Welcome – if this is your first time visiting The Western Word, “Thursday Numbers” 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.
DISCLAIMER: 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 the Kansas City Chiefs, Unemployment, Kobe, Citigroup, Gerald Ford, World’s Oldest Person, Max Baucus, R.E.M., Brian Schweitzer, Same-Sex Marriages, Alan Simpson, Boehner, Toilet Shopping, and Astronauts. There’s a lot more so read on…
1,000,000
According to the Associated Press, “The estate or guardian of the infant of the Chiefs player who killed her mother before turning a gun on himself will receive more than $1 million under terms of the NFL’s collective-bargaining agreement.”
It’s good that she will receive these benefits…it is such a sad deal.
370,000
That is the number of new claims for unemployment according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which is a decrease of 25,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 395,000.
It’s not good to be unemployed around the holidays…
56,789
That’s how many YouTube views the video showing former Senator Alan Simpson going ‘Gangnam Style’ has received for “The Can Kicks Back” movement (as of this morning).
Ha Ha…
30,000
Last night Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant became just the fifth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points. Bryant is the youngest player in NBA history to reach that milestone. The other four players are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Those five players on the same team (and in their prime) would be unstoppable…
11,000
Citigroup plans to lay off 11,000 people. They also plan to close 44 branches in the United States, according to this article.
This is a tough time to receive this news…
1973
According to the Associated Press, on this date in 1973, “House minority leader Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew, who had resigned after pleading no contest to income tax evasion.”
Gerald Ford is the answer to many trivia questions…
1923
According to the Associated Press, on this date in 1923, “A presidential address was broadcast on radio for the first time as President Calvin Coolidge spoke to a joint session of Congress.”
Did it all go downhill from that point?
115
That’s the age of the world’s oldest person, Dina Manfredini of Johnston, Iowa.
71
Max Baucus will be 71 years old on Tuesday (December 11).
Happy Birthday, Senator…
56
Happy 56th Birthday to Peter Buck of R.E.M. Take a few minutes to enjoy “Losing My Religion.”
53
According to Gallup, “53% of Americans believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages — tying with May 2011 as the highest level of support Gallup has found since it began tracking the issue in 1996. Forty-six percent say such marriages should not be legal.”
Gallup also reported, “Americans who oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage, 46% of the adult population, are most likely to explain their position on the basis of religious beliefs and/or interpretation of biblical passages dealing with same-sex relations.”
50
That’s how much a ticket will cost ($50.00) to the December 13 “special event” to honor Governor Brian Schweitzer. The “special event” will take place at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena.
I wonder if Max Baucus will attend, or any Republicans (besides John Bohlinger)…
16
According to this story, “A new survey has revealed that approximately 16 per cent of online holiday shopping in the U.S. is conducted from a toilet.”
You might as well do something to pass the time…
4
According to The Hill, Speaker of the House John Boehner removed “four lawmakers from plum committee assignments at the weekly GOP conference meeting.” Reps. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), Justin Amash (Mich.), Walter Jones (N.C.), and David Schweikert (Ariz.) were all removed for their “voting patterns.”
As the Speaker, Boehner comes across as a wimp…
1
Two astronauts, one from the United States and one from Russia, will be spending one year in space aboard the International Space Station.
There are some elected officials we could send away for a year…
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