Foreign investors choose U.S. real estate

Appearing in the role of ...
Percentage of workers who feel they are acting at work instead of being themselves, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey: 26
Rank of Andrew Shepherd in “The American President,” Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars” and Bill Lumbergh in “Office Space” as the top movie characters workers say most remind them of their bosses: 1, 2, 3
Rank of Don Vito Corleone from “The Godfather” as the movie character whose job they would most want: 1

Sweet land of security
Percentage of Americans who say financial security is what represents the American dream to them, according to a survey by the National League of Cities: 24
Percentage who said a good job: 14
Percentage who said freedom: 14

Small wonder
Percentage of all U.S. businesses accounted for by firms with fewer than 500 employees, according to the Small Business Administration: 99.7
Percentage of all private-sector employees accounted for by businesses with fewer than 500 employees: 50.1
Percentage of gross domestic product accounted for by small firms: 51

Buy American
Rank of Washington, D.C., London, Tokyo, New York City and Paris as the best cities in which to invest in real estate, according to the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Rank of the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and China/Hong Kong as the best countries in which to invest in real estate: 1, 2, 3, 4

Computer users
Number of computers in use worldwide in 2004, according to the Computer Industry Almanac: 820 million
Number in the United States: 220 million
Percentage of the world total this represents: 27

Worried physicians
Percentage of physician leaders (doctors who are CEOs or in administrative or supervisory roles) who are either “very concerned” or “moderately concerned” about physicians refusing to accept calls on patients who don’t have insurance, according to a survey conducted by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE): 79
Percentage who are concerned about over-treating patients to boost income: 78

I now pronounce you owner
Percentage by which a small business owner is more likely to be married than the general population, according to a study by Experian: 42
Percentage more likely to have children: 25
Percentage more likely to be in a household with a male head of household: 20

Blue pill blues
Percentage of people surveyed who said the current TV ads for erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are inappropriate, according to a BusinessWeek online poll: 64
Percentage who said there was no problem: 31.9

Gut reaction
Percentage of business leaders in the United States who say they are worried that an increasingly obese work force will affect revenue or productivity at their company, according to a survey by Duffery Communications: 27

Health-conscious employers
Percentage of Springfield area businesses that offer a health care benefit, according to the 2005 SBJ Economic Survey: 73
Of companies that offer a benefit, percentage that pay 100 percent of employees’ health insurance premiums: 38
Percentage that pay at least 50 percent of employees’ premiums: 23

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His Figuratively Speaking column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.