Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of U.S. travelers who believe people often violate some form of beach or pool etiquette, according to a TripAdvisor survey: 83

Ranks of blasting loud music, people not picking up after their dogs and beach chair hogging on the list of the top beach violations: 1, 2, 3

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of women who said they shopped at a dollar store in the past year, according to a ShopSmart poll: 75

Percentage of those respondents who said they were hitting these retailers more often than they used to -- one of the biggest reasons being that dollar stores have gone mainstream with a wide selection of national brands: 75

Source: ShopSmart magazine.

Percentage of respondents who agree that when one or both partners in a couple has poor self-confidence, relationship problems ensue, according to a survey by YourTango.com: 89

Percentage of respondents who agree that feeling attractive and confident has a profound influence on their coupled bliss: 90

Rank of "exercise and eating right" on the list of ways to feeling "irresistible" for both genders: 1

Source: YourTango.com.

Year the tape measure was patented by Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, Conn. -- his version had a feature still used today: a spring click lock to hold the tape at any desired point -- according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1868

Length of the most elegant tape measure ever made -- it was gold plated and was presented to New York Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle in 1956 to honor his longest home run: 600 feet

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Of the 63,172 men from 14 countries who participated in a survey by TheModernMan.com, percentage who believe that modern women have become too mean, aloof and indifferent when it comes to dating: 74

Percentage of guys who are hoping to find a girlfriend, rather than just knowing how to seduce someone so they get another "notch on their belt" to brag to friends about: 91

Source: The Modern Man.

Percentage of CFOs who said formal evaluations are either somewhat or very effective in helping employees improve their performance, according to an Accountemps survey: 94

Percentage of workers who disagreed, calling these appraisals either somewhat or very ineffective: 31

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of employed Americans who say their boss is easy to work with, according to a survey conducted for Healthy Companies International: 73

Percentage who say their boss listens to some people, and is sometimes hard to work with: 21

Percentage of respondents who say the boss never listens to others and is hard to work with: 6

Source: Healthy Companies International.

Rank of home teeth whitening systems on the list of best-selling health and beauty products in 2012, significantly overtaking shaving, massaging and weight-loss products -- which accounted for the top five health and beauty favorites last year, according to a study released by Rakuten's Buy.com: 1

Source: Rakuten Buy.com.

Ranks of the U.K., Germany, Italy and Japan in a new energy-efficiency ranking of the world's major economies, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: 1, 2, 3, 4

Rank of the U.S. out of 12 economies scored: 9

Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Percentage of teens who incorrectly think that using a debit card is borrowing the bank's money rather than using their own money, according to a survey by Capital One and ING Direct USA: 24

Ranks of learning to save (35 percent) and understanding how to budget (28 percent) on the list of the most important lessons teens want to know when learning how to manage money: 1, 2

Source: ING Direct.

Idle Thought

"People change and forget to tell each other." -- Lillian Hellman, playwright

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who report that they typically pay for part of their vacation ahead of time, then use a combination of cash/credit/debit for expenses incurred during the trip, according to a survey done for RetailMeNot.com: 40

Percentage who tend to pay for their vacation in full before they depart, including setting aside money to use while on vacation: 32

Percentage of respondents who say that they usually pay for their vacation using credit, and then pay it off during and/or following the trip: 28

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Estimated number of wieners eaten by Americans on National Hot Dog Day (also known as Independence Day), according to a survey conducted by Toluna Omnibus: 150 million

If all were conventional hot dogs, estimated fat content of the wieners: 2.4 trillion grams

Estimated sodium content: 82.5 trillion milligrams

Source: Applegate.

Median annual household income in Asian-American homes headed by adults age 18 or older, according to research by the Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends: $66,000

Median annual household income in the homes of the general population headed by adults age 18 or older: $49,800

Percentage of Asian-Americans who say they are satisfied with life: 82

Percentage of the general public who say the same: 75

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

Percentage of people who don't go to bed until they have checked to see if their friends have posted any new updates on the social networks they share, according to a survey by Ipsos Marketing: 21

Just in case those friends had any thoughts or activities to report during the night, percentage of people who say they check their friends' social networking updates within the first hour after they wake up each day: 17

Source: Marketing Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange.

In 2009, percentage of undergraduate computing and information sciences degrees that were awarded to women, according to research by L'Oreal: 18

In 1985, percentage of these degrees earned by women: 37

Source: L'Oreal.

