· · · · · 

Population of the U.S. on Jan. 1, 2008, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 303,146,284
Number of seconds between each new birth: 8
Number of seconds between each death: 11
Number of seconds between each new migrant: 30
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Ranks of "Wicked" (the Broadway musical and theatrical tour), Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: "Best of Both Worlds Tour," The Police, Kenny Chesney and the New England Patriots on the list of top "most requested events" in 2007, according to Ticketmaster: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Ranks of the New England Patriots, the Chicago Bears, WWE World Wrestling Entertainment and the New York Yankees on the list of the most requested sporting events: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: Ticketmaster.

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Rank of the U.S. among 19 industrialized countries in terms of its effectiveness in the prevention of preventable deaths, according to a study conducted by the Commonwealth Fund: 19
Percentage decline in preventable deaths in all countries except the U.S. between 1997 and 2003: 16
Percentage decline in the U.S. in that same period: 4
Source: The Commonwealth Fund.

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Due to convenience and a clearer understanding of usage terms, expected percentage increase in sales of gift cards by 2012, according to a report from market-research publisher Packaged Facts: 5
Estimated amount of money this represents: $14 billion
Estimated percentage of consumers purchasing gift cards in the last 12 months who anticipate spending more on gift cards during the next 12 months: 35
Source: Market Research.

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Idle Thought
"A politician is a man who thinks of the next election; while the statesman thinks of the next generation." — James Freeman Clarke, preacher and author

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John MacIntyre has been writing Figuratively Speaking since 1989. You can contact him by e-mail at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.