Percentage of Americans satisfied with the size and power of the federal government, a record-low, according to a poll by Gallup: 29

Percentage satisfied with the size and power of major corporations: 29

Source: Gallup. Contact Tracy Sugar at 609924-9600 or email tracey_sugar@gallup.com.

Percentage of Americans who have no financial reserves, according to a Country Financial survey: 33

When it comes to savings, percentage of respondents who were able to set aside enough money to go five or more months without a paycheck and still pay their bills: 24

Percentage who say they could not go any amount of time without a paycheck before resorting to skipping bill payments: 33

Source: Country Financial.

Year that the New York City Council passed an ordinance (the result of a campaign by the National Anti-Cigarette League, the first to use the term "coffin nails" for cigarettes) making it illegal for women to smoke in public, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1908

Year that all laws of this kind were revoked (at the time, a number of cities had banned smoking, along with the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho and Tennessee) since they were not only difficult to enforce but added to the allure of smoking: 1917

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record, number that have occurred since the year 2000, according to scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies: 9

The only year from the 20th century in the top 10 warmest years on record: 1998

Source: NASA.

Percentage of employees connected online to their workplace who report they telecommute on a frequent basis, according to a poll conducted by global research company Ipsos for Reuters News: 17

Percentage who say they work every day from home: 7

Ranks of India (56 percent), Indonesia (34 percent) and Mexico (30 percent) on the list of countries where employees are most likely to be pursuing this form of employment: 1, 2, 3

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of the margarita, the martini and the rum and Coke on the list of the most popular mixed drinks nationwide, according to data from The Beverage Information Group: 1, 2, 3

Source: Beverage Information Group. Contact Adam Rogers at (630) 762-8709 or email arogers@m2media360.com.

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they currently watch NFL football (73 percent of men; 55 percent of women), according to findings of an Adweek/Harris Poll survey by Harris Interactive: 64

Percentage who say they spend six or more hours per week watching professional football: 40

Source: Harris Interactive.

Rank of Super Bowl XLV between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers on the list of the top individual telecasts of 2011 with 111 million viewers (37.7 percent of U.S. viewers aged 2 and older), making it the most-watched telecast of all time, according to Nielsen's Top 10s: 1

Ranks of the FOX Network's Super Bowl XLV Kickoff, FOX's Super Bowl Post Game, the AFC Championship on CBS, and the NFC Championship on FOX on the list: 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Of the past 20 Super Bowls, number of games that have been won by the team whose city has the lower unemployment rate -- a remarkable 85 percent success rate, according to an analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment data by outplacement firm RiseSmart: 17

Through November, the 2011 unemployment rate for the Boston metropolitan area: 6.8 percent

Through November, the 2011 unemployment rate for the New York metropolitan area: 8.5 percent

Source: RiseSmart.

Estimated number of Americans who will order takeout or delivery food from a restaurant while watching the NFL championship game on Super Bowl Sunday, according to a National Restaurant Association survey: 48 million

Estimated number who are expected to visit a restaurant or bar to watch the big game: 12 million

Ranks of salsa, dips or spreads, chicken wings, and pizza on the list of must-have foods for watching the big game: 1, 2, 3

Source: National Restaurant Association.

Idle Thought

"There are two kinds of light -- the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures." -- James Thurber

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

When asked what they drink at happy hours or company parties, percentage of CEOs who said they don't drink alcoholic beverages at company events, according to a CareerBuilder survey titled "Emulating the Big Cheese": 32

Percentage who drink wine: 26

Percentage who drink beer: 22

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as "low" or "very low," tying the record "low"/"very low" rating measured for any profession historically, according to a Gallup poll: 64

Ranks of nurses, pharmacists, doctors, high school teachers and police officers on the list of those professions rated the highest in honesty and ethical standards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of members of Congress, lobbyists, car salespeople and telemarketers on the list of those professions rated the lowest: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Gallup. Contact Tracy Sugar at 609924-9600 or email tracey_sugar@gallup.com.

Age at which baby boomers (who once said, "Don't trust anyone over 30") now think old age starts, according to a study by Marist Institute for Home Instead Senior Care: 77

Age at which millennials said they considered someone to be old: 62

Age at which Generation Xers said they considered someone to be old: 71

Source: Home Instead Senior Care.

Estimated percentage of Americans who have made New Year's resolutions in 2012, according to the Nestle Raisinets New Year Health Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive: 32

Percentage of those who already know they will break them at some point in the New Year: 60

Source: Nestle.

