Add it up: Fresh Loaf, Creative Loafing Atlanta

Add It Up: Chronic Pain

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:00:46 -0400

Pounds of marijuana seized during recent bust of “Gulf Cartel” drug ring in Atlanta: 51,147

At $200 per ounce, estimated cash value of marijuana seized: $163,670,400

Number of plastic bags required to sell seized marijuana in quarter-ounce portions: 3.27 million

At 85 joints per ounce, number of joints that can be rolled with 51,147 pounds of pot: 69,559,920

Number of Americans, out of 10, who report they regularly suffer physical pain: 4

Percent of those who say they’ve used marijuana to treat pain: 6

Percent of those who say they’ve used prescription drugs to treat pain: 60

Lowest price for one 40mg pill of narcotic painkiller Oxycontin at Drugstore.com: $6.47

At $200 per ounce of marijuana, the cost of a joint: $2.35

Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, Marijuana.com, National Families in Action, Drugstore.com, ABCNews, USA Today and the Stanford University Medical Center

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Add It Up: The coast is clear

Andisheh Nouraee — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:41:48 -0400

Number of major hurricanes to hit Georgia’s coast during the 19th century: 5

Number of major hurricanes to hit Georgia’s coast since 1900: 0

Number of Category 1 or 2 hurricanes to hit Georgia’s coast since 1900: 4

Years since last hurricane made landfall in Georgia: 29

People who used I-16 between Savannah and Macon to flee Hurricane Floyd in 1999: 2.5 million

Gallons of drinking water National Hurricane Center says family of four needs for a three-day evacuation: 12

Estimated damage caused by Floyd, which hit North Carolina as a Category 2 storm: $6 billion

Number of coastal Georgians who evacuated their homes in 1999 for Hurricane Floyd: 350,000

Population of coastal Georgia in 2000: 558,350

Projected population coastal Georgia in 2030: 844,161

Sources: Associated Press, Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center, Georgia Emergency Management Agency

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Add It Up: Fill 'er up with Fay fluid

Thomas Wheatley — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:44:32 -0400

Number of tornado warnings issued last Tuesday in metro Atlanta because of Tropical Storm Fay: 5

Gallons of rain the tempest added to Lake Lanier, the metro area’s main source of drinking water: 22 billion

Number of days that additional water can last metro Atlanta: 50

Inches Lake Lanier rose last Monday and Tuesday thanks to the storm: 30

Number of feet the lake is still below full level: 15

Average number of gallons released daily from Lake Lanier this month: 1.2 billion

Number of years since the lake’s level has been that low: 52

Gallons that could be saved if pre-1993 metro Atlanta homes replaced their antiquated plumbing fixtures: 183 million

Percentage of respondents in a recent poll who said they were less concerned about the drought this year than they were in 2007: 48

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rasmussen Reports, Metropolitan North Georgia Water District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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Add It Up: Greater Decatur

Michelle Ye Hee Lee — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:01:37 -0400

Number of building permits issued in Decatur in 1995: 349

Number of building permits issued in Decatur in 2007: 822

Percent decrease in car volume at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Church Street from 2001 to 2006: 20

Population of Decatur in 2000: 18,147

Population of Decatur in 2007: 17,914

Average household size in the U.S.: 2.58

Average household size in metro Atlanta: 2.7

Average household size in Decatur: 2.12

Source: City of Decatur 2008 Annual Report, Decatur Court Traffic Impact Analysis

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Add It Up: Black Gold, Tifton Tea

Thomas Wheatley — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:35:18 -0400

Earliest date new U.S. offshore drilling might produce oil for market: 2030

Earliest date oil from the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge might produce oil for market: 2018

Estimated amount offshore and ANWR drilling will lower the price of gasoline per gallon in 2025: 3.5 cents

Barrels of oil Americans use daily: 21 million

Barrels of oil Tifton agricultural scientist J.C. Bell says he can produce annually using bio-mass (non-food plant materials): 5 billion

Percent of current U.S. oil consumption 5 billion barrels equals: 65

Annual budget of Bell’s research facility: $60 million

Exxon-Mobil’s average daily profit during the first-quarter of 2008: $119.3 million

