LIVING IN AMERICA

number of company logos recognized by the typical american child by the time she enters first grade: 200

percent of americans who say god has talked to them: 36%

percent of americans who believe joan of arc was noah's wife: 12%

number of office workers randomly stopped on the street for a survey who gave up their computer passwords in exchange for a chocolate bar: 7 in 10

percent of americans who claim they never bathe: 7%

number of u.s. states that claim test scores in their elementary schools are above the national average: 50

busiest retail shopping hour in the united states: 3-4pm, december 24th (christmas eve)

number of toilet-related injuries each year in the u.s.: 40,000

number of insect legs allowed by the food and drug administration in a candy bar sold in the united states: 8

number of american women who own a gun: 1 in 3

number of marriages in kentucky that unite teenagers: half

only u.s. state capital without a mcdonald's: montpelier, vermont

most claimed ancestry of americans: german

how far would the average american go for $10 million?: 1 in 4 say they'd abandon friends, family and church, while 1 in 10 say they'd commit murder

amount spent per year by americans on state lotteries: $40 billion

percent of americans who admit to lying regularly: 91%

religious affiliation in america: 52% protestant, 24% roman catholic, 2% mormon, 1% jewish, 1% muslim, 10% other, 10% none

the u.s. is the largest consumer of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine

americans comprise 6% of the world's population but... are 25% of the world's prison population, are responsible for 30% of the world's garbage, comprise 85% of the world's serial killers, and consume 20% of the world's resources

.07% of american men perform fellatio on themselves, while 35% admit to attempting the feat

number of americans who say they've had sex at work, by percent: 56% (half claim they "did it" on the boss's desk)

percent of americans who cannot fill out a bank deposit slip correctly: 40%

time when most toilets are flushed at one time in the u.s.: during superbowl half-time

states where oral sex is illegal: arizona, florida, minnesota, louisiana, michigan, north carolina, south carolina, utah, virginia and idaho where it is punishable by life in prison

in the u.s., jews and atheists have nearly twice as many sex partners in their lifetime than catholics and protestants

percent of americans over age 55 who have no natural teeth: half

percent of americans who say they've never visited a dentist: 40%

largest private employer in the u.s.: wal-mart

number of wal-mart "super centers" built on top of native indian burial grounds: 4

chance that an american will be a victim of crime in their lifetime: 80%

number of americans who sign their pet's name on greeting cards sent during the holiday season: 70%

GET YOUR WAR ON, PART 1

percent of u.s soldiers serving in iraq who say they have killed an "enemy combatant": 48%

percent of u.s. soldiers serving in iraq who say they have killed a "non-combatant": 28%

percent of u.s. soldiers serving in iraq who say they know someone who was seriously injured or killed: 86%

between 2003 and 2005 the divorce rate for army personnel increased by 14%

calls to domestic violence hotlines for military spouses have increased from 50 per month to 600 per month since the start of war

number of military spouses who have signed up for food stamps and other federal assistance since the start of war: 1 in 5

number of national guard deployed to vietnam: 7,040 (126 died)

number of national guard deployed to iraq so far: more than 100,000 (392 have died)

death rate of u.s. soldiers serving in iraq who come from rural areas: 60% higher than those from cities

number of americans polled in 2006 who believe "federal officials either participated in the attacks on the world trade center and pentagon, or took no action to stop them 'because they wanted the u.s. to go to war in the middle east'": 36%

amount president bush has requested from congress to build a new u.s. embassy in iraq: $1.3 billion

portion of staff to be sent to new embassy in iraq that speaks arabic: 3%

number of those who speak arabic fluently: 6

number of journalists killed in iraq since the start of war: 146

number of defense contractors killed in iraq since the start of war: 665

number of doctors who have fled iraq: 1 out of 3

number of iraqi physicians killed since 2003: over 2,000

percent increase in the number of iraqis in jail now compared to the period before the fall of saddam: 30%

according to the veteran's administration, the number of iraq war veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder: 1 in 5

number of u.s. soldiers serving in iraq who committed suicide in 2005: 22 (double the number in 2004, which was already twice the rate of suicide among military personnel prior to the invasion of iraq)

number of u.s. soldiers who have lost one or more limbs: 1,300 (nearly double the rate of any other war)

number of u.s. soldiers who say we shouldn't have invaded iraq in the first place: one-third

world's largest purchaser of oil: the pentagon

according to the u.s. army, the number of gallons of fuel burned in three weeks in iraq: 40 million (equal to the gasoline consumed by all allied armies combined during four years of WWI)

thought of another way, the daily oil consumption of the u.s. military is equal to that of the entire nation of greece

percent of u.s. military oil purchases used to fuel fighter jets: 70%

percent increase in the number terrorist attacks that have occurred worldwide since the invasion of iraq, excluding attacks in iraq and afghanistan: 265% (including iraq and afghanistan the percent increase jumps to 607%)

percent increase in terrorist attacks aimed at western targets since the invasion of iraq: 25%

