On average, amount that Americans spent per day in stores, restaurants, gas stations or online in the 14-day period ending Feb. 11 (figure does not include home or vehicle purchases, or normal monthly bills), according to Gallup Poll daily tracking: $61

Average spent in the same two-week period a year ago: $102

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of all the full-time positions a company fills that are accomplished through internal transfers and promotions, according to a study by CareerXroads: 38.8

Percentage of all external hires that are made through referrals (employee, alumni, vendor, etc.): 27.3

Source: CareerXroads.

Percentage of women who admit to not being able to read a traditional map, twice the number of men, according to research commissioned by Nokia: 11

Percentage of people who believe a sense of direction is genetic and that those who have a bad sense of direction are simply born that way: 18

Number of minutes wasted by the average person each time they get lost: 13

Percentage of people who blame their partners for getting lost, either because they were fighting or they were shouting directions: 30

Source: Nokia.

Percentage of respondents to a survey by Michaels Stores Inc. who said they would like to spend more time on arts and crafts activities: 84

Percentage who said they think making homemade gifts and spending time with their families are two of the "bright spots" that have emerged during this rough economy: 83

Source: Michaels Stores Inc.

Ranks of New York City, Las Vegas, Maui, Hawaii, and San Francisco on the list of U.S. vacation destinations preferred by affluent leisure travelers (those 8 percent of households with a minimum annual income in excess of $150,000, according to the Ypartnership Portrait of Affluent Travelers survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Europe, the Far East, Mexico and Australia on the list of international destinations preferred by affluent travelers: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Ypartnership Public Relations.

Percentage of CPA executives who said they are "pessimistic" or "very pessimistic" about the U.S. economic outlook over the next 12 months, according to a survey conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School: 83

Percentage of respondents who said that they were "optimistic" about the outlook for the U.S. economy: 5

Source: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Percentage of parents who say they are very or fairly knowledgeable about how to protect their children's privacy online, according to a survey released by Consumer Policy Solutions: 69

Percentage of parents who have read the privacy policies of the Web sites their children visit closely: 31

Percentage who are unsure whether children's online activity can be tracked by companies for commercial purposes: 56

Source: Consumer Policy Solutions.

Year that the first civic and public celebrations of St. Patrick's Day in the American Colonies took place in Boston, according to the Irish Information Guide: 1737

Date that the first St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in New York City at the Crown and Thistle Tavern: March 17, 1756.

Source: Ireland Information Guide. See http://www.irelandinformationguide.com/St_Patrick's_Day

Average amount that couples spend on wedding entertainment, according to GigMasters.com: $825

Percentage of couples who had DJ's: 38

Percentage of couples who had live bands: 26

Source: GigMasters.com.

Percentage of those small and medium-sized business owners who have the capacity to process debit/credit transactions that agree they could be underestimating the degree to which fraudsters are targeting their business, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Visa: 41

Percentage who said that data thieves and hackers are not interested in a business of their size: 40 (10 percent strongly/30 percent somewhat)

Percentage who disagree with this premise: 59

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"Who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe." -- John Milton, poet (1608-1674)

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

Estimated amount of money that U.S. employers will be required to contribute into their defined benefit plans this year, according to Watson Wyatt Worldwide: $108.7 billion

Estimated amount of money that employers would have had to contribute without the passage of a new pension-funding relief law late last year: $125.1 billion

Source: Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

Percentage of all travel in the U.S. accounted for by corporate meetings, events and incentive travel programs, according to the U.S. Travel Association: 15

Amount of spending generated: $244 billion

Amount of tax revenue at the federal, state and local level generated: $39 billion

Source: U.S. Travel Association.

Number of U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 36.5 million

Estimated population of Ireland itself: 4 million

Percentage of Massachusetts residents who are of Irish ancestry: 24

Percentage of the nation as a whole who are of Irish ancestry: 12

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Rank of Randy Jackson on scales of likability, believability, sincerity and fairness among "American Idol" judges, according to a study conducted by HCD Research: 1

Source: HCD Research Inc.

Rank of Canada (with rating of 90 percent favorable) among a list of 19 nations, according to a Gallup survey of Americans: 1

Ranks of Great Britain (89 percent), Japan (81 percent), Germany (79 percent), and India and France (64 percent): 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Number of years that Canada has topped the list since 2006: 4

Source: Gallup.

Percentage less likely that people were to develop memory loss if they participated in social activities and read magazines during middle age than those who did not do those activities, according to a study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Seattle: 40

Percentage decrease in the risk of developing memory loss in later years by those who enjoyed reading books, playing games, participating in computer activities and doing craft activities such as pottery or quilting: 30 to 50

Source: American Academy of Neurology.

