Percentage of meeting agendas that are appropriately prepared, according to Proudfoot's Consulting Business Review findings: 41

Percentage where there is clear communication and preparation before the meeting: 49

Percentage that are attended punctually and with appropriate attendance: 39

Source: Proudfoot Consulting.

Percentage of hiring managers at traditional hourly employment standbys such as retailers and restaurants who say they do not intend to take on any new seasonal workers in 2008, a consequence of the uncertain economy, according to a survey conducted by snagajob.com: 49

Percentage of hiring managers surveyed who agreed with the statement that "today's youth do not have the same work ethic as previous generations have had": 56

Percentage of hiring managers who say the most important thing they look for in an applicant is a positive attitude and an eagerness to want the job: 39

Source: SnagAJob.com.

Percentage of employees who describe their wireless device as a necessity: 38

Percentage of survey respondents who admit to putting their wireless device down only when they are sleeping: 25

Percentage of respondents who admit to being 100 percent off-line when not in the office (down from 8 percent last year): 5

Source: Yahoo! HotJobs.

Percentage of fathers who would sacrifice an exciting job for more time with their children, according to a survey conducted by Spike TV's "State of Men 2008" in partnership with national research firm Penn, Schoen & Berland: 73

Percentage of fathers today who are also at least "somewhat willing" to be stay-at-home dads -- a 13-point increase from 2004: 73

Percentage of men who indicated that what defines a man most is being a good husband and father: 80

Source: Spike TV.

Percentage of adults in the U.S. who believe that the government should tax the wealthy more, according to a Financial Times/Harris Poll: 62

Percentage of adults in France (the lowest percentage in the countries polled) who agree: 51

Percentage of adults in the U.K. who agree: 56

Percentage of adults in Japan (the highest percentage in the countries polled) who agree: 77

Source: Harris Interactive.

Average number of vehicles per household in the U.S. in both 2001 and 2008, according to U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration and Transportation Energy Consumption Surveys: 1.9

Average number of gallons of gas consumed per household in 2001: 573

Average number in 2008: 597

Average price per gallon in 2001 (allowing for adjustment in today's dollar value), according to Oil Price Information Service in cooperation with Wright Express, distributed by AAA: $1.78

Average price per gallon today: $3.80

Source: Campaign for America's Future.

Percentage of respondents who do not know that you have to pay both the interest on your entire balance as well as a late fee when making a late credit card payment, according to a survey by the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy: 69

Percentage of respondents who cannot identify the percentage that service fees typically take out of a $20 ATM withdrawal: 97

Percentage of respondents who knew that you can withdraw money from a Roth IRA for education expenses, your first home purchase and retirement spending: 16

Source: Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy.

Percentage of Americans who would lose their house or apartment if hit by an unexpected short-term job loss, according to a survey conducted by Zogby International: 22

Percentage who say they know someone who has gone through or is being forced to sell their home because of a foreclosure: 30

If forced to sell their home today, percentage who say they would buy another home rather than rent: 50

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of Americans who plan to tackle home improvement projects in the next few months, most of them spending more than $1,000, according to an Ace Hardware survey: 25

Percentage who are engaging their family for time and money-saving help: 49

Percentage who are asking their friends: 46

Source: Ace Hardware.

Percentage of chief financial officers (CFOs) who said they view consulting as an attractive segue into retirement, according to a survey developed by Robert Half International: 75

Percentage of CFOs who identified being able to remain in the workforce but work fewer hours as one of the greatest benefits of consulting: 47

Source: Robert Half International.

Idle Thought

"It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way." -- Rollo May, psychologist

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

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

Rank of the U.S. among the world's most competitive economies, according to a survey conducted by the IMD business school that ranked 55 global economies according to 331 criteria that measure how each creates and maintains conditions favorable to business: 1

Number of years in a row the U.S. has ranked No. 1: 15

Ranks of Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Luxembourg: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: IMD.

Percentage by which gas mileage is lowered by aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) on the highway, according to the Department of Energy: 33

Percentage by which it is lowered by aggressive driving around town: 5

For each 5 mph driven above 60 mph, estimated additional cost per gallon of gas: $0.20

Source: Governors Highway Safety Association.

Percentage of married women who maintain a "honey-do" list, according to a survey sponsored by Mighty Putty: 94

Percentage of women who were likely to have between one and nine tasks on their list: 71

Percentage of those tasks that remain unfinished for weeks, months or even years: 78

Source: Nature's Pillows.

Estimated amount of money given by U.S. religious congregations of all denominations to the developing world in 2006 for relief and development in poor countries (figure excludes support for evangelism), according to the 2008 Index of Global Philanthropy, which is published annually by the Hudson Institute's Center for Global Prosperity: $8.8 billion

Official U.S. government aid in 2006: $23.5 billion

Source: Hudson Institute.

