Percentage of baby boomers who said they are doing financial planning and that their goals are set and on track, according to a survey by KeyBank and Zogby International: 51

Percentage who believe they will or could run out of money in their lifetime: 67

Source: Keycorp.

Percentage of Americans who believe U.S. foreign policy is driving dissatisfaction with America abroad, according to a poll by the non-profit organizations World Learning and the Aspen Institute: 75

Percentage of Americans who are very or somewhat worried that the U.S. is losing the trust and friendship of other countries: 73

Percentage who worry that Americans will be less welcome in other parts of the world: 63

Source: World Learning.

Rank of Asia among the regions with the highest salary increases forecast for 2008, according to a survey conducted by ECA International, the world's largest membership organization for international human resources: 1

Ranks of India, Argentina, Indonesia and Russia among the countries in the world with the highest predicted salary increases for 2008: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Switzerland, Japan, France and Austria, and Germany among the countries in the world with the lowest predicted salary increases for 2008: 1, 2, 3 (tie), 4

Source: ECA International.

Year Robert Royce of Woodstock, Vt., used several hundred feet of rope, the engine out of an old Model T Ford and some ingenuity to make the first ski tow in the U.S. at Gilbert's Hill, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1934

Estimated number of ski resorts across the U.S.: 500

Estimated number of times per year these resorts are visited by winter sports enthusiasts: 57 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Average salary for technology professionals in 2007, according to Dice Salary Survey: $74,570

Rank of Silicon Valley as the tech pros' highest paying metro area: 1

Average salary for tech pros in Silicon Valley: $93,876

Ranks of Boston ($83,465), Baltimore/Washington, D.C. ($81,750), Los Angeles ($81,039) and New York ($80,770) on the list of highest paying metro areas: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Dice Holdings Inc.

Percentage of workers who say they have either accepted or left a job due to the condition of the building and/or the amenities offered, according to a national survey by Blumberg Capital Partners: 33

Percentage of workers who described their office buildings and office environments as either "bland," "dumpy" or "stodgy": 47

Ranks of covered parking, subsidized cafeteria or restaurant, fitness or workout center, and on-site day care on the list of the most important office building amenities: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Blumberg Capital.

Minimum statutory employee notice period in the U.S. and Mexico between resignation and departure (for white-collar employees with one year's service), according to data from Mercer's Global HR Factbook: None

Minimum statutory employee notice period in Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore and the U.K.: 1 week

Minimum statutory employee notice period in Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Russia, Ukraine, Bolivia and Spain: 2 weeks

Minimum statutory employee notice period in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland: 2 months

Source: Mercer.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they are very or somewhat likely to reduce their overall debt level in 2008, according to an Experian/Gallup poll: 73

Percentage who say they plan to cut back on entertainment outlays: 49

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they are not likely to read a book or take a course on personal finance: 58

Percentage who say they are not likely to reduce the number of credit cards they have: 56

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Percentage of companies that have made policy changes to better accommodate working parents, according to a survey of senior executives developed by Office Team: 62

Source: OfficeTeam.

Ranks of the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Aruba as the top island getaways for U.S. travelers, based on recent traffic for these destinations on tripadvisor.com: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of Boomers who said they are doing financial planning, and their goals are set and on track, according to a survey by KeyBank and Zogby International: 51�Percentage who believe they will or could run out of money in their lifetime: 67� ��Source: Keycorp-Consumer. Contact Cindy Spitz at 216-689-5640 or email cindy_l_spitz@keybank.com.�•••

Percentage of Americans who believe U.S. foreign policy is driving dissatisfaction with America abroad, according to a poll by the non-profit organizations World Learning and the Aspen Institute: 75�Percentage of Americans who are very or somewhat worried that the US is losing the trust and friendship of other countries: 73�Percentage who worry that Americans will be less welcome in other parts of the world: 63��Source: World Learning. Contact Sir/Madam at (802) 257-7751 or email info@worldlearning.org.�•••

Idle Thought

"I've made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I'm convinced of the opposite." -- Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician

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

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

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