Running Numbers

A scholarly look at the digits that matter.

by Nick Norlen

150 Number of cultural events that take place each day in southeastern Pennsylvania, according to the 2006 Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Portfolio. If, after reading this, you haven't had your statistical fix, visit Philaculture.org to view hundreds more in the full report that was compiled with "the support of 218 participating organizations [to] document the breadth, diversity, and well-being of Southeastern Pennsylvania's nonprofit cultural resources."

40x42 Dimensions, in feet, of the room at the Philadelphia Ethical Society Building that will be transformed into a Friggatriskaidekaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th) Treatment Center for the free Anti-Superstition Party hosted by the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Join in the fun of opening umbrellas indoors, limboing under ladders, breaking mirrors and — my personal suggestion — dressing replicas of City Hall's William Penn statue in all manner of sports apparel.

20 Percentage of parents in the state, according to a Pennsylvania Medical Society press release titled "New Student Body Fat Screenings May Surprise One in Five Pennsylvania Parents," that may be bewildered after hearing the Department of Health report that "as many as one child out of every five is overweight." Maybe I'm nitpicking here, but I'm not sure that the most crucial issue is the potential surprise of the people raising obese kids. Maybe someone should organize an Anti-Supersizing Party instead.

5 Number of crooked lawyers it takes to beat the house in blackjack: one to "cross examine" the dealer's hole card and four to bet accordingly. Witness such belaboring of hit-or-stay decisions during Young Lawyer casinoNIGHT, a free event featuring a top-shelf open bar, hors d'oeuvres and table games Oct. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Hub CityView Meeting and Event Center. RSVP at Palegalpubs.com/yl.

3 Number of area theaters, including The Ambler Theater Oct. 12, Doylestown's County Theater Oct. 16, and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute Oct. 18, that will be screening filmmaker Tigre Hill's The Shame of a City, a documentary chronicling Philadelphia's 2003 mayoral race. Somehow it seems fitting that the Terror Film Festival also starts in Philly Oct. 18.

9 Rank of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philly-based magazine The Scientist's fourth annual "Best Place to Work in Academia" survey.