Percentage of Americans who believe that money can buy happiness, according to a CreditDonkey.com survey: 21

Percentage of respondents who say it can't, but being poor can make you miserable: 64

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Year Henry Ford announced that he would pay his workers a minimum wage of $5 a day, which is about $117 in current dollars, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1914

Year that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law a federally mandated minimum wage of 25 cents an hour: 1938

Although 21 states and the District of Columbia have rates higher than the federal standard, current minimum hourly wage: $7.25

Estimated income of households in the bottom 20 percent of income: $20,600

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of cellphone owners who have physically bumped into another person or object because they were distracted by using their phone, according to Pew Research: 23

Percentage of cellphone owners who say that they have been bumped into by another person because that person was distracted by using their own cellphone: 50

Date that a woman in Australia walked off a pier because she was more intent on checking out Facebook than watching where she was going: Dec. 16, 2013

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

Ranks of sexy buttocks, slimness, flat stomach, eyes and long legs on the list of the top male physical attributes women admire most, according to The Sunday Times: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of muscular chest and shoulders, muscular arms, penis, tallness and flat stomach on the list of the top male physical attributes men think women admire most: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: The Sunday Times.

Percentage of adult smokers who were preparing to quit as a New Year's resolution in 2014 to improve their health, according to a survey conducted for national public health nonprofit Legacy: 56

Number of days into a quit attempt when quitters are most vulnerable to relapse: 8

Percentage of adult smokers who planned to quit smoking "cold turkey" for New Year's -- a method that is largely ineffective for the majority of smokers: 41

Source: Legacy.

Ranks of audiologist, hairstylist, jeweler, university professor (tenured) and seamstress/tailor on the list of the least stressful jobs, according to a CareerCast report on the least and most stressful jobs of 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of enlisted military personnel, military general, firefighter, airline pilot and event coordinator on the list of the most stressful jobs of 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: CareerCast.com.

Percentage of people who deal with embarrassing moments by saying "sorry" immediately, according to a survey by Wakefield Research: 33

Percentage who make jokes to cover it up: 22

Percentage who pretend nothing happened: 21

Source: Wakefield Research.

Number of "affluents" (affluents being adults living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income) in the U.S., up more than 6 percent over the past two years, according to the 2013 Ipsos affluent survey: 62.5 million

Compared to 2012, percentage rise in their average income to $200,200: 4.6

Percentage rise in their average net worth to $1.01 million: 2

Source: Ipsos Mendelsohn.

Percentage of all global rare earth mineral production that is mined in China, with advanced metals like Neodymium and Dysprosium essential to thousands of household goods including computers, cellphones and cars, according to Haley Ryan, co-director of the Academics & Periodicals Department at American Elements, the global chemical and metals manufacturer: 97

Source: Haley Ryan.

Value of restaurant breakfast sales in 2013, up 5 percent from 2012, according to research by Packaged Facts: $47 billion

Outstripping the lunch, dinner and snack parts, percentage rise in per capita spending on the breakfast during 2007-2012: 8

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful after all." -- Michelangelo, sculptor, painter

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

Percentage of employers who say their organization blocks employees from accessing certain websites from work, according to a survey conducted for CareerBuilder.com: 51

Percentage of employers who say they've fired someone for using the Internet for a nonwork-related activity: 22

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Amount of outstanding student debt in federal loans today, up from nearly $600 billion in 2008, according to a comprehensive study of the private student loan market by MeasureOne: $1.1 trillion

Source: MeasureOne.

Number of states where legalized recreational marijuana sales are approved as of Jan. 1, 2014, according to a survey conducted for TheStreet by GfK1: 2 (Washington and Colorado)

Percentage of Americans who do not think the sale and possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use should be made legal: 53

If the sale and possession of small amounts of it were legal, percentage of respondents who think marijuana should be sold at the pharmacy: 69

Percentage who think marijuana should be sold in its own store: 60

Source: TheStreet Inc.

Ranks of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands on the list of countries that give the most in foreign aid based on the percentage of GDP committed to foreign aid, according to Statistics Brain: 1, 2, 3, 4

Rank of the United States on the list: 21

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation.

Percentage of people who say they are germ-anxious and want to take steps to protect themselves against other people's germs: 34

Estimated percentage reduction in the chance of infection from colds and flu in the workplace by workers adopting the HYGIENIFY! wash, wipe, sanitize protocol, according to mathematical modeling referenced in the Workplace Wellness Intervention Study: 80

Source: Kimberly-Clark Professional.

