Percentage of business leaders from both U.S. domestic and multinational companies who said they would be willing to accept the repeal of certain tax incentives in exchange for a lower overall tax rate, according to a survey by KPMG: 80

Source: KPMG LLP.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have gone shopping or purchased something solely because they were in a bad mood, otherwise known as "retail therapy," according to a CouponCabin.com survey: 24

Percentage of women who said they've shopped in pursuit of retail therapy: 31

Percentage of those who have gone shopping for retail therapy who said they felt happy afterward: 33

Source: CouponCabin.

Ranks of Amazon, Target, Best Buy and J.C. Penney, as the leading dot-com e-tailers as measured by website visits and searches, according to information from Experian Marketing Services: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Uggs, Kindle Fire, iPad, Amazon Kindle and Barbie on the list of top-searched retail products: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Experian Public Relations.

Percentage of employed Americans who believe there is still room to grow in their current careers, according to a survey from University of Phoenix: 89

Percentage of Americans, not currently in school full-time, who plan to return to school at some point in the future: 41

Percentage of these education-seekers who expect to do so in the next two years: 64

Source: Kelton Research.

Percentage of teenagers who have seen their home or a friend's home damaged as a result of hosting a party, according to research from Allianz Your Cover Insurance: 56

Percentage of teenagers who confessed they had covered up damage by enlisting friends to help or they hid it themselves: 19

Percentage who have lied to their parents: 32

Source: YourCoverInsurance.co.uk.

Ranks of Denzel Washington, Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Mark Wahlberg on the list of the top money-making stars of 2012 in Quigley Publishing Co.'s 81st annual poll of motion picture exhibitors: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Quigley Publishing Co.

Percentage of U.S. parents of children ages 6 to 17 who want to choose a New Year's resolution for their child or children, according to a survey for K12 Inc.: 87

Ranks of clean up their room more often (47 percent), be more engaged in school (33 percent) and have healthier eating habits (33 percent) on the list of resolutions that parents would choose for their kids: 1, 2, 3

Source: K12 Inc.

Ranks of Blue Ivy (Beyonce, Jay Z) and Lukensia (Jillian Michaels, Heidi Rhoades) on the list of the worst baby girl celebrity names of 2012, according to BabyNames.com: 1, 2

Ranks of Lion (Alex O'Loughlin, Malia Jones) and Kash Kade (Kim Zolciak, Kroy Biermann) on the list of the worst baby boy celebrity names of 2012: 1, 2

Source: BabyNames.com.

Percentage of global citizens who indicate they "definitely would" consider traveling to another country to receive medical or dental care if the cost were significantly lower in that country, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Reuters News: 18

Percentage who say they "probably would": 36

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Estimated amount of money that international students and their families contributed to the U.S. economy during the 2011-2012 academic year, according to a NAFSA report: $21.8 billion

Number of American students studying abroad during the 2010-2011 academic year, up by 1.25 percent from 270,604 in 2009-2010, according to figures released by the Institute of International Education: 273,996

Source: NAFSA.

Idle Thought

"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." -- Voltaire

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

Percentage of U.S. adults who are optimistic that 2013 will be a better year for them financially than years past, up from 48 percent who said the same at the start of 2012, according to a CouponCabin.com survey: 52

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they plan to overhaul their finances in 2013: 39

Source: CouponCabin.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have some type of goal that they would like to achieve in 2013, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Strayer University: 93

Percentage of adults who have health-related goals, such as being more active, eating more healthily or getting more sleep: 54

Percentage who have a socially oriented goal: 37

Percentage who have a leisure-related goal: 34

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

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

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

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

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Value of the sapphire-and-diamond pacifier in the classic Princess Diana style that was offered to Kate Middleton and husband Prince William on the same day that Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple were expecting their first child, according to Mead Jewelers: $1.5 million

Source: Mead Jewelers.

Ranks of dentist, registered nurse, pharmacist and computer systems analyst on the list of the best jobs of 2013, classified as such by offering a mosaic of employment opportunities, good salary, manageable work-life balance and job satisfaction: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: U.S. News & World Report.

