If the ultimate makeover were possible, percentage of Americans who would like to be Bill Gates, according to a survey by GBC Document Finishing Group: 47
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Percentage who chose Oprah Winfrey as the person they would most like to be: 25
Source: GBC.
Percentage of divorced Americans who are supposed to receive child support or alimony, according to a study by divorce360.com: 24
Of those who are supposed to receive child support or alimony, percentage who are receiving all of it: 25
Percentage who are not receiving any of it: 29
Source: divorce360.com.
Percentage of U.S. workers who said they "live to work" rather than "work to live," according to a survey conducted by Monster.com: 22
Rank of the U.S. among the four countries surveyed in terms of having the most respondents who selected "live to work": 1
Percentage of French workers who said they "live to work": 16
Percentage of German and U.K. workers who said the same: 15 (tie)
Source: Monster.com.
Rank of L.L. Bean among U.S. retail companies in terms of quality of customer service, according to a consumer survey conducted by the National Retail Federation: 1
Ranks of Zappos.com and Amazon.com: 2, 3
Number of Internet-only retailers in the top 10: 4
Source: Rasmussen Reports LLC.
Percentage of workers who have been explicitly informed that their at-work technology is monitored, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive and comissioned by lawyers.com: 45
Percentage of employees who say they use the Internet for non-work purposes while at work despite company policy: 69
Percentage of employees who say they use their phone for non-work purposes while at work despite company policy: 69
Source: lawyers.com.
Percentage of respondents who selected a barista position at the fictitious Central Perk in "Friends" as the TV workplace where they would most like to work even though nearly four years have passed since Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe bid farewell, according to a survey by SnagAJob.com: 33.3
Percentage of survey participants who said they would prefer to don scrubs and work in the ER with Dr. McDreamy and the rest of the "Grey's Anatomy" cast: 24.9
Source: SnagAJob.com.
Percentage of Americans who say they trust "business," according to Edelman's 2008 Trust Barometer survey: 58
Percentage who say they trust government: 39
Source: Edelman.
Percentage of executives in the U.S. who report current or impending shortages of quality leadership talent, according to a survey conducted by Stanton Chase International and Birkman International: 94.1
Percentage who perceive a gap in talent between baby boomers (current corporate leaders) and the younger generations: 90.4
Percentage who say this shortage critically or significantly affects their organizations' senior management level: 48
Source: Stanton Chase International.
Percentage of a movie theater's revenue that is generated though concession stands, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 29
Percentage that is generated through ticket sales: 66
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Average number of people watching a commercial during Super Bowl XLI, according to a study conducted by The Nielsen Co.: 92.8 million
Number of commercials broadcast: 101
Rank of beer among the advertising categories with the most commercials during the Super Bowl: 1
Source: Nielsen Media Research.
Percentage of U.S. adults who say that the government should not provide financial assistance to borrowers who can no longer afford to pay their mortgages to keep them out of foreclosure, according to the results of survey of U.S. adults, conducted by Harris Interactive for The Wall Street Journal Online: 42
Percentage who say they should: 25
Source: Harris Interactive.
Idle Thought
"What the mind doesn't understand, it worships or fears." -- Alice Walker, author
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)
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