Numbers

2% Decrease in U.S. deaths in 2004 from 2003, the largest decline since 1938

77.9 years Life expectancy for a U.S. baby born in 2004, up from 77.5 years in 2003

9.2 million U.N.'s estimate of the number of refugees worldwide who have fled their home countries, the fewest in 25 years

25 million Number of people worldwide living displaced within their own country due to internal conflicts

$46.3 million Budget deficit for 2004 and 2005 reported by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston last week

$150 million Amount the Boston archdiocese has paid in the past three years in legal settlements and other costs related to alleged sex abuse by clergy members

41 ft. Estimated length of Mapusaurus roseae, the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever discovered, based on a 100-million-year-old, 3-ft. shinbone found in Argentina

125 ft. Estimated length of Argentinosaurus, an herbivore that Mapusaurus probably hunted in packs

18% Portion of parents in a survey who said they have drugged their children to sedate them for a flight

31% Portion of travelers this summer who are expected to have children in tow

Sources: AP; CDC; Reuters (2); AP; New York Times; Los Angeles Times (2); Wall Street Journal (2)