You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
4.3 points
A study of 416 men and women who arrived in the E.R. with moderate to severe pain in their arms or legs found compelling evidence against the necessity of opioids in pain management. When patients rated their pain on an 11-point scale, the initial average pain was 8.7. After taking Tylenol and ibuprofin, it dropped 4.3 points. After taking Tylenol and oxycodone, it dropped 4.4 points. That’s not exactly the kind of results that encourage rolling the dice on opiates. [The New York Times]
5 women
Five women told the New York Times that comedian and director Louis C.K. engaged in sexual misconduct. The comedian has cancelled engagements and the premiere of his film “I Love You Daddy” on Thursday as the allegations came forward. [The New York Times]
21.7 percent
New York City voter turnout was a new low on Tuesday, down to 21.7 percent of the city’s 5 million registered voters. A competitive but not particularly close mayoral election in an off-Presidential year may have played a role here. [The New York Daily News]
30 interviews
Interviews with 30 people who knew Roy Moore between 1977 to 1982 indicate that during the time he was an assistant district attorney he pursued relationships with at least four young girls between the ages of 14 and 18. Moore, who is the Republican nominee for Alabama’s open senate seat, denied the allegations. [The Washington Post]
33 films
Hallmark will have premiered 33 new and original holiday films on its two channels by the end of the year, up from 28 new movies last year. The company cranked up its output back in 2008 and has now moved all-in on the holidays, with 136 total Christmas movies in their repertoire. [The Wall Street Journal]
120 percent
That would be the return on investment if you invested in a portfolio stuffed with “bubble” markets at the beginning of 2017. Turns out the prudent investor puts it all on Chinese real estate, cryptocurrencies, ETF, long term bonds, volatility bets, Tesla and Netflix, and Tencent Holdings. Who would have guessed? [Bloomberg]
Check out Besides the Points, my new sports newsletter.
If you see a significant digit in the wild, send it to @WaltHickey.