Ranks of the Ty Warner Penthouse (Four Seasons Hotel), the Presidential Suite (St. Regis) and the Royal Plaza Suite (The Plaza Hotel) on the list of the most expensive hotel suites in Manhattan, according to a report on per day stays in NewYorkHotels.org: 1, 2, 3
Cost per day to stay at the Ty Warner Penthouse Suite, where guests are treated to sweeping views of Manhattan in every direction, bathroom sinks made of solid rock crystal blocks, a personal butler who is on call 24 hours a day and the use of a Maybach or Rolls-Royce -- with a personal driver: $40,000
Cost per day to stay in the Presidential Suite inside the St. Regis, where guests can brag that they stayed in the same suite as Salvador Dali, Babe Paley and Marilyn Monroe: $35,000
Cost per day to stay in The Plaza's Royal Plaza Suite, inspired by the ambiance of Louis XV's royal court: $30,000
Source: NewYorkHotels.org.
Percentage of singles who divulged that music is an integral part of their date-night prep, according to a survey by Match.com: 78
Percentage of men who choose to listen to classic crooner Barry White when getting pumped up for a date: 49
Percentage of women who choose current artists like Robin Thicke and Maroon 5: 44
Source: Match.com.
Rank of the 2013 Ram 1500 on the list of the top tailgating cars for 2013, partly because of a feature that lowers the truck to parking height for easier access to the truck's bed and its contents, according to Cars.com: 1
Source: Cars.com.
Amount of state tax on gasoline per gallon levied in California, the highest in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 39.5 cents
Amount of state tax on gasoline and on diesel per gallon in Florida, the lowest in the country: 4 cents
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
When hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries were asked if they had two equally qualified candidates, which factors would make them more likely to consider one candidate over another, percentage who said the candidate with the better sense of humor, according to a CareerBuilder study: 27
Source: CareerBuilder.com.
Ranks of addiction (sex, drugs and alcohol), mood disorders (depression, bi-polar disorder) and personality disorders (narcissism, borderline personality disorder) on the list of mental illnesses that plague marriages most, according to a survey of mental-health professionals by YourTango: 1, 2, 3
Percentage of mental-health professionals who agree that a spouse's ultimatum or family intervention is the most effective tool for kick-starting recovery: 54
Source: YourTango.com.
Percentage of research participants who state that they have "covered" their identity at work (a process by which individuals downplay their differences relative to mainstream perceptions, often in ways costly to their productivity and sense of self), according to a study from the Deloitte University Leadership Center for Inclusion and law professor Kenji Yoshino: 75
Percentage of straight, white, male respondents who report hiding their authentic selves on the job: 50
Rank of blacks (94 percent), women of color (91 percent), LGBT (91 percent) and women (80 percent) on the list of groups where the highest levels of covering occur: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: Deloitte LLP.
Percentage of Americans who are working out at least once a week, according to the Timex/SodaHead.com survey: 73
Percentage who spend between 30 minutes and one hour on their physical activities: 29
Percentage who are spending between one and two hours exercising: 18
Source: Timex sodahead.
Percentage of Americans who gave themselves an A or B grade on their saving and investing knowledge, while giving the average American a failing grade of D, according to Genworth's Psychology of Financial Planning research: 52
Percentage of respondents who agree on the importance of financial literacy and the fact that they don't have enough: 88
Source: Genworth Financial.
Percentage of college football fans who say they wear certain clothes or shoes to help their favorite team beat their opponents, according to a survey by the Big Ten Network: 53
Percentage who felt looking away from the screen sometimes helped their team win: 40
Source: BTN.
Idle Thought
"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." -- Ernest Hemingway, Nobel laureate
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)