Percentage of U.S.-based midsized companies that incurred unintended expenses related to noncompliance with government regulations in the past year, according to a study conducted by the ADP Research Institute: 33

Average number of fines or penalties incurred by businesses that process payroll in-house: 5.7

Average number of fines or penalties for companies that outsource their payroll: 2

Source: ADP.

Percentage of travelers who are more likely to overindulge on food on vacation than while at home, according to a survey by TripAdvisor: 65

Percentage who are more likely to overindulge on alcohol: 49

In spite of calorie-laden temptations on the road, percentage of respondents who rarely or never feel guilty about their vacation excesses, post-trip: 81

Source: TripAdvisor.

Value of the global pet food market in 2011, according to a market report published by Transparency Market Research: $58.6 billion

Expected value by 2017: $74.8 billion

Percentage of the total revenue accounted for by North America, the largest regional segment for the pet food industry in terms of revenue generation: 40

Source: Transparency Market Research.

Percentage of Americans (18 and over) who have engaged in "sexting," according to research from the makers of Trojan Brand Condoms: 23

Percentage who have sent a naughty photo or video: 16

Source: Trojan Brand Condoms.

Of 19 world markets studied, percentage of respondents in the United States (the only country with a minority percentage) who say they feel younger than their age, according to research by Euro RSCG Worldwide: 47

Percentage of people in the global sample who are also confident they look younger than most of their peers: 55

Source: Euro RSCG.

Year that Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid, according to the Census Bureau: 1927

Estimated number of gallons of Kool-Aid that are consumed worldwide each year: 500 million

Source: Census Bureau.

By using the new stop-start technology that automatically shuts off the engine when a driver is stuck in traffic or waiting for a red light to change, percentage improvement that can be achieved in fuel economy, according to the AAA: 12

Cost of the system where stop-start is offered as an option: $300

If gasoline costs $3.75 per gallon, amount saved annually in fuel costs by the owner of a car that normally gets 20 mpg and is driven 12,000 miles per year: $167

Source: AAA.

Percentage of rewards card holders who reported this May they would use rewards for summer vacations, according to the Capital One Rewards Barometer: 33

Percentage of respondents who actually redeemed rewards: 21

Source: Capital One Financial Corp.

In the U.K., impact in pounds sterling that the betting industry had on the U.K. economy, according to a Deloitte report: 3 billion pounds

Estimated number of jobs that the industry supports: 100,000

Estimated amount of money that Americans spend per year on state-run lotteries alone: $50 billion

Source: PayPerHead.com.

Percentage of consumers who said that they have been lured into stores due to back-to-school sales and promotions for items under $1, according to the results of PriceGrabber's back-to-school shopping survey: 25

Percentage of consumers who chose "sales" as the top retailer promotion that will entice them to make a back-to-school purchase this year: 88

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Idle Thought

"The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of." -- Blaise Pascal

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

Percentage of geeks who said they would be very stressed out by losing the files on their computer's hard drive, according to the Geek Pride Day Survey by Modis: 60

Percentage who would feel the same about going through a relationship breakup: 49

Source: Modis.

Percentage of consumers who are planning to spend more this back-to-school shopping season than in 2011, according to a survey by PriceGrabber: 46

Percentage of consumers who planned to start their back-to-school shopping in June: 17

Percentage who said August: 44

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Advertising spending across all media by automotive brands in 2011, more than twice as much as the second-largest category -- quick-service restaurants -- according to Nielsen Research: $10.2 billion

Rank of humorous ads on the list of ads that have consistently resonated best with viewers, regardless of the economy or year: 1

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of parents who are more prepared to talk to their kids about drugs and alcohol than about finances, according to a survey by Capital One and ING Direct USA: 35

Percentage who stated they were more prepared to talk about finances: 26

Percentage of older teens ages 15 to 17 who said no one at home helps them manage their money: 15

Percentage of parents who think they are an excellent financial role model for their children: 31

Source: ING Direct.

Percentage of moms with children in kindergarten to 12th grade who consider back-to-school a time for a fresh start, according to the results of a survey by Wal-Mart: 76

Percentage of moms who make back-to-school "resolutions" in preparation for the year ahead: 90

Ranks of saving money and eating healthier on the list of moms' "new school year" resolutions: 1, 2

Source: Wal-Mart Media Relations.

