Figuratively Speaking

Average salary offered to family physician recruits, according to a report from Merritt, Hawkins and Associates: $172,000

Average salary offered to recruit nurses trained in administering anesthesia -- known as CRNAs: $185,000

Average salary offered to orthopedic surgeons in 2008: $439,000

Average salary offered to radiologists in 2008: $401,000

Source: Merritt, Hawkins and Associates

Percentage of men surveyed who indicated that they are comfortable dating someone who earns significantly more than they do (an increase of 10 percent since the 2004 results), according to Spike TV's State of Men 2008 survey: 90

Percentage of men who said that they are comfortable dating someone significantly older than they are: 75

Source: Spike TV.

Number of trips that Americans took on public transportation in 2007, according to a study conducted by the American Public Transportation Association: 10.3 billion

Last year in which Americans took this many trips on public transportation in a single year: 1957

Source: American Public Transportation Association.

Rank of Heinz ketchup as the overall winning brand based on six base measures, including: familiarity, quality, purchase consideration, brand expectations, distinctiveness and trust, according to the 2008 results from EquiTrend, the annual brand-equity study in its 28th year: 1

Ranks of M&M plain chocolate candy, Hershey's milk chocolate candy bars, Hershey's kisses, Duracell batteries and Cheerios cereal on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of American credit card holders who say they always pay off the full balance on their cards each month, according to a Gallup Poll: 43

Percentage who acknowledge that they usually leave a balance: 25

Percentage who say they usually pay only the minimum amount due each month: 12

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of business meetings where the agenda is clear, followed and focused, according to Proudfoot Consulting's business review findings: 38

Percentage where an action plan is clear, reviewed and decided: 13

Percentage of meetings that establish clear responsibility for upcoming actions and due dates: 12

Percentage where there is follow-up on assignments/evaluation: 11

Source: Proudfoot Consulting.

Percentage of employed executives with an average annual salary of more than $206,000 who are satisfied or very satisfied with their current job, according to a survey conducted by ExecuNet: 61

Ranks of limited advancement opportunities (12.8 percent), lack of challenge/personal growth (12.3 percent), compensation (11.7 percent), stress level (7.7 percent) and job security (7.7 percent) as the top five reasons cited by executives who are unhappy at work: 1, 2, 3, 4 (tie)

Source: ExecuNet.

Percentage of Americans who are planning on taking a vacation with their family this summer, according to a survey conducted by Zoomerang for Country Inns and Suites By Carlson Inc.: 41

Percentage who noted they will not take a trip this summer, citing budgetary concerns: 31

Percentage of respondents who said the expense of today's family vacations was the biggest difference between the vacations that people took when they were kids: 57

Source: Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

Percentage of the commercial aircraft assembly backlog at Boeing and Airbus that could be at risk as high fuel prices continue to batter airlines, according to Aviation Week and Space Technology: 25 to 30

Percentage of their backlogs that are accounted for by U.S. airlines, the hardest-hit segment of the industry: 12

Source: Aviation Week.

Percentage of Americans who say they turn to the Internet first when looking for a new home, according to a survey conducted by Zogby International: 67

Source: Zogby International.

Idle Thought

"Politeness is the art of choosing among your thoughts." -- Madame de Stael, writer

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

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Estimated revenue generated by digital music sales, with tracks available through 500 online services located in 40 countries, according to IBISWorld Inc.: $2 billion

Estimated percentage of the total global music market this represents: 10

In 2006, estimated number of songs, equating to 38,000 years of music, that were swapped on peer-to-peer Web sites: 5 billion

Number that were purchased online: 509 million

Source: IBISWorld.

Percentage decline in the number of engineering bachelor's degrees in 2007, according to a survey by the American Society for Engineering Education: 1.2

Percentage drop in engineering master's degrees since 2005: 8.8

Projected number of new engineering positions (not including the replacement of many retiring engineers) that will be needed over the 10-year period between 2006 and 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 160,000

Source: American Society for Engineering Education.

Percentage of Americans who say that they will be able to retire comfortably, according to a study released by Bankrate Inc.: 28

Percentage who say they'll have just enough finances to get by when retired: 33

Percentage who say that they have set low expectations about their retirement prospects: 70

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Estimated percentage of all U.S. weddings that are second marriages, according to the National Stepfamily Resource Center: 43

Percentage of those that involve children: 65

Source: National Stepfamily Resource Center.

Estimated value of the home video market -- the largest segment of consumer movie spending, according to findings released by the Entertainment Merchants Association: $24 billion

Estimated percentage of all consumer movie spending in 2007 that is represented by the home video market: 49

Source: Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA).

