National elections in Afghanistan suffer low turnout amid threats from Taliban
Number of Afghans killed because of election-related violence: 26
Number of attacks carried out by Taliban militants on the day of the election: 73
Percent of Afghanistan’s 15 million registered voters who actually voted according to officials: 40 to 50%
Percent of Afghanistan’s registered voters who actually voted in the 2004 national election: 70%

Dozens of Mexican drug cartel members arrested
Number of Mexican drug cartel members recently indicted in the U.S. and Mexico: 43
Estimated amount of cocaine the detained drug cartel members and their allies imported and distributed in the U.S. between 1990 and 2008: 200 tons
Number of dollars the detained Mexican drug cartel members gained from cocaine and heroin imports into the U.S. between 1990 and 2008: more than $5.8 billion

Officials announce poverty level increase
A family of two is considered below the U.S. poverty line if they produce a total annual income of: $13,540
A family of four is considered below the U.S. poverty line if they produce a total annual income of: $21,203
Number of Americans who fell beneath the poverty line between 2007 and 2008: 1.5 million
Estimated poverty rate in the U.S. as of 2008: at least 12.7%

-Compiled by State of Mind Contributor Tom Hammel