Year that November 11, Armistice Day, was commemorated for the first time: 1919

Year that the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving: 1926

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of New York City's Penn Plaza/Garment District ($4,440 average per month), New York City's DUMBO neighborhood, or Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, ($4,023), and San Francisco's Yerba Buena ($3,643) on the Apartments.com list of the most expensive neighborhoods for one-bedroom renters in 2014: 1, 2, 3

Source: Apartments.com.

Percentage of companies that admit to not keeping promises made to customers, according to findings of a global survey conducted by Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and American Management Association: 33

Number of times more likely that high-performing organizations such as Starbucks, Pizza Hut, 3M Corp. and Colliers International are to hire for customer focus: 3

Source: American Management Association.

Percentage more productive overall that employees who work in environments with natural elements (such as greenery and sunlight) are than workers deprived of natural elements, according to The Human Spaces Report, commissioned by Interface, and led by psychologist and professor Sir Cary Cooper: 8

Percentage higher their estimated level of well-being: 13

Source: Interface.

With excuses ranging from "needing the day to fix some botched plastic surgery" to "saying they accidentally got on a plane," percentage of American workers who have called in to work sick when they were feeling well, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 28

When asked for a reason, percentage of these workers who said they just didn't feel like going in to work: 30

Percentage who said they wanted the day to relax: 29

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who say marijuana should be made legal, compared with 45 percent who want it to be illegal, according to Pew Research: 52

In 1969, when Gallup first asked the question, percentage who favored legalizing marijuana use: 12

Percentage of Americans who believe alcohol is more harmful to a person's health than marijuana: 69

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Projected percentage rise in holiday spending this year, according to Nielsen Wire: 2

Percentage of Americans who are already making purchases: 22

Percentage of women who say they've started shopping, dwarfing the 12 percent of men who are in the same camp: 27

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of consumers who will order gifts online this Christmas with less than a week until the big day itself, according to the eCustomerServiceIndex results from eDigitalResearch and IMRG: 47

Source: eDigitalResearch.

In spite of the unprecedented Ebola outbreak, percentage of companies that expect the flu to impact their business more than Ebola in the coming months, according to a survey that included many of the Fortune 500 companies and was conducted by International SOS: 83

When companies were asked to identify the measures they have implemented in response to the Ebola outbreak, percentage who said they had communicated with employees on preventing Ebola: 30

Source: International SOS.

Percentage of U.S. newspapers that had at least one woman in their top three editing positions in 2013, according to the annual census from the American Society of News Editors (ASNE): 63

Source: ASNE.

Idle Thought

The man who is denied the opportunity of taking decisions of importance begins to regard as important the decisions he is allowed to take. -- C. Northcote Parkinson, author and historian (1909-1993)

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

Average number of gallons of coffee, in all its varieties and preparations, that each American drinks annually, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 23

Estimated number of coffee shops across the nation: 19,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of talking on cellphone while driving, speeding, texting and driving, and driving after consuming alcohol on the list of dangerous driving behaviors that parents actually admit to engaging in, according to data released from Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions): 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of teens who say their parents continue these unsafe habits behind the wheel even after their teens ask them to stop: 41

Source: Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Percentage of employed Americans who go to work even if they are feeling ill with flu-like symptoms, according to a survey from CVS: 67

Source: CVS.

Percentage of Americans who identify as labor union members, according to a Gallup poll: 10

Percentage of Americans who approve of labor unions, although approval remains on the low end of Gallup's nearly 80-year trend on this question: 53

Percentage who disapprove of unions: 38

Source: Gallup.

Of the 52 new entrants into Asia's billionaire club, number who are from China, according to Wealth-X: 33

Ranks of the United States (571 billionaires), China (190), the United Kingdom (130) and Germany (123) on the Top 40 Billionaire Countries/Territories list for 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of Americans who say they have never used an online dating site or mobile app, and do not know anyone who has used one, according to YouGov: 58

Percentage who say that they have never used one, but know someone who has: 21

Percentage who say they have used one: 15

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of Americans who support banning all flights to the United States from countries experiencing an Ebola outbreak, according to an NBC News poll conducted by SurveyMonkey: 58

Source: SurveyMonkey.

