» Recent poll numbers for 2008 Presidential Election: Giuliani vs. Clinton: Giuliani 46%, Clinton, 44.7%; Obama vs. Giuliani: Obama 45.5%, Giuliani, 42.5 %.

» Intrade market price of Giuliani presidential nominee futures $25.2. Price of Fred Thompson presidential futures $24.9. Clinton futures top out at $51.60, Obama’s are $27.6. (Dick Cheney futures are trading at 40 cents, vs. John Kerry futures trading at a dime.)

» Number of times Fred Thompson has appeared on NBC’s “Law and Order:” 115 (This does not include his 11 appearances on “L&O: Special Victims Unit” or 13 appearances on “L&O: Trial By Jury.” Thompson acted once on HBO’s “Sex and the City.”) Of his time in Congress Thompson said, “After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood.”

» Poll numbers of President Bush’s job rating: approve 32.8%, disapprove 61.7%, not sure 5.5%.

» More poll numbers of Congressional job rating: approve 32.6%, disapprove 58%, not sure 9.4%.

» Number of new cases of Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) in the last 3 years as reported by Lou Dobbs, CNN News Anchor: 7,000. Number of new cases reported by the National Hansen’s Disease Program: 137.

» Percent of federal inmates that are aliens (illegal immigrants) as reported by Lou Dobbs: 33%. Percent reported by the United States Department of Justice: 6%.

» Oldest man to climb Mt. Everest: Katsusuke Yanagisawa, age 71. In May, the Japanese mountain climber summited. “I didn’t think I would make it,” said Yanagisawa.
Youngest foreigner to climb Everest: Samantha Larson, age 18. In May, the Californian climbed the world’s tallest peak: “ It was much harder, longer, and higher,” said Larson.

» Amount of garbage removed from Mt. Everest in May by a group of Japanese climbers: 1,100 pounds.

Compiled by the Big Bend Gazette from the following sources: Real Clear Politics (realclearpolitics.com), Fox News, Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), New York Times, Voice of America, Reuters.