Figuratively Speaking

From January through August 2008, the number of new "functional candies" (products providing nutrients like calcium, protein, fiber, etc.) that were released, according to a survey by the National Confectioners Association: 159

Source: National Confectioners Association

Percentage of Americans who are uncomfortable when introducing themselves to strangers at a party, according to PrimaLoft's annual Comfort Zone survey, conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media: 34

Percentage of men who are very or somewhat comfortable introducing themselves to strangers: 72

Percentage of women who are very or somewhat comfortable introducing themselves to strangers: 58

Source: PrimaLoft

On average, the number of seasonal workers that each American manager responsible for hiring hourly workers plans on hiring, according to a SnagAJob.com survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 3.7

Average number of seasonal workers who were hired during last year's holiday period: 5.6

Average pay per hour for a seasonal employee: $10

Source: SnagAJob.com

Estimated number of turkeys that will be eaten at Thanksgiving, according to "interesting facts" from the National Turkey Federation: 46 million

Average weight of a turkey purchased for Thanksgiving: 15 pounds

In order to have enough for the feast and leftovers, too, the recommended number of pounds of uncooked turkey per person to buy: 1

Source: National Turkey Federation (NTF

Percentage of Catholic Charities that reported an increase in requests for financial assistance, according to a national survey by Catholic Charities USA: 86

Percentage that saw more people requesting mortgage, rental or temporary housing assistance: 70

Percentage that recorded an increase in requests for food assistance: 76

Source: Catholic Charities USA.

Percentage of executives who cited better communication as the best remedy for low morale, according to a survey developed by Accountemps: 48

Percentage of respondents who said lack of open and honest communication with staff members tops the list of management missteps that can erode morale: 33

Percentage who said recognition programs, which acknowledge an employee's efforts and achievements, were a good way to remedy low morale: 19

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of consumers who plan to cut back on holiday spending, according to a Consumer Reports holiday shopping poll: 76

Percentage of Americans who still carry debt from last year's holiday shopping: 6

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of online consumers who have some worry that they will fall victim to identity theft, according to the findings from the "2008 PayPal Trust and Safety Study," conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom on behalf of PayPal: 75

Estimated percentage of online consumers in Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. who have been victims of identity theft: 10

Estimated percentage of online consumers in France, Germany and Spain who have been victims of identity theft: 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Amount of money the United States secured in settlements and judgments in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2008, by pursuing allegations of fraud against the federal government, according to an announcement by the Justice Department: $1.34 billion

Estimated total recoveries since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act: $21 billion

Percentage of this year's recoveries that are associated with suits initiated by private citizens (known as "relators") under the False Claims Act's qui tam provisions ("qui tam" is a writ whereby a private individual who assists a prosecution can receive all or part of any penalty imposed): 78

Source: U.S. Department of Justice.

Date of "Black Friday" this year, the day after Thanksgiving when Americans begin their Christmas shopping in earnest, according to a survey by Taubman Centers: Nov. 28

Percentage of Christmas shoppers who peruse the newspaper to find out about the in-store specials: 46

Percentage who peruse newspaper inserts: 59

Source: Taubman Centers Inc.

Idle Thought

"It is impossible to imagine Goethe or Beethoven being good at billiards or golf." -- H.L. Mencken, writer, editor and critic (1880-1956).

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

Percentage of all data breaches in the U.S. that are caused by insiders, according to the results of a study commissioned by Compuware and conducted by the Ponemon Institute: 75

Percentage of breaches committed by external hackers: 1

Percentage of respondents who indicated that their organizations have had data breaches: 79

Source: Compuware Corp.

Average annual income of the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. households, as defined by net worth in the Federal Reserve Board study, according to the American Affluence Research Center: $256,000

Percentage of the income earned by all American households that this group represents: 36

Percentage of the total net worth of all U.S. households that they control: 70

Source: The American Affluence Research Center.

Ranks of L.L. Bean, Zappos and Lands' End among the top-rated e-tailers, according to a Consumer Reports survey: 1, 2, 3

Last year, estimated value of the merchandise ordered online in the apparel, accessories and shoes category (more than any other category of merchandise): $23 billion

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of people who say they have trouble falling asleep at least one night per week, according to a survey conducted by research firm Ipsos for AmericInn Hotels: 62

Percentage who say they have a tough time sleeping every single night: 10

Percentage of Americans who say they just accept their daily sleepiness and keep going, according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation: 84

Source: AmericInn.

Approximate number of moms in the United States, according to a Mom Central Consulting report: 75 million

Percentage of all household purchases influenced by moms: 85

Estimated number of dollars spent each year by mothers: $2 trillion

Source: Mom Central Consulting.

