Word: oldest
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Italy is now on course to become the Oldest Country. Stuck with a stubbornly low birthrate of 1.3 children per woman (compared with 2.7 in the 1960s), its society is ossifying, and the economy faces deep structural strains. The median age since 1995 has risen from 40.2 to 42.5. In the past 10 years, the percentage of retired Italians has jumped from 23% to 28%--the second highest percentage in the world after Japan--meaning that there are fewer than four workers for every retiree. The rapidly aging workforce has clipped productivity and jeopardized the solvency of the pension system...
...Italy get so gray? Demographers say Italians are witnessing the effects of collectively delayed adolescence. The average Italian man is 33 when his first child is born, which means Italy's are the oldest first-time fathers in Europe and thus tend to have smaller families. "Italians take a long time to assume responsibilities," says Francesco Billari, 35, a demographer at Milan's Bocconi University. As a result, everything from leaving home to marrying and having kids to entering politics starts late--which has also delayed the rise of leaders who might push the forward-leaning reforms the country needs...
DIED. ADDWAITYA, around 250 years old, giant tortoise thought to have been the world's oldest living creature; in a zoo in Calcutta. Brought from the Seychelles to India by British sailors in the 1700s, Addwaitya (Bengali for "the one and only") first belonged to Robert Clive, who helped establish colonial rule in India. Clive died in 1774, but his pet stayed on in the garden of his estate, moving to the zoo 100 years later...
...direct deposit for their federal-benefit checks--a sharp falloff from the 72% rate of older generations. That has officials in a stir because the government spends 83¢ for every check it mails, costing taxpayers $120 million annually. The push is on to convert reluctant boomers before the oldest reach early-retirement age, in 2008. Even if saving the government money isn't top of mind, direct deposit makes sense for Social Security and more. It's easier, and the funds are less vulnerable to theft. "Direct deposit gives you far greater control over your money and time than waiting...
...DIED. ADDWAITYA, around 250 years old, giant tortoise thought to have been the world's oldest living creature; in a zoo in Calcutta. One of four Aldabra tortoises brought from the Seychelles to India by British sailors in the 1700s, Addwaitya (Bengali for "the one and only") first belonged to Robert Clive, whose East India Company helped establish colonial rule in India. Clive died in 1774, but Addwaitya stayed on in the garden of his estate, only moving to the zoo 100 years later...