Percentage of Americans who believe wishes do come true, according to the TCBY Wish Survey: 87
Percentage who believe wishes won't come true if they tell somebody about it: 55
Source: Jericho Communications. Contact Jodi Einhorn at 212-645-6900, ext. 144, or jodi@jerichopr.com.
Number of rejection letters from different publishers that were received by Margaret Mitchell before anyone finally deigned to publish her novel, "Gone With The Wind," according to Lulu.com: 38
Number of articles Rudyard Kipling managed to sell to the San Francisco Examiner before the paper rejected future submissions, telling him, "You just don't know how to use the English language": 1
Number of rejection slips received by ee cummings for "The Enormous Room": 15
Number of publishers to whom he dedicated the book: 15 (those who had rejected it)
Source: Lulu.com. Contact Stephen Fraser at sfraser@lulu.com.
Percentage of working Americans who have time for a mentor, according to a working
wounded.com/ABCNEWS.com online ballot: 2
Percentage who have one now: 22
Percentage who had a mentor but don't have one now: 30
Percentage who never had a mentor: 46
Source: ABCNews.com. Contact the press office at netaudr@abc.com.
Amount American consumers are expected to spend on Halloween this year, according a survey conducted by BIGresearch: $3.29 billion
Amount the average person will spend on merchandise: $48.48
Amount the average person will spend on sweets: $18.07
Source: BIGresearch. Contact Phil Rist at 614-846-0146 or phil@bigresearch.com
Percentage of the U.S. labor force that will reach the traditional retirement age by the end of this decade, according to a study from the Conference Board: 40
Percentage that the number of U.S. workers between the ages of 55 and 64 will grow in the next seven years: 51
Percentage by which the number of workers between the ages of 35 and 44 is expected to shrink: 7
Source: Conference Board. Contact Frank Tortorici at f.tortorici@conferenceboard.org
Rank of Miami-Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York as the most e-mail "addicted" cities in the U.S., according to a survey by the Opinions Research Corporation for America Online: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: Opinion Research Corp. Contact Lainie de Coursie at 609-452-5400, 800-999-0213, ext. 5458, or ldecoursy@aol.com
Percentage of American adults who say that crooked teeth leave a negative first impression, according to results of a U.S. survey by Roper Public Affairs for Align Technology Inc.: 47
Percentage of Americans who agree that straightening crooked teeth is one of the best investments one can make in improving his or her appearance: 77
Percentage of Americans who agree people with healthy straight teeth are typically treated better in social situations: 72
Source: Align Technology Inc. Contact Jenna Skidmore at 415-591-4002 or jenna_skidmore@sfo.bm.com.
Percentage of poor households that are using coupons more often because of the high price of fuel, according to a survey by ACNielsen: 23
Percentage of affluent households that are doing so: 14
Percentage of poor households that are opting for a lower grade of gasoline: 19
Percentage of affluent households that are doing so: 12
Source: ACNielsen.
Percentage of executives who said their organizations are using more temporary and project professionals with advanced skill levels to access expertise that either does not exist within an organization or is only needed for a finite period of time, according to a study for Accountemps: 46
Source: Accountemps. Contact Matt Meigs at 650-234-6248 or matthew.meigs@accountemps.com.
Percentage of companies that regularly brief the board of directors on emerging technology opportunities and threats, according to a global survey of senior executives by the Economist Intelligence Unit: 40
Percentage that regularly monitor emerging electronic security threats such as phishing and the risk of data leaks: 50
Percentage that say they have people monitoring the emergence of new technologies: 73
Source: Economist Intelligence Unit. Contact Sheila Allen at newyork@eiu.com.
John MacIntyre has been writing Figuratively Speaking since 1989. You can contact him by e-mail at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.