Percentage of employees who say their office is too hot, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 25

Percentage of employees who say their office is too cold: 23

Percentage of employees who have argued with a co-worker about office temperature: 20

Percentage of employees who have secretly changed the temperature during the winter: 18

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

When asked to choose among big government, big labor and big business, percentage of Americans who named big government as the biggest threat to the country in the future, according to a Gallup Poll: 69

Percentage who named big business as the biggest threat: 25

Percentage who cited big labor: 6

Source: Gallup Organization.

Number of people treated in 2014 for injuries sustained while shovelling snow, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: 203,000

Number of people injured using snow throwers or snowblowers in the same period: 27,000

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Cost of most the expensive home in America, La Palais Royal in Hillsboro, Florida, according to information from TopTenRealEstateDeals.com: $159 million

Cost of second most expensive home, Palazzo di Amore, in Beverly Hills, California: $149 million

Cost of third most expensive home, Briar Patch, in East Hampton, New York, on Long Island: $140 million

Source: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

Ranks of Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Destin, Florida, as the top U.S. destinations on the rise in 2016, according to TripAdvisor: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Tulum, Mexico; Cartagena, Colombia; and Porto, Portugal, as the top international destinations on the rise in 2016, according to TripAdvisor: 1, 2, 3

Source: TripAdvisor.

Ranks of Samsung, Apple, Lenovo and Asus on the list of the most reliable computers, based on the percentage of service calls to 1-800-RESCUE-PC, according to RESCUECOM's 2015 Q3 Computer Reliability Report: 1, 2, 3, 4

Percentage of the market share held by Apple, compared to Samsung's 5 percent: 18

Source: RESCUECOM.

Percentage of people who plan to look for a new job in 2016, according to a survey by SKOUT: 55

Percentage of people who plan to exercise in 2016: 78

Source: SKOUT.

Percentage of human resource managers who found performance appraisals effective in improving employee performance, according to research from OfficeTeam: 43

Percentage of workers who found them effective: 37

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of global oil and gas job seekers who were actively seeking a new job, regardless of whether they were currently employed or not, according to a survey by Rigzone: 97

Percentage who are not considering leaving the oil and gas industry: 66

Percentage of hiring managers who stated they will be hiring less than last quarter, due to the drop in oil prices: 49

Source: Rigzone.

Percentage of U.S. car owners who want connected activity built into their next car, according to research by Parks Associates: 64

Estimated number of U.S. vehicles that are connected to the Internet at the end of 2015: 40 million

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons." -- James Thurber, writer and cartoonist

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

Rank of the iconic Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi on the list of characters from the "Star Wars" franchise that the American public would prefer to elect more than any other challenger when pitted against actual presidential candidates, according to an Ipsos poll: 1

Outside of the political realm, ranks of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi on the list of America's favorite Star Wars characters: 1, 2, 3, 4

In a head-to-head matchup, percentage of the millennial vote captured by Darth Vader, beating Donald Trump's 18 percent: 27

In a head-to-head matchup, percentage of the millennial vote captured by Yoda, beating Hillary Clinton's 26 percent: 50

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who say staying current on living expenses or getting caught up on bills is their highest financial priority, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 38

Percentage who said paying down debt: 21

Percentage who cited saving: 18

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of people who say they plan to exercise more in 2016, according to a survey by Skout: 78

Percentage of those who say they will only do it with a friend: 26

Percentage who say they get a better workout with a friend: 84

Source: Skout.

Ranks of Charlotte, Amelia/Emilia, Aria/Arya, Olivia and Scarlett/Scarlet on the list of most popular baby names for girls in 2015, according to BabyNames.com: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Oliver, Liam, Benjamin, Owen and Jackson/Jaxon on the list of most popular baby names for boys in 2015: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: BabyNames.com.

Number of Americans over the age of 16 who do not currently work and who are not looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 94.6 million (equivalent to the entire populations of California, Texas, Florida and the New York City metropolitan area)

Estimated number of people who are either employed (149.3 million) or looking for work (7.9 million): 157 million

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Percentage of U.S. investors who say an increase in interest rates would not make much difference to their own financial situation, according to a Wells Fargo/Gallup Investor and Retirement Optimism Index poll: 54

Percentage who believe higher rates would be good for them: 16

Percentage who say higher rates would be bad for them: 30

Source: Gallup Organization.