Percentage of Americans who say that meeting for a drink or coffee is best for a first date, according to a survey by YourTango.com: 20

Percentage who prefer dinner: 48

In the age-old debate about whether a man should pay on the first date, percentage who said the man: 60

Source: YourTango.com.

Percentage of people who say that only certain subjects justify the expense of a college education, according to Global research company YouGov: 51

Of these, percentage who see engineering and technology degrees as the most valuable: 84

Percentage who see life science/medical (e.g., biology, chemistry and nursing) as worth the cost of a college education: 83

Ranks of pre-professional (business, accounting, hospitality management) (48 percent) and liberal arts (15 percent) on the list of those degrees seen as the most beneficial to success: 3, 4

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of women who ride their own motorcycles who are noticeably happier -- in life and in relationships -- compared to nonriders (16 percent), according to a study, conducted by Kelton and commissioned by Harley-Davidson: 37

Percentage who always feel confident compared to nonriders (18 percent): 35

Percentage of women riders who cite their motorcycle as a key source of happiness: 53

Source: Kelton Research.

Ranks of Jimmy Fallon, Miranda Lambert/Blake Shelton, Jennifer Lawrence, Sofia Vergara and Robin Roberts on the list of celebrities Americans would most like to have for a neighbor, according to the annual Zillow survey: 1, 2 (tie), 4 (tie)

Ranks of Kim Kardashian/Kanye West, the cast of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga on the list of celebrities Americans would least like to share a fence with: 1, 2, 3 (tie), 5

Source: Zillow.

Percentage of Americans who were willing to exercise while binge watching instead of slouching on the couch, according to a survey by Netflix: 50

Percentage of respondents who agreed they would be more motivated to exercise if they had access to their favorite TV shows on-demand and commercial-free while working out: 45

Source: Netflix Inc.

Idle Thought

"The only thing one can give an artist is leisure in which to work. To give an artist leisure is actually to take part in his creation." -- Ezra Pound, poet

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

Percentage of Americans who said their top financial priority is staying current or getting caught up on bills, according to a Bankrate.com report: 36

Ranks of "paying down debt," "building savings" and "providing financial assistance to family/friends" on the list of their top financial priorities: 2, 3, 4

Source: Bankrate.com.

For the third year in a row, percentage of North American employees who did not use all of their annual vacation time, according to Right Management: 69

Percentage who indicated they would use all their vacation by year's end: 31

Source: ManpowerGroup.

Percentage of Americans suffering from a cough or cold who are still working out at the gym, jumping on public transportation and liberally shaking hands, according to a survey commissioned by Halls: 56

Percentage who are regularly kissing their significant other: 19

Percentage of healthy Americans who make no effort to stay away from cough and cold sufferers: 23

Source: Halls.

Record low winter temperature among Lower 48 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 degrees below

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 selected the cast of A&E's hit television show "Duck Dynasty" as having a reason to celebrate this season, according to a Harris poll that provided a list of choices: 45

Percentage of Americans who selected Paula Deen as the celebrity having the worst year: 46

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of single American women who said they wanted to be contacted within 48 hours of meeting a potential date, according to a survey by PickupMetrics.com about men's texting habits: 89

Percentage of men who don't make first contact for 3 days or more: 21

Ranks of desperate and needy texts, talking dirty, and being dull on the list of texts that make women skip the first date: 1, 2, 3

Source: Pickup Metrics.

Average age that echo boomers (those 18 to 36) say is the perfect age, according to the results of The Harris Poll: 38

Average age that Generation X (those 37 to 48) say is the perfect age: 49.

For baby boomers (those 49 to 67), their perfect age: 55

For the oldest generation, matures (those 68-plus), the perfect age cited: 67

Source: Harris Interactive.

Year Yahoo will buy Flipboard and Pinterest, according to the predictions of analyst house CCS Insight: 2014

Year Twitter will buy Snapchat: 2014

Year Orange (France Telecom) and Deutsche Telekom will merge: 2015

Source: CCS Insight.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say that they do not currently have a winter emergency kit in their car, according to a survey conducted on behalf of CarMax: 68

Percentage of car owners who report that they have an ice/snow scraper: 60

Percentage who carry jumper cables: 59

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs

Percentage of Americans who think it's likely that the planet will experience a major world catastrophe, according to a survey released by the National Geographic Channel and Kelton Research: 88

Percentage of those who believe it will occur less than a year from now: 32

Percentage of Americans who say they would rely more on their family, friends or neighbors over FEMA or a government agency (14 percent) for help in a catastrophe: 57

Source: National Geographic Channel.

Idle Thought

"It is kindness immediately to refuse what you intend to deny." -- Publilius Syrus

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