Percentage of the Silent Generation (born 1925 to 1945) who report that all of their childhood family vacations included some interaction with nature, according to a study by Vollmer Public Relations for Travelocity: 25

Percentage of families traveling with kids today who say the same: 15

Percentage of time that today's families with children spend at amusement parks: 13

Percentage of time that the Silent Generation visited amusement parks: 6

Source: Vollmer Public Relations.

Percentage of financial executives from oil and gas companies who think that the price per barrel of crude oil will drop below $100 by the end of the year, according to the KPMG survey: 55

Percentage who think that the price will close between $101 and $110: 21

Percentage who think between $111 and $120: 15

Source: KPMG LLP.

Percentage of adults across the U.S. who enjoy grilling food outside, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 33

Decade when outdoor grilling became popular and when charcoal briquettes were first sold by Henry Ford, made from scrap wood left over from the body framing of his Model T's: 1920s

Number of pounds of beef that each American consumes every year: 62

Number of pounds of poultry: 74

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of employees who say that they left their jobs to seek new challenges or opportunities that were lacking with their previous employers, according to a study by Right Management: 30

Percentage of respondents who reported leaving employers because of ineffective leadership: 25

Percentage who cited poor relationships with their managers: 22

Average percentage increase of an employee's salary that it costs to replace an employee (this includes recruitment, training, severance, lost productivity and lost opportunities): 300

Source: Right Management.

Percentage of all U.S. heads of household who have never used e-mail, according to National Technology Scan, a forthcoming study from Parks Associates: 21

Percentage who have never used a computer to create a document: 30

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of employers that "offshored" jobs that said offshoring has already enabled them to create new, better jobs of different types in the United States, according to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com: 28

Among employers who offshore, percentage who say less than 5 percent of their jobs will be sent overseas: 44

Percentage who say more than 10 percent of their jobs will be offshored: 39

Percentage of employees whose jobs were displaced by offshoring who say that they were let go by their employer: 71

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Idle Thought

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking." -- George Patton

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

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

Percentage of buying power lost by seniors since the beginning of the decade, according to a study released by The Senior Citizens League: 51

Since 2000, percentage increase in the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) benefits: 24

Monthly amount received by a senior with the average Social Security benefit in 2008: $1,013.50

Percentage of beneficiaries who rely on it for 90 percent or more of their total income: 33

Source: The Senior Citizens League.

Ranks of Miami, Boston, New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as the least courteous cities with the worst road rage, according to the third annual "In the Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey," commissioned by AutoVantage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Pittsburgh, Portland, Ore., Seattle, Minneapolis and Cleveland as the most courteous cities with the least road rage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Number of consecutive years that Miami has taken the crown as road rage capital of America: 3

Source: AutoVantage.

Percentage of Americans who say the top scenario that would most negatively impact their financial future is having their savings stolen because of fraud/theft, according to a survey from ING and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 77

Percentage who say the second scenario that would most negatively impact their family's financial future is their death or the death of their spouse or partner: 67

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of high school seniors who expect to have at least one internship during their college career, emphasizing a strong work ethic among this group, according to a Monster.com survey of graduating students: 87

Percentage of surveyed students who plan to attend an in-state school: 81

Source: Monster.com.

Percentage of U.S. corporate executives who say they see evidence of a recession in their life, according to a survey conducted by Gray Hair Management: 92.4

Percentage of American executives who say the primary recession evidence they see is that their investment and savings portfolios have taken a big hit: 24.6

Percentage who say the primary evidence is the rise in gas and food prices: 21.2

Source: Gray Hair Management.

Ranks of Florida (62 percent), California (56 percent) and New York (51 percent) on the list of the most-visited states, according to Greyhound's "Hit the Road" survey: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who have been to Alaska, the least visited state in the country: 13

Source: Kelton Research.

Average amount that Americans spend each year on cut flowers, according to the Flower Council of Holland: $31

Average amount spent each year by the Swiss: $112

Whereas countries such as Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands use flowers as decorations throughout their homes, percentage of flowers sold in America that are gifts, according to a Rabobank report: 75

Source: Rabobank Food and Agribusiness Research.

Percentage of Americans who say that celebrity involvement in political campaigns is a bad thing, according to the results of a nationwide Harris poll: 47

Percentage who say it is a good thing: 29

Source: Harris Interactive.

Estimated number of teeth that are saved each year by the root canal procedure, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 42 million

Estimated annual cost for dental services: $93 billion

Average amount spent by Americans annually on dental care: $292

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Estimated weight of household hazardous waste produced by the average American home every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: 20 pounds

Cumulative weight over one year: 1.6 million tons

Percentage of mothers who believe that some rashes on their children's skin are reactions to chemicals in the products they use, according to a national Shaklee Corp. poll: 35

Source: Shaklee Corp.

Idle Thought

"Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about." -- Oscar Wilde

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

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