Ranks of Sophia, Emma, Olivia and Isabella on the list of the top 100 baby names for girls in 2012, according to Baby Center's annual baby names survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Aiden, Jackson, Ethan and Liam on the list of the top 100 baby names for boys in 2012: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: BabyCenter LLC.

Percentage of American workers who had not yet taken all of the vacation days allotted to them by their employer, as of the end of November, according to a survey by Adecco: 75

Percentage of workers who are allotted three weeks or more of vacation time annually: 36

Source: Adecco.

Percentage of employees who said they plan to actively look for a new position in 2013, according to a poll of U.S. employees by Right Management: 86

Percentage who said they may do so and are already networking: 8

Source: Right Management.

Percentage of U.S. workers who expect either "weak" or "robust" economic growth in the next 12 months, according to the results of the 2012 Mercer workplace survey: 73

Percentage who anticipate a recession, down from 40 percent a year earlier: 27

Percentage of workers who are still concerned about losing their jobs: 36

Source: Mercer.

Ranks of Bella, Max, Buddy and Daisy on the list of the top 10 dog names of 2012, according to information from the Banfield Pet Hospital: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Kitty, Bella, Tiger and Max, on the list of the top 10 cat names of 2012: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Banfield Pet Hospital.

Idle Thought

"It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen." -- Jerome K. Jerome, humorist and playwright

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

Percentage of Americans who usually make New Year's resolutions, according to Statistic Brain: 45

Percentage of people who are successful in achieving their resolution: 8

Percentage of Americans who have maintained their resolution through the first week: 75

Percentage who have lasted past six months: 46

Source: Statistic Brain.

Number of brides who married on 12/12/12 -- a 1,446 percent increase over the prior year, according to David's Bridal estimates: 75,000

Date of the second-to-last consecutive series of the century, and though it falls on a Tuesday, many brides have already chosen that day to wed: 11/12/13

Source: David's Bridal Inc.

Percentage of people who have broken up with someone to avoid buying them a Christmas present, according to a survey by JustSingles.com: 5

When single respondents were asked what was at the top of their Christmas list this year -- a relationship, an iPad or an experience day (such as skydiving or a spa visit) -- percentage who chose a relationship: 77

Source: JustSingles.

Percentage of people who say relatives overstay their welcome after a day or less, with some saying their family members wear out their welcome as soon as they arrive, according to a HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report: 22

Percentage who say their relatives never wear out their welcome: 33

Source: HomeAway.

Percentage of ties sold annually that are Christmas gifts, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 20

Value of the necktie-making business per year in the U.S.: $390 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Whether trimming a Christmas tree or preparing a festive meal, percentage of Americans who report that they can't celebrate the holiday season properly without the right music, according to a survey by Pandora: 90

In picking the perfect music to accompany their get-togethers, percentage of people who admit they prefer classic holiday tunes from artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole, rather than new releases from today's chart toppers: 75

Source: Pandora.

Cost of the Christmas show tree encrusted in diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires and other jewels that the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, put up in 2010, according to Bloomberg: $11 million

Source: Bloomberg.

Percentage of companies that said they could attribute better relationships directly to past holiday gift-giving programs, according to an Advertising Specialty Institute survey: 62

Source: Advertising Specialty Institute.

When U.K. adults were asked why they regretted spending money on an ex's presents, percentage who said it was because they broke up with their partner soon after giving them, according to research by MoneySupermarket: 39

Percentage of women who stated they didn't think their former partner was worth spending that much money on: 35

Percentage of men who said the same: 25

Source: Money Supermarket.

Percentage of online shoppers who say they are not likely to make additional purchases from websites that charge shipping on returns, according to a survey, commissioned by ShopRunner: 81

Percentage of these shoppers who feel that returning items purchased online is a complicated process: 69

Source: ShopRunner.

Idle Thought

"When money speaks, the truth keeps silent." -- Russian proverb

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