Feature Type:
Statistics Column
Frequency:
1x Week
Target Audience:
General appeal, human interest.
Delivery Methods:
AP Wire, BBS, FTP
Language:
English
*Denotes paginated pages or composed features
Figuratively Speaking is a statistics column intended to educate and amuse readers with its take on prevailing conventional wisdom. The column shows the vagaries of a life in business, though it offers informational figures about all aspects of society. It is attuned to the twist or the sarcastic, but the chief aim of Figuratively Speaking is to capture changing trends, including the differences between the sexes, the changing workplace, brick and mortar versus high-tech, wages, costs and everything in between.
Formerly self-syndicated, Figuratively Speaking appears in over 50 publications: the Detroit Free Press, the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis, the San Jose Mercury News, The (Portland) Oregonian, The Indianapolis Star, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, the Honolulu Advertiser and many others. Canadian clients include: The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, and The (Montreal) Gazette. The column appears regularly in
A fascinating, flexible and thoroughly sourced column, Figuratively Speaking will entertain and enlighten readers.
What people are saying about Figuratively Speaking:
FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING by John MacIntyre
Average amount spent per day by those who were underemployed: $48
Average amount spent per day by those who were employed: $75
Source: Gallup.
Percentage of business owners who will strive to make their company -- including employees, marketing budgets and workspace -- more efficient this year: 79
Source: Brother International.
Estimated number of his books -- with their distinctive poetry and illustrations -- that have been sold around the world: 200 million
Even with increasing electronic competition, annual revenue generated by his books that are published and bought for children: $3.3 billion
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Percentage who predicted they would go to above the knee (light at the end of the tunnel): 38
Percentage who said "ankle duster" (uncertain times ahead): 14
Percentage who said "cheesecake" (good news ahead) -- a reference to classic pinup photography: 4 percent
Source: Taubman Centers Inc.
Percentage of high school students who are grappling with trade-offs, saying that the cost of school will definitely (30 percent) or possibly (47 percent) influence their further education plans: 77
Source: College Savings Foundation.
Percentage of all external hires accounted for by referrals: 26.7
Source: CareerXroads.
Estimated amount of money this represents: $11.6 billion
Source: Nielsen Analytics.
Percentage of those who market abroad who are optimistic about the world economy: 47
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Percentage who falsely believe HSUS "contributes most of its money" to local organizations that care for cats and dogs: 59
According to the federal income tax return filed by HSUS for the tax year 2008, percentage of the organization's budget that consisted of grants to hands-on pet shelters: 0.5
Source: Center for Consumer Freedom.
Ranks of Twitter (65 percent), RSS feeds (56 percent), podcasts (18 percent) and Facebook (13 percent) on the list of the most effective methods to reach their primary audiences: 1, 2, 3, 4
Source: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
"Old age deprives the intelligent man only of qualities useless to wisdom." -- Joseph Joubert, essayist
COPYRIGHT 2010 JOHN MACINTYRE INC.