Percentage of corporate travelers who like to arrive a day early to stay fresh when traveling overseas, according to a survey by Egencia Corporate Travel: 29

Percentage who said flying business or first class keeps them fresh: 12

Percentage who said they take medication to help them sleep: 6

Source: Edelman.

When asked to pick one word/phrase to define the past decade, percentage of Americans who chose "terror," according to a Zogby Interactive poll: 21

Percentage who said "decline": 15

Percentage who said "loss of personal freedom/civil liberties": 13

Source: Zogby International.

Percentage of the active U.S. Internet universe that is reached by Facebook with an average usage of six hours a month per user, according to Nielsen's 2010 Media Industry Fact Sheet: 56

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of the world's carbon dioxide emissions for which the world's richest 500 million people (roughly 7 percent of the world's population) are responsible, according to research by the Worldwatch Institute: 50

Percentage of emissions for which the poorest 3 billion are responsible: 6

Source: WorldWatch Institute.

Year in which Helen Keller, one of the most remarkable of American women, was born, according to the Census Bureau: 1880

Age when she was struck with a major illness that left her deaf and blind: 2

Her age when her family hired Anne Sullivan to try to teach her: 7

In the U.S., percentage chance that somebody has some sort of disability: 20

Percentage of the population who cope with a severe disability: 12

Source: Census Bureau.

Percentage of men who said it is somewhat important for a girlfriend to have "wife potential," but that they wouldn't break up with her if she wasn't, according to an Askmen.com survey: 47

Percentage who said they wouldn't bother pursuing a relationship with a woman who isn't a potential wife: 36

Source: AskMen.com.

Percentage of Americans who describe their outlook for the United States during the next 20 years as "very optimistic" or "optimistic," according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll: 63

Source: Gallup Organization.

Percentage of Americans who fall into the category of "WannabeWELL" (they want to be healthier, but may not know where to start), according to research by the Council for Responsible Nutrition: 44

Percentage who fall into the category of "Oh WELL" (those who do not live healthy lifestyles): 33

Source: Council for Responsible Nutrition.

Rank of Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift, Rihanna on the list of female celebrities with the best hairstyles, according to a survey commissioned by Sally Beauty Supply: 1, 2, 3

Rank of Lady Gaga, Kate Gosselin, Lindsay Lohan on the list of female celebrities with the worst hairstyles: 1, 2, 3

Source: Sally Beauty Supply LLC.

Percentage of homeowners with a siding preference who would choose brick for their homes, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Boral Bricks: 59

Rank of vinyl (37 percent), stucco (19 percent), fiber cement/composite (14 percent) on the list of preferred sidings: 2, 3, 4

Source: Harris Interactive.

Idle Thought

"Understand this, I mean to arrive at the truth. The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it." -- Agatha Christie, author

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

Percentage of those travelers who stay with their relatives over the holidays who confessed they'd rather stay somewhere else, according to TripAdvisor's Holiday Travel Survey: 25

Percentage who have argued with a family member during the "season of good will": 31

Percentage who said they have caused hurt feelings by forgetting to bring a present for someone: 13

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of consumer spending that is now focused on repairing items rather than purchasing new items, according to a report by Kiwi Shoe Care: 8

Percentage of consumers who have reduced indulgent spending during this recession, notably on new wardrobe items, such as shoes: 66

Source: KIWI Shoe Care.

Percentage of heavy users of social media who received high grades, according to research from the University of New Hampshire: 63

Percentage of light users of social media who received high grades: 65

Percentage of respondents who said they have increased their usage of social media from a year ago: 43

Source: UNH Media Relations.

Ranks of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIp) providers, search engines, e-commerce and online auctions, online dating and matchmaking, and tank and armored vehicle manufacturing on the list of the best performing industries of the past decade (2000 to 2009), according to IbisWorld: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of VoIP providers, retirement and pension plans, biotechnology, e-commerce and online auctions, and environmental consulting on the list of best performing industries in the coming decade (2010 to 2019): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: IBISWorld.

