Percentage of global workers who associate vacationing with overall happiness, according to a survey by Expedia: 80

Percentage of respondents who somewhat or strongly agree with the statement, "Regular vacations are important for general health and well-being": 91

Percentage of workers who say the chance for more vacation time would motivate them to switch jobs: 56

Source: Expedia.

Rank of statistics as the fastest growing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) undergraduate degree in the United States over the last four years, according to an analysis of federal government education data conducted by the American Statistical Association: 1

Source: American Statistical Association.

Percentage of CFOs who say they are willing or much more willing to renegotiate salary with skilled job candidates, according to a survey by Robert Half International: 41

Percentage of CFOs who say they have had difficulty finding people with the requisite skills: 68

Source: Robert Half International.

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

Number of subscribers on the list: 50

Estimated number of retail establishments in the U.S. selling landline and cellular phones, with annual receipts from such sales at over $10 billion: 22,000

Percentage of occupied households in the U.S. that have telephone service: 97

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of companies that have deployed tablets, according to a survey regarding the use of tablets to aid sales-related activities among 700-plus global business-to-business marketers and salespeople: 23

Of the 77 percent of respondents whose companies have not, percentage who said their companies have no plans to implement them: 83

Percentage of all respondents who believe such devices help, or would help, improve sales activities: 75

Source: Davies Murphy Group Inc.

Average household income among "affluents," defined as adults aged 18 and older living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income in 2014, according to the Ipsos Affluent Survey USA: $197,400

Percentage rise in liquid assets to an average of $592,000, compounding the 9 percent growth seen from 2012 to 2013: 7

Affluent average net worth: $1.02 million

Source: Ipsos Affluent Survey.

Percentage of men and women around the world who say, "flirting is just playful fun," according to a survey from Zoosk.com: 41

Percentage of men who think that women are the biggest flirts: 60

Percentage of women who think that men are more flirtatious: 53

Source: Zoosk.

Percentage of Americans who say news in the U.S. should involve more reporting and fewer "talking heads," according to the results of The Harris Poll: 89

As to the importance of an impartial press, percentage who feel it's essential that journalists be completely unbiased: 84

Source: Harris Interactive.

In addition to quality, service, convenience and value, the cornerstones of a positive restaurant dining experience, percentage of casual-dining restaurant patrons who say that an appealing ambiance influences their decision to visit a particular concept, according to a white paper using data from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics: 91

Source: Technomic.

Of the 196 countries worldwide, number that have religious imagery on their flags, according to Pew Research: 64

Number that are associated with Christianity: 31

Number that are associated with Islam: 21

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

Idle thought

"The luck of having talent is not enough; one must also have a talent for luck." -- Hector Berlioz, composer

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

Percentage of workers who think people become less courteous as they climb the corporate ladder, according to a survey by Accountemps: 70

Source: Accountemps.

Amount of money the average person is planning to spend on candy, cards, gifts and more this Valentine's Day, up from $126.03 last year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: $130.97

Projected total spending: $18.6 billion

Percentage who will give flowers, with total spending expected to top $1.9 billion: 37

Percentage who will treat their special someone to jewelry, spending more than $4.4 billion on diamonds, gold and silver: 20

Source: National Retail Federation.

Number of American men who have a hidden bank account or credit card, according to Creditcard.com: 4.4 million

Number of American women who have a hidden bank account or credit card: 2.8

Percentage of men who say it is OK for their partner/spouse to make a purchase of $500 or more without their knowledge: 31

Percentage of women who say the same: 18

Source: Creditcards.com.

Number of stadium seats that were empty when the first Super Bowl was held in the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1967, according to Convergex: 30,000

Cost of a ticket: $12

Median online price a week prior to this year's Super Bowl: $5,684

Source: Convergex.

Projected average amount that diners plan to spend to celebrate Valentine's Day, 63 percent more than the typical check average of $85 per couple, according to a survey released by OpenTable: $139

Percentage of respondents who say talking and texting at the table is the biggest dining faux pas a date can commit: 58.5

Source. OpenTable.

