Word: quarters
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...strength that six months ago many doubted it had. A devastating slump in exports crippled growth late last year, but on the back of a $586 billion government stimulus program - about 13% of GDP, spread over two years - China has snapped back. The economy grew 7.9% in the second quarter and will now probably expand 8% or more this year. Evidence of increasing momentum appears almost every day. Factory production has begun to edge up, in part because Chinese consumers continue to spend money at a healthy pace. Auto sales, helped significantly by government subsidies for small-car purchases...
...less expensive than buying but also takes up no shelf space when you move from your foreclosed home into your parents' basement. That could be one reason DVD sales declined 13.5% in the first half of 2009, while Netflix revenues were up 21% in the year's second quarter. At the same time, movie attendance has surged 8% this year. People are watching more, owning less. (See the 100 best movies of all time...
...These people are obviously reaching the end of their rope.' RON REDMON, spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, on the nearly quarter of a million Somalis who have been fleeing the country's violence since...
...just waistlines that are expanding. The cost of medical care has ballooned, according to a new report in the policy and research journal Health Affairs. The study's authors compared medical data from 1998 and 2006 and found that obese Americans--who now make up a quarter of the U.S. population--are responsible for a $40 billion jump in annual medical spending. Obese people spend $1,400 more a year than people of normal weight on medical services, according to research data. Medicare doles out $600 more for obese beneficiaries; Medicaid pays $230 more for their prescription drugs. Annual costs...
...hours on a recent evening, the headaches of keeping a step ahead of Iran's notorious security forces begin to fade. Skateboarders, BMX bikers and aggressive inline skaters zip down the quarter-pipe in their baggy street wear, pumping their arms whenever they land a tricky move. Small groups of teens from relatively well-off families, some still in middle school, stand on the sidelines staring in awe while beats spin over the booming speakers...