According to a new MDR report detailing the attitudes and buying habits of teachers, more than half of them have traveled abroad in the past few years, one-fourth of them are always buying the latest high-tech gadgets to hit store shelves, and 73% of them seek out stores that carry their favorite brand names.

According to the recent Arbitron Bar Media Report, nearly one-third of American adults age 21 or older are bar patrons and 43 percent of men age 21 to 34 have visited a bar or lounge in the past week. Since (says the study) fully one-third of bar patrons watch television programming at home using a DVR and three-quarters use software to block advertising online, bar-based advertising has the potential to reach not only a significant portion of adult consumers, but concentrate its message among those who actively avoid advertising delivered on television or the Internet.

According to a recently released PEW Internet study, the percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of 49%. The number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of internet users who use email on a typical day.

Following up last week's Mediapost review concerning projected out-of-home ad spending, with additional details about the Total Communications Forecast from Veronis Suhler Stevenson, total communications spending is projected to increase 5.4% to $923.91 billion in 2008, as strong gains in the institutional and alternative media sectors offset the downward pressure of declining traditional advertising spending.

According to the 8th annual College Explorer study from Alloy Media, the largest class in history, with 13.6 million college students (ages 18-30) arriving on campus this year brings a record $237 billion in consumer spending, up 20% since '07 and marking the largest jump reported since the study's inception.

There may still be time for marketers to adjust in reaching teens and tweens tuning into the 2008 Summer Olympics. A recent study conducted by the Harris Interactive Youth Center of Excellence shows that just 46% of 13 -18 year olds in the U.S. express an interest in the upcoming Olympics, including only 27% who say they are extremely or very interested. Teen boys ages 16-18 show the greatest interest and represent the only age group where over half of youth are interested in the sporting event. Teens overall are a larger audience for the Olympics than tweens (ages …

comScore, Inc. reported that 8 percent of American mobile subscribers and 3 percent of European subscribers accessed maps from the mobile phone in the three-month period ending May 2008. This is a growth rate of 82 percent and 49 percent in the number of users, respectively. According to the study, the iPhone is the leading device used to access maps in the United States, and in Europe, the device trails the Nokia N95 and N70.

The third annual Evercare 100@100 Survey, recently released, finds that the keys to longevity are staying connected to family, friends and current events. The poll shifts conventional stereotypes on aging by revealing that some of the oldest Americans are using the latest technologies to keep up and stay close: talking on cell phones, sending emails, "Googling" lost acquaintances, surfing Wikipedia and even online dating. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau data, there are more than 84,000 Centenarians in the United States, and that number is projected to increase seven-fold, to 580,000, by 2040.

A new study from Scarborough Sports Marketing reveals that over 128 Million Summer Olympics Fans in the U.S. are gearing up for the torch lighting in Beijing on 08-08-08. Nationally, 57 percent of adults are Summer Olympics Fans, but 67 percent of adults in Denver, CO and Spokane, WA say they're "very, somewhat or a little bit" interested in the Summer Olympics. The appeal of the games is so wide-ranging in the U.S. that only the NFL and Winter Olympics surpass it (marginally) in national popularity, says the report.

According to AOL Mail's fourth annual Email Addiction Survey, 46% of email users said they're hooked on email (up from just 15% last year) and 51% check their email four or more times a day. One in five said they check their email more than 10 times a day. 27% are so overwhelmed by their email that they've either declared "email bankruptcy," deleting (or planning to) all their email messages to start anew. 20% of users said they have over 300 emails in their inboxes! 24% admit they've signed up for a new email address to start fresh. 69% …