Rank of Brad Pitt on the list of the top moneymaking stars of 2011 for bringing more traffic to theaters than any other Hollywood star based on his performances in "Moneyball," "The Tree of Life" and "Happy Feet Two" (voice), according to the Quigley Publishing Co.'s "80th Annual Poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors": 1

Number of appearances made by Pitt in the poll, though this marks his first win: 6

Source: Quigley Publishing Co.

Rank of a sense of humor on the list of qualities that people find attractive in a person over other traits like physical appearance and intelligence, according to a study conducted by TV Land: 1

Percentage of people who agree that laughter, as a personality trait, can open doors and create opportunities in the workplace: 70

Percentage of people who agree that everyone needs laughter in their life: 92

Source: TV Land.

Percentage of employed Americans who reported financial stress stemming from spending during the holiday season, according to a poll by Workplace Options: 64

Percentage who said they felt guilty about abandoning work responsibilities to take personal time off over the holidays: 31

Percentage of respondents who felt guilty about personal health after holiday meals: 47

Source: Workplace Options.

Estimated number of interstate household moves handled by United Van Lines among the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., in 2011, according to the results of United Van Lines' 35th annual "migration" study: 146,000

Ranks of the District of Columbia, Oregon, Nevada, North Carolina and Florida on the list of destinations with the highest percentage of inbound migration: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Michigan and West Virginia on the high-outbound traffic list: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: United Van Lines.

Percentage of IT operations and development professionals who have more than 10 mission-critical applications under their watch, with many being customer-facing and a surprising percentage processing more than 10,000 transactions a day, according to AppDynamics: 40

Percentage of respondents who reported that they have experienced at least one Severity 1 problem in regard to mission-critical apps in the past 12 months: 80

Percentage who experienced five or more such problems: 50

Source: AppDynamics.

Year of the Boston Tea Party when protesters boarded ships in Boston Harbor and dumped many crates of valuable tea into the harbor to protest British tax policies, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1773

Though tea is no longer the expensive and dominant drink of choice, average amount of the beverage Americans drink per person each year: 9 gallons

Average amount of coffee Americans drink each year: 23 gallons

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Idle Thought

"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar." -- Bradley Miller, activist

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

Ranks of the United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom on the list of countries ranking highest in terms of charity -- which includes donations of money, volunteering of time and the helping of strangers -- according to CAFAmerica: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of Americans who said they donated money to charity: 65

Percentage who volunteered their time: 43

Percentage who helped a stranger: 73

Source: CAFAmerica.

In the contiguous U.S., ranks of Rogers Pass, Mont., (70 below zero) and Peter Sinks, Utah, (69 below zero) on the list of places that hold the record low winter temperatures, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1, 2

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

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

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of the world's Internet population age 15 and older that is reached by social networking sites, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe, according to a ComScore study: 82

In October, percentage of the world's global audience reached by Facebook: 55

For every seven minutes spent online around the world, number spent on Facebook: 1

For every four social networking minutes spent online, number spent on Facebook: 3

Source: ComScore.

Percentage of employers who said they have fired a worker for calling in sick without a legitimate excuse, according to a survey by CareerBuilder: 15

Percentage that have checked up on an employee: 28

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of Americans who oppose increasing the federal gas tax, according to a national Reason-Rupe poll: 77

Percentage of respondents who think the government wastes the gas tax money it already receives: 65

Source: Reason Foundation.

Estimated amount of money that Washington state's tobacco prevention and cessation program saved the state in health care costs over its first 10 years, according to a study published by the American Journal of Public Health and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: $1.5 billion

Cost of the program: $260 million

Amount saved for every $1 spent by reducing hospitalizations for heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer caused by tobacco use: $5

Source: American Journal of Public Health.

When consumers have a positive customer service experience, percentage who are likely to tell a company representative, according to a Spherion survey: 47

Percentage who will express their opinions via social media: 17

Percentage who will write a review: 15

Source: Spherion.

Ranks of growth in sales, job creation and fewer government regulations on the list of things that small-business owners say they would need for their business to thrive in 2012, according to a survey by Gallup: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of increased revenues, an improving economy, and growth or expansion of their business as the top motivations for hiring new employees in 2012: 1, 2, 3

Source: Gallup.

Percentage of U.S. consumers who plan to take the same or more leisure trips in 2012 than they did in 2011, a 5 percent increase from last year, according to the 2012 Travel-Ticker Traveler intentions survey: 86

Ranks of a beach getaway, a big-city getaway and an outdoor adventure on the list of the most-desired vacations in 2012: 1, 2, 3

Source: Travel-Ticker.com.

Percentage of CIOs who said they plan to expand their IT departments in the first quarter of 2012, according to the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report: 20

Percentage of CIOs who said it's challenging to find skilled professionals today: 73

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Idle Thought

"We are social creatures to the inmost center of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past, or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong." -- Karl Popper, philosopher

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