Percentage of women who would rather have their homes dusted by their beloved than receive a box of candy, according to the SC Johnson "Love Affair with Cleaning" survey: 56

Percentage of women age 35 to 44 who said that a clean bathroom beats out a bouquet of flowers: 45

Percentage who chose a kitchen clean-up instead of a dinner out: 21

Source: Edelman.

Percentage of workers who said they would consider dating a co-worker, according to a Spherion office romance survey: 36

Percentage of workers who reported that their company does not have a policy on workplace romance: 57

Percentage of workers who reported that they have had a workplace romance: 39

Percentage of workplace romances that have resulted in marriage: 22

Source: Spherion.

Percentage of U.S. corporate executives who plan to pursue hobbies, travel or golf during their retirement years, according to a survey conducted by Gray Hair Management: 70.4

Percentage who are planning a post-retirement relocation: 50.7

Percentage who said climate was the biggest reason for their planned relocation: 38.5

Source: Gray Hair Management.

In general, percentage of employees who report feeling overworked, according to a Sirota survey: 22

Percentage who say they are bored: 14

Percentage of employees with "about the right amount of work" who feel they are an important part of their companies: 61

Percentage of those with "too little work" who agree: 34

Source: Buchanan Public Relations.

Year that Pope Gelasius set aside Feb. 14 to honor St. Valentine, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's "Facts for Features" series: 496

Decade in which Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, was given credit for sending the first valentine cards: 1840s

Number of locations in the U.S. producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2005: 1,198

Number of people these establishments employed: 38,718

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Estimated number of visits that Canadians made to the United States in 2006, according to the latest study by the Travel Industry Association of America: 40 million

Estimated amount of money they spent: $13.5 billion

Estimated cost to the American economy by just a 5 percent decline in Canadian visits: $700 million

Source: Travel Industry Association of America.

Amount earned by Madonna in a 12-month period, ending in June 2007, through concert ticket sales, merchandise revenue, album sales and earnings from ancillary products such as clothing, perfumes and endorsements, making her the top-earning female musical artist, according to a study conducted by Forbes.com: $72 million

Amounts earned by Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Shakira and Beyonce Knowles in 2007, respectively: $60 million, $45 million, $38 million, $27 million

Rank of Britney Spears ($8 million): 14

Source: Forbes.com.

Percentage of employees who say they are highly motivated to eat right, according to a study conducted by ComPsych Corp.: 42

Percentage who say they would likely use an employer-sponsored wellness program if it were offered: 67

Percentage who say they would be interested in such a program: 87

Percentage of employees who say that health and lifestyle have a significant impact on productivity: 74

Rank of lack of energy among the top hindrances to productivity cited by workers: 1

Source: ComPsych Corp.

Percentage of U.S. companies that report having a formal or informal environmental responsibility policy, according to a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management: 50

Ranks of implementation cost (85 percent), maintenance cost (74 percent), lack of management support (43 percent), lack of employee support (25 percent) and concern for workplace efficiency (20 percent) among the top barriers to creating a workplace environmental plan cited by HR professionals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Society for Human Resource Management.

Idle Thought

"It is not how old you are, but how you are old." -- Jules Renard, writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

If the ultimate makeover were possible, percentage of Americans who would like to be Bill Gates, according to a survey by GBC Document Finishing Group: 47

Percentage who chose Oprah Winfrey as the person they would most like to be: 25

Source: GBC.

Percentage of divorced Americans who are supposed to receive child support or alimony, according to a study by divorce360.com: 24

Of those who are supposed to receive child support or alimony, percentage who are receiving all of it: 25

Percentage who are not receiving any of it: 29

Source: divorce360.com.

Percentage of U.S. workers who said they "live to work" rather than "work to live," according to a survey conducted by Monster.com: 22

Rank of the U.S. among the four countries surveyed in terms of having the most respondents who selected "live to work": 1

Percentage of French workers who said they "live to work": 16

Percentage of German and U.K. workers who said the same: 15 (tie)

Source: Monster.com.

Rank of L.L. Bean among U.S. retail companies in terms of quality of customer service, according to a consumer survey conducted by the National Retail Federation: 1

Ranks of Zappos.com and Amazon.com: 2, 3

Number of Internet-only retailers in the top 10: 4

Source: Rasmussen Reports LLC.

Percentage of workers who have been explicitly informed that their at-work technology is monitored, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive and comissioned by lawyers.com: 45

Percentage of employees who say they use the Internet for non-work purposes while at work despite company policy: 69

Percentage of employees who say they use their phone for non-work purposes while at work despite company policy: 69

Source: lawyers.com.

