Percentage of U.S. companies that viewed their middle managers as unqualified to be promoted to the next level, according to a survey by ClearRock, an outplacement and executive coaching firm: 33

Percentage that rated their middle managers as "very qualified": 6

Source: ClearRock.

Percentage of all U.S. births in 2007 that were out-of-wedlock births, according to newly released preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics: 40

In a Pew Research survey, percentage of Americans who said that more single women having children is a bad thing for society: 66

Percentage who said that more unmarried couples having children is a bad thing for society: 59

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

Ranks of promotion, cash, paid time off, boss shares achievement with senior management, and in-person "thank you's" on the list of the recognition valued most by managers, according to a study developed by OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of in-person "thank you's," boss shares achievement with senior management, promotion, membership in a professional association, and registration for a conference or seminar on the list of the recognition valued most by administrative professionals: 1 (tie), 3, 4, 5

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of travelers who plan to use shared-ride shuttle services to get to the airport as a way to make budget cuts for this year's vacation, according to a survey conducted by GO Group: 53

Percentage who plan to book through discount travel Web sites: 46

Percentage who will stop checking luggage to avoid fees now imposed by the airlines: 24

Source: GO Group LLC.

Number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures performed in 2008 -- up 3 percent over 2007, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: 12.1 million

Amount spent on cosmetic procedures in the U.S. in 2008: $10.3 billion

Source: American Society of Plastic Surgery.

Percentage of Americans who believe that the U.S. is either completely or somewhat responsible for the international financial crisis, according to a study conducted by HCD Research: 90

Source: HCD Research Inc.

Percentage of adult Americans who smoke, according to a poll conducted as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index: 21

Percentage of today's smokers who earn less than $36,000 per year: 53

Source: Gallup.

Amount of money sent back to developing countries by migrants in the form of remittances in 2008, higher than the amount provided through foreign aid or foreign direct investment, according to World Bank figures: $283 billion

Source: FAO.

Percentage of U.S. households that take part in lawn and garden activities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 75

Percentage that grow flowers and plan their own landscaping: 33

Percentage that have vegetable gardens: 20

Percentage that grow their own herbs: 10

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of finance professionals who said that the Securities and Exchange Commission should soon establish a specific date that International Financial Reporting Standards would be required for U.S. public companies: 62

Percentage of respondents who support the movement toward a single set of high-quality global accounting standards: 75

Source: Deloitte LLP.

Idle Thought

"There is as much difference between us and ourselves as between us and others." -- Michel de Montaigne, essayist

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

Percentage of moms who say their children think that money "grows on trees," according to a survey by Mom Central: 24

Percentage of moms who indicated that trying to save money was a significant stressor: 66

Source: Mom Central Inc.

Percentage of hourly hiring managers with responsibility to recruit summer employees who are most looking for eagerness to have the job and a positive attitude in their seasonal employees, according to an Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of SnagAJob.com: 36

Percentage who are most looking for someone who has the ability to work the daily schedule they need: 27

Percentage who are looking for previous experience in the industry, with the company or that particular location: 25

Percentage who most want the commitment to work for the entire summer and not to quit early: 12

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Percentage of all U.S. industries that are fortunate enough to be positively impacted by the recession, according to recent Recession Updates published by industry research firm IBISWorld: 5

Percentage of all industries that are negatively impacted: 60

Source: IBISWorld.

Percentage of Americans who agree that stocks remain a good long-term investment, according to a Gallup Poll: 53

Percentage of stock owners who agree with this statement: 67

Source: Gallup.

Number of hot dogs that will be served in ballparks around the country this season (enough to round the bases 30,186 times and stretch to and from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., the two sites of the 2008 World Series), according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council's (NHDSC) annual survey: 21,733,839

Source: NHDSC.

Number of people worldwide who received a micro loan (generally a loan under $1,000) in 2007, according to the Microcredit Summit's 2009 State of the Campaign Report by Sam Daley-Harris: 154 million

Of these people, number who were among the world's poorest, i.e. those making less than $1 per day: 106 million

Number who were women: 109 million

According to the report, number of family members that this financing likely affected: 533 million (a figure that roughly equals the total population of Latin America)

Source: Microcredit Summit.

