Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of geeks who said they would be very stressed out by losing the files on their computer's hard drive, according to the Geek Pride Day Survey by Modis: 60

Percentage who would feel the same about going through a relationship breakup: 49

Source: Modis.

Percentage of consumers who are planning to spend more this back-to-school shopping season than in 2011, according to a survey by PriceGrabber: 46

Percentage of consumers who planned to start their back-to-school shopping in June: 17

Percentage who said August: 44

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Advertising spending across all media by automotive brands in 2011, more than twice as much as the second-largest category -- quick-service restaurants -- according to Nielsen Research: $10.2 billion

Rank of humorous ads on the list of ads that have consistently resonated best with viewers, regardless of the economy or year: 1

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of parents who are more prepared to talk to their kids about drugs and alcohol than about finances, according to a survey by Capital One and ING Direct USA: 35

Percentage who stated they were more prepared to talk about finances: 26

Percentage of older teens ages 15 to 17 who said no one at home helps them manage their money: 15

Percentage of parents who think they are an excellent financial role model for their children: 31

Source: ING Direct.

Percentage of moms with children in kindergarten to 12th grade who consider back-to-school a time for a fresh start, according to the results of a survey by Wal-Mart: 76

Percentage of moms who make back-to-school "resolutions" in preparation for the year ahead: 90

Ranks of saving money and eating healthier on the list of moms' "new school year" resolutions: 1, 2

Source: Wal-Mart Media Relations.

Ranks of "both partners feeling valued and important to each other," "having good communication" and "satisfying sex" on the list of the top measures to prevent cheating, according to a survey of counseling professionals from YourTango.com: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of experts who disagree with the adage "once a cheater, always a cheater": 81

Percentage of respondents who claim that celebrity cheating scandals affect how the rest of us view infidelity: 76

Source: YourTango.com.

Year of birth for Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, who believed that directed play was an important part of each child's education -- a theory that led to the establishment of the first kindergarten, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1782

Year that the first kindergarten in a U.S. public school opened in St. Louis, Mo.: 1873

Today, number of youngsters who go to public school kindergarten each day: 3.8 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of retired baby boomers who said that they or family members have NOT experienced a significant health event or overall decline in health in the past year, according to a survey by RBC: 68

Percentage of boomers who have previously, do currently, or expect to provide caregiving to another adult (whether it be family, friend or neighbor) at some point in their life: 41

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Percentage of employees who are unable to stop thinking about their problems, according to an employee wellness report released by ComPsych Corp.: 38

Percentage who said minor problems throw them for a loop: 35

Source: ComPsych Corp.

Percentage of checking account holders who had considered switching their accounts to a different bank within the past year, according to a Consumer Reports survey: 19

Percentage of consumers who considered switching who cited fee increases for routine services as one of the reasons they wanted to move their account to a new bank: 43

Percentage who said another bank was offering better terms: 38

Source: Consumer Reports.

Idle Thought

"A hungry man is not a free man." -- Adlai Stevenson, statesman

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

Year golf was banned in Scotland because King James II worried that people were too distracted by the game to develop the archery skills needed to protect the country from the English: 1457

Years golf was included in the Olympics, then removed for 112 years until its slated return at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games: 1900 and 1904

Like croquet, number of times golf has been in the Olympics -- three less times than tug-of-war: 2

Source: ProCon.org.

Ranks of the construction and restaurant industries on the list of the nation's largest creators of summer jobs, according to National Restaurant Association projections: 1, 2

Ranks of New York, California, Massachusetts, Texas and New Jersey on the list of states projected to add the most eating and drinking place jobs during the 2012 summer season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: National Restaurant Association.

In July 1776, estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation of the United States, according to the Census Bureau: 2.5 million

The nation's estimated population on this past July Fourth: 313.9 million

Source: Census Bureau.

Percentage of ice cream companies that indicated vanilla is the most popular flavor among their consumers, according to the findings from a survey of International Ice Cream Association: 92

Rank of chocolate chip mint and cookies-and-cream ice cream on the list of the most popular: 2

Percentage of the participating companies that named pecans the most popular nuts to be added to their frozen products: 60

Percentage that named strawberries the most popular fruit: 75

Source: International Dairy Foods Association.

