NUMBERS IN THE NEWS

56

More than half of families with credit cards (56 percent) say they almost always pay off the balance to avoid interest; 20 percent sometimes pay off the balance.

95

Pesticides that are linked to cancer in humans have been found in 95 percent of the nation's rivers and streams, and in 90 percent of the fish that live there, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study.

Scientists and environmental groups have long warned of the cumulative effect of using chemically-based pesticides to control insects and weeds.

35

Just over 35 percent of U.S. families own three or more cars. The figure has virtually doubled since 1988, when it stood at 18 percent.

2.1

Have you ever goofed off at work? A study by a research team found that office distractions eat up 2.1 hours a day for the average worker.

That adds up to 28 billion hours a year in the U.S., or a loss of $588 billion in productivity.

The team goes on to offer several suggestions to help workers stay on task: don't check every email instantly when it comes in; be assertive with chatty co-workers, most of whom can relate to what you're going through if you just come right out and tell them; and be disciplined -- we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that what we want to do is really what we should be doing, but often the opposite is true.

10

A traditional tap system only drains about 10 percent of the sap produced by a maple tree.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup, and it's difficult to know exactly when to quit boiling.

Energy consumption has been a limiting factor in maple syruping, resulting in only about two percent of the maple trees in northcentral Pennsylvania being tapped.

44

PennDOT is encouraging Pennsylvania drivers to become organ donors. Some 44% of drivers now have an organ donor designation on their licenses.

To mark April as "National Donate Life Month," PennDOT is promoting its new online service that allows drivers to sign up as organ donors in about 90 seconds.

95

Oil and gas exploration is having an impact on the Allegheny National Forest, where 95 percent of subsurface mineral rights are privately owned and drilling activity is rapidly expanding.

More than 1,300 new wells were put in the ANF last year, and 1,400 are being drilled this year, many in new areas. Currently, the ANF is home to 10,000 active wells.

2.76

One's conscience can be a powerful force.

A British study found that employees are 2.76 times more likely to pay for office coffee, tea and snacks when they are faced with a poster that make it appear that human eyes are watching them.

Researchers believe the poster was effective because the brain naturally reacts to images of faces or eyes.

3.15M

Average salary of a professional baseball player this year is $3.15 million.

Alex Rodriguez, star infielder for the New York Yankees, makes $28 million this year, which is higher than the entire team salary of the Florida Marlins ($21.8 million).

The Yankees' player payroll is, as usual, baseball's highest at $138.3 million, followed by the Tigers ($138.7M), Mets ($138.3), Red Sox ($133.4M) and White Sox ($121.2M).

Eighty-five major leaguers will make at least $10 million this season.