Rank of "office politics" on the list of more than 20 potential areas where executives would most like to see improvement, based on a worldwide survey of senior executives and managers conducted by NFI Research: 1

Percentage of executives in large companies who wish for improvements in office politics: 50

Percentage of executives in small companies who wish for improvement in this area: 20

RELEARNING

Percentage of workers who said "acclimating to a different corporate culture and colleagues" would pose the greatest challenge when re-entering the workforce after an extended absence, according to a survey by OfficeTeam: 32

Percentage of respondents who also cited learning new technologies or protocols: 23

IMPRESSIONS

Percentage of Americans who say that the first thing that comes to mind when they think of China is the "loss of U.S. jobs or cheap labor," according to a Zogby Interactive survey: 28

Percentage of respondents whose first impression of China is that of a nation that is a growing threat and rival to the United States: 19

PLUGGED IN

Average number of hours per day that children 8 to 18 years old spend plugged into an electronic media device, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation: 7

HAPPY STATES

Ranks of North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Minnesota and Iowa on the list of states where U.S. adults were most satisfied in 2009 with their own standard of living, according to a Gallup Poll: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Nevada, Rhode Island, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia on the list of states expressing the least satisfaction: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

STRONG BELIEFS

Percentage of Catholic Millennials (those 18 to 29 years old) who believe in God, according to the results of a Knights of Columbus /Marist Poll: 85

Ranks of "getting married and having a family" and "being spiritual or close to God" on the list of top priorities for Catholic Millennials: 1, 2

Percentage of Catholic Millennials who believe commitment to marriage is undervalued: 82

IDLE THOUGHT

"Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor the lack of contradiction a sign of truth."

— Blaise Pascal