oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 16, 2010

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 16th, 2010

Percentage of all working adults who have people that they would consider friends at work, according to a Randstad survey: 95

Percentage of respondents who say that having friends at work makes their job more enjoyable: 67

Percentage who say it makes their job more satisfying: 55

Source: Randstad.

Increase over the past 20 years in average annual Social Security benefit payments to seniors who retired in 1990, according to an analysis conducted by The Senior Citizens League: $4,967

During the same time period, total raise in annual pay for members of Congress -- 1,458 percent more than seniors: $77,400

Number of times more quickly that congressional pay grows than Social Security checks: 15

Source: Senior Citizens League.

Number of flight cancellations caused by the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll: 100,000

Estimated cost to the airline industry: $1.7 billion

Percentage of Americans who were affected: 14

Source: Gallup.

Despite rooms filled with all manner of electronic distractions, approximate percentage of the nation's children age 7 or younger who most often opt for a bedtime story before turning in for the night, according to a survey commissioned by SleepBetter.org: 50

Percentage of Americans who say that "Goodnight Moon," Margaret Wise Brown's perennial classic first published in 1947, is America's favorite bedtime story: 23

Percentage of parents of children age 7 or younger who say they have made up stories, and that these stories are the overwhelming choice of their children: 74

Source: SleepBetter.org.

Percentage of global executives who said they are willing to relocate to a different region, state or country, according to Korn/Ferry's Executive Quiz: 82

Percentage of respondents who said that career acceleration is the primary reason to move: 78

Percentage who also chose "job title and promotion" or "salary" as the top motivator: 20

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Current average personal debt of an individual in the U.K. (excluding mortgages), according to research carried out by the Post Office: 9,731.51 pounds

Percentage of consumers who admitted to hiding their debt from their partner: 20

Percentage of those with hidden debt who have never been open about the true extent of their debt: 78

Of the 22 percent who were open, percentage who were discovered rather than chose to come clean: 60

Source: Baines and Ernst.

Percentage of Americans who said they have shared a negative product or service experience with others on Facebook, YouTube or another social networking site, according to a survey sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies: 20

Percentage of respondents who said their company had no policy for talking about the company on social networking sites: 64

Of the 36 percentage who said their company had a policy, percentage who said they were encouraged to talk about the company: 18

Source: Chubb Group.

In 1990, percentage of all U.S. babies who were born to teen mothers, according to a report by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends project based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau: 13

In the same year, percentage of babies who were born to women age 35 and older: 9

In 2008, percentage of births that were to teens: 10

Percentage that were to women age 35 and older: 14

Source: Pewsocialtrends.org.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have two or more computers: 57.7

Percentage of U.S. adults who purchased a laptop computer in the past 12 months: 12.9

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Year that a radical new building began to take shape in Chicago -- America's first skyscraper, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1884

Number of stories high that designer William Jenney was able to build the structure using a metal frame for support, with walls hung like curtains on the frame (previously, walls supported buildings, limiting the height that could be safely reached): 10

Amount of money that the U.S. construction industry spends erecting nonresidential buildings every year: $263 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Idle Thought

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else." -- Charles Dickens

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 09, 2010

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 9th, 2010

Percentage of mothers who say they were looking for something special from their husbands for Mother's Day, according to a survey by C&R Research: 4

Percentage of respondents who expected their children to do something: 70

Percentage of moms who said anything handmade would be perfect: 33

Percentage of moms who wished for a day off from mom duties: 22

Source: C&R Research.

Percentage of American adults who believe that Toyota vehicles are more (17 percent) or equally (45 percent) as safe as other vehicles, according to a Zogby survey: 62

Among those who currently own or lease a Toyota, percentage who believe Toyotas are more (38 percent) or equally (44 percent) as safe as other vehicles: 82

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of Americans who have changed the way they shop as a result of the recession, according to a survey conducted by Kmart: 70

Percentage of shoppers who believe that using layaway more often is a smart financial solution that can help them better manage their spending: 73

Percentage who agreed that they would rather forgo the instant gratification of financing their purchases in favor of using layaway: 82.2

Source: Synovate.