Among 18-to-29-year-old Mexicans, percentage who would like to move north, according to the Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends: 54

Percentage of 30-to-49-year-olds who say the same, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project: 37

Among the substantial minority who would move, percentage who say they would emigrate without authorization: 19

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

Percentage of employed adults who receive more than 10 days of vacation or paid time off each year, including four in 10 (38 percent) who get more than three weeks off, according to an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of RetailMeNot.com: 57

Percentage who receive less than two weeks off, including over a third of working adults under 35 (38 percent) and those with a household income of less than $50,000 (35 percent): 24

Percentage of working adults who report that they do not receive any vacation or paid time off from work: 14

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs RS.

Percentage of men who denied ever faking an orgasm, according to a survey by AdamEve.com: 77

Percentage of women who admitted they faked it on occasion: 47

Source: Adam & Eve.

Percentage of global gross domestic product that is represented by the following 12 economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: 78

Percentage of global energy consumption represented: 63

Percentage of the global carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions represented: 62

Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Rank of Bella and Max on the list of the most popular pet names in 2012, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.: 1

Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Percentage of commercial real estate executives who said they expect a significant amount of multi-family development to commence in 2013, by far the top sector, up from 34 percent in KPMG's 2011 survey, according to the 2012 KPMG Commercial Real Estate Outlook Survey: 51

Source: KPMG LLP.

Idle thought:

"Some stories are true that never happened." -- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate

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

Although hoodies and T-shirts may be wardrobe staples in some IT departments, percentage of chief information officers who say that the way someone dresses at least somewhat influences his or her ability to move up within the organization's IT department, according a Robert Half Technology survey: 76

Refuting the myth that IT departments are overly casual, percentage of CIOs who described the dress code among tech professionals in their department as "somewhat formal," meaning most people wear dress slacks or a skirt and a button-down shirt: 66

Percentage of CIOs who described the work culture in their IT department as the same as it is in the rest of the organization: 85

Source: Robert Half Finance and Accounting.

Percentage of employees who indicate they have close friendships with colleagues, according to findings from Randstad's Global Workmonitor, surveying employees in 32 countries around the world: 66

Percentage who report that having pleasant colleagues is more important to them than having a good salary: 54

Source: Randstad.

Ranks of U.S. Open tennis, Justin Bieber, the New York Yankees, the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs on the list of the most sought-after live event tickets in sports, concerts and theater nationwide, according to TicketsNow Entertainment Index: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

In June, percentage of the markets where sports ticket demand was high, edging out some of the summer's hottest musical performers, including Jason Aldean and American Idols LIVE!: 95

Source: TicketsNow.

Percentage of people who say they would use location tracking to monitor their spouse's whereabouts, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Matters on behalf of GFI: 12

Percentage who say they would use it to track where their teen goes on a Friday night: 31

Percentage who also say they would use such a service to make sure their children were safe or in the location they are supposed to be: 59

Source: GFI Software.

Percentage of employers who said that they'd think less of an employee who repeatedly uses curse words, according to a CareerBuilder Survey: 64

Percentage who said they'd be less likely to promote someone who swears in the office: 57

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of management roles that chief financial officers said were filled in their departments by internal candidates, according to a survey developed by Robert Half Management Resources: 38

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Estimated number of people around the world who viewed the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 4 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

When it comes to the veteran workforce, percentage of respondents who say that "older workers bring important experience and insight to the workforce" and are more loyal and reliable than younger workers, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid: 93

Percentage who disagree that "older workers are a burden to employers because they generally cost more and get more vacation time and benefits": 76

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who visit a social network at least once a day who say they would rather text than call, according to the results from by 2012 Life on Demand Study by Performics: 49

Percentage who would rather connect with close friends via social sites than traditional methods: 30

Source: Performics.

Percentage of small business owners who see their health insurance premiums rising within the next 12 months, according to a Newtek Business Services survey: 49

Percentage of small business owners who do not plan on re-bidding out their health insurance: 69

Source: Newtek Business Services.

Idle Thought

"Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage." -- Ray Bradbury, writer

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