Ranks of Internet/broadband/World Wide Web, PCs/laptop computers, mobile phones, e-mail, and DNA sequencing and testing/human genome mapping on the list of the top 30 innovations of the past 30 years as selected by a panel of judges at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Knowledge@Wharton.

Percentage of employers surveyed who have a severance policy in place, according to the 2008 Compensation Data results: 57.9

Percentage of organizations that calculate severance pay based on years of service: 44.9

Source: Compdata Surveys.

Estimated total consumer debt in the U.S., according to the U.S. Federal Reserve and reported in a survey of working adults commissioned by Workplace Options: $963.5 billion

Percentage that is personal credit card debt: 98

Source: Workplace Options.

Among U.S. adults who use online resources to research and plan a vacation, average number of hours they spend doing so, according to findings from a hotels.com survey of U.S. adults: 8 (an increase of 48 minutes over the previous year)

Average number of reviews they read prior to booking a hotel: 8

Source: Hotels.com.

Date that P.T. Barnum and James A. Bailey merged their circuses to form Barnum and Bailey, the first circus to feature three rings and that became known as "The Greatest Show on Earth," according to the U.S. Census Bureau: March 28, 1881

Number of circuses operating in the U.S. today: 58

Estimated number of amusement and theme parks in the U.S., where most Americans now go for entertainment: 600

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Idle Thought

"Society is like a stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, you get a lot of scum on the top." -- Edward Abbey, naturalist and author

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

When managers become stressed, percentage less likely their employees are to feel valued, when compared to employees working for unstressed managers, according to a survey from Sirota Intelligence: 7

Percentage less likely they are to feel recognized: 6

Percentage less likely they are to feel their managers are "walking-their-talk": 6

Source: Sirota Survey Intelligence.

Given the current state of the economy, average number of months that a senior manager can be out of work before his or her career prospects are adversely affected, according to a survey of executives developed by Robert Half Management Resources: 9

Source: Robert Half Management Resources.

Percentage of Americans who cite quality of goods and trust in the brand as their criteria for buying a product, according to survey by The Body Shop: 70

Percentage who say they purchase based on the ethical reputation of a company: 39

Percentage who say price and value are their criteria for purchase: 38

Source: The Body Shop International.

Percentage of Americans who say they have started at least one small business, according to a survey by FindLaw.com: 30

Percentage who have thought about starting their own business at some point in their lives: 31

Source: FindLaw.com.

Percentage of travelers who consider checked bags the most annoying airline fee, according to a TripAdvisor flier survey: 54

Percentage of fliers who have been surprised by the cost of checked baggage fees at the airport: 36

Percentage who said they always carry on a bag to avoid additional fees: 19

Percentage who said they often do: 39

Source: TripAdvisor.

Percentage of Americans who are concerned they or someone they know will face foreclosure in the next six to 12 months, according to a survey commissioned by Move Inc., the operator of Realtor.com: 52

Percentage of homeowners who plan to take advantage of the administration's new program to help prevent foreclosures: 18.9

While searching for answers in the past 12 months, percentage of all homeowners with a mortgage who contacted a lender to restructure their loan: 21

Source: Move Inc.

Percentage of Americans who believe that their boss's management style brings out the best in their work, according to a "WorkWatch" survey, released by global staffing agency Randstad: 51

Percentage who said that their boss is respected for his/her business expertise, but doesn't have people skills: 38

Source: Ranstad.

Percentage of Americans who said small business leaders and entrepreneurs will lead the U.S. to a better future, according to a We Media/Zogby survey: 63

Percentage who said the same of science and technology leaders: 52

Source: Zogby International.

Projected percentage decline in Easter holiday expenditures, according to industry research firm IBISWorld: 8

Estimated total sales from Easter clothing, candy, flowers, decorations, food and greeting cards in 2009: $13.6 billion (down from $14.8 billion in 2008)

Projected percentage rise in supermarket food sales as families prepare their holiday meals at home, rather than dining out: 3.5

Source: Mom Central Inc.

Percentage drop in prices for hotel rooms in North America last year, according to the Hotels.com's Hotel Price Index: 12

Percentage drop in prices for hotel rooms in Europe: 10

Percentage drop in the Caribbean and Latin America: 7

Percentage drop in Asia: 2

Source: Hotels.com.

Idle Thought

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust, novelist

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