By Matt Phifer
6 – Number of Times Jimmie Johnson has won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
On November 17th, Jimmie Johnson won his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title with a ninth place finish in the season ending Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, edging Matt Kenseth by 19 points in the final points standings. Johnson, at 38, is the youngest six-time champion and trails only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt in number of championships. (Petty and Earnhardt each won 7.) Johnson’s six titles also come within an eight season span. He won his first five consecutively from 2006-2010.
50 – Years since the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
Friday marked the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas. Dallas marked the day with its first ever city-sponsored ceremony to pay tribute to Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, the place where Kennedy was gunned down 50 years before. Kennedy family members paid their respects at Arlington National Cemetery, where the president is buried under an eternal flame.
$13 Billion – JPMorgan Chase’s Settlement with the Justice Department
On November 19th, the Justice Department announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase over a number of lawsuits connected to its sale of troubled mortgages that helped lead to the financial crisis. The $13 billion amount is roughly half of the bank’s yearly earnings. The settlement includes a $2 billion penalty, $7 billion of compensatory damages that will be tax deductible and $4 billion that will go toward consumer relief. JPMorgan says they expect to meet their obligations by 2017.
November 26, 2013 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Jimmie Johnson, John F. Kennedy, JP Morgan Chase, JPMorgan Chase Settlement, Matt Phifer, NASCAR, NASCAR Championship, Phifer, The Week by the Numbers | Comments Off on The Week by the Numbers: November 17-23, 2013
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