Ranks of "both partners feeling valued and important to each other," "having good communication" and "satisfying sex" on the list of the top measures to prevent cheating, according to a survey of counseling professionals from YourTango.com: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of experts who disagree with the adage "once a cheater, always a cheater": 81

Percentage of respondents who claim that celebrity cheating scandals affect how the rest of us view infidelity: 76

Source: YourTango.com.

Year of birth for Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, who believed that directed play was an important part of each child's education -- a theory that led to the establishment of the first kindergarten, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1782

Year that the first kindergarten in a U.S. public school opened in St. Louis, Mo.: 1873

Today, number of youngsters who go to public school kindergarten each day: 3.8 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of retired baby boomers who said that they or family members have NOT experienced a significant health event or overall decline in health in the past year, according to a survey by RBC: 68

Percentage of boomers who have previously, do currently, or expect to provide caregiving to another adult (whether it be family, friend or neighbor) at some point in their life: 41

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Percentage of employees who are unable to stop thinking about their problems, according to an employee wellness report released by ComPsych Corp.: 38

Percentage who said minor problems throw them for a loop: 35

Source: ComPsych Corp.

Percentage of checking account holders who had considered switching their accounts to a different bank within the past year, according to a Consumer Reports survey: 19

Percentage of consumers who considered switching who cited fee increases for routine services as one of the reasons they wanted to move their account to a new bank: 43

Percentage who said another bank was offering better terms: 38

Source: Consumer Reports.

Idle Thought

"A hungry man is not a free man." -- Adlai Stevenson, statesman

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

Year golf was banned in Scotland because King James II worried that people were too distracted by the game to develop the archery skills needed to protect the country from the English: 1457

Years golf was included in the Olympics, then removed for 112 years until its slated return at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games: 1900 and 1904

Like croquet, number of times golf has been in the Olympics -- three less times than tug-of-war: 2

Source: ProCon.org.

Ranks of the construction and restaurant industries on the list of the nation's largest creators of summer jobs, according to National Restaurant Association projections: 1, 2

Ranks of New York, California, Massachusetts, Texas and New Jersey on the list of states projected to add the most eating and drinking place jobs during the 2012 summer season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: National Restaurant Association.

In July 1776, estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation of the United States, according to the Census Bureau: 2.5 million

The nation's estimated population on this past July Fourth: 313.9 million

Source: Census Bureau.

Percentage of ice cream companies that indicated vanilla is the most popular flavor among their consumers, according to the findings from a survey of International Ice Cream Association: 92

Rank of chocolate chip mint and cookies-and-cream ice cream on the list of the most popular: 2

Percentage of the participating companies that named pecans the most popular nuts to be added to their frozen products: 60

Percentage that named strawberries the most popular fruit: 75

Source: International Dairy Foods Association.

Among 18-to-29-year-old Mexicans, percentage who would like to move north, according to the Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends: 54

Percentage of 30-to-49-year-olds who say the same, according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project: 37

Among the substantial minority who would move, percentage who say they would emigrate without authorization: 19

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Percentage of employed adults who receive more than 10 days of vacation or paid time off each year, including four in 10 (38 percent) who get more than three weeks off, according to an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of RetailMeNot.com: 57

Percentage who receive less than two weeks off, including over a third of working adults under 35 (38 percent) and those with a household income of less than $50,000 (35 percent): 24

Percentage of working adults who report that they do not receive any vacation or paid time off from work: 14

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs RS.

Percentage of men who denied ever faking an orgasm, according to a survey by AdamEve.com: 77

Percentage of women who admitted they faked it on occasion: 47

Source: Adam & Eve.

Percentage of global gross domestic product that is represented by the following 12 economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: 78

Percentage of global energy consumption represented: 63

Percentage of the global carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions represented: 62

Source: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Rank of Bella and Max on the list of the most popular pet names in 2012, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance Co.: 1

Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Percentage of commercial real estate executives who said they expect a significant amount of multi-family development to commence in 2013, by far the top sector, up from 34 percent in KPMG's 2011 survey, according to the 2012 KPMG Commercial Real Estate Outlook Survey: 51

Source: KPMG LLP.

Idle thought:

"Some stories are true that never happened." -- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate

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