Percentage of shoppers who are satisfied (extremely/very satisfied) with an average wait time of about 4 minutes or less to check out, according to MARC RESEARCH: 79

Percentage of customers who stated they will forgo a purchase if the check-out line is too long: 10

Percentage of consumers who stated long lines will affect their decision to shop at a particular retailer in the future: 43

Source: MARC Research.

Percentage of workers who felt that they were frequently or occasionally micromanaged (managed with excessive control or attention to details) by their boss, according to a survey of Americans by global consultants BlessingWhite: 37.4

Percentage of those under 34 who felt micromanaged: 40

Percentage of those over 55 who made the same complaint: 27

Source: BlessingWhite.

Percentage of business leaders today who say they know someone who is searching for a new job, according to a worldwide survey of senior executives and managers conducted by NFI Research: 96

Percentage of senior executives and managers who know up to five people looking for a job: 65

Source: NFI Research.

Estimated number of households that are not ready for the upcoming transition to all-digital broadcasting and would be unable to receive any television programming at all if the transition occurred today, according to The Nielsen Co.: 9 million

Number of households that have at least one television set that will no longer work when the digital transition occurs: 12.6 million

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Rank of "Max" on the list of most popular pet names in recent years, according to a study by Veterinary Pet Insurance: 1

Ranks of Rush Limbark, Sirius Lee Handsome, Rafikikadiki, Low Jack and Meatwad on the list of most unusual dog names as selected by VPI employees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Idle Thought

"How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners and instant cameras teach patience to its young?" -- Paul Sweeney

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

Percentage of shoppers who would discontinue shopping at a particular store if they believe the store is not clean, according to a study conducted by MARC Research: 18

Percentage of consumers who consider a clean shopping environment as extremely important: 46

Ranks of grocery stores, drugstores and department stores as the stores that could see the largest impact on sales if there is an unclean environment: 1, 2, 3

Source: MARC Research.

Rank of silver on the list of the most popular car colors globally -- capturing 20 percent in North America, 35 percent in Europe and 37 percent in Asia/Pacific Rim, according to data released by PPG Industries: 1

In North America, ranks of silver (20 percent), white (18 percent) and black (17) on the list: 1, 2, 3

Source: PPG Industries.

Percentage of women working in an office who claim to like or love their computer, with the average woman spending nearly triple the amount of time daily with her computer than with her significant other, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Wellgate for Women: 96

On the relationship side, percentage of female office workers who claim their significant other thinks they spend too much time with their computer: 10

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of employees who would do something to impress their boss, according to a workplace survey by Randstad USA: 72

Percentage who would take on additional work or responsibilities to make an impression: 57

Percentage who would work overtime to create more job security: 47

Source: Randstad-USA.

Percentage of Americans who are taking out more cash advances on their credit cards than they did in the past, according to the results of a survey by Standard and Poor's about how American consumers use credit cards to manage personal debt: 10

Percentage of respondents who indicate they are "sometimes" (14 percent) or "always" (6 percent) unable to pay their credit card and/or loan balances each month: 20

Percentage who say they can only make the minimum payment required: 8

Source: Standard and Poor's ExecuComp.

Estimated percentage of the contracts that federal agencies were supposed to give to small businesses that actually were diverted to Fortune 500 firms, according to a recent story by The Washington Post: 40

In a sample review by The Washington Post of $13 billion in federal contracts that were reported as going to small businesses, value of the contracts that had actually been awarded to Fortune 500 firms such as Lockheed Martin, Dell Computer, L-3 Communications, SAIC, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and British Aerospace (BAE): $5 billion

Source: American Small Business League.

Percentage of college students who said their buying decisions are frequently influenced by discounts, according to a national survey by Campus Entertainment and the National Association for Campus Activities: 74

Percentage who are influenced by coupons: 48

Percentage who admit that their decisions are often influenced by recommendations from friends on social networks such as Facebook or MySpace: 40

Source: Campus Entertainment LLC.

Percentage of chief information officers (CIOs) who said rising workloads are the greatest source of stress for their teams, according to a survey developed by Robert Half Technology: 36

Percentage who cited the pace of new technology: 22

Percentage who said office politics: 18

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Estimated percentage of Americans who report their family has had problems paying medical bills in the past year, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll: 33

Percentage of the public who report that someone in their family is skipping pills, postponing or cutting back on medical care they needed in the past year due to the cost of care: 47

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation.

Percentage of working Americans who have been interrupted by a work-related phone call or e-mail while in the bathroom, according to a survey commissioned by Nokia: 53

Percentage who have been interrupted while on a date: 23

Percentage of working Americans who never turn off their mobile device: 59

Source: Nokia.

Idle Thought

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." -- Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)

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

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