Numbers
COLLEGE TUITION
6.6%
Percentage increase from last year in average tuition and fees at four-year public colleges; in-state students pay about $6,185
$23,712
Average tuition and fees at four-year private colleges, a 6.3% increase from last year
AIRPORT SECURITY
75%
Percentage of simulated explosives missed by federal TSA screeners at Los Angeles international airport; screeners at Chicago O'Hare missed more than 60% of test bombs
20%
Percentage of fake bombs missed at San Francisco international airport, which employs private screeners, not TSA employees
WORLD RECORDS
656
Length in feet of a Chinese wedding-dress train (below); the bride had hoped to land a place in the Guinness World Records book
4,468
Length in feet of the current world-record-holding train, created in February in Cyprus
HOLIDAY SHOPPING
$33 billion
Expected online retail sales this holiday season, up 21% from last year; 11% of those surveyed plan to do at least three-fourths of their holiday shopping online
$816.69
Average amount consumers plan to spend this year on holiday-related shopping, both online and in stores
Sources: AP (2); USA Today (2); Metro (UK); Guinness Book of World Records; Forrester; USA Today
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