Endeavor's Neat Numbers

66 S i x t y - s i x percent of A m e r i c a n adults are overweight. The figure has been s t e a d i l y rising for more than a decade.

50

An Emporium woman combs through approximately 50 newspapers a week to preserve data for future generations. Sandra Hornung has been copying obituaries, birth notices and news pieces from local newspapers, dating back to 1880s, for the past 20 years.

"When I had kids, I needed something keep myself from becoming bored," she said. A small room in the upstairs of her home has been her clipping area, but Sandra will change locations when the genealogy research library opens in Emporium.

28

Twenty-eight percent of adults in the U.S. have at least a bachelor's degree. The figure was 24 percent a decade ago. In Washington, D.C., some 47 percent of adults have a college degree.

1

Women are 13 percent grouchier in the morning than men. That's the finding of a massive research project, in which spouses and others assessed how mood is affected by gender and time of day. After four hours pass in any given day, the two sexes are about equal in their demeanor.

2010

There's already talk about Cameron County's celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding. That milestone -- a sesquicentennial, for the record -- arrives in 2010.

500

The rush on Pennsylvania's oil and gas resources continues. In September, the number of permits issued for oil and gas drilling in the state this year passed the 5,000 milestone.

The figure is up by 30 percent over last year's permit applications. The number of permits issued rose from 3,084 in 2002 to 4,280 the following year. In 2004, a record 4,495 permits were issued. That mark was smashed last year, when the state issued 6,046 permits, and a new record will be set in 2006. "The energy industry is responding to market demands by revisiting Pennsylvania's oil and gas fields," said DEP Secretary Kathleen McGinty. "We are seeing new drilling technologies and enhanced exploration for natural gas in non-traditional areas by companies that have not had a presence in Pennsylvania." She said more that 300,000 wells have been drilled since Edwin Drake sank the first commercial oil well at Titusville in 1859. Pennsylvania produced half of the world's oil until the Texas oil boom of 1901.

537

Underage drinking is on the rise in Pennsylvania. The Pa. DUI Assn. reported last week that 53.7 percent of 12thgraders surveyed said they've used alcohol over the past 30 days, compared to 49.2 percent two years ago.

50

Fifty percent of 10- to 18-yearolds now have cellphones. Many of them are used to take photos, play music, play games, and send e-mails and text messages. Some states have enacted a ban on cellphones in schools. In this area, students are allowed to have phones in schools, but they must be turned off.

10

Upwards of 10 percent of Americans are now addicted to some kind of Internet-based activity, with gambling is one of the most serious maladies. Problem gambling is on the rise across the nation, due in large part to Internetbased gambling and the closer proximity of casinos.

74

So much for meal time being family togetherness time. Some 74 percent of those polled said it's okay to watch television at dinner time. More than 40 percent said it's acceptable to read.