Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Christmas Snake at Sea 2009
Here at long last is the first of the Christmas Snake Videos.
Please feel free to leave Film Reviews.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
WTF??
WTF? Wisconsin Tourism Federation changes name after internet jokes
The Wisconsin Tourism Federation has changed its name, after being made aware that its acronym WTF had become crude internet slang.
By Matthew Moore
Published: 12:19PM BST 29 Sep 2009
The federation has changed its name to avoid the WTF acronym
The federation has changed its name to avoid the WTF acronym
The body charged with attracting more visitors to the midwestern state will now be known as the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin (TFW), in an attempt to put a stop to the jokes.
It seems that the federation was unaware of - or unconcerned by - the modern meaning of WTF until its acronym featured on a blog that compiles unfortunate corporate logos earlier this year.
Commenters wondered whether an expression of foul-mouthed astonishment was the best way of boosting tourism to a state that would not be an obvious choice for most holidaymakers.
The federation, a coalition of local trade bodies, has now amended its website to reflect the more anodyne name, which has been changed for the first time since it was founded in 1979.
The website also features the group's new TFW logo, complete with squashed text to find room for the extra word "of".
But the federation's corporate makeover is only partial. Its website is still listed on Google as the Wisconsin Tourism Federation, and the first button beneath the logo is titled "About WTF".
The federation, which was not available for comment, is not the first organisation to change its logo to avoid public derision.
Last year the for the Office of Government Commerce withdrew its new £14,000 logo, after realising that it resembled a risqué image when turned on its side.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
KY Happiness???
Kentucky doesn't fare well in happiness survey
By KEVIN FREKING • Associated Press Writer • March 11, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking for happiness — it’s family-friendly communities for some, tropical paradise or the rugged West for others.
A survey of Americans’ well-being, conducted by Gallup in partnership with Healthways and America’s Health Insurance Plans, gives high marks to Utah, which boasts lots of outdoor recreation for its youthful population.
Speaking of outdoor recreation, the islands of Hawaii took second place and Wyoming was third in the poll that rated such variables as mental, physical and economic health.
But fun outdoors obviously wasn’t the only criteria — “wild, wonderful” West Virginia was ranked last among the states.
And the bluegrass state of Kentucky was 49th, with Mississippi 48th on the list.
In general, highest well-being scores came from states in the West while the lowest were concentrated in the South. The happiest congressional districts were some of the wealthiest, while the lowest scores came in some of the poorest.
Jim Harter, a researcher at Gallup, said he was reluctant to explain regional differences without more study, but he suspected that some of the variations are explained by income. For example, when people were asked to examine their status in life now and five years from now, wealthier people tended to score higher.
The survey attempts to measure people’s well-being. It examines their eating and exercise habits, work environment and access to basic necessities, just to name some of the criteria.
“It’s not just about physical health,” said Eric Nielsen, a spokesman for Gallup. “It’s about their ability to contribute at work and be more productive, and it’s about feeling engaged in a community and wanting to improve that community.”
The massive survey involved more than 350,000 interviews. Examples of the questions include: Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? Did you eat healthy all day yesterday?
Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
The survey, which takes about 15 minutes, involved 42 core questions. Those taking the survey could get a score of up to 100. The actual difference between states wasn’t great: The average score for the highest-ranking state, Utah, was 69.2 points, while the average for the lowest-ranking state, West Virginia, was 61.2 points.
But Harter said that he believed geographic divides could be overstated and even the states with the highest scores had significant work to do to improve certain aspects of their residents’ health and happiness.
Researchers hope the findings will help employers better understand what they can do to create more productive workers. Eventually, the data could even be used to compare health and happiness by ZIP code. The survey is going to be generated for 25 years, according to current plans.
To that end, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index also ranked congressional districts. Residents in California Rep. Anna Eshoo’s coastal district south of San Francisco generated the top well-being score, followed closely behind by residents of Georgia Rep. Tom Price’s district, on the northern edge of Atlanta. Both districts rank in the top 10 in median household income.
On the opposite end, Rep. Harold Rogers’ district in eastern Kentucky’s coal country and New York Rep. Jose Serrano’s district, which includes the distressed neighborhood of the South Bronx, had the lowest well-being scores.
By KEVIN FREKING • Associated Press Writer • March 11, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — Looking for happiness — it’s family-friendly communities for some, tropical paradise or the rugged West for others.
A survey of Americans’ well-being, conducted by Gallup in partnership with Healthways and America’s Health Insurance Plans, gives high marks to Utah, which boasts lots of outdoor recreation for its youthful population.
Speaking of outdoor recreation, the islands of Hawaii took second place and Wyoming was third in the poll that rated such variables as mental, physical and economic health.
But fun outdoors obviously wasn’t the only criteria — “wild, wonderful” West Virginia was ranked last among the states.
