NEAT NUMERALS

51

The popular Ed Easton of Coudersport last weekend completed his 51st year of sportscasting for Radio Station WFRM of Coudersport, signing off with his familiar, "So long, everybody."

As the dean of local sportscasters, the 81-year-old Easton still calls play-by-play for Coudersport High School basketball and football games.

His sidekick, Paul Heimel, just wrapped up his 33rd year as color commentator and analyst. The third member of the team, statistician Paul Gaines, has been tracking stats for 24 years.

6B

The world's population has tripled from 2 billion to 6 billion since 1935. The official forecast: 9 billion in 2047.

36

There's more disturbing information on the disappearance of honey bees. Their population has collapsed by some 36 percent since last year - 27 billion bees have vanished.

Without their pollination, many fruits and vegetables cannot grow.

Colony collapse disorder has hit hard in 43 states.

40

The influenza vaccine made available this year only covered about 40 percent of the two major flu viruses that showed up this year. Doctors try to determine what the predominant flu strain will be the following year as they develop a vaccine. Sometimes they hit it closer than they did this year.

A strain of Australian influenza A spread unchecked, but the vaccine apparently lessened its effects. This was good and bad. People who were sick and still able to get to work infected fellow workers. That spread the flu quicker than if people had been somewhat sicker and had stayed home. Manufacturers of the flu vaccine will have to completely redo next year's vaccine. It will take up to six months to make 100 million doses. It points out what would happen in a pandemic. If avian bird flu were to mutate into a fast-spreading disease among humans, it is unlikely enough vaccine could be manufactured soon enough to prevent an epidemic.

5.8M

Falling is a major risk for senior citizens. A government report last week revealed that 5.8 million Americans 65 or older have fallen at least once in the past three months. Almost 2 million of them were injured.

Medical bills resulting from the falls average $19 billion a year.

Between 10 and 25 percent of seniors who fracture a hip die within a year.

Bad lighting and slippery floors are the leading causes of falls.

6.6

Sleep is a biological necessity, but a new study out last week confirmed that more Americans than ever are sleep deprived.

In 1960, the average person got 8.5 hours of sleep per night. Today, that figure is 6.6 hours.

"That's not enough," says Dr. Matt Edmunds, a sleep specialist. "On average, people need between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep per night."

One reason: work. Americans work an average of 9.5 hours per day, plus another 4.5 hours per week working from home.

Implications are huge: about 100,000 car crashes per year are attributed to driver fatigue; workplace accidents are up. Lack of sleep has also been linked to memory loss, a weakened immune system and diabetes.

Caffeine can compensate for a lack of sleep, Dr. Edmunds said, only if used sporadically. Regular users tend to build up a tolerance that limits its impact.

42M

The federal government is spending $42 million to send notices to taxpayers informing them about the rebates they'll be getting sometime around May.

Internal Revenue Service notices are going out to about 130 million households this month.

Payments are up to $600 for individuals who qualify or $1,200 for married couples filing jointly.