Cheesecake Tops, Jay Leno Flops
Forget those resolutions about dieting. Let’s talk dessert.
Not that the sweet stuff has to be bad for you. Three out of four people polled for Bacardi Imports Inc. said they opt for lighter, healthier desserts at least some of the time - although at restaurants, the top choice is still cheesecake (23 percent).
And how does dessert make them feel? Satisfied, said 29 percent of those surveyed, followed by full (15 percent), good (7 percent), great (5 percent) and happy or sexy (four percent each). A mere 5 percent admitted to guilt feelings, and 3 percent to regrets.
The kitchen was the most popular place to do dessert (30 percent), barely beating out the bedroom, at 28 percent. (No snide, suggestive comments here. That’s our resolution.)
Head of the class
The most popular television programs among Community Colleges of Spokane students, based on a school survey of 762 of them:
Morning talk show: “Ricki Lake” (watched by 5.2 percent of students surveyed) over “Regis and Kathie Lee” (3.4 percent).
Afternoon soap: “Days of Our Lives” (13.6 percent), followed by “The Young and The Restless” (7 percent) and “All My Children” (5.6 percent).
Prime-time series: “Roseanne” (13.3 percent), edging out “Home Improvement” (12.2 percent).
Late-night talk show: David Letterman’s “Late Show” (25.6 percent), burying Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” (5.1 percent).
Auto motives
A new car in the new year? Based purely on price, you might want to think twice, according to the Runzheimer International management consulting firm.
It would cost about $9,000 less over the next four years to hang on to a 1991 model six-cylinder, fourdoor sedan that’s already paid for than to buy a comparable new car, Runzheimer reports.
While the new car would require less maintenance and repairs and have a much greater trade-in value, that’s easily outweighed by the loan payments.
Of course, Runzheimer didn’t place a monetary value on the social stigma of driving around in something that was built during the Bush administration.
Dis ‘n’ data
One more thing Runzheimer forgot to factor in: a Firestone survey shows almost 8 percent of women and about 2 percent of men say they have either accepted or rejected a date based on the type of car the other person drove….
“Disclosure” be damned. According to a study by Men’s Health magazine, only 43 percent of married men and 33 percent of single men say they would report sexual harassment by a female co-worker….
Most of the information requests the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce received last year from people interested in moving here came from California (31 percent), followed by other parts of Washington (10 percent). But far-flung Texas finished third, at 6 percent. Escaping San Antonio, perhaps?
MEMO: By the Numbers appears monthly.