oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 15, 2014

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 15th, 2014

As the weather heats up, percentage of HR managers who said their company offers a more relaxed dress code during the summer, according to a survey from OfficeTeam: 57

Percentage of executives who said clothing choices affect a worker's chances of earning a promotion: 80

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of married adults who say that credit scores were important to them when choosing a spouse, according to a survey from Experian Consumer Services: 50

Ranks of family goals, life goals and finances on the list of attributes married adults cite as important when choosing a spouse: 1, 2, 3

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Net worth of "Kimye" -- the power couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, according to a Wealth-X estimate that shows the bulk of their combined fortune belongs to West: $155 million

West's estimated net worth: $110 million

Kardashian's estimated personal fortune, mostly from her reality TV show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," as well as the $800,000 stake she holds in her own branded perfume and the $1.5 million stake in the fashion boutique DASH, which she runs with her sisters Khloe and Kourtney: $45 million

Source: Wealth-X.

Average percentage of North American employees who report bosses losing their temper either "all the time" or "often," according to a survey by AMA Enterprise: 14

Percentage of employees earning under $25,000 who said their boss loses control of his or her emotions all the time/often: 23

Percentage of employees earning $75,000 plus who said the same: 9

Source: American Management Association.

Percentage of Americans who indicate they have assigned specific chores to each member of their household, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Honeywell: 53

Percentage of respondents who say that getting chores done around the house is always a conflict: 27

Percentage who disagree: 73

Percentage of respondents who say they have to nag those they live with to help with the household chores: 35

Source: Ipsos Reid public Affairs.

Of the top 25 tech companies (by market capitalization), percentage that have founders who are immigrants or have at least one immigrant parent, according to an Internet trends presentation by Mary Meeker for Pew Research: 60

Ranks of India, China, Canada, the Philippines and South Korea on the list of the top countries of birth for recipients of H1-B visas issued to high-skilled workers in 2012: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Percentage of Americans who believe that God created humans in their present form, (down from 44 percent in 1982), according to a Gallup poll: 42

Percentage who believe humans evolved, with God guiding (down from 38 percent in 1982): 31

Percentage who believe humans evolved, but God had no part in the process (up from 9 percent in 1982): 19

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of high school students for whom costs are the driving force in their choice of college, according to the College Savings Foundation's survey of high school students across the country: 76

Percentage of seniors who are changing their higher education choices and going to public, local or community school options: 28

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Average amount U.S. small and medium-sized businesses with 11 or more employees spend per year on tech support, according to Parks Associates research: $3,000

Percentage of these SMBs who report having a support subscription: 28

This year, estimated amount that SMBs will spend for computer and network setup and installation services: $400 million

Source: Parks Associates.

Ranks of Singapore, Hong Kong and China, and Japan on the list of destinations in Asia for a dream job transfer, according to a Cartus Survey of Human Resources Professionals: 1, 2, 3

Rank of the United States on the list of leading destinations worldwide: 1

Source: Cartus.

Idle Thought

"We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities ... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." -- Charles Darwin

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 08, 2014

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 8th, 2014

Percentage of Americans who feel that Mother's Day and Father's Day should be celebrated equally, according to a survey by RetailMeNot: 81

Percentage of respondents who feel that, in general, mothers tend to receive more attention or celebration on Mother's Day than dads do on Father's Day: 77

Percentage of dads who do not expect their wife or significant other to get them a gift for Father's Day: 60

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of consumers for whom "showrooming," the process of researching in-store before buying online, remains popular, according to a study by Interactions: 76

Percentage of shoppers for whom the emerging trend of "webrooming," or researching online before buying in-store, is even more common: 88

Source: Interactions.

Percentage of grill owners who say grilling is just plain fun, according to a Weber survey: 77

Percentage of grill owners who agree that grilling makes a weeknight dinner a special occasion: 75

Source: Weber-Stephen Products Co.

Year Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of Father's Day, according to the Census Bureau: 1909

Number of children her father, a Civil War veteran, farmer and widower, raised: 6

Year President Richard M. Nixon signed a law making Father's Day a permanent fixture of the third week in June: 1972

Source: Census Bureau.

Rank of the number of Father's Day cards sold (94 million) after Christmas (1.5 billion), Valentine's Day (144 million) and Mother's Day (133 million): 4

Source: Hallmark.

Percentage of mothers with a master's degree or more who are staying at home in order to care for their families, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data: 10

Among mothers with professional degrees, such as medical degrees, law degrees or nursing degrees, percentage who are relatively affluent and are out of the workforce in order to care for their families: 11

Percentage of the nation's 35 million mothers ages 18 to 69 who are living with their children younger than 18 that is made up of these so-called "opt-out moms": 1

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Ranks of laptops, smartphones, gaming systems and tablets on the list of the top technology wants on a graduate's wish list, according to a survey by Asurion: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Asurion.

Ranks of Amazon, Samsung, Apple, IBM/Lenovo, Toshiba, Asus, HP, Dell and Acer on the list of the most reliable computers, according to the results of RESCUECOM's Computer Reliability Report: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Source: RESCUECOM.

Approximate amount Americans spend on wedding gifts, according to a survey done on behalf of Expedia.com: $103

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of moms who consider themselves to be the "sole decision-maker" in the vehicle shopping process, according to an independent study by C+R Research, commissioned by Cars.com: 73

Percentage of moms who like to purchase from the same dealer for each vehicle they need so they can develop a relationship: 59

Source: Cars.com.

Idle Thought

"Everybody knows if you are too careful, you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over something." -- Gertrude Stein, novelist, poet and playwright

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for June 01, 2014

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | June 1st, 2014

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.)

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