Numbers: Sep. 26, 2005

128 Number of detainees on a hunger strike at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba

18 Number whose condition became critical enough to be hospitalized and force-fed

18 Average annual number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes--those with winds of at least 131 m.p.h.--since 1990, up from an average of 10 a year in the 1970s

1 Increase in degrees Fahrenheit of tropical-sea surface temperatures since 1970, fueling speculation that global warming is making storms stronger

9 Number of adopted children forced to sleep in cages by an Ohio couple, who said the special-needs kids had to be protected from one another

30 by 40 by 48 Dimensions, in inches, of the cages for the children, ages 1 to 14

69 hr. 48 min. Time that Suresh Joachim spent last week in New York City watching TV, a new Guinness world record

5 Minutes each hour Joachim was allowed to stop staring at the TV. He was also given a 15-min. break every 8 hours

Sources: Los Angeles Times (2); Washington Post (2); Los Angeles Times (2); AP (2)