Numbers

IRAQ

46.9%

Percentage of press coverage of Iraq during the first 10 months of 2007 that dealt with acts of violence

4.6%

Percentage of press coverage of Iraq that dealt with "optimistic themes" in those months, according to a Pew Research Center study

SUBSIDIES

$88

Cost of a Montana flight from Lewiston to Billings and back on Big Sky Airlines

$1,343

Federal subsidy paid to the airline for each Lewiston-Billings round trip. The route, which averaged two passengers a day in 2006, is among those covered by a $110 million small-airports subsidy passed by Congress for 2008

TRAVEL

18.4 million

Number of passports issued in 2007, an all-time high, due in part to new rules requiring a passport for travel to Canada and Mexico; 30% of Americans now hold passports

45.8%

Percentage of Americans who intend to take a vacation within the next six months, down slightly from a year ago

RACE

44%

Percentage of African Americans who say they think life for blacks will get better in the future, down from 57% in a survey two decades ago

56%

Percentage of whites in America who say they think life for blacks will get better in the future Sources: Pew Research Center (2); USA Today (2); AP (2); Pew Research Center (2)
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