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The United States has "some" military presence in 120 nations.
The FBI has field offices in the capitals of 60 different nations including: Brasilia, Lagos, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Beijing and Seoul.
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/legat/legat.htm
TWO
Historical Divorce Rates for Iowa
1940 - 4,776 - 1.9 per thousand population
1950 - 5,404 - 2.1 per thousand population
1960 - 4,559 - 1.7 per thousand population
1970 - 7,188 - 2.5 per thousand population
1980 - 11,854 - 4.1 per thousand population
1990 - 10,913 - 3.9 per thousand population
1995 - 10,545 - 3.7 per thousand population
1996 - 10,347 - 3.5 per thousand population
1997 - 9,712 - 3.4 per thousand population
1998 - 9,880 - 3.5 per thousand population
http://www.divorcereform.org/iowa.html
"The latest U.S. annual per capita divorce rate for a calendar year is also 0.36% -- stated as 3.6 per 1,000 population -- for 2006."
http://familylaw.typepad.com/stats/2007/05/latest_us_divor.html
THREE
Sort of a pot-kettle thing, but the Christian Answers website identifies these as the "Top Ten Cults" in America today.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormonism).
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses).
The Church of Scientology.
The Twelve Tribes.
The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity (Unification Church).
The International Churches of Christ (Boston Movement).
The Family (Children of God).
Christian Identity Movement (Aryan Nations, Christian Identity Church, Klu Klux Klan, etc.).
The Nation of Islam (Black Muslims).
United Pentecostal Church (UPC).
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aiia/aiia-top10cults.html
USA Today poll: Poll: One-third believe in ghosts, UFOs
ESPN Poll results: 1 in 5 fans try to improve luck for favorite team
FOUR
New York Times
"Gingrich Sees Echo of Ancient Rome in America Today "
By FRANK BRUNI Published: May 3, 1998
Capping a week of strongly worded, intensely partisan jabs at President Clinton, Speaker Newt Gingrich used a weekend appearance in this Republican stronghold to invoke comparisons between Mr. Clinton's actions in office and the forces that led the Roman republic toward ruin.
"Drawing Parallels Between Ancient Rome and the U.S. Today"
Morning Edition, November 22, 2006
In the second part of our series examining our perceptions of history, novelist Robert Harris speaks with Steve Inskeep about how the history of Rome is reflected in our modern-day world. Harris sees parallels between the time of Rome's transition from republican to imperial rule and the challenges the U.S. faces now...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6523758
FIVE
About a year ago, I had a one semester class in History of China.
People are people.
You get enough of them all together in one place, and they all act pretty much alike.
"The old man made soothing noises and himself poured me some more beer. "You tell the story well, and we are listening. But it is clear that the elders of your country have never told you what the story really means. No, don't interrupt! We believe you when you say your marriage customs are different, or your clothes and weapons. but people are the same everywhere; therefore, there are always witches and it is we, the elders, who know how witches work. We told you it was the great chief who wished to kill Hamlet, and now your own words have proved us right. Who were Ophelia's male relatives?" "
"Shakespeare in the Bush" by Laura Bohannon from Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology, eds. James P. Spradley and David W. McCurdy Boston: Little Brown and Company. 1971
(By the way these people, the Tiv of Nigeria, do not believe in ghosts. However, they do believe that witch can reanimate a corpse to create a zombi.)
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