More than 500 years after Columbus first arrived in the New World, nearly half of Americans (48%) think that the United States has had special protection from God for most of its history, according to a 2002 survey.

That’s the proportion of Americans who support a constitutional amendment to ban marriages between gay and lesbian couples. Even among groups most strongly opposed to gay marriage (white evangelicals, Republicans, conservatives and senior citizens), fewer than a majority favor an amendment.

That’s the number of states that will feature property rights measures on their 2006 ballots, making the issue a hot new topic on state election slates this fall.

That’s the percentage of Hispanics who are eligible voters, compared with 77% of whites and 65% of blacks.

That’s the number of stories on Google News during the first 18 days of September that contained the word “Taliban.” That’s more than a 1000% increase over the number of stories containing that term in the first 18 days of August.

That’s the percentage of Japanese who think that China’s growing military power is a bad thing for their country. That concern is shared by large majorities of others among China’s neighbors.

That’s the percentage of Pakistanis who say that relations between the U.S. and Pakistan have improved in recent years.

That’s the percentage of Americans who oppose allowing pharmacists to refuse to sell birth control pills for religious reasons. Fewer than one-in-five (17%) express support for this type of “conscience clause” exemption.

That’s the percentage of the American public who favor direct negotiations with Iran over the issue of its nuclear program