By Matt Phifer
3 – Players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
On Wednesday afternoon the Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2014 class of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. Maddux and Glavine both gained fame pitching (Maddux for the Braves and Glavine for the Braves and the Mets.). Thomas, who played with the A’s, Blue Jays and White Sox is the first player to spend most of his career as a designated hitter to be elected to the Hall of Fame. A player must receive 75 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in order to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
4 – Year extension of U.S. funding to the International Space Station
The White House and NASA announced on Wednesday that they would extend funding for the International Space Station four more years to 2024. This will allow the space station to continue conducting research, solidify the market for commercial space systems and lay the groundwork for deep space exploration. The extension will add four years to the working life of the station, but will require the budget approval of the president and Congress each year from 2021 to 2024.
74,000 – Jobs added in December
The December jobs report revealed that 74,000 jobs were added in the month of December, the weakest job growth since January 2011. The low growth was disappointing to economists who were expecting 193,000 additional jobs. The unemployment rate did fall in December to 6.7 percent, but that was mostly associated with people leaving the labor force.
At least 70 million – People affected by the Target security breach
On Friday, Target announced that more people than previously thought may have been affected by the security breach in which personal information was taken from customers’ credit and debit cards. The original number of 40 million was increased to at least 70 million with the possibility of as many as 110 million people being affected. The 70 million number represents around one-third of all American adults. Target discovered while investigating the security breach that data collected over time on 70 million people and stored separately from in-store data was also stolen. The stolen information could be used to set up counterfeit cards, withdrawal money from accounts or to make purchases.
January 13, 2014 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: 2014 Hall of Fame Class, Baseball, Baseball Hall of Fame, December Jobs Report, Frank Thomas, Glavine, Greg Maddux, International Space Station, Maddux, Matt Phifer, NASA, Phifer, Space Station Extension, Target, Target Data Breach, The Week by the Numbers, Tom Glavine, White House | Comments Off on The Week by the Numbers: January 5-11, 2014
Sometimes the real story is in the numbers.
By Matt Phifer
This is the first in a weekly column I will write that looks at the week in terms of numbers. Sometimes the real story is in the numbers, whether it be money spent, hours passed or some other fact. Face it; numbers can be fascinating so without further adieu let’s look at the past week in numbers.
3.8: The Overnight Rating of this year’s Indianapolis 500
Last Sunday’s Indy 500 was hailed as one of the best in recent memory with a record number of lead changes and fan favorite Tony Kanaan finally reaching victory lane in his twelfth start at the speedway. Yet, the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” did not fare well on television. This year’s 3.8 rating is the lowest the Indy 500 has received since it started airing live on ABC in 1986 according to sportsmediawatch.com. Last year the race drew a 4.1 overnight rating.
5 Hours 40 Minutes: The Fastest Trip to the International Space Station
On Tuesday Russian Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency made the fastest trip in history to the International Space Station. The crew lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:31 EDT and arrived at the ISS around 10:10 EDT. The crew will be aboard the station for the next several months as part of Expedition 36.
10.8%: Percentage of Roll Call Votes Michele Bachmann has missed while in Congress
This week Minnesota Representative and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann announced she would not run for re-election in 2014, meaning her tenure in Congress will end in January 2015. Since joining Congress in 2007, Bachmann has missed 10.8% or 577 of 5,320 roll call votes according to www.govtrack.us. The median for missed roll call votes of current members of Congress is 2.3%.
68: The Record Number of Lead Changes in this year’s Indianapolis 500
The previously mentioned Indianapolis 500 was an exciting race despite its dismal television ratings. The race’s 68 lead changes doubled the previous record of 34 set in last year’s race. This year’s Indy 500 also saw a record number of different lap leaders with 14 drivers leading at least one lap throughout the afternoon, breaking the previous record of 12 set in 1993.
96: The Age John F. Kennedy would have turned this past Wednesday
Wednesday May 29 would have been President John F. Kennedy’s 96th birthday. This November will mark the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas. A 2010 Gallup survey showed that Kennedy held the highest approval rating (85%) of the nine most recent presidents, a spot he has consistently held since the retrospective poll started in 1990.
$5,000: The Flopping Fines for Lebron James, David West and Lance Stephenson
Flopping can have a high price now in the NBA. Miami Heat superstar Lebron James and Indiana Pacers players David West and Lance Stephenson were each slapped with $5,000 fines for flopping in Game 4 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. The fines will go up if they flop again in the playoffs. A second flop will lead to a $10,000 fine. A third flop would cost $15,000 and a fourth flop would cost $30,000. A fifth could lead to disciplinary action from the league.
15,409.39: The Dow Jones’s Record High at the Closing Bell on Tuesday
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record high upon closing on Tuesday. The high rating was credited to everything from high consumer confidence to the U.S. economy’s resilience in the wake of this year’s federal spending cuts. Still, Wall Street got a tough dose of reality on Wednesday with the Dow dropping 137.08 points, closing at 15,272.31.
33,000: The number of American flags planted on Boston Common for Memorial Day
Boston city officials and members of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund placed one flag on Boston Common for every military service member from Massachusetts who died in defense of the United States since the Civil War. The final 170 flags were planted on the Thursday before Memorial Day. Each of those flags represented a military service member from Massachusetts who died since September 11.
June 2, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Bachmann, Boston Common, David West, Dow Jones, Indy 500, International Space Station, John F. Kennedy, Lance Stephenson, Lebron James, Matt Phifer, Memorial Day, Michele Bachmann, News, Numbers, Phifer, Ratings, Week By the Numbers | Comments Off on The Week by the Numbers: May 26-June 1, 2013
