Opinion: New Busch Stadium charges most for beer

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

Price for a beer at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the highest in the majors: $7.75

Best jobs

Rank of software engineer, college professor and financial adviser as the best jobs in America, according to a survey by Money magazine and Salary.com:

1, 2, 3

Rank of college professor as the profession with the lowest average number of working hours per week: 1

Average number of hours per week that college professors work: 30

Lawyer profits

Number of law firms that recorded $100 million in gross revenues in 1986, according to a survey by American Lawyer magazine: 2

Number of law firms that recorded $100 million in gross revenues in 2005: 184

Number that recorded more than $1 billion in gross revenues in 2005: 5

Wedding business

Number of weddings that will take place in the United States in 2006, according to a survey conducted by The Conde Nast Bridal Group: 2.3 million

Number of guests who will attend weddings: 379.5 million

Percentage of brides’ parents who will pay for the entire wedding: 30

Out of work

Percentage of unemployed Americans in 2005 who were unemployed for less than five weeks, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 37

Percentage who were unemployed for five to 14 weeks: 30

Percentage who were unemployed for 27 weeks or more: 19

Around the world

Cost per person (based on double occupancy) for the best room on a 108-day around-the-world cruise aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, according to Cunard: $247,105

Cost per person (based on double occupancy) for the best room on an 81-day around-the-world cruise aboard the Queen Mary II: $184,405

Cruise control

Rank of Tom Cruise as the actor who exhibitors say brought the most money into their theaters in 2005, according to a survey by Quigley Publishing Co.: 1

Number of times Cruise has been voted No. 1 by exhibitors, the most by any actor: 7

Immigration

Rank of family members, asylum seekers, skilled workers and professionals as the categories of applicants who should be given favorable treatment to make their immigration into the United States easier, according to a Harris poll: 1, 2, 3, 4

Rank of Japan (26 percent), Britain (25 percent), Canada (24 percent) and Germany (21 percent) as the countries whose immigrants are perceived to “make a better contribution than the others”: 1, 2, 3, 4

Stop lying

Percentage of workers who say they tell lies at the office at least once a week, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com: 19

Percentage who lied to appease a customer: 26

Percentage who lied to cover up a failed project, mistake or missed deadline: 13

Percentage who lied to explain an unexcused absence or late arrival: 8

Idle Thought

“When work is a pleasure, life is a joy! When work is a duty, life is slavery.” –Maxim Gorky, author

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.[[In-content Ad]]