Rank of the art collection of David Geffen, a Dreamworks Animation co-founder, on the list of the owners of the 10 most valuable private art collections in the world, according to Wealth-X: 1
Net worth of David Geffen: $6.3 billion
Value of his art collection, consisting mostly of works by American artists from the second half of the 20th century, including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning: $2.3 billion
Source: Wealth-X.
Percentage of all women who wear high heels, even though the majority of heel wearers complain these shoes hurt their feet, according to a survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association: 49
Number of pairs of high heels owned by the average woman who wears high heels: 9
When asked what they do when shoes hurt their feet, percentage of women who said they'd "wear them anyway if I like them": 38
Source: American Podiatric Medical Association.
In 1950, cost per mile of driving a car 10,000 miles per year, according to the annual Your Driving Costs study by AAA: 9 cents
Cost of a gallon of gasoline in 1950: 27 cents
Source: AAA.
Rank of Geneva, Switzerland, as the most expensive city in the world to order a club sandwich, at an average of $32.60, according to research released by Hotels.com: 1
Ranks of Paris ($29.36), Helsinki ($24.35), Stockholm ($24.05) and Oslo ($23.80) on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5
Rank of New York City at $17.99 (the most expensive city in the U.S.) on the list: 13
Source: Hotels.com.
Percentage of executives and managers who believe their leadership is stuck in a bubble most of the time, according to a survey conducted by AMA Enterprise: 33
Percentage who believe it happens on occasion: 50
When respondents were asked how often the leadership team was aware of the problem, percentage who said usually: 9
Source: American Management Association.
Percentage of Americans who name New York City as home to the least courteous/most rage-inducing drivers, according to a survey done for Expedia: 33
Ranks of Los Angeles (22 percent) and Atlanta (9 percent) on the list of cities with the least courteous drivers: 2, 3
Ranks of texter (a driver who texts, emails or talks on a phone while driving), tailgater and multi-tasker on the list of the most annoying or offensive behaviors: 1, 2, 3
Source: Expedia.
Percentage of workers who use remote technology to keep up with their jobs after work who said they experienced high stress levels, compared to 36 percent for those who never check emails after work, according to a survey from Gallup: 48
Source: SaveOnPhone.com.
Percentage of people who believe the best gift for a new graduate is money, according to a survey conducted by RetailMeNot: 50
On average, amount consumers consider an appropriate gift for high school graduates: $165
Amount they consider an appropriate gift for college graduates: $464
Source: RetailMeNot.com.
Year that the first practical automatic dishwasher was born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1839
Year that Josephine Cochrane, a socialite who devised the dishwasher out of some annoyance at how her domestic staff damaged her china, was awarded a patent: 1886
Decade during which Cochrane sold her machines mainly to restaurants and hotels -- her company eventually becoming KitchenAid, now part of the Whirlpool Corp.: 1890s
In 2011, of the nation's more than 132 million housing units, number that had automatic dishwashers: 86 million
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Percentage of American adults who are willing to help college graduates find work, according to a survey conducted by Fairfield Inn & Suites: 77
Percentage of respondents who claim to have a mentor in their profession: 49
Percentage of respondents who said that recognition is not of significant importance to people who help others in their profession: 51
Source: Fairfield Inn & Suites.
Idle Thought
"A free society is a place where it's safe to be unpopular." -- Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)