Thanks for stopping by to read “Thursday Numbers!” One week until Thanksgiving!
If this is your first time reading “Thursday Numbers,” this is the column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary (sometimes spiked with a little sarcasm).
This week I write about a missing Powerball ticket, campaign fundraising, expanding Medicare, possession of cocaine, burial spot, Dan Dierdorf, JFK assassination, Daines’ job approval, sexiest man alive, The Kelly File, Brawl of the Wild, Pro Football Hall of Fame, the GED, talking filibuster, Martin Bashir, unemployment, and much more!
16,000,000
A Powerball ticket worth $16 million will expire today. Here are the details: “It was purchased at Carrollwood Market on West Village Drive in Tampa (Florida). The drawing was Saturday, May 25, and the winning numbers were 02, 06, 19, 21, 27 and a Powerball of 25.”
Great googly moogly…
7,000,000
National Journal reports, “The National Republican Congressional Committee raised $4.6 million in October, significantly less than the $7 million collected by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last month.”
The government shutdown helped the Democrats raise more money.
323,000
That is how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
This is a decrease from the week before.
70,000
The Associated Press reports “Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Bohlinger is calling on Gov. Steve Bullock to convene a special legislative session to expand Medicaid to another 70,000 residents, a proposal that was rejected by lawmakers earlier this year.”
The Democratic Governor (Bullock) and Republican Senate President Jeff Essmann basically shot that idea down, so maybe it has merit…
250
According to Roll Call, “Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of cocaine on Wednesday in D.C. Superior Court.” He purchased 3.5 grams of cocaine for $250…from an undercover police officer.
Radel should have read my book…
113
The 113th “Brawl of the Wild” takes place on Saturday in Bozeman between the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats!
Who will win the game? Take the poll HERE.
74
Jim Davis, a 74-year-old former Marine, “lost his fight on Friday to keep his wife buried in the front yard of the home they shared for decades.”
64
CBS NFL football analyst and Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf will retire at the end of this season. He is 64.
During an October 1994 Monday Night Football game when John Elway (Broncos) and Joe Montana (Chiefs) battled it out, with the Chiefs winning in the last few seconds on a touchdown pass from Montana, Dierdorf said the immortal words, “Lord you can take me now, I’ve seen it all.”
Dierdorf is one of the better people to ever sit in the broadcasting booth.
50
Friday will mark the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
Read my column about it HERE.
37
A Public Policy Poll released this week showed that GOP Congressman Steve Daines has a job approval rating of just 37%.
Ironically, President Barack Obama has an approval rating of 37%, too.
Even with a low job performance rating, Daines still easily leads Democrats John Walsh and John Bohlinger in a possible 2014 U.S. Senate matchup.
34
34-year-old singer-songwriter, Adam Levine, was named People magazine’s sexiest man alive this week.
I did not make the list again this year…
27
According to a story in the Washington Examiner, there are 27 democratic senators “who promised you could keep your health coverage.” Those 27 include Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester.
Not that it really means anything…
25
According to the Associated Press, there are “25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2014.” They were announced Wednesday night. You can see the list HERE.
There are many worthy people on the list…
22
According to this report from TV Guide, Fox News’ “The Kelly File has averaged 2.3 million viewers since its Oct. 7 premiere, improving the hour by 22 percent compared to former time-slot holder Hannity.”
They also report, “One former cable-news executive isn’t surprised that Kelly has caught on: ‘She is great-looking and has some intelligent things to say.’”
Hmmm…
21
The Associated Press reports, “State education officials are reminding people who are studying for their GED that the last day to take the exam in Montana is Dec. 21, or earlier, depending on the schedule at their testing center.”
The state is “switching from General Educational Development Testing Service to Educational Testing Service for its high school equivalency exam.”
3
U.S. Senator Jon Tester sent an e-mail in which he said, “Obstructionists in the Senate are at it again. In the past two weeks, they’ve blocked three more judicial nominees — adding to the already long list of abuses of the Senate filibuster.” Tester wanted recipients to sign a petition and “Tell Congress that you support requiring a talking filibuster.”
That might be the only way to actually get things done in Washington, D.C., these days…
2:49
Although some of the things that Sarah Palin says I don’t agree with, and I believe her best political days are long past, MSNBC’s Martin Bashir went too far when he said someone should defecate on her. It’s probably 2 minutes and 49 seconds he wishes he could do over.
There’s a lot of angriness and hatred being spewed on television, radio, and across the internet these days. It needs to stop.
Bashir has since apologized. The apology took him about 2 minutes and three seconds.
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The Western Word 