uExpress.com: Figuratively Speaking by John MacIntyre -- (03/24/2013)

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03/24/2013

Among adults ages 19 to 35 who did not complete high school, percentage who said "absence of parental support or encouragement" was a reason they dropped out, according to a survey on behalf of Everest College: 23

Percentage who said "becoming a parent": 21

Source: Everest College.

By 2016, estimated number of small- and medium-business (SMB) employees who will be mobile workers, according to a Techaisle report: 298 million

Percentage of SMB employees who will be working from home by 2016: 25

Source: Techaisle.

Average wedding budget in 2012 (excluding the honeymoon), according to TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com 2012 Real Weddings Survey: $28,427

Average spending for a wedding in Manhattan, the most expensive place to get married: $76,678

Average spending for a wedding in Alaska, the least expensive place to get married: $15,504

Source: The Knot.

Percentage of Americans who say saving time is very important, according to the results of a national survey from mytimeheroes.com: 78

Percentage of respondents who would rather spend an extra hour with their children or significant other than waste it on mundane activities: 90

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To free up that extra hour, percentage of survey participants who reported they would like to have more help around the house: 70

Source: ServiceMaster.

Average amount of money per tooth left by the Tooth Fairy in 2012, an increase of 15 percent over the $2.60 left in 2011, according to a survey by Visa: $3

Percentage of children who receive less than a dollar, down from 7 percent last year: 3

Percentage of children who receive more than $5, compared to 3 percent last year: 8

Source: Visa USA.

Percentage chance of infection by unexpected malware for consumers who procure pirated software, according to a study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by IDC: 33

As a result of these infections, estimated number of hours that consumers will spend identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware: 1.5 billion

Cost of this recovery: $22 billion

Source: Microsoft.

Percentage of Americans who believe that the U.S. faces a shortage of highly skilled workers, according to a survey conducted for TechNet by Zogby Analytics: 64

Percentage who say immigration policy should encourage highly skilled workers to stay in the country: 63

Source: TechNet.

Percentage of job seekers who proclaimed that their job search was "top priority," according to the online job-matching service survey: 68.1

Percentage of TheLadders' survey respondents who agreed that a resume should be no longer than two pages: 81.1

Percentage who "use privacy settings on personal accounts" and social networks to ensure employers find the best professional profile both online and in person: 51.4

Source: TheLadders.

Year that the Philadelphia Flower Show, now covering 33 acres and the largest such indoor event in the world, first opened its doors: 1829

In the U.S., percentage of households that take part in some form of gardening: 70

Estimated number of flower, nursery stock and supply wholesalers that sustain the country's flower shops and garden centers: 112,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Of those Americans whose total annual household income is $75,000 or greater, percentage who indicated they have used, or will use, their tax refund this year to pay down their debt, according to the results of a ShopAtHome.com survey: 41

Of those with a total annual household income of less than $35,000, percentage who said they would save a portion of their refund: 28

Source: ShopAtHome.com.

Idle Thought

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy." -- Norman Vincent Peale

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

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