Significant Digits for Monday, Aug. 22, 2016

Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.] [FiveThirtyEight] Significant Digits For Monday, Aug. 22, 2016 By Walt Hickey [Significant Digits For Monday, Aug. 22, 2016] You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the telling numbers tucked inside the news. --------------------------------------------------------------- 8 percent Percentage of global energy demand that goes to chemical plants. Right now in order to make plastics — and I’m glossing over the nuances of the process — you have to freeze and heat and freeze and heat hydrocarbons to isolate the needed building blocks. Exxon Mobile and Georgia Tech have developed a new technique that could cut some of that energy-intensive process and save a whole lot of money and prevent a whole lot of carbon dioxide from getting into the atmosphere. [[Bloomberg]] --------------------------------------------------------------- 27 gold medals While the U.S. has been on top for the Summer Olympics in Rio, the U.K. has had a massive year as well, taking 27 golds, 23 silvers and 17 bronze medals for second overall in the count. [[The Guardian]] --------------------------------------------------------------- $4.6 million Amount raised by the National Republican Campaign Committee in July, which is a huge drop from fundraising numbers — $9.3 million — in June. The Democratic counterpart raised $12 million in July. [[The Wall Street Journal]] --------------------------------------------------------------- $6.8 million Matt Bissonnette will forfeit $6.8 million in royalties and speaking fees derived from his book, “No Easy Day,” which concerned the raid that killed Osama bin Laden but was not vetted by the Pentagon prior to publication. [[The New York Times]] --------------------------------------------------------------- $11.4 million The “Ben-Hur” remake cost $100 million dollars but crapped the bed at the box office, taking in a mere $11.4 million in its opening weekend at the box office. [[Variety]] --------------------------------------------------------------- $20.7 billion According to the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, that’s the value of the approximately 110,000 homes that may have flooded during the recent disaster in the area. [[The Advocate]] --------------------------------------------------------------- And if you see a significant digit in the wild, send it to [@WaltHickey]. [FiveThirtyEight] [Contact] [ESPN] [RSS] [unsubscribe] | [update info] | [privacy policy] | [forward email] FiveThirtyEight Newsletter sent this message to [{EMAIL}] Questions? Contact [FiveThirtyEight Newsletter] c/o FanBridge, Inc. - 14525 SW Millikan Way, #16910, Beaverton, Oregon 97005, United States This message powered by: [FanBridge]