Ranks of high-quality TV, variety of TV content and ability to binge-watch on the list of reasons consumers agree we're in a second golden age of TV, according to the results of a survey by YuMe Inc., along with Instant.ly: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of consumers who consider watching three shows in a row "binge-watching": 24

Percentage who say it's four shows: 24

Source: uSamp.

When asked to identify the greatest challenges with executing a customer experience strategy, percentage of marketers who pointed to challenges with people, namely having the right talent and the right culture, according to research from SAP SE: 22

Percentage who said that it is a combination of the people, the processes, and the platforms needed to properly develop, manage, measure and continue delivery of the customer experience: 52

Source: SAP SE.

In the United States (the only high-income country that does not mandate paid family and medical leave), percentage of private-sector employees taking unpaid leave who incur debt as a result of their leave, according to a survey by the Center for Economic and Policy Research: 30

Percentage of respondents needing leave who had their leave needs unmet in the past 12 months: 25

Source: Center for Economic Policy Research.

Idle Thought

"Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment -- the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is." -- Jorge Luis Borges, writer

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

Percentage of post-recession growth that has been captured by the richest 1 percent of Americans, according to an analysis of 2014's richest and poorest states by WalletHub: 95

Ranks of The District of Columbia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Massachusetts on the list of the country's richest states: 1 (tie), 3 (tie), 5

Ranks of Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina and New Mexico on the list of the country's poorest states: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

When workers were asked how they would rate their boss's leadership skills, percentage who said they were very strong, according to a survey developed by OfficeTeam: 44

Percentage of workers who believe they couldn't do a better job than their manager: 67

Source: OfficeTeam.

Ranks of Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day on the list of the most popular holidays among 15- to 25-year-olds, according to a survey conducted by ooVoo: 1, 2, 3

Source: ooVoo LLC.

Number of motion picture theaters (except drive-ins) in the U.S. where one could possibly enjoy a horrorfest this Halloween, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 4,540

Ranks of California, Texas, New York and Florida on the list of states that have the most movie theaters: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who said they are most likely to have a "hangry attack" (the feeling that comes from having hunger to the point of being angry) at work, according to a Jack Link's commissioned survey: 43.1

Percentage who said midafternoon is the time it is most likely to strike: 34.8

Source: jacklinks.com.

Though a majority of Class of 2014 college graduates are currently working, percentage of that group who are in jobs that don't require a degree (includes 45 percent of four-year degree graduates and 57 percent of associate degree graduates), according to a CareerBuilder survey: 51

Percentage of 2014 college graduates who are in full-time, permanent positions (49 percent, four-year; 25 percent, associate): 36

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of CFOs who said they contend with at least one unexpected crisis a week, according to an Accountemps survey: 36

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of American moms who say they are at least "somewhat" stressed, according to a survey of moms ages 18 years of age and older conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of the Clinton Foundation: 67

Percentage of single moms who are likely to report that they are at least "somewhat" stressed, compared to 64 percent for moms who are married/cohabiting: 78

Percentage of moms with a household income below $50,000 who report being at least "somewhat" stressed, compared to 63 percent for moms with a household income of $50,000 or over: 73

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of women executives from across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific who have participated in sports, according to research released by the EY Women Athletes Business Network and espnW: 94

Percentage of these women who agree that a background in sports can help accelerate a woman's leadership and career potential: 74

Source: Ernst & Young.

Among U.S.-based travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel agents who book luxury travel, percentage who stated that luxury hotel bookings have "increased or remained steady" compared to 2013, according to a survey by Travel Leaders Group: 90

Source: Travel Leaders.

Idle Thought

"People are like stained glass windows: They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within." -- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, psychiatrist and author (1926-2004)

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