When exposed to a common cold virus, percentage less likely that parents were to develop a cold than non-parents, according to research led by Carnegie Mellon University's Sheldon Cohen and Rodlescia S. Sneed: 52

Percentage less likely that parents with one or two children were to get sick: 48

Percentage less likely that parents with three or more children were to get sick: 61

Source: Carnegie Mellon University.

Year that heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, an African-American, met former champ Jim Jeffries, known as "the great white hope," in a bout in Reno, Nev., according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1910

Round that Jeffries, badly outclassed, conceded the fight, which sparked race riots in 50 cities in 25 states: 15

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of fit, style, price, comfort and fiber content on the list of the most important wedding gown features for today's brides, according to the Cotton Inc. Lifestyle Monitor Survey: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Over the last three years, percentage decline in the desire for a traditional wedding, giving way to destination, unique and "green" or eco-friendly weddings: 30

Source: Cotton Inc.

In 2011, total worldwide ad spending, according to Nielsen Research: $488 billion

Over the next decade, estimated consumer worldwide ad spending: $450 trillion

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of Brits who experience some form of motoring mishap when traveling abroad and say it's finally time for the UK's driving laws to fall in line with Europe, according to Confused.com: 66

Percentage of road trips from Britain to Europe that end in a crash or bump: 20

Source: Confused.com.

Idle Thought

"Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

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

Percentage of U.S. working adults who continue working when they have left the office -- for an average of seven extra hours each week -- almost another full day of work, or 365 extra hours every year, according to a survey sponsored by Good Technology: 80

Percentage of workers who do it simply to stay organized: 60

Source: Good Technology.

Percentage of Americans who would support a gas tax increase of 10 cents per gallon to improve road maintenance, according to the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium: 58

Percentage who would support this increase if revenues were to be used more generally to maintain and improve the transportation system: 20

Source: Mineta National Transit Research Consortium.

Percentage of millennials (18- to 29-year-olds) who say being a good parent is "one of the most important things" in life, according to a Pew Research survey: 52

Percentage who say the same about having a successful marriage (a 22-point gap in the way millennials value parenthood over marriage): 30

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Ranks of telecommunications services ($16.5 billion), banking ($10.5 billion) and the insurance sector ($5.3 billion) on the list of the top spenders on outsourcing, according to an Information Services Group report: 1, 2, 3

Estimated percentage of all spending on outsourcing by Forbes Global 2000 companies that is accounted for by telecommunications and banking firms: 33

Source: Information Services Group.

Percentage of employers who would consider an application from an overqualified worker who is 50 plus years old, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder and PrimeCB.com: 75

Percentage of those employers who said they hire mature candidates because they bring a wealth of knowledge to an organization and can mentor others: 59

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Estimated number of U.S. consumers who will use online coupons and codes during 2012, according to an analysis done by eMarketer: 88.2 million

Ranks of toilet paper, laundry detergent, coffee and butter on the list of the most searched for consumable goods: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: ShopAtHome.com.

Ranks of "emotional dissatisfaction" or "sexual dissatisfaction" on the list of reasons both men and women cheat, according to a survey of counseling professionals from YourTango.com: 1, 2

Percentage of these experts who say men are "hardwired" to "spread their seed": 8

Percentage of respondents who agree that technology is a catalyst for cheating: 50

Source: YourTango.com.

Percentage of U.S. adults who feel that cookouts are a great opportunity to spend meaningful quality time with family and friends -- whether on a weeknight or at a holiday cookout, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Ore-Ida: 81

Percentage who say that they typically host family and/or friends when cooking out: 67

Percentage who would like to spend more meaningful quality time with family and friends when cooking out on the grill: 72

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of employed Americans who reported an increase in work-life benefits and professional development opportunities in their current job compared to their first full-time job, according to a national survey through Public Policy Polling and commissioned by Workplace Options: 43

Percentage who said work-life benefits available through their employer have increased in the past five years, despite the faltering economy: 28

Source: Workplace Options.

Percentage of dog owners who believe that mealtime is a perfect opportunity to show their dog how much they love him or her, according to the Chef Michael's survey conducted by Kelton: 84

Source: Nestle/Purina.

Idle Thought

"Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought." -- Matsuo Basho, poet (1644-1694)

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