Harper’s has put its full Index online in a searchable database. The Index is a compilation of facts and numbers published in the magazine each month.
Some are poignant:
Average income of an African American today, expressed as a percentage of the average income of a white American: 74
Average income of an American child of Mexican immigrants, expressed in the same terms: 71
Some are funny:
Number of dogs and whores of whom Yasir Arafat is the son, according to Syria’s defense minister: 120,000
Still others are depressing:
Percentage of all income gains during the Bush Administration that have gone to the top 1 percent of earners: 75
It’s fun reading and useful for writing term papers.