We’ve made it to another Thursday and the weekend is just about here! Congratulations! If you’ve read The Western Word very much in the last three or four months you know that Thursdays are the days that we take a look at some the “numbers” in the news and offer a little commentary about each.
This week I write about solar panels, followers, unemployment, a fine, poverty, passing yards, baseball games, ovens, and pounds! Plus there’s a lot more, so read on…
528,000,000
Solyndra Inc. (a solar panel manufacturer) received a $528 million loan from the Federal Government (that’s you and me). They filed for bankruptcy. The White House may have pushed for the approval of the loan or at least pushed to get it approved more quickly.
That money could have been used for better things…
13,471,222
That’s how many “followers” Lady Gaga has on Twitter according to the website Twitaholic.com.
*That’s just a few more followers than @TheWesternWord…
428,000
That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week.
It is not getting better. Not at all…
132, 234
That’s how many dollars the Montana Public Service Commission may fine the city of Great Falls for failing to obtain renewable energy credits during 2010.
This was completely unnecessary. There are some idiots working/serving in the Great Falls city government…
22,314
The poverty line in 2010 for a family of four was $22,314. The New York Times reports, “Another 2.6 million people slipped into poverty in the United States last year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, and the number of Americans living below the official poverty line, 46.2 million people, was the highest number in the 52 years the bureau has been publishing figures on it.”
The elected officials back in Washington just don’t understand what is happening…
517
That’s how many yards New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for against the Miami Dolphins in Monday night.
That was fun to watch…
162
That’s how many games there are in a Major League Baseball season.
We are winding down the season and it has, to say the least, been very boring.
100
That’s the wattage of the bulbs used in Easy Bake Ovens. Those 100 watt bulbs are being phased out for energy-efficient versions. The ovens will now use a heating element and will heat up to 375 degrees. The new ovens cost about $50.
That’s cheaper than buying a full-sized oven…
98
That’s how many games the Houston Astros have lost so far in this Major League Baseball season.
There are 13 games left – will the Astros get to “Loserville” by getting 100 losses in a single season? I think so…
86
A new poll released by Gallup tells us that 86% of the people approve of Black-White Marriages. It was 4% in 1958.
We’ve come a long way in a little over 50 years…still more to do, though.
60
Kirstie Alley is 60 years old. She also lost 100 pounds. She is looking good.
I think I may have found her lost pounds…
39
A new Gallup poll tells us that 39% “…of Americans in September name unemployment or jobs as the most important problem facing the country, up from 29% in August. Unemployment has now passed “the economy” as the most frequently mentioned issue.”
It’s nice that people are taking notice…
36
That’s how many people Dakota Meyer saved from an ambush in Afghanistan in 2009. The former Marine will receive the nation’s highest military honor at the White House today.
Hero. Semper Fi.
1
That’s how many wins the Great Falls Voyagers need to win the Pioneer League Championship. They play the Ogden Raptors tonight in Great Falls. The Voyagers lead the best of three series 1-0.
Go Voyagers!
*Help me catch Lady Gaga…Follow The Western Word on Twitter @TheWesternWord to get independent commentary about politics, sports, the media, and current events.
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