| | Dose Of News Useful Today Thursday September 19th | | | | Porcelain throne
| Good morning. Have you taken a bathroom break today? Next time you do, look out for the $5 million fully functioning gold toilet named “America” that was stolen from Winston Churchill’s birthplace. | | | Daily Sprinkle | “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” – Will Rogers | | |  | Spotlight on Education, Part 2: Student Debt | By the numbersOver the past 15 years, total student debt in the United States has risen from $0.26 trillion in 2004 to $1.48 trillion this spring, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. And based on research by the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of undergraduates who use loans to pay for school increased by almost 10 percent since 1999. In roughly the same time period, the average cost of yearly tuition increased by ~$13,000 (adjusted for inflation). Today, about one third of Americans under 30 have student loans, per the Pew Research Center. The median borrower owes $17,000, but that amount varies greatly based on education level. Median debt for borrowers with bachelor’s degrees is $25,000 and for postgraduate degrees it’s $45,000. On the campaign trail
Several of the Democratic candidates for president have proposed the partial or complete forgiveness of student loans. Here’s a rundown on the positions of some of the frontrunners: -Bernie Sanders: Cancel all existing student debt. -Elizabeth Warren: Cancel up to $50,000 of student debt for people who earn less than $100,000 per year, with proportionately less relief for those who make up to $250,000. -Joe Biden: Simplify and fix the student loan forgiveness system, ensuring that it helps teachers. So what are people saying? | | | | | | Share Today's Dose of Discussion | | |  | Interest rate decreaseThe Federal Reserve announced yesterday that it would lower interest rates by a quarter point. This marks the second time since July that the Fed has lowered rates. | | New security advisorRobert O’Brien was named as the new national security adviser yesterday, replacing John Bolton who resigned last week. O'Brien is a hostage negotiator with the U.S. Department of State. | | Israel election results (cont’d)Uncertainty regarding the results of Tuesday’s elections in Israel remain, as the count shows an extremely close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his centrist challenger, Benny Gantz. Neither candidate has enough votes to claim an outright majority in Parliament, which indicates that a coalition will be necessary to form a new government. | | | | | |  | Non smoking sectionCBS, WarnerMedia and Viacom announced they will cease to run all e-cigarette advertising moving forward. This comes after CNN said last week it will do the same, as a mysterious lung illness attributed to vaping has led to at least seven deaths, and as e-cigarette company Juul faces governmental scrutiny. | | CNBC → | A new dimensionFacebook revealed a new line of its Portal devices, ranging from its 8-inch Portal Mini to the brand new Portal TV. The Portal TV retails for $149, and is essentially a clip-on camera for your TV that can perform video calls, AR gaming and content co-watching. | | TechCrunch → | iQuitSteve Dowling, Apple’s head of communications and public relations, will be leaving the company after 16 years. He is the third senior executive to depart this year (retail chief Angela Ahrendts and design head Jony Ive were the first two), and his departure comes after Disney CEO Robert Iger announced his resignation from Apple’s board of directors earlier this week. | | Bloomberg → | Express declineFedEx shares dropped 13% yesterday, the most they have in a decade, after the company adjusted down its profit forecast for the year. The company cites weakening macroeconomic conditions and global trade uncertainty as the reason for the adjustment. | | Wall Street Journal → | | | | |  | Just keep swimmingSarah Thomas, 37, has always been up for a challenge – she’s an open-water ultramarathon swimmer. The Coloradoan made her first swim across the English Channel in 2012, and did it again in 2016. But, she was curious how much further her body could go. So in 2017, Sarah swam 104.6 miles along the U.S.-Canada border. And then came devastating news: she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sarah had to put the training on pause while she underwent cancer treatment. But upon completing her last session, she was more determined than ever to make a splash in the world of long-distance swimming – so she decided to go after a world record. On Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. local time, Sarah pulled herself up onto the English shoreline after swimming across the English Channel four times nonstop – breaking the previous record of three crossings and dedicating her swim to cancer survivors everywhere. The swim took 54 hours total, and due to the momentum of the tides, she traveled a total of 130 miles instead of the expected 80. AND she endured a jellyfish sting in the face on the way. An absolute legend! | | TIME → | Inner driveWhen Max Quaglio was a small child he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which severely impedes movement and motor skills. Doctors said it was unlikely he would walk or talk, but as he grew Max continuously exceeded expectations. And when he fell in love with cars and trucks as a kid, he was determined to drive them someday. Max’s dad started giving him driving lessons on their rural property when he was old enough, and by his 16th birthday, Max was ready to get his learner’s permit – a day he describes as one of the best days of his life. At each stage, Max had to talk with his doctors, work with specially trained occupational therapists and instructors, and pass specialized exams to prove he was able to perform the movements that most people take for granted – turning his head, moving levers, and passing tests for eyesight and reflexes. Now, Max drives trucks for a living. After starting out with the simpler forklifts at a towing company, he quickly graduated to a wide range of specialized machinery, and eventually got a job at a larger company. In his spare time, Max is in business school studying supply chain management. As his mother says, he thrives on independence. Where will he go from here? In Max’s words: anything’s possible. | | Inspire More → | | | | |  | Planting the seed | via Worldatlas What is the most produced fruit in the world? A) Apple
B) Tomato (yes, it's a fruit)
C) Banana
D) Watermelon | (keep scrolling for the answer) | | | | |  | Get Your FREE Stuff | Step 1. Click the share button below | Step 2. Share the DONUT with friends | Step 3. Cash in on tons of rewards | |  | | | | | | | Dose of Knowledge Answer | B) Tomato Tomatoes lead the way with 170.75 metric tons produced each year. Bananas and watermelon were the only other fruit to break the century mark, with 114 and 111 metric tons produced respectively. Bonus: Tomatoes can actually claim to be both a fruit and a vegetable. In the nutrition community tomatoes are considered a vegetable, whereas by botanical/scientific definition they are a fruit. | | We use a rating system powered by MediaBias/FactCheck. These ratings are SUBJECTIVE & should be treated as such. Learn more. | | | |