Amount Americans estimate that the federal government wastes of each tax dollar, according to a survey by Gallup: 51 cents

Amount Americans estimate that state governments waste of each tax dollar: 42 cents

Amount Americans estimate that local governments waste of each tax dollar: 37 cents

Source: Gallup Organization.

Decade when Percy Spencer of the Raytheon company, working on a military radar device, noticed that his candy bar had gotten soft, and, intrigued, experimented with irradiating some kernels of popcorn, which promptly burst: 1940s

Year the first consumer model microwave ovens were introduced, costing only a little less than a new car ($1,200) and requiring professional installation: 1955

Today, percentage of homes across the country that have microwave ovens: 90

Estimated annual value of the manufacturing of microwave ovens and other electric cooking range business: $2.5 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of American adults who agree that "doing what's right regardless of personal consequences" is the trait that makes a person most worthy of admiration, according to a Harris poll: 76

Of those who admire a specific U.S. president, percentage who do so because they "command the support and respect of others": 66

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of families with heads ages 55 to 64 who are carrying some debt (averaging $73,211), according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute: 78.5

Percentage of income that is devoted to debt: 10

Source: EBRI.

Ranks of Orlando, Las Vegas, New York City and Miami on the list of the most popular domestic destinations for the 2014-2015 winter season, according to members of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA): 1, 2, 3, 4

Ranks of Cancun, Rome, London and Paris on the list of the most popular international destinations for the 2014-2015 winter season: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: American Society of Travel Agents.

Idle Thought

"The truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is." -- Nadine Gordimer, Nobel laureate

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

Year that direct-dial telephone area codes for transcontinental calling were introduced, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1951

Number of exchanges there were at the beginning: 86

Average amount that American residential customers pay annually for their home telephone service: $434

Despite our familiarity with do-it-yourself calling, number of telephone operators still on the job: 28,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Of the 2,325 billionaires globally in 2014, percentage who have tertiary education (bachelor's degree or higher), according to the recently released Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census: 65

Of the top 10 billionaire-producing business schools globally, number that are in the United States: 7

Of the 10 business schools with the most billionaire alumni, rank of Harvard, with 64: 1

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of airplane fliers who agreed with the statement, "A little small talk is fine, but I prefer to keep to myself during the flight," according to an Expedia survey: 78

Percentage of Americans who said they "use flights as an opportunity to talk to and meet new people": 16

Source: Expedia.

Overall male-to-female ratio among single adults ages 25 to 34, according to a Pew Research Center report: 115:110

When the number of young men is limited to those who are currently employed, male-to-female ratio becomes: 84:100

Ranks of San Jose, California, and Denver on the list of large metro areas having the best "marriage market" for women seeking a male partner with a job: 1, 2

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

Percentage of Americans who have dinner with their family virtually every day, according to research by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship: 68.5

Percentage who see or hear from friends and family at least a few times a week: 76

Source: Corporation for National and Community Service.

According to the USDA, ranks of Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl game day on the list of the largest food consumption days: 1, 2

On Super Bowl Sunday, estimated number of pounds of snacks Americans will eat: 30 million

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of adults who admit that they have used a dating site or app to cheat on a significant other or partner, according to a survey by YouGov: 27

Percentage of people who say they have been cheated on by a partner at least once in their lifetime: 44

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of Americans who believe "most workers' compensation claims are made by people who don't want to work," according to a survey commissioned by Summit Pharmacy Inc.: 37

Percentage of American workers who believe that if they were injured on the job, "it would be a nightmare process to get the pain medication(s) my doctor prescribed": 34

Percentage who agreed with this statement: "You need a Ph.D. to complete all the necessary paperwork associated with a worker's compensation claim": 35

Source: Summit Pharmacy Inc.

On average, percentage of all smart devices acquired in 2013 that were gifts, according to a survey by Parks Associates: 32

Percentage of U.S. broadband households whose members are unfamiliar with smart home products or services: 66

Source: Parks Associates.

Idle Thought

"Patience is also a form of action." -- Auguste Rodin

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