percent increase in the number of fatalities resulting from terrorist attacks worldwide, excluding fatalities in iraq and afghanistan: 58%

your federal income tax dollar: 41 cents to fund war, 6 cents for education, 6 cents for health care, and less than a penny for foreign aid such as emergency food relief

percent of significant conflicts in the world occurring right now in which one or more parties has received its weapons or military technology from the united states: 90%

u.s. military aid outweighs development and food aid to poor nations by a ratio of 6:1

revenue generated by halliburton under then-ceo and current vice president dick cheney from business deals with iraq under saddam hussein: $30 million

gift donald rumsfeld gave to saddam hussein welcoming him during a visit in friendlier days: golden spurs (1983)

portion of all u.s. foreign aid that goes to helping the recipient country buy u.s.-produced weapons, equipment and training: 25%

oil accounts for 43% of the world's total fuel consumption and 95% of global energy used for transportation

percent of americans surveyed who believe the u.s pays more than any other nation in foreign aid: 82%

rank among all industrialized nations of the united states determined by the amount of non-military foreign aid given to poor nations: 13th

u.s foreign aid as a percent of gross domestic product: 0.15%

white americans who thought the invasion of iraq was a mistake, by percent: 45%

african-americans who thought the invasion of iraq was a mistake, by percent: 77%

african-americans serving in iraq, by percent: 28% (african-americans comprise slightly less than 13% of u.s. population)

parents likely to recommend military service to their children in 2002: 42%

parents likely to recommend military service to their children in 2004: 26%

amount contributed last year to the campaigns of members of congress who are directly responsible for voting on how much to spend on weapons contracts: $12 million

country with the lowest global popularity rating: united states (followed by israel, iran and north korea)

GET YOUR WAR ON, PART 2

only 1% of global spending on weapons would be needed to provide every child in the world with basic education

according to an advertisement by the leading u.s. defense contractor, lockheed martin, that ran in 2002, "the perception of peace means less jobs for americans"

number of lockheed martin's F16 fighters built by american workers last year: 0 (lockheed martin's F16 manufacturing plants are located in turkey, and no americans are employed in the building of the jets)

every minute, someone is killed by a gun (most are women and children)

number one global manufacturer and exporter of small arms, including hand guns: the u.s.

the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - france, the u.s., russia, china, and the u.k.- account for 88% of the world's arms exports

in 2005, the pentagon removed a reference to article 3 of the geneva conventions from new editions of the army field manual on interrogation... article 3 specifically bans torture and cruel treatment including "outrages on personal dignity"

since the attacks of september 11, 2001 the u.s. has imprisoned 80,000 people around the world that it claims have links to terrorism. the vast majority have not been charged with any crime and have not been granted access to an attorney

global military spending equals about $173 per person and accounts for 2.5% of world GDP (gross domestic product)

u.s. military spending accounts for nearly half of the world total (48% or $530 billion per year- expected to rise to $650 billion by the end of 2007)

u.s. military spending is 7 times greater than the second largest spender, china

u.s. military spending is 29 times that of the six "rogue" nations (cuba, iran, libya, north korea, sudan and syria)

u.s. military spending figures do not include nuclear weapons spending since this is now counted under the department of energy

percent of your federal income tax dollar spent on war: 41% (percent spent on education: 6.5%, on health care: 6.1%)

number of the 26 countries that the u.s. has provided military assistance to (training, funding or weapons) since 2001 that use child soldiers: 22

percent of female veterans returning from service who report attempted or completed rape at the hands of a male u.s. armed services member: 30%

ratio of the price of a barrel of oil in march 2003 to the price of a body bag from the u.s. military's supplier: 1:1

number of national guard from louisianna serving in iraq during hurricane katrina: 1 in 3

chances that a member of the new york state national guard was serving in iraq: 1 in 4

chances that a member of the texas national guard was serving in iraq: 1 in 31

members of the bush administration with combat experience: 0

members of the bush administration with ties to the oil industry: 41

percent of israel's weaponry purchased from u.s. companies: 70% (money used to make these purchases comes from u.s. taxpayers in the form of military aid given to israel by the federal government, which accounts for 20% of israel's total military budget or $3 billion annually)

amount spent by the u.s. per month on the war in iraq in 2006: $9.1 billion (up from $4.3 billion in the previous year, but about $1 billion a month less than is projected for 2007)

title of a pentagon memo leaked to the media describing a u.s. propaganda campaign aimed at americans to make abu muab al-zarqawi (the possible leader of al qaeda in iraq) appear to be more dangerous and powerful than he really was: "villainize zarqawi/leverage xenophobic response" (april 10, 2006)

on june 21, 2006 the pentagon classified homosexuality as a mental defect akin to retardation (the most army discharges for arabic translators since 2002 have been on the grounds that they violated "don't ask, don't tell" policy)

amount the pentagon spends on viagara each year: $500,000 (down from a record high of $5 million in the first two years the drug was introduced)

