Percent of U.S. budget spent on
the elderly: 30
on education: 2
ROLLING STONE, APRIL 19, 1990, P. 43
Number of dead lakes in Canada: 14,000
SOUTHAM NEWS SERVICES, OCTOBER 7, 1989.
Number of people in the workforce per Social
Security beneficiary . . .
in 1949:13
in 1990: 3.4
in 2030: 1.9
FORBES, NOVEMBER 14, 1988, E 225.
Percentage of men aged 25-29 never married
. . .
in 1970: 19
in 1987: 42
Percentage of women aged 25-29 never married
. . .
in 1970: 11
in 1987: 29
AMERICAN DEMOGRAPHICS, NOVEMBER 1988.
Percentage of women aged 20-24 married
. . .
in 1960: 72
in 1984: 43
Percentage of households under age 25
living in poverty . . .
in 1979: 20
in 1984: 33
U.S BUREAU of THE CENSUS
Number of human deaths possible from one
pound of plutonium if finely ground up and inhaled:
42,000,000,000
1984 U.S. plutonium inventory, in pounds:
380,000
These numbers multiplied together:
16,000,000,000,000,000
SCIENCE DIGEST, JULY 1984.
Percentage of income required for a down
payment on a first home . . .
in 1967: 22
in 1987: 32
Percentage of 25-29 year olds owning homes
. . .
in 1973: 43.6
in 1987: 35.9
FORBES, NOVEMBER 14, 1988.
Real change in cost of a one-carat diamond
ring set in 18karat gold between 1957 and 1987 (in percent):
+322
Of an eight-piece dining-room suite:
+259
Of a movie admission:
+180
Of an air flight to London, England:
-80
REPORT ON BUSINESS, MAY 1988.
Chances that an American has been on TV:
1 in 4
Percentage of Americans who say they do
not watch TV:
8
Number of hours per week spent watching
TV by those who say they do not watch TV:
10
Number of murders the average child has
seen on television by the age of sixteen:
18,000
Number of commercials American children
see by age eighteen:
350,000
The foregoing amount expressed in days
(based on an average of 40 seconds per commercial):
160.4
Number of TV sets . . .
in 1947: 170,000
in 1991: 750 million
CONNOISSEUR,
SEPTEMBER 1989.
Percentage increase in income for over-65
households (senior citizens) between 1967 and 1987:
52.6
For all other households:
7
Percentage of males aged 30-34 married
with spouse present...
in 1960: 85.7
in 1987: 64.7
Percentage of females aged 30-34 married
with spouse present...
in 1960: 88.7
in 1987: 68.2
U.S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, CURRENT POPULATION REPORTS, N0.423, P.20.
Percentage of U.S, 18-29 year olds who
agree that "there is no point in staying at a job unless you are completely
satisfied.":
58
Who disagree:
40
Percentage of U.S. 18-29 year olds who
agree that "given the way things are, it will be much harder for people
in my generation to live as comfortably as previous generations.":
65
Who disagree:
33
Percentage of U.S. 18-29 year olds who
answered "yes" to the question "Would you like to have a marriage like
the one your parents had?":
44
Who said "no":
55
FROM A TELEPHONE POLL OF 602 18-29-YEAR-OLD
AMERICANS TAKEN FOR TIMEICNN ON JUNE 1317.1990, BY YANKELOVICH CLANCY SHULMAN,
SAMPLING ERROR t4%. AS REPORTED IN TIME, JULY 16, 1990.