Most people have 32 teeth. Some have 10. It’s simple meth. – Unknown

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm, humor, and bluntness.

This week’s topics include Google & YouTube, the Mega Millions lottery, unemployment, Sears & Kmart, Defense Department projects, NFL kickoff, Steamboat Geyser, the U.S. Navy, ESPN Body Issue, gambling & the NFL, California & fur trapping, and much more!

170,000,000

Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc, and its YouTube video service will pay $170 million to settle allegations that it broke federal law by collecting personal information about children, the Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday. (Reuters)

139,000,000

That’s the jackpot for the next Mega Millions lottery drawing Friday night. (Mega Millions)

If I win, I might advertise…

215,000

In the week ending August 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 215,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised level. (USDOL)

Thursday’s data is released at 6:30 a.m. Montain time, well after this column was published. Click HERE to see today’s unemployment data.

250

Sears laid off 250 employees at its corporate headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, last week and will close another round of Sears and Kmart stores before the end of the year, Business Insider has learned. (Business Insider)

I miss Sears and Kmart.

127

The Pentagon said on Wednesday it would pull funding from 127 Defense Department projects, including schools and daycare centers for military families, as it diverts $3.6 billion to fund President Donald Trump’s wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. (CNBC)

You can see the list by clicking HERE.

100

The 100th NFL season kicks off tonight (Thursday) with two of the oldest teams, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, playing each other for the 199th time. (NFL.com)

Let’s go Chiefs!

34

The Steamboat Geyser at Yellowstone National Park has erupted 34 times as of Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey. That breaks last year’s record of 32 eruptions — the largest number ever recorded in a year. The record before that was 29 eruptions in 1964. (KIFI/KIDK)

Maybe the big one is about to happen…

22

Congratulations to the U.S. Navy – you have “taken the cake” for the most obese branch of the U.S. military, coming in at 22%. The other branches reported the following frequency of obesity: Air Force: 18 percent, Army: 17 percent, and Marine Corps: 8.3 percent. (Military Times)

Those sailors better stop eating so much or they will end up sinking a ship…

21

That’s how many athletes are appearing in the 2019 ESPN Body Issue. Check it out HERE. (USA Today)

For those wondering, I was not asked to participate.

15

The American Gaming Association (AGA) says 38 million Americans — 15% of the adult population — plan to bet on the NFL this season. (ESPN)

Montana should allow residents to place bets from our phones wherever we may be.

1

California has enacted a new ban on fur trapping for animal pelts, making it the first state to outlaw a centuries-old livelihood that was intertwined with the rise of the Western frontier. The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, prohibits commercial or recreational trapping on both public and private lands. (LA Times)

To control the animal population, we need trapping just like we need hunting.

 

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