The Page That Counts :: Fall 2009

scorpion fish, illustration by Alberto Rava

Percentage of American LGBT students who report being verbally harassed: 86.2

Percentage of American students who periodically skip school:  5.5

Percentage of LGBT students who skip school due to feeling unsafe:  32.7

Grade point average of LGBT students frequently harassed:  2.4

Grade point average of LGBT students who know at least six supportive educators:  2.9 [1]

 

 

Percentage of land protected worldwide as parks:  12.1

Percentage of ocean designated as marine protected areas:  0.7 [2]

Percentage of increase of species in marine protected areas:  21 [3]

 

 

Percentage of life-insurance agencies rated “excellent” by raters paid by the insurance company: 47–81

Percentage rated “excellent” when the rater was not paid by the insurance company:  11 [4]

 

 

Prescription DrugsNumber of Florida deaths in 2007 related to abuse of prescription drugs: 2,382

Number of Florida deaths in 2007 related to all methamphetamines:  989

Number of Florida deaths in 2007 related to the abuse of marijuana: 0 [5]

 

 

Number of American Indians who fought in WWI (1914 to 1918) as volunteers: 6,000

Year American Indians were granted U.S. citizenship: 1924

Number of American Indians who served in the Vietnam War (which ended in 1975):  41,500 [6]

Year American Indians were granted religious freedom: 1978 [7]

 

 

cross.jpgPercentage of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation:  30–40 [8]

Percentage of Americans who described themselves as Christian in 1990:  86

Percentage in 2008:  76 [9]

 

 

Amount a private company paid to take over Chicago’s municipal parking: $1.157 billion

Number of years the company controls parking rates and collects the revenue: 75

Income the municipal parking system will generate during those  75 years:  $2.13 billion [10]

 

 

clam, illustration by Pearson Scott ForesmanAge of oldest human being on record,  Jeanne Calment (1875-1997): 122 [11]

Age of longest-lived mollusk on record, a quahog clam:  400+ [12]

Approximate age of Methuselah Pine, the world’s oldest-known living tree: 4,600+ [13]

 

 

More Page That Counts
cell phone
Spring 2009

Percentage of teenagers who say their social life would end or suffer without text messaging: 47
Percentage of teenagers who can text blindfolded: 42

Read more...
Nosepicking Chimp
Summer 2009

Approximate number of languages spoken in the world: 6,000
Number of languages that go extinct every year: 26

Read more...

 

  1. Kosciw, J. G., Diaz, E. M., and Greytak, E. A. (2008). 2007 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.

  2. M.D. Spalding et al.  (2008) Toward representative protection of the world’s coasts and oceans; progressive gaps and opportunities. Conservation Letters, Vol. 1, Number 5.

  3. Lubchenco, Jane., et al. The Science of Marine Reserves. The Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans, 2007.

  4. Consumer Reports, Money Adviser, “Is Your Life Insurance Safe?” May 2009

  5. Damien Cave, Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says, June 14, 2008, The New York Times.

  6. United States Bureau of Indian Affairs

  7. American Indian Religious Freedom Act Report, P.L 95-341, August 1979.

  8. Dan Harris, “Young Americans losing their religion,” ABC News, May 6, 2009

  9. Dan Harris, “America is Becoming Less Christian, Less Religious,” ABC News, March 9, 2009,

  10. Chicago Inspector’s General Office. An Analysis of the Lease of the City’s Parking Meters. June 2, 2009

  11. Whitney, Craig., Jeanne Calment, World’s Elder, Dies at 122. The New York Times, August 5, 1997

  12. Bangor University. 400 year-old clam found. October 28, 2007

  13. Gwen Kinkead. At age 4,600-plus, Methuselah pine tree begets new offspring, The New York Times. June 17, 2003