Running Numbers

A scholarly look at the digits that matter.

by Nick Norlen

0 Amount of population growth Stanford professor and "Zero Population Growth" movement founder Paul Ehrlich has advocated for throughout his career. The Philadelphia native will be in town on Feb. 5 for the Academy of Natural Sciences Town Square event, "The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment in the Obama Administration," from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Academy, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. RSVP is required at ansp.org. No more than two kids per couple, please!

21 Minimum age singles must be to participate in Diet Dr Pepper's "Love at First Sip" speed-dating event on Feb. 11, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Dave and Buster's, 325 N. Columbus Blvd. Visit dietdrpepperdate.yahoo.com for details, to vote for the best couples, and for a chance to win a trip to Paris. Don't worry, Ehrlich will be there to chaperone.

140 Number of words that partygoers will likely use to communicate with one another at the Philadelphia Twestival, one of many Twitter community festivals organized to raise money for charity: water, a nonprofit that provides drinking water to developing nations. Tweeters will gather on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at The Get Happy Pub, 509 S. Second St. Tickets are $10, $25 for admission plus entry into the Rock Band tournament.

121 Number of years The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia has been in existence — making it the nation's oldest chartered Civil War institution. The museum will sponsor "Abraham & Frederick: The Other Lincoln/Douglass Debate" on Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Temple University's Walker Auditorium in Ritter Hall, 12th and Montgomery streets. The living history performance will examine the relationship between the two men as well as the little-known fact that they were actually the first two politicians to debate via Twitter. (It was ruled a tie and later settled via Rock Band.)

1,700 Number of business development professionals — from 83 countries — who are part of the network of the Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center, a division of the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, which helps small and midsize companies sell their "Made in the USA" products or services overseas. The USEAC's six-session series, "Breaking into the Trade Game: A Small Business Guide to Exporting," begins on Feb. 12 at the USEAC Philadelphia on 601 Walnut St. Register — via your American-made laptop, of course — at buyusa.gov/philadelphia/bittg.html.

Hey ... can I get your digits? I want to hear about the numerals you need to see. Let a number-runner know at runningnumbers@gmail.com.