Percentage of Americans who believe being called a "geek" is actually a compliment, according to a survey by Modis: 57

Percentage of Americans who most closely associate the term "geek" with being extremely intelligent: 45

Percentage who associate the term with one who is a reliable source for technology advice: 56

Source: Modis.

The ranks of San Francisco, Boston and Denver on the list of U.S. cities poised for greatness, based on five key areas of greatness -- including sports, art, music, culture and cosmopolitan factors, like leadership in energy and environmental design as well as population growth -- according to research commissioned by the makers of Edge Shave Gel: 1, 2, 3

Source: Energizer Holdings Inc.

Percentage of senior leaders and hiring managers in America's large Fortune 500 companies (5,000 or more employees) who say that 40 percent or more of their company's employees work in virtual teams today, according to the study, Virtual Work Environments in a Post-Recession Era, conducted on behalf of Brandman University by Forrester Consulting: 40

Percentage who expect virtual teaming to increase in the next one to three years: 56

Source: Brandman University.

With wedding season upon us, percentage of couples who addressed how they would manage their collective finances before marriage, according to a Country Financial survey: 51

Percentage of all married Americans who reported being honest with their spouses about their financial state during their engagement: 86

When deciding on a money-management style, percentage of couples who elect to manage their finances completely jointly: 71

Source: Country Financial.

Year that the New York Stock Exchange started (in good weather, merchants and brokers operated under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street; in bad weather they moved to the shelter of a nearby coffeehouse), according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1792

Estimated percentage of U.S. households that own shares of stock: 20

Percentage that invest in mutual funds: 40

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

When American adults were asked if they agree or disagree that some online companies, such as Google or Facebook, control too much of our personal information and know too much about our browsing habits, percentage who agreed, according to findings of an Adweek/Harris Poll survey: 76

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages, according to a recent Gallup Poll -- and a first-time majority in Gallup's tracking of the issue: 53

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of Americans who are cutting back on nonessential spending due to high gas prices, according to a national survey conducted by Bankrate.com: 63

Percentage of Americans who are less comfortable with their savings now compared to 12 months ago: 35

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of women who reported feeling good when they help those who are less fortunate, according to a recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of "Give Health," a Procter & Gamble program: 88

Percentage of women who say they wish to support causes they care about without having to donate a lot of money: 75

Percentage who would like to be able to back causes they care about through everyday purchases: 70

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of parents who require more child care during the summer months than during the rest of the year, according to a survey commissioned by Care.com: 53

Percentage of parents who have bigger expectations of their summer caregivers, expecting them to arrange for more outdoor activities and be actively engaged in field trips and play: 66

Source: Care.com.

Idle Thought

"Never memorize something you can look up." -- Albert Einstein

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

Percentage of workers who said they have gained weight in their current jobs, according to a new CareerBuilder survey: 43

Percentage who said stress has contributed to their weight gain: 24

Percentage of respondents who blamed sitting at a desk most of the day for their weight gain: 36

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Out of seven factors impacting job security, percentage of workers who selected their own performance as having the most impact, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs survey conducted on behalf of Kenexa: 26

Percentage who said the U.S. economy had the most impact: 26

Percentage who selected their skills and education as the most important factor: 14

Percentage of respondents who said that the performance of their organization as a whole had an important impact: 18

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia on the list of states in which it's best to do business, according to Chief Executive magazine's annual Best and Worst States survey: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Number of years Texas has held the No. 1 position: 7

Source: Chief Executive Group. Contact Marshall Cooper at 203-930-2704 or email mcooper@chiefexective.net.

Percentage of respondents who admitted they have sex once or twice a week, according to the results from the Great American Sex Survey by Adam and Eve: 26

Percentage who said they enjoyed sex more than once a day: 1

Source: Adam and Eve.

Percentage of working Americans who consider their paycheck to be their most valuable asset, according to a new survey from the nonprofit LIFE Foundation: 16

Amount of money a 25-year-old worker who makes $50,000 a year could lose in future earnings if he or she were to become permanently disabled and unable to work and earn an income: $3.8 million

Percentage chance there is of suffering a disabling illness or injury that could keep a worker out of work for three months or more: 30

Source: LIFE Foundation.