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, Bell BioEnergy Labs, Tifton Gazette, CNNMoney.com

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Add It Up: It’s smarter, it’s working, but it’s hurting

Thomas Wheatley — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:07:45 -0400

MARTA’s current budget deficit: $43 million

Number of positions MARTA plans to eliminate because of deficit: 180

Number of these 180 positions that are currently vacant: 130

Number of future MARTA newly created station-agent positions being offered to newly laid-off MARTA employees: 50

Amount by which MARTA’s revenue from local sales taxes was below expectations during first-quarter of 2008: $6.9 million

Amount MARTA spent on fuel last year: $13.4 million

Amount MARTA expects to spend on fuel this year: $17.6 million

Number of trips MARTA passengers took in April 2007: 11,999,867

Number of trips MARTA passengers took in April 2008: 12,800,276

Amount MARTA contributes to Atlanta’s gross regional product: $476 million

Amount state contributed this year to MARTA needs: 0

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MARTA, GeorgiaGasPrices.com, Mass Transit Magazine, Creative Loafing

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Add It Up: Purple State

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:00:39 -0400

Amount Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign has raised in Georgia: $1,305,275

Amount Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has raised in Georgia: $2,458,219

Number of votes Obama received in 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary: 704,247

Number of votes McCain received in 2008 Georgia Republican Presidential Primary: 304,751

Number of votes Sen. John Kerry received in 2004 Georgia Democratic Presidential Primary: 293,265

Number of votes George W. Bush received in 2000 Georgia Republican Primary: 430,480

Number of votes Libertarian candidate for President Bob Barr received in 2000 to win Georgia’s 7th District Congressional seat: 126,312

Number of votes independent candidate for President H. Ross Perot received in Georgia in 1992: 309,657

Last time a Democrat won Georgia in a presidential election: 1992

Sources: Center For Responsive Politics, Georgia Secretary of State

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Add It Up: Can’t Add It Up

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:00:02 -0400

Percentage range of Georgia sixth and seventh graders who failed the state social studies exam: 70-80

Approximate percentage of Georgia eighth-graders who failed the state math exam: 40

Percentage of Georgia eighth graders who failed math exam last year: 19

Percentage of eighth graders required to pass state math exam before advancing to high school: 100

Georgia’s high school graduation rate in 2007: 72.3

Percentage of students who took it who passed Georgia’s high school graduation test in 2007: 79

Average SAT score in Georgia in 2007: 1,472

States with higher average SAT score than Georgia in 2007: 45

Sources: AJC, Georgia Department of Education.

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Add It Up: Mother Nature gets cut first

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:00:09 -0400

Estimated City of Atlanta budget shortfall in 2009: $140 million

Percentage of Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs budget Mayor Franklin proposes cutting: 15

Positions cut from the parks department in 1993 and 1998 due to budget concerns: 137

Positions cut from the parks department in 2002 due to budget concerns: 127

Approximate number of parks department employees today: 315

City recreation centers that will close temporarily this summer: 11

Recreation centers that will close permanently this summer: 2

Percentage total land in Atlanta devoted to public parks: 4.5

Park-related spending in Seattle per resident in 2005: $266

Park-related spending in Atlanta per resident in 2005: $91

Sources: City of Atlanta, Park Pride, Trust for Public Land

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Add It Up: Local Lungs

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:00:22 -0400

Percent of Americans who live in counties with unhealthful levels of ozone or particle pollution: 40

Rank of Metro Atlanta among cities most polluted by year-round ozone: 12

Rank of Metro Atlanta among cities most polluted by year-round particle pollution: 6

Rank of Plant Bowen, a Georgia Power coal electricity plant in Cartersville, among national producers of smog-causing sulfur dioxide: 1

Days in 2007 when Atlantaâ€™s air quality was rated â€œGoodâ€ based on Environmental Protection Agency standards: 113

Days in 2000 when Atlantaâ€™s air quality was rated â€œGoodâ€ based on EPA standards: 76

People in Atlantaâ€™s five core counties with asthma or chronic bronchitis: 384,547

Population of metro Atlanta in 2007: 4,029,400

Projected population of metro Atlanta area in 2030: 5,261,534

Sources: American Lung Association, Atlanta Regional Commission, Environmental Integrity Project, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division.

