Arab Emirates ranked first, with 84% of its population being foreign born.
The U.S. ranks 26th in child well-being
According to UNICEF, the United States ranks twenty-sixth out of twenty-nine developed countries in terms of the overall well-being of children. Here is a list of the top ten countries in child well-being:
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Iceland
- Finland
- Sweden
- Germany
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Belgium
- Ireland
The U.S. ranks 24th in literacy
According to the Program for International Student Assessment, the average reading literacy score for U.S. fifteen-year old students is 498 (out of 1000 possible points). That is enough to make the United States rank twenty-fourth out of sixty-five educational systems ranked in that category. Shangai, China, ranked first, with a score of 570.
The U.S. ranks 19th in perceived honesty
According to Transparency International, in 2013 the United States has a Corruption Perception Index score of 73 out of possible 100 points, with higher scores indicating greater perceived honesty and lower scores indicating greater perceived corruption. That is enough to make the United States rank nineteenth out of one hundred seventy-seven ranked countries. Denmark and New Zealand are tied for first, with a score of 91.
An article I wrote for Huffington Post regarding a proposed academic boycott of Israel
“Why I am Opposed to an Academic Boycott of Israel”