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 and every month in Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine, Spirit.

A fascinating, flexible and thoroughly sourced column, Figuratively Speaking will entertain and enlighten readers.

---

Sample Column

Figuratively Speaking
by John MacIntyre

$150,000—Annual membership cost to enroll as an international premium member in The Millionaires Club Dating Service (for billionaires on the go), according to The Millionaires Club

$20,000—Annual membership cost to enroll as a North American premium member in The Millionaires Club Dating Service

2.09—Number of hours in an eight hour day that employees (excluding lunch and breaks) admit to wasting everyday, according to a survey by Salary.com for America Online

$759 billion—Cost of wasted time to employers in the U.S.

1, 2, 3, 4—Rank of personal Internet use, socializing with co-workers, conducting personal business at work, and spacing out

1 in 200—Chance that an Acura Integra was stolen last year, making it the most stolen car in 2004, according to CCC Information Services

2—Of the ten most stolen vehicles, the number made by the "Big Three" automakers

1, 2, 3, 4, 5—Rank of money, family/friends, sports team, car, and a job as the top things American men wish for, according to the TCBY Wish Survey

1, 2, 3, 4, 5—Rank of family/ friends, money, grades, peace, and a job as the top things American women wish for

$16 billion—Amount stores lost to bogus returns (refund fraud), according to the latest data from KingRogers International:

23—Percent increase from the previous year

50—Percentage of executives that say their companies usually cut costs when they need to increase profits, according to data from Bain & Company

86—Percentage that say innovation is more important than cost reduction for long-term success

11—In a survey of corporate and consumer end users, percentage that purchase products and services from spam e-mails, according to a survey by Mirapoint and the Radicati Group

39—Percentage that admit to clicking on embedded links within spam (other than the unsubscribe link) even if they don't buy products

57—Percentage of respondents who click on spam links that say they receive more spam

21—Percentage of women business owners in the U.S. that say they were willing to take substantial financial risks, but expect substantial returns when saving or investing for their business, according to a new study from the Center for Women's Business Research underwritten by Wells Fargo

45—Percentage that were willing to take above- average financial risks expecting above average returns

63—Percentage of North American executives that think new laws on corporate governance raise costs without improving governance, according to data from Bain & Company

53—Percentage of European execs that agree

42—Percentage of Asian and Latin American execs that agree

51—Percentage of small business owners who say they check in with the office by phone everyday while on vacation, according to a survey by ICT for American Express

27—Percentage who say they never check in

14—Percentage who check in every few days