Decade culinary historians note that sausages joined peanuts, popcorn and soda on the concession menus at ballparks, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council's annual report: 1890s

Number of sausages projected to be sold this season at Miller Park in Milwaukee -- the only stadium in Major League Baseball where sausages outsell hot dogs and home to the world-famous Klement's Sausage Race in the sixth inning of each game: 900,000

Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Since the release of Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate in late April, percentage of Americans who now say he was definitely born in the United States -- up from 38 percent before its release, according to a Gallup Poll: 47

Percentage who still say he was probably or definitely born in another country: 13

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of Americans who say that as America faces increasing global competition, U.S. schools are not focused enough on providing entrepreneurial skills, according to the Zogby/463 poll commissioned by Cogswell College: 66

Percentage who said that launching a business while still in college will make students more successful in creating jobs and opportunities after graduation: 76

Percentage of Americans who currently think that college is where students become entrepreneurs: 5

Source: Cogswell College.

Percentage of global consumers who believe that financial institutions don't care about the customer, according to the Consumer Financial Monitor by Corporate Executive Board: 50

Percentage of global consumers who believe institutions don't share the values of their customers: 51

Source: Corporate Executive Board.

Nationwide last year, number of postal employees who were attacked by dogs, according to the U.S. Postal Service: 5,669

Estimated cost to the U.S. Postal Service in medical expenses from dog attacks last year: $1.2 million

Source: U.S. Postal Service.

Idle Thought

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." -- Greek proverb

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

Rank of Apple on the list of the most valuable brands in the world, after registering a staggering 84 percent increase in value over the past year, ending the four-year reign of Google at the top of the table, according to the sixth annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study: 1

Value of the Apple brand, as calculated by dollar value, an analysis based on financial data combined with consumer measures of brand equity: $153.3 billion

Percentage increase in value since 2006: 859

Source: Millward Brown.

Projected cost of the 200-mile-per-hour hybrid car that Jaguar plans to introduce, according to the Kelley Blue Book: $1.2 million

Source: Kelley Blue Book.

Percentage of Americans who say they have already cut back or canceled vacation plans due to high gas prices, with the summer vacation season fast approaching, according to this month's RBC Consumer Outlook Index: 47

Percentage who say they have scaled back their plans because of high airfares: 20

Percentage of consumers who have already reduced their discretionary spending: 30

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs (MG).

Percentage of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year -- approximately 1.4 billion tons -- that gets lost or wasted, according to an FAO-commissioned study: 33

Amount of food wasted by consumers in rich countries every year: 244.7 million tons

Entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa: 253.5 million tons

Source: FAO.

Percentage reduction in annual energy use by the Empire State Building as a result of its retrofit project, according to Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator: 38

Estimated reduction in carbon emissions over the next 15 years: 105,000 metric tons

Source: Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI).

Percentage of consumers who believe that grocery prices have risen in the past three months, according to a consumer sentiment and behavior survey by Technomic: 84

Percentage who believe restaurant prices have risen: 62

Percentage of consumers who believe packaged food sizes have gotten smaller: 50

Source: Technomic.

Percentage of Americans who say all new drivers should be required to complete a driver education course before they can get a driver's license, according to a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and conducted by Knowledge Networks: 86

Rank of road accidents on the list of causes of death for young people worldwide (including in the U.S.): 1

Source: AAA.

Percentage of people who would save family photos above all other possessions in the case of fire and after knowing their loved ones were safe, according to an Eye-Fi survey: 53

After family photos, rank of other miscellaneous items, electronics, a specific item of clothing, jewelry, and a particular book on the list of people's most treasured possessions: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Eye-Fi.

Percentage of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last year who reported they found new positions, according to a survey conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder: 59

Percentage of workers who took jobs in new fields, reflecting a growing trend where workers are re-educating themselves and/or repackaging their skill sets, up from 48 percent last year: 60

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who believe Social Security and Medicare costs are already creating a crisis for the federal government, according to a Gallup poll: 34

Percentage who believe Social Security and Medicare costs will create a crisis within 10 years: 33

Source: Gallup Organization.

Idle Thought

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." -- John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer

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