Percentage of unemployed workers who have received at least one job offer since they have become unemployed, according to a survey from Personified: 17

Of these workers, percentage who rejected the offer: 92

Percentage who reported the pay was more than 25 percent below the salary they earned in their most recent position: 54

Source: Personified.

Ranks of the personal computer (78 percent) and the Internet (77 percent) on the list of inventions of the past 25 years that were voted to have made life better, according to USA WEEKEND: 1, 2

At 33 percent, rank of the cell phone on the list of inventions that changed the lives for the worse: 1

Rank of the cell phone (64 percent) on the list of inventions that changed the lives for the better, which goes to show that we have a love/hate relationship with our cell phones: 3

Source: USA WEEKEND.

Year that one of the world's most popular word games (the crossword puzzle, created by journalist Arthur Wynne) was printed for the first time in the Sunday edition of the New York World, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1913

At the time Arthur Wynne's puzzle first appeared, estimated number of Americans who read daily newspapers: 29 million

Today, estimated number who read newspapers on both weekdays and Sundays: 49 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of baby boomers (ages 45 to 64) who say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today, according to a Pew Research: 80

Percentage of those ages 18 to 29 (millennials) who say the same: 60

Percentage of those ages 30 to 45 (generation X) who agree: 69

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Percentage of Americans who believe God created humans in their present form about 10,000 years ago, according to a Gallup Poll: 40

Percentage who believe God guided a process by which humans developed over millions of years from less advanced life forms: 38

Percentage who believe humans developed over millions of years, without God's involvement: 16

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of people, and majorities in 19 out of 22 countries, who think that government regulation and oversight of their national economy needs to be increased -- with the U.S., Turkey and Spain as the only exceptions -- according to the findings of a BBC World Service global poll across 22 countries, conducted by GlobeScan/PIPA: 67

In 14 of 22 countries, average percentage of people who favor an increase in government spending to stimulate the economy -- including large majorities of Egyptians (91 percent), Mexicans (80 percent), Russians and Indonesians (both 78 percent) and Nigerians (73 percent): 56

Ranks of Germany (66 percent), France (63 percent) and the U.S. (58 percent) on the list of industrialized countries that had large stimulus programs and are opposed to an increase in spending: 1, 2, 3

Source: World Public Opinion.

Percentage of CFOs who say that other than technical or functional expertise, the trait they look for most is "integrity": 33

Percentage who said "interpersonal/communication skills": 28

Percentage who said "initiative": 15

Percentage who said "ability to motivate others": 12

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Percentage of U.S. adults who said they want more control over the information that is available about them online, according to an online survey conducted for Intelius: 90

Because professionals, friends and colleagues routinely use websites and search engines to gather personal insight about them, percentage of respondents who believe their online identity is now as important as their "offline" personal or professional reputation: 80

Percentage of consumers who said they believe it is very important to look up information about people and/or businesses online before deciding to interact or do business with them: 78

Source: Intelius.

Percentage of executives who cite effective management of remote employees as their biggest concern in managing a mobile workforce, according to a survey by Runzheimer International: 54

Despite this concern, percentage who cited employee satisfaction as one of the top benefits gained with a mobile workforce as well as cost savings: 26

Percentage of survey respondents who believe their companies are effectively managing mobile workforce programs, but do not necessarily have measurement mechanisms in place: 60

Source: Runzheimer International.

Percentage of business professionals who said they were "highly confident" that private enterprises have sufficient controls in place to minimize the occurrence of cyber crime, according to a poll conducted by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services: 5

Percentage of respondents who are "not confident" in controls implemented by private enterprises: almost 40

Percentage of respondents who believed it was "likely" or "extremely likely" that an electronic security breach would occur in the next 12 months: 42

Source: Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP.

Idle Thought

"Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are?" -- Laurence J. Peter, educator and author

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

Percentage of American consumers who compare prices when shopping for anything, according to a LendingTree survey: 96

Percentage who obtain just one home loan quote: 39

Percentage of homeowners who recognize they could save more than $100 a month by reducing their mortgage rate by one percent: 23

Source: Lending Tree.

With winter officially under way, record low winter temperature among continental U.S. cities, held by Bismarck, N.D., according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 44 degrees below zero

Absolute coldest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was in Prospect Creek, Alaska: 80 degrees below zero

To put a different perspective on the word "lowest," -- record low temperature in Honolulu, Hawaii: 53 degrees

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who said that they would give up their bed before giving up their computer or television, according to a survey sponsored by Aaron's Inc.: 42

Percentage who said they would give up their computer last: 28

Percentage who chose their TV over a bed and a computer: 14

Source: Aaron's Inc.

Median number of years that full-time workers stay in their jobs, up slightly in 2010, and continuing a slow increase in job tenure that began in 2004, according to a report by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute: 5.2

Median job tenure for women in 2010, an increase from 4.2 years in 1983: 5.1 years

Median job tenure for men in 2010, a drop from 5.9 years in 1983: 5.3 years

Source: EBRI.

Rank of Subaru overall on the list of 2011 brand vehicles recognized for their projected retained value five years from now, according to Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards: 1

Rank of BMW on the list of best resale value for luxury brands: 1

Source: Kelley Blue Book.

