Figuratively Speaking

Compiled by John MacIntyre

 • Year in which the United Nations Outer Space Treaty was first drafted, stating that no country could own territorial rights in space: 1967

• Number of moon plots Dr. Dennis M. Hope has sold through his real estate agency, The Lunar Embassy, Hope contending that the Outer Space Treaty did not prohibit individuals from owning territory in outer space.: 3,876,523

• Current cost Dr. Hope charges for one acre on the moon, which includes postage and, of course, the lunar tax: $21.50

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• Average number of years it takes to grant a patent in Canada, according to the Canadian Intellectual Patent Office: 7

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• Average ticket price to a major league baseball game, according to Team Marketing Report: $22.21

• Average ticket price to take in a Red Sox game, the highest in the Majors: $46.46

• Average price in Toronto: $23.40

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• Rank of London, Washington, D.C., New York City, Paris and Tokyo as the best cities in which to invest in real estate, according to a 2006 report of the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

• Rank of the U.S., China and Germany as the countries having the best opportunity for capital appreciation in real estate: 1, 2, 3

• Rank of the U.S., U.K. and Canada as the countries offering the most stable and secure investments in real estate: 1, 2, 3

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• Rank of Japan (26%), Britain (25%), Canada (24%), Germany (21%), and Australia (21%) as the countries whose immigrants to the U.S. are perceived to “make a better contribution than the others,” according to a Harris poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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• Percentage of Canadians who say that what happens to them in the future mostly depends on them, according to a survey by Statistics Canada: 89

• Percentage of Canadians who say they can do anything they put their minds to: 84

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• Estimated number of bankruptcies and proposals (an offer to his or her creditors in an effort to settle the debt) in 1990, according to “The Current State of Canadian Family Finances, 2005 Report,” Vanier Institute of the Family and Statistics Canada: 43,200

• Estimated number of bankruptcies and proposals in 2005: 101,500

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• Percentage of recruiters who say the most common mistake job applicants make is talking too much, ranking it the most common mistake out of all mentioned, according to a global survey by Korn/Ferry International: 36

• Percentage who say the most common mistake job applicants make is having a lack of knowledge about the company or the position: 22

• Percentage who say an over-inflated ego is the most common mistake in job interviews: 16

• Percentage who say appearing overly confident is the most common mistake in job interviews: 9

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• Percentage of married couples who say the number one thing they argue most about is sex, according to a survey by marriageadvice.com: 23

• Percentage who say the thing they argue most about is money: 18

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Idle thought: “If stock market experts were so expert, they would be buying stock, not selling advice.” — Norman R. Augustine, industrialist.