Ranks of Warren Buffett, Bill and Melinda Gates, George Kaiser, George Soros and William Barron Hilton on BusinessWeek's list of "The 50 Most Generous Philanthropists": 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Number of years Warren Buffett has topped the list: 3

Amount given by Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, since 2004: $40.655 billion

TRUE PROFESSIONALS

Percentage of Americans who rate the honesty and ethical standards of nurses either "high" or "very high," according to Gallup's annual "Honesty and Ethics in Professions" survey: 84

Number of years in a row that nurses have enjoyed top public accolades: 7

Percentage of Americans who rate the honesty and ethical standards of congressmen either "high" or "very high": 12

Percentage of Americans who rate the honesty and ethical standards of bankers either "high" or "very high": 23

ASKING FOR IT

Ranks of cheap airline tickets, used cars and cheap apartments for rent on the list of Ask.com's "Top Deals and Steals Searches of 2008," according to www.Ask.com: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of maverick, socialism and economy on the list of Dictionary.com's "Top Gainers of 2008": 1, 2, 3

Ranks of "How do I get pregnant?" "How do I lose weight?" and "How do I write a resume?" on www.Ask.com's list of "Top Question Searches of 2008": 1, 2, 3

BAH, HUMBUG

Ranks of Charles Prince, former CEO of Citigroup; Rick Wagoner, chairman and CEO of General Motors; and John J. Harris, chairman and CEO of Nestle Waters, on the list of the worst corporate "Scrooges" of 2008 —CEOs who exhibited the worst kinds of unbridled greed and a lack of compassion or concern for others over the past year, according to Co-op America, in conjunction with its Responsible Shopper program: 1, 2, 3

ISLAND DREAMS

Ranks of Hawai'i, London, Paris, Aruba and New York City on the list of the top 10 holiday dream escapes, according to TripAdvisor: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

QUOTE OF THE YEAR

Rank of the quote "I can see Russia from my house," delivered by comedian Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin, as the Most Memorable Quote of 2008, according to a survey by SpinVox: 1

WHAT A RELIEF

Ranks of Hurricane Dolly, Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Ike, the flooding in the Midwest and the tornadoes that devastated Indiana, on the list of the top disasters affecting the U.S. in 2008, as announced by the American Red Cross: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Estimated number of shelters set up by the Red Cross to alleviate these disasters: 900

Estimated number of meals and snacks served: 16.5 million

TRAVEL CHECKS

Average amount spent per person, per trip in the United States by overseas travelers, who stay longer and spend more money than domestic travelers or visitors from Canada and Mexico, according to the Travel Industry Association of America: $4,000

Percentage of U.S. international visitors who are from overseas: 43

Percentage of the $122.3 billion spent by international visitors to the United States in 2007 that is attributed to overseas travelers: 79

IDLE THOUGHT

"There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second."

— Logan Pearsall Smith

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