70 to 80: US and Canadian birds that will be renamed to remove human names — e.g., Anna’s Hummingbird, Wilson’s Warbler — and given names that actually describe them. The change comes via the American Ornithological Society to add diversity and utility to bird names and attract new generations of birders.
$114 or 3%: The average decrease in monthly rent in Irvine, California, following the city’s Airbnb ban, per a new study. The population-300k city banned short-term rentals in 2018 and — unlike other municipalities that enacted similar regulations — enforced it.
400 years: For the world’s oldest living bond, which will celebrate its birthday in January. A Dutch water authority issued the “perpetual bond,” made out of goatskin, to fund the repair of a dike on the Rhine River in 1624. It’s currently kept in the NYSE’s New Jersey archives, and the water authority still pays out an annual interest of ~$17.48, assuming anyone bothers to collect.
55k: Japanese Kit Kats that have gone missing or are stuck in storage as part of a bizarre scam tactic known as “fictitious pickups” or “strategic cargo theft.” Apparently, scammers pretend to be a legit trucking company, pick up a shipment, then steal the cargo. This kind of cargo theft is up 700% in general in 2023, but the twist in this particular case is speculation that the Kit Kat owner stole the candy from himself, per The New York Times.
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