Percentage of Americans making $25,000 per year or less who use the shower to relax and escape, according to a nationwide study conducted by Delta Faucet: 41

Percentage of men who say their dream shower would include more room for significant others: 40

Percentage of women who say their dream shower would have ambient music and lighting: 45

Source: MSL Group.

Percentage of workers who reported they put in more than 40 hours a week, according to a study from CareerBuilder that looks at indicators of being addicted to work and what workers can do to find a happy medium between work and personal time: 52

Percentage who work more than 50 hours: 15

Percentage who bring home work at least once a week, with 1-in-10 bringing home work at least every other day: 31

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of drivers who say they engaged in distracted driving somehow, whether by texting, talking on a cell phone -- even kissing, according to a poll conducted for InsuranceQuotes.com by GfK Roper: 93

Percentage of American adults who acknowledge that being distracted while driving caused them to do one of the following: swerve into another lane, slam on the brakes, get a ticket, almost get into an accident or have a minor or major wreck: 40

Source: GfK Custom Research North America.

Rank of Marrakech, Morocco on the list of British Airways' top 10 destinations for 2011: 1

Ranks of San Diego, New York, and St. Kitts and Nevis on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: British Airways.

Percentage of small- to midsized businesses that predict sales will increase or remain the same, according to a survey conducted by Zoomerang: 84

As a result of the positive outlook anticipated by the majority of respondents, percentage who indicated they are planning to hire new staff in the next 12 months: 25

Ranks of software (29 percent), hardware (24 percent) and the company website (17 percent) on the list of areas of focus that companies are preparing to update in 2011: 1, 2, 3

Source: Zoomerang.

When asked what kind of help they would most appreciate if they were facing a serious health problem, percentage of Americans who said help staying connected with and updating other family and friends, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of CaringBridge: 58

Percentage of Americans who choose "Told you so!" as one of the three things they would least like to hear from family and friends when facing a health challenge or illness: 84

Percentage of respondents who chose "I love you" as one of the three things they would most like to hear from family or friends: 73

Source: CaringBridge.

Idle Thought

"No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other." -- Jascha Heifetz, violinist (1901-1987)

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

Percentage of Americans who have tried a retail store, restaurant or hotel for the very first time after having received a gift card for it, according to findings of a survey commissioned by Givex: 41

Percentage who later returned to the business: 72

Source: Givex.

Percentage of Americans who plan to return at least one holiday gift this season, according to a Consumer Reports holiday shopping poll: 20

Source: Consumer Reports.

Estimated year that revelry and resolutions first rang in the new year, when Babylonians held semi-annual festivals around the spring and autumn equinoxes: 2000 B.C.

Fast-forward a few millennia to New York City -- the year that Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of The New York Times, commissioned the construction of a 5-foot iron globe studded with 216 electric lamps that would fall from a 70-foot flagpole at midnight in Times Square on the last day of the year: 1907

Weight of the sphere clad in Waterford crystal with 30,000 watts of light-emitting diodes that will descend this year on Dec. 31: 1,200 pounds

Source: "Dream It. List It. Do It. How to live a Bigger & Bolder Life" by Lia Steakley Dicker, a Seattle-based journalist, editor and author at 43Things.com.

Percentage of senior managers who said their employees are less productive the week before a major holiday, according to a survey by Accountemps: 34

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of decisions and reactions made behind the wheel that depend on good vision, according to a survey commissioned by Essilor of America Inc.: 90

Percentage of eyeglasses wearers who sometimes drive without their prescription glasses and instead wear non-prescription sunglasses: 20

Source: KRC Research.

Percentage more waste -- an extra 5 million tons -- that is generated during the holidays compared with the rest of the year, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Plastics Make It Possible: 25

Percentage of U.S. adults who plan to reduce their impact on the environment over the holidays this year: 86

Percentage of those adults who know how they plan to reduce their impact on the environment over the holidays that will do so by recycling the plastic shipping, mailing and packaging materials that protect the gifts they receive: 66

Source: Plastics Make It Possible.

Percentage of men who would opt to toast with beer vs. champagne if given the choice, according to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Samuel Adams: 60

Number of ingredients demanded by the rigorous standards of the Reinheitsgebot, the historic German beer purity law that states all beer must be brewed using only these ingredients: 4 (malt, hops, water and yeast)

Source: Samuel Adams.

Percentage of women who have had their mood affected by wearing an ill-fitting or unattractive pair of underwear, according to a poll published by ShopSmart magazine: 25

Number of pairs of underwear owned by the average woman: 21

Percentage of women who own 35 pairs or more: 10

Source: ShopSmart.

Ranks of Sophia, Charlotte, Ava and Addison on the list of most popular baby names for girls in 2010, according to BabyNames.com: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Aiden, Liam, Noah and Jackson on the list of most popular baby names for boys: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: BabyNames.com.

Percentage of Americans who plan to spend more on leisure travel in 2011 than they did this year, according to TripAdvisor's annual travel trends survey: 36

Percentage who plan to take two or more leisure trips next year -- a slight increase over the 89 percent who said they have done so in 2010: 90

Source: TripAdvisor.

Idle Thought

"New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." -- Mark Twain

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