Percentage of vacation homebuyers who purchased a vacation property last year who did so primarily because of low real estate prices, according to proprietary research commissioned by HomeAway: 33

Percentage who cited the desire for a family retreat: 30

Percentage who cited low mortgage rates: 13

Source: HomeAway.

Percentage of CFOs who said a lack of new ideas is the greatest barrier to their company being more innovative, according to a recent Robert Half survey: 35

Percentage of respondents who cited excessive bureaucracy as the top creativity killer: 24

Percentage who blamed being bogged down with daily tasks or putting out fires: 20

Source: Robert Half International.

Rank of the hot dog on the list of the favorite foods for baseball fans, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council: 1

Projected number of hot dogs Americans will consume this baseball season, enough to round the bases 28,489 times, and if laid end to end would stretch from the new Marlins Ballpark in Miami to Coors Field in Denver: 20.5 million

Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Ranks of General Mills, Kraft and Johnson & Johnson on the list of the most reputable companies among U.S. consumers, according to the 2012 U.S. RepTrak Pulse, a study measuring the 150 largest U.S. public companies: 1, 2, 3

Of these 150 companies, percentage that report the CEO as the primary functional leader responsible for setting the reputation strategy: 51

Source: Reputation Institute.

This time last year, and just before the takedown of the Rustock botnet, average number of spam emails that were sent daily, according to the Commtouch report: 150 billion

Since that takedown, average number of spam emails sent per day: 94 billion

Source: Commtouch Spam Detection Center.

Percentage of Americans who have no credit cards at all, according to the Federal Reserve: 25

Among cardholders, percentage who carry a balance (roughly 37 percent of the population): 50

Percentage of the population that is credit card debt free: 63

Amount of credit card debt that is spread out over the 37 percent of the population: $780 billion plus

Source: InCharge Debt Solutions.

Percentage of Americans who say that using a computer without security software is high-risk, according to a study from Webroot: 85

Percentage who say leaving the door to one's home unlocked is high-risk: 82

Percentage who say leaving one's car unlocked is high-risk: 83

Source: Webroot Software Inc.

Percentage of hiring managers who say they currently have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 26

Ranks of "being able to retain top talent," "being able to provide competitive compensation," and "worker burnout" on the list of the top staffing challenges in 2012 as cited by hiring managers: 1 (tie), 3

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of workers who think it's not very or not at all likely that they or a family member will be diagnosed with a serious illness like cancer, according to The 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report: 62

According to the American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2012, percentage of women who will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives: 33

Percentage of men: 50

Source: Aflac Inc.

Percentage of women who have pulled over and used nature as their restroom, according to a study by Quilted Northern: 26

Percentage who have postponed using the bathroom until returning home: 69

Percentage of women who have exceeded the speed limit to reach a restroom more quickly: 38

Source: Edelman.

Idle Thought

"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us." -- Epicurus, philosopher

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who believe that it is especially important to "buy American," according to a survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of House Beautiful: 51

Percentage who feel proud when they purchase American-made goods: 46

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Estimated number of idle or deactivated mobile phones in the U.S. in need of recycling, according to research from Compass Intelligence: 280 million

Percentage of mobile customers who upgrade every 18 months or less: 25

Currently, estimated percentage of old mobile phones that are recycled: 10

Source: Compass Intelligence.

Price of a gallon of gasoline in Chicago, the highest level ever recorded by the American Automobile Association and higher than an equal amount of champagne, soda pop and laundry detergent, according to a report in the Chicago Sun Times: $4.67 to $5

Cost to fill up an average car with gas: $84

Average cost of a keg of domestic beer: $75

Source: Rocco Shirts Chicago.

Percentage of Americans who say that they have a good night's sleep at least a few nights a week, according to the National Sleep Foundation 2012 Bedroom Poll: 76

Ranks of a comfortable mattress (93 percent), comfortable pillows (91 percent), comfortable sheets (86 percent), a quiet room (74 percent) and bedroom darkness (73 percent) on the list of things that are important to getting a good night's sleep: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Year that a switch was thrown as Wabash, Ind., became the first town in America to be illuminated by electric lights and, according to newspaper reports, people were said to be overcome with awe and many sank to their knees in wonder, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1880

Number of kilowatt hours a year that the average U.S. home used in 1912, chiefly for lighting: 264

Today, with the dramatic growth in electrical appliances and electronic devices, number of kilowatt hours a year used in the average U.S. home: 11,500

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of moms who stated they would not hire a beautiful baby sitter or nanny, shattering the old cliche that moms don't hire beautiful sitters, according to a survey commissioned by Sittercity: 7

Rank of "engage, educate and enhance" their children's lives on the list of the most important attributes when looking for a childcare provider: 1

Source: Sittercity.com.