Percentage of respondents who selected a barista position at the fictitious Central Perk in "Friends" as the TV workplace where they would most like to work even though nearly four years have passed since Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe bid farewell, according to a survey by SnagAJob.com: 33.3

Percentage of survey participants who said they would prefer to don scrubs and work in the ER with Dr. McDreamy and the rest of the "Grey's Anatomy" cast: 24.9

Source: SnagAJob.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they trust "business," according to Edelman's 2008 Trust Barometer survey: 58

Percentage who say they trust government: 39

Source: Edelman.

Percentage of executives in the U.S. who report current or impending shortages of quality leadership talent, according to a survey conducted by Stanton Chase International and Birkman International: 94.1

Percentage who perceive a gap in talent between baby boomers (current corporate leaders) and the younger generations: 90.4

Percentage who say this shortage critically or significantly affects their organizations' senior management level: 48

Source: Stanton Chase International.

Percentage of a movie theater's revenue that is generated though concession stands, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 29

Percentage that is generated through ticket sales: 66

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Average number of people watching a commercial during Super Bowl XLI, according to a study conducted by The Nielsen Co.: 92.8 million

Number of commercials broadcast: 101

Rank of beer among the advertising categories with the most commercials during the Super Bowl: 1

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say that the government should not provide financial assistance to borrowers who can no longer afford to pay their mortgages to keep them out of foreclosure, according to the results of survey of U.S. adults, conducted by Harris Interactive for The Wall Street Journal Online: 42

Percentage who say they should: 25

Source: Harris Interactive.

Idle Thought

"What the mind doesn't understand, it worships or fears." -- Alice Walker, author

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600

Percentage of affluent men (incomes of $150,000 or higher) who classify themselves as happy and successful, according to a Best Life magazine and Platinum Card from American Express survey: 10

Percentage of successful and happy men who feel more successful than the people they grew up with: 66

Percentage of men who point to fulfilling personal relationships as one of the top factors of success: 84

Percentage of men who believe that personal accomplishment, such as having a happy family or being able to retire early, is a more significant cue of success than having a lot of power (16 percent), owning a large home (15 percent), having an impressive job title (8 percent) or spending a lot of money (4 percent): 64

Source: Kaplowpr.com.

In a survey of more than 130 countries, ranks of Denmark, New Zealand and Canada as the countries that report the highest level of well-being, according to a Gallup Poll: 1 (tie), 3

Rank of the U.S. behind Venezuela and Australia (tied for 4th): 6

Number of countries in mainland Asia or Africa that make the top 10: 0

Source: Gallup Inc.

Estimated number of trendy and hyper-brand-aware teens (ages 12 to 17) in the U.S. -- representing a total yearly income of $80 billion -- who are prime targets for plastic (debit, credit and gift cards), according to a report from Packaged Facts: 24.8 million

Percentage of teens ages 12 to 17 who have a savings account: 47.4

Percentage who have a checking account: 11.6

Percentage who have an ATM card: 15

Percentage who have a credit card in their own name: 3.5

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of Chinese consumers who say fashion is less important than value and comfort, according to a survey conducted by BIGresearch: 70.9

Percentage of Americans who say the same: 37.3

Source: BIGresearch.

Year that International Women's Day (March 8) was first observed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1909

Number of females in the U.S. as of Oct. 1, 2007: 153.6 million

Median annual earnings of women 16 or older who worked year-round, full-time, in 2006: $32,649

For every $1 earned by men, amount earned by women: 77 cents

Median earnings of women working in computer and mathematical jobs, the highest for women among the 22 major occupational groups: $61,081

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of Johnny Depp, Will Smith, George Clooney, Matt Damon and Denzel Washington on the list of top money-making stars of 2007, according to the Quigley Publishing Co.'s 76th annual poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Quigley Publishing Co.

Estimated corporate research and development spending on clean energy technologies in 2006, according to Worldwatch Institute in State of the World 2008: $9.1 billion

Total estimated investment in renewable energy in 2006: $52 billion

Percentage rise from 2005: 33

Source: WorldWatch Institute.

Percentage of Americans who say they feel less secure about their financial situation compared to last year, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 38

Percentage who believe the economy will get worse in the coming year: 45

Percentage who believe the economy will improve in the coming year: 15

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of U.S. senior executives who said baby boomer retirements will be the trend that most significantly alters the workforce in the next decade, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 47

Percentage who cited global business interactions as the trend that most significantly alters the workforce in the next decade: 31

Percentage who said outsourcing: 11

Source: Robert Half International.

Percentage of tour operators who say that adventure travel is on the rise, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Tour Operators Association: 66

Percentage of operators who said that independent arrangements -- where a tour operator custom designs separate elements into an individual package -- scored the greatest gain: 80

Source: Kundell Communications.

Idle Thought

"How can we expect another to keep our secret if we have been unable to keep it ourselves." -- Francois de La Rochefoucauld, writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

4520 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. 64111; (816) 932-6600