Number of cell phones collected and processed for reuse and recycling in 2008 by ReCellular, the world's leading electronics sustainability firm: 5.5 million

Percentage increase this represents year-over-year: 35

Number of Boeing 747-400s it takes to equal the weight of these recovered phones: 3

Source: ReCellular.

Percentage of young adults aged 18 to 30 who plan to get married and stay married for life, according to a survey by National Healthy Marriage Resource Center: 82

Estimated percentage of first marriages that end in divorce: 40

Ranks of "love" (87 percent) and "lifelong commitment" (72 percent) on the list of reasons to get married: 1, 2

Percentage who said "having children": 31

Source: National Healthy Marriage Resource Center.

Eight years ago, percentage of Americans who reported that they slept less than six hours a night, according to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation: 13

Percentage of Americans who say that today: 20

Percentage drop over the last eight years in those who reported sleeping eight hours or more: 10 (38 percent to 28 percent)

Percentage of Americans who agree that sleep is as important as diet and exercise to overall health and well-being: 40

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Percentage of new parents who rank money worries as their greatest challenge, ahead of sleep depravation and the rigors of caring for their baby, according to survey results released by Visa: 21

Percentage who said being responsible for someone else is their greatest challenge: 15

Estimated cost for a middle-class family to raise a child until the age of 17, according to computations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: $195,000

Source: Visa Inc.

Idle Thought

"What is philosophy but a continual battle against custom?" -- Thomas Carlyle, historian and essayist

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

Based on a nearly 1,300-square-foot apartment in the city center, rank of Monte Carlo on the list of the world's most expensive real estate markets in 2009, according to the Global Property Guide: 1 (At $4,180 per square foot, it's more than twice as expensive as the runner-up.)

Ranks of Moscow ($1,937), London ($1,928), Tokyo ($1,672), Hong Kong (1,498) and New York ($1,384) on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Global Property Guide.

Percentage of elite professionals (those earning more than $200,000 per year) who say networking impacts income, according to a study from Upwardly Mobile Inc. with the assistance of the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University: 80

Percentage who believe a skilled networker could see up to a 100 percent increase in income: 58

Percentage of respondents who said networking is how they found their current job: 40

Source: Upwardly Mobile.

Number of days that employed Americans said their immediate household would be able to survive before it would be unable to pay for basic expenses such as rent/mortgage, food and transportation, should they lose their job, according to a poll commissioned by SnagAJob.com: 120

Source: SnagAJob.com.

Comparing employer "approval ratings" to past U.S. presidents -- percentage of employees who would "re-elect" their boss if they could, according to a "WorkWatch" survey, released by global staffing agency Randstad: 66

Percentage who said their boss should be impeached: 27

Source: Ranstad.

Percentage of consumers who say they don't know how to tell if green product claims are true: 30

Percentage of consumers who say a product's reputation is the biggest factor they weigh when making purchasing decisions: 21

Percentage who say they trust word-of-mouth: 19

Percentage who cite brand loyalty: 15

Source: Green Seal.

Percentage of workers who say they would have chosen a different career path if they could start their career over again, according to an "Workplace Insights" survey from Adecco Group North America: 54

Percentage of U.S. workers who appreciate having a job so much that any dread they may have about starting a new workweek is not a consideration: 41

Source: Adecco.

Percentage of epicurean adventurers who typically indulge at eateries that are $25 and less per person, according to TripAdvisor's dining out survey: 75

When it comes to restaurant cuisine, percentage who said their favorite is Italian: 31

Percentage who cited American: 18

Percentage whose preference was Mexican: 14

Source: TripAdvisor.

Rank of managers maintaining engagement with surviving employees of current recessionary layoffs, as it relates to the employees' morale, innovation and effectiveness, according to a survey from Sirota Intelligence: 1

When managers become disengaged, number of times more likely that their employees are to be disengaged: 3

Percentage more likely employees are to be frustrated with the company's systems and processes: 33

Source: Sirota Survey Intelligence.

Percentage of American adults (approximately 114 million) who play video games, according to a report from Packaged Facts: 52

Number of adults included in the total gamer population who are in the 55 and older age bracket: 25 million

Number who are retirees: 13 million

Number who are grandparents: 28 million

Source: Packaged Facts.

Estimated revenue lost by the U.S. Postal Service over the past two years -- accounted for by sharp declines in the amount of mail being sent, according to a Gallup Poll: $8 billion

When given a choice of three options for helping the U.S. Postal Service out of its financial difficulties, percentage who were willing to give up some of the conveniences the Postal Service has long offered, including six-day-a-week delivery and thousands of local post office branches: 57

Percentage who were in favor of raising stamp prices: 14

Source: Gallup.

Idle Thought

"Death tugs at my ear and says, 'Live, I am coming.'" -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., poet, novelist, essayist and physician

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