Number of unique users the Facebook smartphone app had each month during 2015, according to research from Nielsen: 126 million

Number of unique users the YouTube app had each month: 97 million

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Percentage of U.S. parents with kids under 18 in the household who can think of an instance when their child has made a specific request while shopping, according to results of a Harris Poll: 91

Percentage who can recall at least one occasion when they've refused such requests: 59

Percentage of parents who try to avoid going shopping with their children whenever possible: 40

Source: The Harris Poll.

Ranks of Cuba, Myanmar, Iceland, Colombia, and Ethiopia and Japan as emerging tourism destinations that will gain popularity in 2016 for Americans, according to members of the United States Tour Operators Association: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Ranks of New York and California, Arizona and Hawaii, Nevada, Florida and Washington, D.C., and Alaska as the most popular U.S. destinations in 2016: 1 (tie), 2 (tie), 3, 4 (tie), 5

Source: United States Tour Operators Association.

Percentage of workers who characterize their work-life balance as good or very good, according to a survey by Robert Half Management Resources: 77

Percentage of workers who say they have greater balance than they had three years ago: 45

Source: Robert Half.

Idle Thought

"The question is whether or not you choose to disturb the world around you, or if you choose to let it go on as if you had never arrived." -- Ann Patchett, writer

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

Ranks of Orlando, Cancun and New York as the top New Year's destinations for Americans, according to a survey by Orbitz Worldwide: 1, 2, 3

Busiest day for New Year's travel: December 30

Source: Orbitz Worldwide.

Percentage of people who say they have three or more varieties of pie during the holidays, according to a survey commissioned by Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup brands: 48

Percentage who enjoy the last piece of pie for breakfast the next morning: 34

Percentage who sneak the last piece while everyone is in bed: 23

Source: MSL Group.

Year that the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square, according to a survey commissioned by Fleischmann's Yeast and Karo Syrup brands: 1907

Number of versions of the ball that have been designed to signal the new year: 7

Number of 25-watt light bulbs that adorned the first New Year's Eve Ball, made of iron and wood: 100

Weight of the ball, which was 5 feet in diameter: 700 pounds

Source: Times Square Visitors Center.

Ranks of Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and the Fourth of July on the list of America's most loved holidays, according to a Harris Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of turkey, stuffing, ham, pie, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes on the list of the one food or dish Americans most look forward to eating each year during this holiday season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (tie)

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of workers who will work at least part of the week of Dec. 28, according to research by Robert Half: 59

Percentage who plan to take the entire week off for vacation: 28

Percentage who will take time off but will check in with the office: 60

Source: Robert Half.

Amount of extra waste generated in the holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to the the Environmental Protection Agency and the American Chemistry Council: 1 million tons

Source: Plastics Make It Possible.

Percentage of consumers who returned a holiday gift after telling the person who gave it to them that they loved it, according to a study by the Centre for Generational Kinetics and Gift Card Impressions: 53

Percentage of people aged 18 to 34 who say they have posted online a picture of a ridiculous gift they have received: 30

Percentage of people who have watched someone open a gift they gave them, realized they didn't like it, yet witnessed the person lie and say they liked it: 80

Source: Center for Generational Kinetics.

Percentage of women who plan to improve their look in 2016, according to a survey by SKOUT: 82

Percentage of men who plan to improve their look in 2016: 71

Source: SKOUT.

While most people say they would prefer to host the holidays at their house, when asked to name the relative for whom they'd most like to find separate accommodations, percentage who said they'd send their sibling packing, according to a HomeAway report: 29

Percentage who said their grown child could stay elsewhere: 22

Source: HomeAway.

Ranks of holiday celebrations, watching TV/movies, cooking, reading and enjoying fireplace fires on the list of favorite winter activities, according to an Ipsos poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received." -- Antonio Porchia, poet

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