Percentage of SMB (small- and medium-business) websites in the U.S. that are missing either a local or toll-free telephone number on the home page to contact the business, according to an analysis from SMB DigitalScape: 60

Percentage of SMB websites that lack an email link on their home page for consumers to contact the business: 74

Source: vSplash, BIA/Kelsey.

Percentage of adult women in the U.S. who have at some point been a member of Girl Scouts, according to the Girl Scout Research Institute: 49

Average length of time spent in Girl Scouts: 4 years

Source: Girl Scouts of the USA.

Across North America, average price of a premium downtown parking space: $16.64

Average price of the least expensive space in these markets, up from $8.48 per day: $12.57

Average cost of a premium reserved monthly space, down from $240: $199

Source: National Parking Association.

Percentage of licensed insurance and financial advisers serving the senior market who cited the economy as the No. 1 issue keeping them up at night, according to the results of a survey by Senior Market Advisor, published by Summit Business Media: 30

Percentage of respondents who cited generating leads: 29

Source: Summit Business Media.

Idle Thought

"It is impossible to live pleasurably without living prudently, honorably and justly; or to live prudently, honorably and justly, without living pleasurably." -- Epicurus, philosopher

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

Ranks of Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and California on the list of the best states for women, where they can live in good health, get quality care for their kids and have a government that truly understands their priorities, according to a study by iVillage: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia and Kentucky on the list of the worst states for women: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: iVillage.co.uk.

Percentage of parents who are having money conversations with their kids at least somewhat often, according to the 2012 Parents, Kids and Money Survey from T. Rowe Price: 76

Percentage of parents who say they are not always honest with their kids about money-related items: 77

Percentage of kids who think that their parents do a good job teaching them about money: 92

Ranks of not saving enough (43 percent), spending too much/being in debt (32 percent), started saving too late (29 percent), wrong job/career choice (22 percent) and not setting financial goals (17 percent) on the list of parents' biggest financial regrets: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: T. Rowe Price.

Of the 59 percent of the global adult population in a solid attachment -- married or in a domestic partnership -- percentage who say their relationship with their partner or spouse gives them the greatest happiness, according to an Ipsos/Reuters poll: 63

Percentage of those who are married or living with their partners who say having a good sex life provides the greatest happiness: 38

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who now think it is possible for a typical middle-income family to save for a secure retirement, according to a Country Financial survey: 35

Percentage who will not have to delay their retirement as a result of the economic downturn: 36

Percentage of respondents who either maintained or increased the amount they contribute to their nest egg, a three-point increase from last year: 57

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of employed millennials (age 18 to 29) who agree that offering access to the latest technology makes employers more attractive than their competition, according to the results of a poll released by Workplace Options: 92

Percentage of Generation X workers (age 30 to 45) who agree: 64

Percentage of baby boomers (age 46 to 65) who say the same: 71

Source: Workplace Options.

Percentage of U.S. online consumers age 16 and older who have liked, followed or subscribed to a company/brand via social networking, according to a study on social media conducted by Revelation Research: 52

Percentage of these who later turn around and dump the companies/brands with which they initially forged a relationship: 33

Rank of the brand coming on too strong, pushed too hard and got clingy with excessive posts, tweets or other communications on the list of the biggest reasons for the breakup: 1

Source: Revelation Research.

Percentage of Americans who would like to avoid getting a root canal, according to a survey by the American Association of Endodontists: 63

Percentage who want to avoid losing a permanent tooth more than getting the flu, paying taxes or speaking in public: 69

Source: American Association of Endodontists.

Ranks of earning more rewards for every dollar spent and large sign-up bonuses on the list of the top reasons credit card holders would be most likely to switch to another rewards credit card, according to the Capital One Rewards Barometer: 1, 2

Percentage of respondents who indicated that eliminating expiration dates on rewards would improve their redemption experience: 40

Source: Capital One Financial Corp.

Percentage of service companies that say high gasoline prices are hurting business, according to a March Angie's List nationwide survey: 71

Percentage of companies that are passing those costs along to customers: 22

Percentage of respondents that said they have seen as much as a 20 percent jump in their fuel costs this year: 50

Source: Angie's List.

Percentage of office employees who have access to paper documents containing their company's confidential information as well as sensitive information of its clients, vendors, customers and employees, according to a Fellowes' Workplace Data Security Report: 81

Percentage of employees who cite their company as having a data security policy on which employees are trained: 62

Percentage of employees who leave sensitive paper documents on top of their desks, leaving their companies vulnerable to a security breach: 25

Source: Fellowes Inc.

Idle Thought

"If only I may grow: firmer, simpler, quieter, warmer." -- Dag Hammarskjold, former Secretary General of the United Nations

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