Percentage of global citizens in 24 countries who think they need to live better, according to a survey by global research company Ipsos on behalf of Reuters News: 64

Percentage who say they wish they had a recipe or plan for living better: 81

Percentage of respondents who think living better requires a plan: 73

Percentage who think life just happens and that it is not something you can plan: 27

Source: Ipsos Global Public Affairs.

Percentage of parents worldwide who say they don't take time to have fun with their kids on a daily basis, according to report released by Oreo: 42

When they're spending time as a family, percentage who say that their families are distracted by technology: 49

Percentage of working parents who say their mobile devices and computer technology mean it is too easy to stay connected to work when spending time with family: 55

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of consumers who agreed that most funny car insurance ads were about saving money, according to a survey from Erie Insurance: 68

While respondents ranked coverage as the most important consideration when shopping for car insurance, percentage who admitted that the blitz of car insurance commercials focused on price have caused them to forget about coverage choices that affect how well they are protected: 74

Source: Erie Insurance.

Ranks of honesty and trust, hot sex, sense of humor, and money in the bank on the list of the most valued relationship qualities, according to a TouchTunes Interactive Networks survey: 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of bad breath, lack of skills in the bedroom and bad manners on the list of dating deal breakers overall: 1, 2, 3

Rank of a bad taste in music (28 percent) on the list of the top dating offenses for the 50-plus crowd: 1

Source: TouchTunes Interactive Networks.

If they had to choose one thing to live without, percentage of New Yorkers who would give up their coffee, according to a study commissioned by Time Warner Cable: 32

Percentage who would give up good bagels: 30

Percentage who would give up fast Internet: 3

Source: Time Warner.

Percentage of workers who said involvement in office politics is at least somewhat necessary to get ahead, according to a Robert Half survey: 56

Source: Robert Half International.

Year that the first telephone directory in the U.S. was published, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1878

Number of subscribers in that first directory, published in New Haven, Conn.: 50

Number of names in the first San Francisco directory: 170

Today, estimated number of residential telephone lines in the U.S.: 76 million

Estimated number of business lines: 45 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of human resources managers who said their companies do not offer a formal orientation program to help prepare new staff, according to a survey from Accountemps: 34

Of those companies with a program, when asked to name its greatest benefit, percentage of respondents who said it helps employees better understand the company's values, guidelines and expectations: 35

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of companies that were hit by attempted or actual payment fraud during 2011, according a survey released by the Association for Financial Professionals: 66

Percentage of times more often that larger organizations were targeted than smaller ones -- with a 22 percent higher average loss: 81

Source: Association for Financial Professionals.

Percentage of U.S. adults over 21 who say they drink wine several times per month, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 48

Percentage who say they usually purchase 4 or more bottles of wine per month: 22

Source: Harris Interactive.

Idle Thought

"The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -- Linus Pauling, Nobel laureate in chemistry

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

Percentage of train operators who admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, according to the National Sleep Foundation's 2012 Sleep in America poll: 26

Percentage of pilots who say the same: 23

Percentage of pilots who admit that they have made a serious error due to sleepiness: 20

Percentage of train operators who say the same: 18

Source: National Sleep Foundation.

Percentage of independent business owners who do not completely understand the tax returns they sign off on, according to findings of Newtek Business Services: 55

Percentage who would prefer to pay the same tax amount and would be willing to receive the same or less government services, instead of paying a greater tax and receiving more government services: 57

Source: Newtek Business Services.

Ranks of pens, paper clips and binder clips, rubber bands, tape, and a pair of scissors on the list of items most often missing from a worker's desk, according to a survey conducted by Paper Mate about office theft: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

When items go missing from work, percentage of American office workers who assume a co-worker took them: 60

Source: Paper Mate.

Percentage of American moms who say that they avoid hugging and kissing altogether when a spouse is sick, according to a survey underwritten by the makers of Vicks-branded Humidifiers: 43

Percentage who report that they sleep on the couch when a spouse is sick: 10

Ranks of tea, orange juice, chicken soup, lots of water and humidifiers on the list of the top five natural remedies moms use: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Lindberg International.

Estimated number of American jobs that would be created if the U.S. were to double its exports by the end of 2014, according to U.S. Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg and Siemens Energy Inc.: 2 million

Today, estimated number of jobs that are supported by exports: 10 million

Estimated percentage of all U.S. economic growth since the middle of 2009 that is attributable to exports: 50

Source: Siemens Transportation Systems.

Inspired by the watercolors and paintings of Thomas Moran, year that one of the nation's most beautiful natural areas was protected for future generations to enjoy, as Congress made Yellowstone the country's first national park: 1872

Area covered by the park, primarily in Wyoming but with some parts in Montana and Idaho: 2 million acres

Area covered by the national park system: 84 million acres

Number of people who visit these parks each year: 281 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Ranks of Las Vegas, Miami and Orlando on the list of Getaroom.com's top spring break destinations in 2012: 1, 2, 3

Source: Getaroom.com.

In 2010, percentage of all patents granted that went to women, a 35 percent jump over the previous year, according to a study commissioned by the National Women's Business Council: 18 (22,984 total)

Percentage of all trademarks granted to individuals and sole proprietorships that went to women: 33

Ranks of chemistry, bio-affecting drugs, semiconductor device manufacturing and furnishings on the list of the top categories for women-owned patents: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: National Women's Business Council.

Percentage of employees who say weight loss is their top health concern this year, a 10 percent increase over 2011, according to a poll released by ComPsych Corp.: 43

Percentage of employees who said exercise was the health issue they are most trying to stay ahead of this year: 20

Percentage who said "stress": 18

Source: ComPsych Corp.

Rank of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric on the list of America's most fuel-efficient five-passenger vehicles with a 110 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) city rating, according to certification by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: 1

Combined rating achieved by Focus Electric: 105 MPGe

Source: Ford.

Idle Thought

"It is more often from pride than from ignorance that we are so obstinately opposed to current opinions; we find the first places taken, and we do not want to be the last." -- Francois De La Rochefoucauld

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

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.)