Either despite, or because of, the spread of legalized gambling, network game shows are popular, the sillier the better.
Interestingly, Ferguson also argues that China's embrace of hard work is partly because of the spread there of Protestantism.
India, more than many countries, is well placed to do so because of the spread of technology.
French, introduced during the protectorate (1881 1956), came into wider use only after independence, because of the spread of education.
Thousands of pregnant women, and couples actively trying for a baby, have had their holiday plans thrown into chaos because of the spread of the Zika virus.
Because of the spread of digital video recorders, the people who measure television audiences have had to expand the definition of "live" to mean "anytime this week".
The year 1903 proved to be the most disastrous for cotton in a quarter century, because of the spread of the boll weevil.
Despite these efforts, the world is likely to still experience a turbulent period because of the spread of information via the internet, Mishra says.
Infections and deaths from C. difficile — the name means "difficult" — have increased sharply since the 1990s, in part because of the spread of a more virulent strain.
It is also because of the spread of Nigerian culture its music and movies around Africa, says Yaw Nsarkoh of Unilever.
Depletion of wildlife has occurred because of the spread of human activities outside the parks, while poaching is a serious threat within.
