Endeavor's Neat Numbers

12,963

Don't look for the Pa. Game Commission to be buying more acreage to add to its roster of state game lands. There are 12,963 acres of game lands in Cameron County.

PGC spokesman Jerry Feaser told the Bradford Era this week, "The days of the Game Commission buying large chunks of property are long gone. In addition to (purchases) being cost prohibitive, we focus primarily on addressing interior holdings. We are trying to make game lands more whole, so we can avoid conflicts such as somebody wanting to build a house in the middle of game lands because they hold a parcel inside it. Now, we acquire property that can help improve public access to game lands instead of people crossing private property."

The state will send about $15,555 to Cameron County next month, as the "in lieu of taxes" payments. The county, school district and municipal governments each get 40 cents per acre.

100

OSRAM Sylvania, located on Washington Road in St. Marys, observed its 100th anniversary with a weeklong celebration. Henny Peters, an executive vice president, said the local workforce is prepared to face the stiff challenges lying ahead in OSRAM Sylvania's second century.

"The competition is much more fierce and comes from all over the world," Peters noted. "But I am confident that with the dedication of our people, OSRAM Sylvania will be competitive for many more years."

24.6

Just under a quarter of Americans (24.6 percent) say they have no one with whom to discuss personal problems, up from 10 percent in 1985.

50

Echoes of a recent survey on substance abuse by teenagers in McKean County are being heard around the region, based on the likelihood that the situation is similar in neighboring counties. High school seniors in McKean County drink, smoke and use more drugs than in past years, and more than their peers nationwide, according to a survey conducted through The Guidance Center and the Pa. Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Fifty percent of the teens use alcohol regularly. On a brighter note, students in 6th, 8th and 10th grades saw a decline in drug use.

Younger substance abusers list "community disorganization" and "transitions and mobility" as two of the main factors in their decisions. Older ones cite "laws and norms favorable to drug use" and "friends' use of drugs." Of students in grades 7- 12, some 28 percent regularly use alcohol; 21.3 percent of 10th graders and 30.6 percent of 12th graders admitted to binge drinking. The average age that county youth try alcohol is 12.5, regularly drink alcohol is 14, smoke cigarettes is 12.1, and smoke marijuana is 13.4.

20

A study detailed in Psychology Today found that Americans are working an average of 200 more hours a year than they did in 1970. That's about an extra month. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but being a "workaholic" can be a sign of personal problems.

The study's author suggests that those who fear they may be workaholics should take a simple test. On a scale of one to five, rate your satisfaction with your family life, friendships, health and hobbies. If the total is less than 10, it's time to cut back on how much you work.

48

An addition to the Jefferson County Prison opened last week. Warden David Riley reports that the modular cells now hold 20 low-security inmates and more will be held there in the coming weeks. The addition, which is a temporary solution to the prison's chronic overcrowding, will eventually accommodate 48 inmates.

50

A Harris Poll finds that 50 percent of Americans still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when U.S.- led troops invaded the country in March 2003. The figure was at 36 percent a year ago. A 16- month, $900-million investigation by U.S. weapons hunters (the Iraq Survey Group) found that Iraq had dismantled its chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs in 1991 under U.N. oversight.

That finding reinforced the work of U.N. inspectors who in 2002-03 found no trace of banned arsenals in Iraq. Analysts say the American public has been swayed by "insistent repetition," a common political tactic to reinforce bogus information.

39

It was only a matter of time before a computer hooked to the Internet would surpass the TV as young people's favorite source of entertainment.

A survey shows that 37 percent of teens (ages 12-17) and 39 percent of young adults (18-24) would pick a computer if they had one electronic device. The cellphone ranked second at 21 percent with both groups. Television is now a distant third, at 15 percent of teens and 17 percent of young adults.

2

Members of the St. Marys Sportsmen's Club voted against two controversial deer management proposals that some local clubs strongly favor.

The first would petition the Game Commission to revert to its prior system of a two-week buck season followed by two days of antlerless deer season. The second would pressure the Game Commission to scrap the minimum antler size for buck season.