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Add It Up: Old King Coal

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:22:35 -0400

Cost of one ton of Appalachian coal in 2007: $40

Cost of one ton of Appalachian coal in 2008: $90

Percentage of electricity price increase Georgia Power recently requested from the state Public Services Commission: 3

Number of times Georgia Power has requested rate increases during the past five years: 5

Amount Georgia Power parent company, Southern Co., spent on government lobbying in 2007: $14.5 million

Number of new coal plants planned for Georgia: 2 Amount of energy, in megawatts, the two coal power plants can produce: 2,050

Amount of energy, in megawatts, that one wind turbine among many located off the Georgia coast could generate in clean energy: 160

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Augusta Chronicle, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Public Service Commission, Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute, OpenSecrets.org

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Add It Up: Foreclosures

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:34:24 -0400

Home foreclosures in United States in March: 234,685

Home foreclosures in Georgia in March: 11,047

Percent increase from February 2008: 44.8

Percent increase from March 2007: 63.2

Number of states with more home foreclosures than Georgia in March: 3

Percentage drop in home sales reported by Atlanta-based homebuilder Ashton Woods in early 2008: 32.1

Number of property liens filed against Atlanta home developer Hedgewood Properties in the first quarter of 2008: 75

Number of liens filed against Hedgewood in 2007: 86

Sources: Atlanta Business Chronicle, U.S. Census Bureau, RealtyTrac.com, 11Alive.com

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Add It Up: Priorities

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:39:38 -0400

Days Gov. Sonny Perdue, First Lady Mary Perdue and Secretary of State Karen Handel recently spent in China on a foreign trade mission: 5

Price for one round-trip business-class ticket from Atlanta to Shanghai: $13,839.15

International business trips Perdue has taken since 2003: 14

Jobs for Georgians Perdueâ€™s trade mission reportedly secured: 20

Georgia unemployment insurance initial claims in the first two months of 2008: 107,431

Annual value of time and fuel metro Atlanta loses because of traffic congestion: $2 billion

State Department of Transportationâ€™s current budget shortfall: $1 billion

Amount state will allow Georgia counties to raise together for regional transit projects: 0

Sources: AccessNorthGa.com, Delta.com, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Trend, Office of the Governor.

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Add It Up: The city too busy for math

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:03:41 -0400

Current projected revenue shortfall in Atlanta: $65 million

Amount by which Atlanta exceeded its budget during fiscal year that ended June 2007: $90 million

Amount city overestimated its year-to-year budget surplus since 2003: $241 million

Estimated revenue shortfall city predicts it will face next year: $120 million

Amount of cityâ€™s budget shortfall when Mayor Franklin took office in 2002: $82 million

Percent property tax hike imposed in 2002 to cover cityâ€™s budget shortfall: 51

Percent by which the city has rolled back property taxes since then: 22

Percent by which all 15 city departments were recently asked to cut their budgets: 25

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, City of Atlanta Dept. of Finance

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Add It Up: Take me out to the ball game

Andisheh Nouraee — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:00:46 -0400

Number of games Braves finished behind division champions in 2007: 5

Seasons the Braves have finished below .500 since 1991: 1

Combined age of Braves top four starting pitchers: 150

Combined number of Cy Young Awards they've won: 3

Last time a Braves pitcher won a Cy Young Award: 1998

John Smoltzâ€™s career strike-outs per nine innings: 7.95

John Smoltzâ€™s strike-outs per nine innings in 2007: 8.62

Number of starting pitchers in 2008 who were also in the rotation in 2004: 1

Number of starting players in 2008 who also started in 2004: 1

Last time the Braves won a post-season game: 2005

Last time the Braves won a post-season series: 1999

Source: BaseballReference.com

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Add It Up: Life's a gas

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:00:01 -0400

Tons of CO2 emitted in 2007 by Plant Scherer, a coal power plant outside Macon: 27,200,000

Since 2002, number of states with lower increase in CO2 emissions than Georgia: 48

Pounds of CO2 emission stopped annually by replacing three incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs: 300

Pounds of CO2 emission stopped annually by inflating your car tires correctly: 250

