uExpress.com: Figuratively Speaking by John MacIntyre -- (02/26/2012)

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02/26/2012

Percentage of office workers who report their pen has gone missing, according to a survey conducted by Paper Mate about office theft: 70

Percentage who have caught a colleague red-handed: 38

Percentage who admitted to having taken a pen from a colleague at one time or another: 100

Source: Paper Mate.

Percentage of people who set a goal to change their behavior in 2012, according to a survey released by the American Psychological Association: 93

Ranks of losing weight (57 percent), eating a healthier diet (50 percent) and exercising regularly (41 percent) on the list of goals aimed at improving health: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of saving more money (52 percent) and paying off debt (37 percent) on the list of goals related to financial status: 1, 2

Source: American Psychological Association.

Despite continuing economic uncertainty, percentage of consumers who say home ownership is still a good investment and an important part of the American Dream, according to a Better Homes and Gardens survey: 80

Percentage of consumers who are spending more time planning design changes for the home, up from 33 percent in 2010: 38

Ranks of bathroom remodeling (31 percent) and kitchen remodeling (25 percent) on the list of remodeling priorities for consumers: 1, 2

Source: Better Homes and Gardens.

Year that William Tucker became the first African-American child born in the American Colonies, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1624

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In 1824, number of black residents counted by the census: 1.8 million

Today, estimated number of black residents in the U.S., 13.6 percent of the population: 42 million

By the year 2050, projected number of African-Americans, 15 percent of the total U.S. population: 65.7 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who admit they sometimes feel low on energy in the morning, according to a survey released by Kraft Foods: 63

Percentage who believe breakfast to be the most important meal of the day: 61

Percentage who actually eat breakfast: 48

Source: Kraft Foods.

Percentage of executives who said cover letters are valuable when evaluating job candidates, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 91

Percentage who indicated it's common to receive cover letters even when applicants submit resumes electronically: 79

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of online Americans who say online dating has become mainstream, and that they know someone whose relationship started with online interactions, according to a survey by Euro RSCG Worldwide: 49

Percentage who admit to having flirted with someone online: 40

Percentage of respondents who say they've experienced strong feelings of attraction for someone on the Internet: 25

Source: Euro RSCG.

Percentage of all Americans who now own a tablet or e-reader, according to a Tablet Trends Study released by Rosetta: 33

Percentage of tablet users who will likely spend significant time with their touchscreen devices in the bedroom: 68

Percentage who take their tablets to the bathroom: 24

Source: Rosetta.

Percentage of workers age 60 and over who said they would look for a new job after retiring from their current company, showing that retirement no longer means the end of one's career, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder and PrimeCB.com: 57

When asked how soon they think they can retire from their current job, percentage of respondents who said they don't think they'll ever be able to retire: 11

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of identity theft claims that are attributed to tax- or wage-related fraud, higher than credit card fraud, employment fraud, bank fraud or loan fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Complaint Report: 15

Percentage of Americans who reported that they worry that the organization they are sharing their personal information with could suffer a data breach, according to the results of the annual tax and identity theft survey conducted by PrivacyGuard: 88

Percentage of respondents who chose retailers as the least trustworthy institution, followed by credit card companies and government agencies: 46

Source: Privacy Guard.

Idle Thought

"Few things are more satisfying than seeing your children have teenagers of their own." -- Doug Larson

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)