Posted on: Sunday, December 23, 2007
Most Americans believe in God and miracles
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Percentage of American adults who believe in God — unchanged since the question was last asked in 2005, according to the findings of a Harris Poll: 82
Percentage of the public who believe in miracles: 79
Percentage who believe in heaven: 75
Percentage who believe in angels: 74
HELLO, JACK?
Percentage of respondents who agreed that Jack Bauer of "24" gets top billing as the TV character Americans would call to wish a happy holiday, according to a survey by EMBARQ: 11
Rank of Princess Diana as the person from the past Americans would call if their wireless service extended to the deceased: 1
Rank of JFK as the choice of those older than 60: 1
GET A ROOM
Percentage of Americans who say they would want at least some of their relatives to stay at a hotel during the holidays rather than in their home, according to a survey conducted by hotels.com: 87
Average amount that U.S. adults say their "hotel-like" guest accommodations at home are worth: $149 to $161 per night
SANTA RELOCATING?
Rank of Kyrgyzstan among the most logical areas for Santa Claus to set up his operations instead of the North Pole, based on an assessment taking into account the optimization of Christmas gift delivery, reduction of time-wasting detours, the effect of the Earth's rotation, and the location of the world's main population centers, according to a study conducted by Sweco: 1
Number of microseconds that Santa Claus would have for each chimney stop if he began his route in Kyrgyzstan: 34
Speed that Santa would have to travel at to get his gift delivery done on time using most-efficient Kyrgyzstan as a base: 3,700 miles per second
GIFT CARDS
Average value of a $100 gift card when sold at auction on eBay, according to a study analyzing auctions of gift cards by Jennifer Pate, an economics professor at Loyola Marymount University: $85
Ranks of Home Depot, Lowe's, Office Max, Circuit City and Starbucks, according to their resale value, as the five "best" gift cards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Ranks of Express, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, Victoria's Secret, and Tiffany and Co., according to their resale value, as the five "worst" gift cards: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
RISE IN RETAIL JOBS
Number of people employed at department stores in December 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1.7 million
Estimated rise in retail employment during the holiday season last year: 215,300
ON THE DINING TABLE ...
Ranks of turkey (42 percent), ham (30 percent), beef (11 percent) and chicken (2 percent) as the favorite Christmas meals, according to the www,Allrecipes.com Christmas Across America Survey: 1, 2, 3, 4
Ranks of pie (57 percent), cookies (16 percent), cakes (11 percent) and fudge (6 percent) on the list of favorite holiday desserts: 1, 2, 3, 4
TO GIFT, OR NOT TO GIFT
Percentage who say it's not a good idea to give a boss a gift, according to the American Express Business Gifting survey: 48
Percentage who say giving the boss a gift is "kissing up": 13
FAMILY TRADITIONS
Percentage of Americans who will have at least three generations sitting at the holiday table, according to a survey by Kelton Research on behalf of the J.M. Smucker Co.: 68
Percentage of Americans who have the kids help set the table: 48
Percentage who agree that the best way to continue their family traditions is through gatherings and celebrations: 71
SEND A CARD
Percentage of adults who say they send cards during the holiday season, according to a survey conducted for www.Whitepages.com: 76
Percentage who send cards to bring joy to others: 70
Percentage who send cards to feel happy: 54
IDLE THOUGHT
"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet."
— James Oppenheim
Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.
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