Harper’s Index

Date on which [Oil|oil] reached $144 per barrel

The fair price of a barrel of [Oil|oil], according to [OsamaBinLaden|Osama bin Laden] in [1990s|1998]

Chances that an American, asked to estimate what percentage of Americans are [AfricanAmerican|black], will guess too high

Percentage of Americans as a whole who believe this

Percentage of U.S. [Islam|Muslims] who believe that “you can get ahead with hard work in America‚”

Percentage of primary-season [Television|TV] ads for [JohnMcCain|McCain] and [BarackObama|Obama], respectively, that included images of the American flag

Rank of [JohnMcCain|McCain] among the most frequent guests on [Sunday|Sunday]-morning network [Television|TV] news shows since [1990s|1997]

Number of [JohnMcCain|John McCain]’s [VietnamWar|Vietnamese] [Torture|torturers] who have publicly endorsed his candidacy

Chance that an American says his or her [Jobs|workplace] is a “[Fascism|dictatorship]‚”

Death benefits that Lockheed Martin paid its current [CEO|CEO] in [March|March], despite his being alive

Percentage change since 2003 in the number of U.S. workers making “hardship withdrawals‚” from retirement accounts

Number that failed during the past three years

Estimated number of [FDIC|FDIC]-insured [Banking|banks] currently in danger of failing

Rank of this year’s [Recession|economic crisis] among the “largest financial shocks since the [Recession|Great Depression],‚” according to the [IMF|IMF]

Percentage of [Britain|Britons] and [Canada|Canadians], respectively, who say the United States is a “force for [Evil|evil]‚”

Ratio of [BarackObama|Obama]’s total campaign donations from the financial sector to [JohnMcCain|McCain]’s total from that sector

Months after his death that actor Roy Scheider is listed as having donated to [BarackObama|Obama]’s campaign

Number of the twelve original members of [PopMusic|Sha Na Na] who hold advanced [Education|academic degrees]

Number of H-1B visas, for workers with a “body of highly specialized knowledge,‚” granted to [Fashion|fashion] models last year

Number of celebrities to whom [BurgerKing|Burger King] has given a lifetime supply of free hamburgers

Estimated percentage change since last year in U.S. sales of [Golf|golf] carts for purposes other than golf

Percentage change since [1990s|1990] in serious [Golf|golf]-cart-related injuries

[Days|Days] in [Prison|jail] that Canton, [Ohio|Ohio], now imposes on repeat offenders of the city’s [Plants|lawn]-mowing requirement

[Minutes|Minutes] that [Minneapolis|Minneapolis] [Driving|drivers] can legally idle while not in traffic, per a new city ordinance

Surcharge that Holly Springs, [Georgia|Georgia], has added to speeding tickets to pay for its [Policing|officers’] [Gasoline|gasoline]

Number of [NorthCarolina|North Carolina] license plates issued last year that begin with the letters “WTF‚”

Number of [Driving|drivers] who have asked for a replacement plate

Times they have referred to [OsamaBinLaden|Osama bin Laden] as “[BarackObama|Obama]‚”

Minimum number of times that [Journalism|journalists] and politicians on [Television|TV] have referred to [BarackObama|Barack Obama] as “Osama‚”

Total during the same period last year

Total [Minutes|minutes] of network [Television|TV] coverage devoted to the war in [Iraq|Iraq] between [January|January] and [June|June] 2008

Number of full-time correspondents that U.S. [Television|TV] networks have posted in [Afghanistan|Afghanistan]

Portion of troops in [Afghanistan|Afghanistan] who are

Portion of [USMilitary|U.S. troops] in [Iraq|Iraq] who are on psychiatric medications

Number caused by [PrescriptionDrugs|prescription drugs]

Number of [Death|deaths] in [Florida|Florida] last year caused by [Drugs|illegal drugs]

Estimated annual sales-[Taxes|tax] revenue that [California|California] receives each year from [HealthCare|medical]-[Marijuana|marijuana] sales

Projected amount that same-[Sex|sex] [Marriage|weddings] will add to [California|California]’s [Economy|economy] during the next three years

Chance that a U.S. [AfricanAmerican|black] believes the country has “gone too far in pushing equal rights‚”

Chance that an American believes that the majority of Americans are [AfricanAmerican|black]