When asked what would most enhance U.S. energy security, percentage of financial executives who said that the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve should be opened for drilling, according to the KPMG survey: 43

Percentage who said that investment in renewable energy (biodiesel, etc.) will enhance U.S. energy security the most: 28

When asked which clean energy source will dominate in the next 20 years, percentage of respondents who cited natural gas: 50

Percentage who said nuclear energy: 31

Source: KPMG LLP.

Percentage of the firms describing their quality programs as "mature/world class" that had established a correlation between cash flow and a specific quality metric, according to the "Measuring and Demonstrating the Value of Quality Initiatives" study: 86

Percentage of the study's total benchmark class that was able to make the same claim: 57

Percentage of mature quality organizations that employ benchmarking to drive operational improvements: 100

Source: Best Practices LLC.

Cost per dog for the Haute Dog Package (for dogs up to 22 lbs), which includes gourmet chow, thalassotherapy baths, a personal attendant and chauffeured transportation, according to Paraiso de la Bonita: $105

Cost for a doggie spa day, which includes grooming, thalassotherapy bath and a massage: $199

Source: Paraiso de la Bonita.

Ranks of instructor-led workshops (83 percent), on-the-job training (82 percent) and continuing education courses (80 percent) as the most common professional development methods offered by employers, according to poll released by the Society for Human Resource Management in conjunction with WSJ.com/Careers: 1, 2, 3

Source: Society for Human Resource Management.

Estimated value of sales in the lingerie market in 2007, according to a Packaged Facts' study, "U.S. Market for Women's Intimate Apparel": $10 billion

Value of sales in women's plus-size clothing market in 2007: $22 billion

Percentage of all plus-size apparel sold in 2007 that is accounted for by intimate apparel: 10

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it." -- Malcolm Forbes

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

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Percentage of employers who state that people who dress better or more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in their organization, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey: 41

Percentage of financial service institutions that state that people who dress more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in the organization: 55

Percentage of IT employers who agree: 37

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of baby boomers who said they would be very satisfied with their parents' lifestyles, according to findings of the 2008 Generational Differences in Retirement Planning: Adult Children of Retired Parents, a study conducted by Mathew Greenwald and Associates: 37

Percentage of retired parents who attributed their retirement success to the avoidance of credit card debt: 81

Percentage who also cited the creation of an emergency fund: 86

Source: NAVA.

Percentage of Americans who are afraid they're being worked over as their cars are worked on -- they lack confidence that their mechanic is charging them a fair price, according to a survey commissioned by DriverSide and conducted by Kelton Research: 46

Percentage of Americans who say that keeping up with their cars' regularly scheduled maintenance is a hassle and an inconvenience: 46

Source: DriverSide.

Estimated percentage of companies that have highly effective employee engagement programs in place that improve morale, reduce turnover and boost corporate performance, according to a member-driven research study conducted by Best Practices LLC's Global Benchmarking Council: 10

Percentage of high-performing companies that track both employee satisfaction and engagement: 50

Source: Best Practices LLC.

Percentage of U.S. office-chair users who feel their office chair is very comfortable, according to a study done for Allsteel Inc.: 17

Percentage of users who would love to replace their current chair: 57

Percentage of respondent office-chair users who agree they would be more productive if their chair were more comfortable: 47

Source: Allsteel Inc.

Percentage of medicines purchased online that are fake or substandard (includes medicines indicated to treat serious conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, neurological disorders and mental health conditions), according to a research report by the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines: 62

Percentage of Web sites selling medecines that do not have a named, verifiable pharmacist: 94

Source: European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM).

Percentage of fathers who agree that being a good father is an important part of who they are, according to a survey by Sullivan Higdon and Sink: 87

Percentage who believe they spend more time with their kids than their own fathers did with them: 63

Source: Sullivan Higdon and Sink.

When Americans are asked what steps should be taken to reduce gas prices, percentage who are in favor of imposing price controls, according to a Gallup Poll: 53

Percentage who support releasing supplies from the federal government's strategic petroleum reserve: 58

Percentage who support drilling in U.S. coastal and wilderness areas now off-limits: 57

Source: Gallup.

Among affluent professionals (lawyers, accountants, doctors and dentists), percentage of men who have financial plans, according to data from a study by the Spectrem Group: 66

Percentage of women in this group who have plans: 27

Source: Spectrem Group.

Percentage of U.S. citizens who feel that they will most likely be the victims of cyber crime, according to a research study by AVG Technologies: 57

Percentage of computer users who shop online: 74

Percentage of users who didn't know when security software was installed on their computers: 15

Source: AVG Technologies.

Idle Thought

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." -- James Thurber (1894-1961)

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

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600