Thursday, Mar. 08, 2007
Numbers
17.8% Percentage the Chinese military budget will rise this year, to just under $45 billion, which prompted the U.S. to call for the Chinese government to be clearer about the scope and intent of its rapid arms buildup
$481.4 billion Proposed U.S. Defense Department budget for the next fiscal year; China argues it spends only a fraction of what the U.S. spends
85.5 Years of life expectancy for Japanese women in 2005, up by nearly a year from 2000 and longest in the world
33.2 Years of life expectancy for women in Swaziland, where the HIV infection rate is nearly 40% and life spans are the lowest on earth
$100 million Estimated amount that Gap, Apple and Motorola have spent on marketing the RED Campaign, launched a year ago to benefit the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
$18 million Amount the RED campaign has raised worldwide
36 Days that Jennifer Mee, a St. Petersburg, Fla., teen, suffered from constant hiccuping that stopped only when she slept
50 Times that Mee hiccuped per minute
Sources: New York Times (2); Associated Press; BBC; Advertising Age; Associated Press