By The Numbers

Would you like an online class with your book?

Tony Wagner Jan 12, 2015
$5.2 billion

On Monday, Irish-based Shire, a pharmaceutical company, announced plans to purchase NPS pharmaceuticals Inc. for $5.2 billion. As reported by Bloomberg, the move follows a failed attempt by the company to purchase AbbVie Inc. 

23 percent

The difference between the actual portion of French people who are Muslim and the average guess from survey respondents, according to the Guardian. It turns out most people vastly over- or underestimate the number of Muslim, unemployed, voting, Christian, and non-native people in their home country.

$25 to $85

These days, authors have to do a whole lot more than just write books. In fact, Simon & Schuster announced that some of their most popular authors will host online courses for $25 to $85. As reported by the New York Times, the courses will include workbooks and access to live question-and-answer sessions.

$5 million

The amount IFC paid to bankroll the 12-year making of “Boyhood,” which took home top honors at the Golden Globes Sunday. The film represented an unusual and risky investment for both the studio and director Richard Linklater, CNN reported. The former had to wait more than a decade for any return on investment and the latter had to hope IFC’s leadership would remain consistent over an eternity in Hollywood.

71 percent

The portion of online adults who use Facebook, according to a wealth of new survey data released from Pew. Facebook is still the dominant social network a couple times over, but its share has not grown, while younger sites are expanding rapidly. Two more key stats: more than half of online seniors use Facebook, while a whooping half of young people are on Instagram.

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