Break from the Grind January 11, 2018

A Little Friday File Fun

And now it's time for FRIDAY FILES!
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In Rocky River, Ohio, residents on a number of streets have had to pick up their mail at the post office for weeks due to unsafe conditions for mail carriers. Cleveland.com reports carriers say a rafter of aggressive wild turkeys have prevented them from delivering mail to more than two dozen homes. The city has sent letters to people asking them to stop putting out bird feed in the hope the turkeys will go elsewhere.

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In Minot, North Dakota, a man who wheeled a shopping cart with stolen merchandise out of a Hobby Lobby craft store was thwarted by snow. According to the Associated Press, police say the man filled up a cart with about $4,000 in products, but the cart got stuck in the snow in the parking lot and tipped over, prompting the man to run off. However, police say that along with the merchandise, the man left behind his wallet—which contained identification with his address.

In Randolph, Massachusetts, a couple hit the jackpot—twice. The husband recently won a $1 million jackpot on a $5 lottery scratch-off ticket. According to a press release from the Massachusetts State Lottery, this is a little over four months after his wife won a $1 million Publishers Clearing House prize. The couple plan to use their winnings to purchase a home in an older-than-55 community in order to avoid shoveling snow, they said.

In Apatity, Russia, a man was apparently desperate to imbibe. He stole a vehicle from a privately-run motorsport training ground, drove to a convenience store and crashed the vehicle into the store. Local news agency Hibinform says footage on social media shows him exiting the vehicle through the hatch and entering the store through the broken window. He was later arrested for possession of a stolen bottle of wine. The store was not licensed to sell alc.ohol that early in the morning, according to the agency.
This little boy is frustrated that his cup magic trick isn’t more difficult to figure out.

If you can't view the below video, try https://youtu.be/fQo5TC2kVQA.
In Norfolk, England, a BBC News reporter found it’s not so easy to report about lemurs.

If you can't view the below video, try https://youtu.be/sun1x0ANt-Y.
In Cornwall, U.K., a family was surprised by a sudden change in their pet rabbit’s appearance before Christmas. A cross suddenly appeared on the rabbit’s forehead.
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Data and Research January 11, 2018

SOA Measures Mortality ‘Anomaly’ in 2016

The slight decrease in overall mortality during 2016 measured by the Society of Actuaries may seem to run counter to the CDC’s report that life expectancy at birth declined 0.1 years, however both stats are in fact true.

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The rate of overall mortality improvement has slowed in the most recent five years, according to the latest mortality table analysis published by the Society of Actuaries (SOA).

SOA researchers created and released their latest report to provide insights on the historical levels and emerging trends in U.S. population mortality. The most recently released U.S. population mortality experience from 2016 has been incorporated and added to prior available data to enable analysis of mortality experience over the period 1999 to 2016.

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Turning to the fresh cut of the data, SOA finds the overall age adjusted mortality rate for both genders from all causes of death decreased by 0.6% in 2016.

“This decrease in overall mortality may seem to run counter to the CDC’s report that life expectancy at birth declined 0.1 years in 2016,” researchers note. “Generally, a decrease in the mortality rate would be expected to produce an increase in life expectancy. However, both figures are correct. In this respect, 2016 was a somewhat anomalous year.”

SOA researchers explain how, in most years, when age adjusted mortality rates decrease, life expectancy at birth would increase. Conversely, when age adjusted mortality rates increase, life expectancy at birth would decline. This is what occurred in 2015, SOA says, when age adjusted mortality increased by 1.2%, and life expectancy at birth declined by 0.1 years.

“The anomaly that occurred in 2016 is explained by the differing impacts on life expectancy of mortality rate changes of different ages,” according to SOA’s reporting. In 2016, increased mortality rates in the younger and middle ages (mostly due to accidents) reduced life expectancy at birth more than it was extended by mortality improvement at older ages. However, the overall age adjusted mortality rate for the entire U.S. population did decline, by the 0.6% cited above.

According to researchers, the practical outcome here is effectively that the overall decrease of mortality in 2016 reversed the experience of 2015. Mortality improvement in older age groups offset large mortality increases, mostly due to external causes, in middle age groups, SOA notes. All age groups, except ages 15 to 24, had lower mortality in 2016 than 1999.

Additional findings dissect mortality by gender, showing female mortality is lower than male mortality for all causes of death except stroke, which is similar, and for the combination of Alzheimer’s and dementia, which is higher. SOA further finds female-to-male mortality is comparatively much lower for external causes of death (accident, assault, and suicide) than natural causes of death.

The full analysis can be downloaded here.

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