Ranks of cell texting and cell calling on the list of preferred means of communication between teens and their friends, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project: 1, 2

Percentage of 12- to 17-year-olds who now own cell phones, up from 45 percent in 2004: 75

Percentage of teen texters who say they are more likely to use their cell phones to text their friends than to talk to them: 66

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of finance and bookkeeping professionals who admitted they had conducted a search on their own name (egosurfing) using a search engine, according to a survey by Accountemps: 69

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of brides who are either pleasantly surprised with their budget or feel like everything they want will fit into their budget, according to a survey by Get Married Media: 70

Ranks of wedding websites, wedding magazines, and friends and family on the list of the most helpful places to get advice: 1, 2, 3

Source: Getmarried.com.

When asked to select the two most important reasons for taking environmentally friendly measures, percentage of Americans who selected saving money, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Procter and Gamble: 64

Percentage of respondents who also said preserving resources for future generations: 56

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

At the beginning of 2009, percentage of firms that said they would fill fewer openings (and they did -- 27 percent fewer), according to research by Careerxroads.com: 100

This year, percentage that predicted further reductions in hiring: 10.8

Percentage that expect to grow: 48

Percentage that expect to hold steady: 41.2

Source: CareerXroads.

Percentage of Americans who agree (26 percent strongly, 40 percent somewhat) that the United States has an obligation to help poor children in other nations around the world, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Child Fund International: 66

Percentage of respondents who indicated that they've personally contributed to an international relief organization that helps the world's poor children: 62

Source: Child Fund.

Anticipated percentage increase in Mother's Day sales, according to a survey by IbisWorld: 4.2

Total amount projected to be spent: $14.88 billion

Source: IBISWorld.

Idle Thought

"The highest result of education is tolerance." -- Helen Keller, author and lecturer

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for May 02, 2010

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | May 2nd, 2010

Percentage of all workers who expect to retire at under 60 years of age, according to the EBRI 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey: 9

Percentage who expect to retire between the ages of 60 and 64: 19

Percentage who expect to retire at age 65: 24

Percentage who say they will be 66 or older when they retire: 33

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans who say they have owned a recalled consumer product, according to a survey by FindLaw.com: 47

Number of consumer products that were voluntarily recalled by their manufacturers in 2009, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): 465

Number of deaths that consumer products -- both recalled and unrecalled -- are involved in each year, according to the CPSC: 8,000

Estimated number of injuries that involve consumer products each year: 14 million

Source: FindLaw.com.

Percentage of consumers who own an e-reader, or electronic reading device, according to a survey from Pricegrabber.com: 5

Percentage who plan to purchase an e-reader in the next 12 months: 33

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Percentage more women than men who perform elder care duties, according to the book "The Daughter Trap: Taking Care of Mom and Dad ... and You" by author Laurel Kennedy: 50

Percentage of the demanding Level 5 caregiving tasks, including more that 40 hours of care per week, that fall to women: 70

In their lifetime, average number of years women will lose to caregiving: 11.5

Average number of years men will lose: 1.3

Source: "The Daughter Trap."

Year in which one of the world's greatest libraries, the Library of Congress, was founded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1800

Number of public libraries there are in the U.S.: 16,600

Total number of people who staff these libraries: 145,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of public speaking and the annual ritual of spring cleaning on the list of activities most dreaded by Americans, according to a survey by LG Electronics USA Inc.: 1, 2

Percentage of those polled who wished there were options to make household cleaning easier: 84

Percentage of Americans who admit they tend to take short cuts in cleaning: 60

Percentage who admit they typically clean only what can be seen because it is too difficult to get to the hard-to-reach places: 54

Source: LG Electronics USA Inc.

Percentage of respondents who say that by clearly defining roles and responsibilities they can better eliminate potential conflicts, according to a study titled What Every Entrepreneur Should Know Before Starting a Business With a Family Member, commissioned by MassMutual: 56

Percentage who say that key business decisions are usually discussed between at least two people before a decision is made: 73

Percentage who said their decision-making process is effective: 68

Source: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.

Percentage of Americans who get stressed out about filing their tax return, according to a Zogby survey: 56

Percentage who expect a refund or have already received one: 60

Percentage who expect to seek an extension: 7

Source: Zogby International.

Number of smart phones shipped worldwide in 2009, according to Park Associates: 180 million

Percentage of the market that is shared by Nokia, Research in Motion and Apple: 60

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of all Americans who have hearing loss, according to the National Institutes of Health: 10

Percentage of people with hearing loss who can benefit from hearing aids: 95

Percentage of the 36 million Americans living with hearing loss who do not have hearing aids: 75

Source: HearUSA.

Idle Thought

"If people are good only because they fear punishment and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." -- Albert Einstein, physicist

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

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