In our modern world, sometimes numbers say more than words ever can. Numbers convey magnitude and can even prompt us to act. I was glad to see how the world responded to the tragic Southeast Asian tsunami, but I wonder what the response would have been if the death toll had been half of that. Would it still have been a story? More than 100,000 deaths is certainly more arresting than, say, 1,000. And then there are the numbers that never get mentioned, like, say, the number of Iraqi civilian casualties.

Because we pride certain numbers over others, many smaller but important facts go unnoticed. What follows is a list of interesting numbers that reflect our world today, in no particular order. The numbers are of course approximations since some of the things they purport to measure are immeasurable. They are rounded off and estimated from data that is available, but some things obviously no one can know for sure. Regardless, I think they are reflective of some of our modern realities and truisms. They are meant to prompt thought and reflection.

• 24 — The number of people who starve to death every minute, supposedly 18 of them children.

• 40,000 — The average number of Americans killed in car crashes annually.

• 8 percent — The approximate portion of the world’s population that is American.

• 40 percent — The approximate share of resources available used by the United States.

• Less than 1 percent — The portion of the world’s population that will attend a college or university.

• 30,000 — The number of Americans who kill themselves every year.

• 5,000 — The number of teenage suicides every year, making it the second-leading cause of death for teenagers in America.

• $401.3 billion — The 2004 defense budget.

• $56 billion — The amount requested for the 2006 education budget.

• $4.1 billion — The Red Cross budget.

• 6 — The number of years we could have fully funded all global hunger efforts with the money spent on the war in Iraq.

• 9.1 percent — Iowans living under the poverty line as of 2002.

• 2030 — The year scientists estimate all tropical rainforests will be destroyed at the current rate.

• Less than 1 — The percentage of natural fresh water available on the entire planet for human use.

• 45th — Iowa’s national ranking for murder rates.

• 7th — Influenza’s place in the top 10 leading causes of death.

• 100,000 — The number of Americans who die annually from “correct” drug use, mostly prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.

• 16 — The number of times a normal adult human being will breathe in a minute.

• 478 percent — The increase in the reporting of homicides on network news from 1990 to 1998.

• 32.9 percent — The decrease in homicides during that same period.

Now, you’ll notice a lot of these numbers aren’t exactly heartening, because I didn’t list how many times a person smiles in a given day. The reason I just beat you over the head with numbers is because the media do it all the time, but usually with the wrong numbers. If you watch too much television, you find yourself subject to irrational fears that change from day to day. Some new drug or new threat is out there to get you this week. The media want you to think that blacks are responsible for crime, social spending is the greatest portion of the U.S. budget and that oil is the greatest commodity. The reality is that the military spends the most money, crime is going down and our supply of fresh water is depleting rapidly.

Despite the fashionable fears that the media give to us every day, our greatest struggles and perils have remained unchanged for many years. The reality is that you’re probably going to die from what most people die of: sickness, accidents or hunger.