Thanks for stopping by The Western Word to read “Thursday Numbers.” If this is your first time visiting The Western Word, this is my weekly column where I take a look at the numbers in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes laced with just a little sarcasm.
NOTICE: If you read this column you will probably gain knowledge not found on other websites! You may be able to use this information to impress your family, friends, and co-workers. The information might even be life changing – so consider yourself warned…
This week I write about unemployment, Saturday Night Live, pumpkins, Dale Earnhardt, Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, Public Policy Polling, the boat crash, and much more!
339,000
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Labor, that’s the new claims for unemployment which is “a decrease of 30,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 369,000.”
Maybe we are heading in the right direction…
1975
On this date in 1975, “Saturday Night Live” debuted on NBC.
Some of my favorites over the years are Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Will Ferrell, and Chris Farley…
1775
That’s the weight of a pumpkin that won the Half Moon Bay giant pumpkin contest.
It’s the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown…
461
The Sporting News is reporting that NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt will miss the next two races because of a concussion he suffered in last week’s race. Also according to Sporting News, “Earnhardt has never missed a Cup race since his first full-time season in 2000, a streak of 461 consecutive starts.”
69
That’s the age of Vice President Joe Biden.
45
A new poll from Public Policy Polling shows U.S. Senator Jon Tester leading Congressman Denny Rehberg 45% to 43%. Libertarian Dan Cox has 8% and undecideds come in at 4%. PPP surveyed 737 likely Montana voters from October 8-10. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.6%.
42
That’s the age of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan.
23
According to a press release from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Montana District Court Judge John C. McKeon has “ordered the parties to the underlying action – presumably Sen. Barkus and Rep. Rehberg – to respond to CREW’s request for the PSI (presentence investigation report) by October 23, 2012, showing how the demands of individual privacy outweigh the merits of public disclosure” in regards to the August 2009 motor boat accident that involved Montana State Sen. Gregory Barkus, U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), two aides to Rep. Rehberg, and Sen. Barkus’ wife.
It might be a good idea for Montanans who have absentee ballots to wait until this information is released before completing their ballots…
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