On the eve of the 2010 Census, projected total U.S. population -- three months out from Census Day (April 1) -- according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 308,400,408

In January 2010, number of births expected to occur every eight seconds in the United States: 1

Number of deaths expected to occur every 12 seconds: 1

Number of people expected to be added every 37 seconds through net international migration: 1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of chief financial officers who said that breaking bread with key contacts is good business, and stated that their most successful business meetings ever outside the office were conducted over a meal, according to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources: 36

Percentage who said their most successful business outside the office was conducted at a trade show or conference: 25

Percentage who said on the golf course: 3

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Ranks of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, first lady Michelle Obama and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the list of the most admired women in the eyes of Americans, according to a Gallup Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush, former South African President Nelson Mandela, radio and TV personality Glenn Beck and Pope Benedict XVI on the list of the most admired men in the eyes of Americans: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Gallup.

Approximate cost of an airport body scanner (which, if installed at all airports worldwide, will require billions of dollars and impact ticket prices or taxes), according to George Hobica from Airfarewatchdog.com: $150,000 to $200,000

Source: Smarter Travel.

As 2009 comes to a close, percentage of Americans who are filled with significant uncertainty and anxiety about the state of the U.S. economy and its prospects for a quick recovery in the New Year, according to polling firm StrategyOne: 87.

Percentage who disagree with economic experts that the U.S. is no longer in a recession: 78

Source: StrategyOne.

Percentage of adults who have a favorable opinion of for-profit schools, including a quarter who have a very favorable opinion, according to a poll conducted by Lake Research Partners for Americans For Democratic Action Education Fund: 58

Percentage who have an unfavorable opinion: 20

Percentge of respondents who were convinced that online for-profit colleges and universities offer students the flexibility they need to be successful and earn a college degree: 81

Source: Lake Research Partners.

Idle Thought

"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." -- Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer

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

Percentage of workers who said that a "too hot" work environment made it difficult to concentrate, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 22

Percentage of workers who said the same about a "too cold" workplace: 11

In an effort to save money, percentage of workers who feel that their company has turned down the office temperature this year: 19

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of people who, if they were able to turn back time, would choose to retake a family portrait, according to Nikon's "Picture Yourself" survey: 25

Percentage who believe they look better in person than in pictures: 79

Source: Nikon Inc.

Percentage of entrepreneurs who said that being your own boss is one of the advantages of starting and running a family business, according to a Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s (MassMutual) research study: 75

Percentage of all family-owned businesses that survive into the second generation: 30-plus

Percentage that still will be viable into the third generation: 12

Percentage of all family businesses that are operating at the fourth-generation level and beyond: 3

Source: MassMutual.

With all the talk in the media about infidelities, percentage of Americans who revealed they'd never even thought about swapping partners, according to Adam and Eve's "Great American Sex Survey": 62

Of the 38 percent of respondents who admitted they have thought about swapping partners, percentage who said it was simply because they wanted to try something naughty or taboo: 64

Percentage who said they had thought about it because they were excited by the idea of being with someone new: 27

Source: Adam and Eve.

Percentage of workers who think their workplace will be impacted in some way by the swine flu, according to a survey by Adecco: 77

Percentage of employers who are taking proactive measures to address the issue of swine flu in the workplace: 80

Specifically, percentage of employers who have established a policy on how to prevent swine flu from spreading in the workplace: 34

Source: Adecco.

Percentage of companies worldwide that plan to hire more mothers for part-time jobs over the next two years, according to a global study of over 11,000 corporations across 15 countries commissioned by Regus: 44

Among U.S. firms, percentage that reported plans to recruit more part-time working mothers: 46

Source: Regus.

Percentage of women ages 25 to 49 who have made a New Year's resolution to manage their weight, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Kellogg: 56

Percentage of resolution-makers that don't make it through week one: 41

Average amount of time women last before abandoning their resolution: four weeks

Source: Ipsos North America.

Percentage of technology executives across multiple industries who cited organizational resistance as the primary roadblock to new workplace technologies, according to a survey by Deloitte: 40

Percentage of the respondents who pointed to budget and cost constraints as the main deterrents: 28

Source: Deloitte.

Range in the cost of early termination fees -- one of the ways that contract-based cell phone service providers keep customers from switching to lower-cost cell phone alternatives, according Consumer Action: $175 to $350

Percentage of Americans who do not know what penalty they would pay if they canceled their cell phone service, according to an Opinion Research Center survey: 40

Source: Consumer Action.

Percentage of cell-phone-owning teens ages 12 to 17 who say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of themselves to someone else, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project: 4

Percentage who say they have received sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of someone they know via text messaging on their cell phone: 15

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Idle Thought

"The idealists and visionaries, foolish enough to throw caution to the winds and express their ardor and faith in some supreme deed, have advanced mankind and have enriched the world." -- Emma Goldman

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