Snippets from Harper's Index

A selection from the August Index:

Rank of California governor Gray Davis's approval rating in May among the lowest in the 55-year history of the state poll : 1

Number of U.S. commercial sites besides Disneyland and Disney World that have been granted no-fly-zone protection : 0

Number of industry-funded trips that FCC officials have taken since 1995 : 2,514

Rank of Las Vegas among the top destinations of such trips : 1

Percentage of pedestrian fatalities on U.S. roadways last year in which the driver was drunk : 18

Percentage in which the pedestrian was : 37

Average salary of a state legislator last year : $30,300

Average amount spent lobbying one : $130,000

Number of countries to which the U.S. sent troops between 1900 and 1993 for the purpose of establishing democracy : 14

Number that were democracies ten years after the withdrawal of U.S. forces : 4

We could use a Southern California Index. Maybe when I get more time...