Percentage of resumes that have some type of lie, according to a survey conducted by BackTrack: 40

Percentage of companies hiring today that will contract with a background-checking company to screen potential employees: 50

Percentage that will screen potential employees internally: 25

Source: BackTrack Inc.

Median tenure of workers -- the midpoint of wage and salary workers' length of employment in their current job -- according to a study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI): 5.1 years

Median tenure for private-sector workers in 2008: 3.9 years

Median tenure for public-sector workers in 2008: 7.0 years

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of Americans in the 18-to-29 age group who say that high-tech communications devices such as Blackberrys and iPhones represent a change for the better, according to Pew Research: 72

Percentage of those ages 30 to 49 who agree: 62

For the public as a whole, percentage who say these handheld devices are a change for the better: 56

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Median age for first-time brides in the U.S., according to about.com: 27

Median age for grooms: 29

Median age for remarriage for brides: 34

Median age for remarriage for grooms: 37

Source: about.com.

Percentage of American families who have increased the number of meals prepared at home in 2009 as compared to 2008, according to an Allrecipes survey: 49

Percentage of survey respondents who cited "enjoying cooking and trying new recipes" as their main reason for eating at home: 30

Source: Allrecipes.com.

Percentage of survey respondents who say current and upcoming texting-while-driving bans by states will not alter their use of a cell phone while driving, according to a survey by Cellcontrol: 72

Percentage of drivers who admitted to using their cell phone to text, e-mail, surf the Web or have a conversation while driving in the past 12 months: 88

Percentage of those who agreed that driving while intoxicated and texting are equally dangerous: 75

Source: Cellcontrol.

Ranks of Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Honda CR-V, Toyota Corolla and Toyota RAV4 on the list of the top 20 most-researched new vehicles for 2009, according to the Kelley Blue Book: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: Kelley Blue Book.

Percentage of adults over the age of 46 who do not feel secure in their jobs, as opposed to 80 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds who do: 34

Percentage of Americans over age 46 who point to the economy as having the biggest impact on stress levels: 52

Percentage of younger workers who attribute their stress to our country's economic woes: 33

Source: Workplace Options.

Percentage of American adults who lacked health insurance coverage in 2009, up from 14.8 percent in 2008, according to the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index: 16.2

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of U.S. Tour Organizers Association tour operators who reported that custom-planned itineraries were their greatest growth area, according to a survey by Kundell Communications: 40

Percentage who reported that their highest growth was in independent tours: 25

Percentage who said that escorted tours were their area of greatest growth: 20

Source: Kundell Communications.

Idle Thought

"Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both." -- Abraham Flexner, educator

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

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.)