number of homeless people in the united states who are veterans: 1 in 3

amount spent by the u.s. military to replace service members discharged for admitting to being gay: $365 million

estimated number of americans who get degrees from non-accredited "diploma mills" each year: 100,000

number of pentagon employees who had such degrees on their resumes in a report released last year: 257

percent of troops assigned to the front line in the gulf war who were persons of color: 50%

percent increase in the number of terrorist attacks committed around the world since president bush declared in 2004 that "the world is a safer place": 600%

estimated number of americans who last year refused to pay part or all of their federal income tax as a protest of military spending: 2,000

number of u.s. troops who have gone awol since that start of the war in iraq: 8,000

number of army recruiters who have gone awol between october 2002 and march 2005: 37

percent of army recruiters who did not volunteer for that job: 70%

on december 15, 2005 it was revealed in a pentagon memo leaked to the media that the government is collecting data on antiwar groups without their knowledge or consent and compiling this information into a database

average age of soldiers serving in iraq: 20

percent of the iraqi population under age 16 at the start of war in 2003: 68%

percent of soldiers returning from service in iraq who receive medical or mental health treatment: 30%

estimated number of returning soldiers who need mental health treatment for trauma and depression: 65%

global spending priorities (all amounts are in u.s. dollars):
--military spending: $780 billion
--alcoholic beverages in europe: $105 billion
--cigarettes in europe: $50 billion
--business entertainment in japan: $35 billion
--pet food in europe and north america: $17 billion
--basic health and nutrition: $13 billion
--perfumes in europe and the u.s.: $12 billion
--reproductive health for all women: $12 billion
--ice cream in europe: $11 billion
--water and sanitation for all: $9 billion
--cosmetics in the u.s.: $8 billion
--basic education for all: $6 billion

SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

number of americans who have appeared on television: 1 in 4

object that causes most choking fatalities: toothpick

only u.s. state that specifically bans blind people from driving: new york

average speed of traffic in new york city: 10 mph

percentage of lakes in ohio that have been made by humans: 100%

percentage of atheists who own at least one bible: 65%

month when most people are born in the world: september

number of americans killed by vending machines falling on them: 15

cost to the soft drink industry each year from loss due to theft from vending machines: $100 million

number of americans unable to locate the u.s. on a world map: 1 in 7

number of visitors to new mexico to see a tortilla chip that "strongly resembles" jesus last year: 11,000

largest retail chain in the world: 7-eleven

number of people around the world with the same birthday as you: approximately 10 million

month most americans lose their virginity: june

country with the most english speakers: china

percentage of american high school students who admit to using an illegal drug before graduating: 52%

amount spent on "war on drugs" each year since 2001: about $20 million

in 2002, a nike commercial aired in the u.s. that had been filmed in kenya with a samburu tribesman. the tribesman speaks in his native language of maa. as he speaks, the nike slogan "just do it" appears at the bottom of the screen in quotes. in reality, the tribesman was saying, "I don't want these."

WHIRLED WORLD

current world population: 6.5 billion humans

current world population: 6.5 billion chickens

human population growth:
1804 - 1 billion
1927 - 2 billion (123 years later)
1960 - 3 billion (33 years later)
1974 - 4 billion (14 years later)
1987 - 5 billion (13 years later)
1999 - 6 billion (12 years later)

average weekly allowance parents/guardians give a child in the u.s. at age ten: $7

average weekly earnings for a twelve year old factory worker in bangladesh: $3.20

corporation receiving highest number of clothing exports from factories employing workers under age 14 in bangladesh: wal-mart (1 billion clothing exports last year, mostly for the wal-mart brand "faded glory")

smallest country in the world: vatican city (.17 square miles)

lowest infant mortality: singapore (2 deaths per 1000 births)

number of postal workers bitten by dogs last year: 3,070

occupation statistically most at risk for workplace violence by "disgruntled" employee: retail

leading cause of death for women at work: homicide

fastest speed at which a raindrop can hit you: 18 mph

color of the universe, according to astronomers in 2005: beige (previously thought to be green)

number of days a cockroach can live without a head: 9

direction bats fly when leaving a cave: left

percentage of people with autism who are left handed: 65%

number of bugs you will accidentally eat in your lifetime: 430

number of americans polled last year who admitted to buying an outfit with the intention of wearing it once and returning it: 1 in 10

day of the week most people commit suicide: monday

number of acres of trees used to make the newsprint edition of the sunday new york times: 314 (about 63,000 trees)

number of u.s. states that do not observe daylight saving time: 2 (hawaii and alaska... indiana will do so for the first time this year)

percentage of death row inmates that are african-american: 42%

percentage of u.s. population that is african-american: 12%

percentage of americans in prison: .7% (more than any other country in the world)

chance that you will be arrested in the u.s.: 66 times higher than any other industrialized nation

number of americans over 18 years of age who do not believe in evolution: 54 million

average annual income, united states: $42,000

average annual income, bangladesh: $2,100

number of left handed people killed each year using right handed products: 2,500