Pounds of CO2 emission stopped annually by setting your thermostat two degree cooler in winter and warmer in summer: 2,000

Pounds of CO2 emissions stopped annually by switching from average American diet to a vegetarian diet: 3,000

Minimum number people, businesses and municipalities turning off all lights for one hour on March 29 for Earth Hour: 160,000

U.S. home fires caused by candles between 2000 and 2004: 16,400

Sources: Environmental Integrity Project, National Fire Protection Association, www.earthhour.org, International Herald Tribune, www.stopglobalwarming.org

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Add It Up: Over there

Thomas Wheatley — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:17:23 -0400

Years since U.S. invasion of Iraq: 5

Total number of U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan: 7,284

American troops killed in Iraq: 3,987

American troops from Georgia killed in Iraq: 123

American troops from metro Atlanta killed in Iraq: 36

American troops from Georgia wounded in Iraq: 858

Youngest Georgian killed in Iraq: 19

Oldest Georgian killed in Iraq: 57

Sources: Military Times, Brookings Institution, U.S. Dept. of Defense, National Archives

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Add It Up: Rich chiefs

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:00:41 -0400

Amount Coca-Cola Co. paid former CEO Neville Isdell in 2007: $31.9 million

Amount Coca-Cola paid current CEO Muhtar Kent in 2007: $8.7 million

Average salary of an account manager (sales) at Coca-Cola: $38,327

Amount Home Depot paid former CEO Robert Nardelli in 2006: $13.1 million

Value of Nardelli's Home Depot severance package: $210 million

People Home Depot laid off from its Vinings headquarters in January: 500

Amount Southern Co. paid CEO David Ratcliffe in 2006: $7.8 million

Annual salary for "utility worker" position advertised on Southern Co.'s website: $24,696

Sources: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, PayScale, Executive PayWatch Database, CFO magazine, Fortune magazine, Athens Banner-Herald, New York Times

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Add It Up: Greenspace a go-go

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:00:46 -0500

Acres identified as greenspace in 20-county metro area: 170,000

Approximate acreage of DeKalb County: 170,000

Amount of money regional voters have approved for greenspace acquisition since 2003: $2.16 million

Percentage of land in 20-county metro area protected as â€œgreenspaceâ€: 4

Number of acres of trees in metro Atlanta that are lost to development daily: 50

Cost of plot of â€œgreenspaceâ€ on DeKalb Avenue area residents want to save from development: $1 million

Price the land was sold for last year: $297,900

Number of condo units planned on the lot: 10

Minimum lot size, in acres, Atlanta Parks and Recreation will purchase: 2

Size, in acres, of the DeKalb Avenue lot: .33

Number of days residents were given to raise that money: 30

Rank of Atlanta, out of 10, for cities with least amount of park space as a percentage of city acreage: 2

Acres of greenspace the Beltline is poised to create: 1,200

Acres of greenspace in Atlanta per 1,000 people: 7.9

Acres of greenspace in Raleigh per 1,000 people: 35.6

Sources: Atlanta Regional Commission, NASA, Trees Atlanta, Beltline, Trust for Public Land, DeKalb County Tax Assessors

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Add It Up: Thick wallets, Gold Dome

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 10:00:27 -0500

Number of registered lobbyists in Georgia, as of 2007: 1,492

Amount lobbyists spent on Valentine's Day for legislators and their spouses last year: $16,000

Amount lobbyists spent in 2007 on meals, tickets, entertainment and other perks for legislators: $1.4 million

Amount spent during 2008 legislative session, as of press time: $311,620.58

Number of groups represented by lobbyists under the Gold Dome in 2007: 5,203

Ratio of lobbyists to legislators: 6:1

Georgia's grade, out of 100, for lobbyist finance disclosure reports: 63

Georgiaâ€™s national rank in terms of disclosure reports: 18

Number of legislators who became lobbyists after leaving office, as of 2005: 41

Number of years a legislator has to "cool off" before going from public office to professional lobbyist: 1

Annual salary of Georgia legislator, excluding per diems and expense account: $17,341

Average monthly retainer paid to a business lobbyist by one company: $2,000-$6,000

Sources: The Center for Public Integrity, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Trend, State Ethics Commission

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Add It Up: Odd Bridges

Andisheh Nouraee — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:00:58 -0500

