Figuratively Speaking

Year that the idea of Father's Day was conceived by Sonora Dodd, who wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1909

Year that the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day: 1966

Estimated number of fathers in America: 66.3 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who agree that buying a home is the best long-term investment a person can make, according to a nationwide Pew Research Center survey: 80

Percentage of renters who said they would prefer to one day buy a home: 81

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

Even in the face of rising gas prices, percentage of Americans who drive to work alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 75

Percentage who use public transportation: 5

Percentage of people who use bikes and other means to get to their jobs: 2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of grooms who do the proposing, according to research by the Travel Industry Association of America: 99

Average length of an American engagement: 14 months

Average cost of the diamond engagement ring: $6,348

During the engagement period, estimated collective amount of money spent on furniture: $4 billion

Source: U.S. Travel Association.

Percentage of CFOs who said lacking attention to detail and presenting sloppy work are the co-worker behaviors that annoy them most, according to a survey developed by Accountemps: 41

Percentage of respondents who said gossiping or engaging in office politics are pet peeves: 23

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of consumers who said they like to get as much information as possible about an electronic device before they buy, according to the results of PriceGrabber's mobile shopping survey: 66

Percentage who stated they always shop for the best deal in electronics: 48

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Percentage of American households that are planning at least one water-related recreational activity this summer such as swimming, boating and fishing, according to a national survey by the American Red Cross: 78

Percentage of Americans who described their swimming skills as fair, poor or nonexistent, including 3 percent who said they were unable to swim at all: 21

Percentage of adults who are unsure what to do if they are caught in a strong current: 18

Source: American Red Cross.

Percentage of emergency physicians responding to a poll who report that the biggest challenge to cutting costs in emergency medicine is the fear of lawsuits, according to a survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians: 44

Range of estimates on the annual costs of defensive medicine, which includes the ordering of tests out of a fear of being sued: $60 billion to $151 billion

Source: American College of Emergency Physicians.

Percentage of tablet computer owners who said they use their devices while watching television, according to Nielsen's survey of connected device owners: 70

Percentage of smart phone owners who said the same: 68

Percentage of e-book reader owners who said the same: 35

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of respondents who plan to buy a Father's Day gift this year, according to the ultimate "Gift Guy'd," based on a poll from Sears, Roebuck and Co.: 99

Percentage of respondents who said "organizing the tool shed" was the top choice of activity for an ideal Father's Day: 43

Percentage who selected "new tools" as the top choice for the perfect Father's Day gift: 50

Source: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Idle Thought

"Every man possesses three characters: that which he exhibits, that which he really has and that which he believes he has." -- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, novelist and journalist

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

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.)