Running Numbers

A scholarly look at the digits that matter.

by Nick Norlen

60,000 Number of children living with "relative caregivers" in Philadelphia, according to a press release issued by Pa. state Sen. Anthony Williams for the 2006 Kinship Conference. The forum is for and about "the men and women — often grandmothers — who are raising children that are not biologically their own" and will be held Oct. 20-21 at Temple's Student Activities Center. Call 215-546-9422 for more information.

6,000 Minimum number of geoscientists who will attend the 118th annual meeting and exposition of the Geological Society of America at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Oct. 22-25. Don't miss the field trip topic "135 million years of history in southwestern Philadelphia." Get that look off your face, GPTMC. I don't even want to know what you're thinking.

4 Number of months that photographer Joan Myers spent in Antarctica before completing her book, Wondrous Cold, on which she will give a multimedia presentation for the Geographical Society of Philadelphia at the American Philosophical Society at 431 Chestnut St. Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Philosophical, Geographical, Geological ... there's definitely a Society war brewing in this city. I can see it now: One side's going to insist that it's a war of ideas, another side's going to call it a land battle, and the third is just going to go underground and wait it out. A hill will go to the victor. Let's just hope those Ethical jerks don't get involved.

$25 Cost of flu shots that will be offered at various locations in the Philadelphia area Oct. 19-22. Visit www.phillyhealthinfo.org for locations.

1 Number of paychecks that separate many Americans and Philadelphians from homelessness, according to a press release for the Tavis Smiley Foundation's Youth Action organization's "Proposal for Developing Social Consciousness of Homeless in Philadelphia," a service project that aims to "change the way we interact with the homeless from a toxic interaction to that of a respectful relationship." Too bad your group isn't a Society, Tavis. I suppose a war on homelessness will have to do.