Months until 14th Street bridge replacement is supposed to be complete: 28

Southbound Downtown Connector off-ramps to Midtown now closed for bridge project: 3

Southbound Downtown Connector off-ramps to Midtown that remain open: 2

Months 14th Street bridge will be closed, starting this summer: 18

Number of bike lanes planned for replacement 14th Street bridge: 1

Number of cars that use the Downtown Connector daily: 340,000

Percent of Midtown drivers state says need to â€œget out of their carsâ€ for traffic â€œto be able to moveâ€ during construction: 10

Number of new or enhanced MARTA routes near project: 0

Amount state will pay for 14th Street bridge replacement project: $88.5 million

Amount state contributes to MARTA annually: $0

Sources: AJC, Georgia Department of Transportation, Car & Driver, MARTA

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Add It Up: Bad Cops

Kelly Vines — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:00:11 -0500

Amount former Atlanta police officer Daniel Betts illegally took weekly from an apartment complex to provide extra patrols: $120

According to the FBI, minimum amount former Atlanta police officer Gregg Junnier took weekly from several businesses to provide extra patrols: $400

Years in prison Junnier faces for his role in the 2006 killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston during a drug raid: 10

Years in prison former Atlanta police officer Jason Smith faces for his role in Johnstonâ€™s killing: 12

Number of cases involving the indicted officers now being reviewed by the Fulton County district attorney: 40

Men convicted on Junnierâ€™s and Smithâ€™s testimony whoâ€™ve been released from prison: 4

Cases dropped by Fulton County district attorney because they relied on Junnierâ€™s and Smithâ€™s testimony: 41

Age of middle-schooler Atlanta police officer Wilson Carstaffin is accused of molesting: 12

Sources: AJC, 11 Alive, New York Times

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Add It Up: Better than Mississippi

Thomas Wheatley — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:00:04 -0500

From zero to 100, Georgia's overall state grade for public education: 80.2

Mississippi's overall state grade for public education: 68.9

National average grade for public education: 75.9

Average dollars spent annually on each student in Georgia: 8,658

Rank of Georgia in United States for per-pupil spending: 27

Georgia's grade for K-12 achievement: 68.1

K-12 achievement grade for Massachusetts: 85

Percentage of Georgia high school students who graduate: 56.1

Number of states with higher high school graduation rates than Georgia: 48

Source: EPE Research Center 2008 Quality Counts public education survey

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Add It Up: Featherless Falcons

Scott Freeman — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:20:45 -0500

Year the Atlanta Falcons franchise came into existence â€¦ 1966

Year the Falcons won their first division title â€¦ 1980

Years the Falcons have been in Atlanta â€¦ 41

Number of years the team has had a .500 record or lower â€¦ 32

Number of full-time head coaches in franchise history â€¦ 10

Number of those coaches who left with a winning record â€¦ 2

How much money Falcons safety Eugene Robinson offered to pay an undercover cop for oral sex on the eve of Super Bowl XXXIII â€¦ $40

Number of points the Denver Broncos scored against the Falcons in that game â€¦ 34

Number of other Falcons Super Bowl appearances â€¦ 0

Number of Falcons in the Pro Football Hall of Fame â€¦ 0

Number of pages on the Falcons' official website devoted to team history â€¦ 0

Team record since Arthur Blank bought the team in 2002 â€¦ 43-49

Sources: Wikipedia, ESPN.com

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World AIDS Day is Dec. 1

Katy Wood — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:00:56 -0500

People living with HIV/AIDS in Georgia as of Dec. 31, 2006: 29,254

Georgiaâ€™s ranking in number of AIDS cases per 100,000 cases in the United States: 8

Number of persons newly diagnosed with AIDS in Georgia in 2005: 932

Number of persons newly diagnosed with HIV in Georgia in 2005: 1,267

Percentage of Georgians diagnosed with AIDS in 2005 who are African-Americans: 77

Percentage of Georgians who are African-American: 29

Percentage of new HIV infections occurring in people under 25: 50

Number of promising HIV vaccine candidates in testing: 20

Sources: Georgia Department of Human Resources, Georgia AIDS Coalition, AID Atlanta

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