And the bluegrass state of Kentucky was 49th, with Mississippi 48th on the list.
In general, highest well-being scores came from states in the West while the lowest were concentrated in the South. The happiest congressional districts were some of the wealthiest, while the lowest scores came in some of the poorest.
Jim Harter, a researcher at Gallup, said he was reluctant to explain regional differences without more study, but he suspected that some of the variations are explained by income. For example, when people were asked to examine their status in life now and five years from now, wealthier people tended to score higher.
The survey attempts to measure people’s well-being. It examines their eating and exercise habits, work environment and access to basic necessities, just to name some of the criteria.
“It’s not just about physical health,” said Eric Nielsen, a spokesman for Gallup. “It’s about their ability to contribute at work and be more productive, and it’s about feeling engaged in a community and wanting to improve that community.”
The massive survey involved more than 350,000 interviews. Examples of the questions include: Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? Did you eat healthy all day yesterday?
Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
The survey, which takes about 15 minutes, involved 42 core questions. Those taking the survey could get a score of up to 100. The actual difference between states wasn’t great: The average score for the highest-ranking state, Utah, was 69.2 points, while the average for the lowest-ranking state, West Virginia, was 61.2 points.
But Harter said that he believed geographic divides could be overstated and even the states with the highest scores had significant work to do to improve certain aspects of their residents’ health and happiness.
Researchers hope the findings will help employers better understand what they can do to create more productive workers. Eventually, the data could even be used to compare health and happiness by ZIP code. The survey is going to be generated for 25 years, according to current plans.
To that end, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index also ranked congressional districts. Residents in California Rep. Anna Eshoo’s coastal district south of San Francisco generated the top well-being score, followed closely behind by residents of Georgia Rep. Tom Price’s district, on the northern edge of Atlanta. Both districts rank in the top 10 in median household income.
On the opposite end, Rep. Harold Rogers’ district in eastern Kentucky’s coal country and New York Rep. Jose Serrano’s district, which includes the distressed neighborhood of the South Bronx, had the lowest well-being scores.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
anything for anyone
Economy - I am a contrarian. I have been doing this for a long time.
I am very thankful that I had "Depression Era" Grand-parents. Nellie and Raymond, you rock! Taught me a lot about being smart with nothing.
I have made good decisions over the past 20 years. Good for me! Why is the government jumping in to bail out those that did not. New housing starts is a bad way to base an economy. Manifest Destiny is over. Stop Urban Sprawl! We have enough houses. Time to fix the old ones.
Take those car manufacturing plants and turn them into solar/wind turbine manufacturers. The workers do not care what they make. They want to make something that benefits the world. They want to make a pay check.
If you over paid for your house without reason, then you deserve it. The casinos in Vegas do not bail you out if you loose. You gambled. You lost.
If you are a banker, I have no empathy. Service charges are a bitch.
If you are not doing anything to make the world a better or happier place each day, BUGGER OFF!
Bibliography:
Wump World, Bill Peet Copyright 1970, Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston
Cuz, Various Phone Conversations, 1996 - 2008
University of Louisville, Business School
41 trips around the sun
I am very thankful that I had "Depression Era" Grand-parents. Nellie and Raymond, you rock! Taught me a lot about being smart with nothing.
I have made good decisions over the past 20 years. Good for me! Why is the government jumping in to bail out those that did not. New housing starts is a bad way to base an economy. Manifest Destiny is over. Stop Urban Sprawl! We have enough houses. Time to fix the old ones.
Take those car manufacturing plants and turn them into solar/wind turbine manufacturers. The workers do not care what they make. They want to make something that benefits the world. They want to make a pay check.
If you over paid for your house without reason, then you deserve it. The casinos in Vegas do not bail you out if you loose. You gambled. You lost.
If you are a banker, I have no empathy. Service charges are a bitch.
If you are not doing anything to make the world a better or happier place each day, BUGGER OFF!
Bibliography:
Wump World, Bill Peet Copyright 1970, Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston
Cuz, Various Phone Conversations, 1996 - 2008
University of Louisville, Business School
41 trips around the sun
Random Thoughts
Stolen stares
Stolen glances
Catch you
Make you think
Moments here
Moments there
Fade in intensity
Stay with you
and surface on occasion
Stolen glances
Catch you
Make you think
Moments here
Moments there
Fade in intensity
Stay with you
and surface on occasion
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Frozen Pipes 2009
So I but this really cool older home. It gets really cold over this past two months and my pipes freeze. It does make life a little inconvenient.
Therefore new bath and kitchen. WHOOOOO! I live in a perpetual state of demolition and construction.
To the right you will see the wallpaper I found under three layers of other wall board/paper/paneling. It is on the original wall so I think it was put in the early 1910's. It makes me laugh every time I walk in that door.
Enjoy!
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