22%
Amount that sales of solar thermal collectors grew in Europe in 2003, according to the French periodical Systemes Solaires.
-2%
Amount that sales of solar thermal collectors dropped in the U.S. in 2003, according to the Department of Energy.
95%
Amount of all solar thermal collectors in the U.S. used to heat swimming pools.
Source: Energy Design Update/Dec04
475,000
Kilotons of TNT required to equal the energy released on Dec. 26 by the magnitude 9.0 Sumatran earthquake (the equivalent of 23,000 Hiroshima bombs).
Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
-2.676
Microseconds by which the length of day was shortened due to the effect of the Sumatran earthquake on the rotation of the earth.
Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
157,000
Workers added to U.S. payrolls in December. About 77,000 of the new jobs were in either health care or business and professional services. The increase was the best in five years but fell short of the 175,000 jobs economists had predicted would be added.
Source: AP