Halloween Bash at YOLO (You Only Live Once)

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Small Biz Technology: Ways to Win

Is a 4-Day Work Week the answer for struggling Businesses (Utah shares experience)

Utah's 4-day workweek brings some dividends

SALT LAKE CITY – Closing Utah state offices on Fridays has delivered an unexpected bonus: a big saving on overtime pay.

New calculations show Utah saved $4.1 million in the first year of a government experiment with a four-day workweek.

State employees were eager to leave after the longer workday, and weren't inclined to work an extra hour or two.

"They're getting what they need to get done in 10 hours and going home," said Angie Welling, spokeswoman for Gov. Gary Herbert.

"The state envisioned some energy savings, but that overtime number was not anticipated," she said Wednesday.

Utah was the first state in the country to shut down most of its services on Fridays. Other states took notice. Hawaii tried a limited four-day week last fall, when a similar program was under way in Washington state. Lawmakers in at least two other states — West Virginia and Virginia — have also looked into adopting a four-day workweek.

Former Gov. Jon Huntsman made the switch for Utah in August 2008, largely to cut energy costs.

Utah, however, achieved only a sixth of the $3 million it expected to trim on energy costs.

The state couldn't shut down as many state buildings as it planned on Fridays, officials said, and it didn't save much by closing the smaller buildings.

Also, the state assumed gasoline for state fleet car use and building utility costs would soar, and it would save as much.

Both expenditures actually fell over the past year, however. Utah has some of the lowest utility rates in the country.

The energy saving came out to $502,000 for the year. The state also saved $200,000 on janitorial services. With reduced overtime expenses, the total saving was $4.8 million.

The figures were released Wednesday by Herbert's strategic planner, Mike Hansen.

The new governor — Huntsman left to become the U.S. ambassador to China — is undecided on whether to stick with the program, Welling said.

"He's still reviewing the results. He feels like we have good data on the amount of cost savings, employee satisfaction and the energy reduction. What he things is missing is input from the public," she said.

To that end, Herbert will commission a poll of public sentiment — citizens lost a day of government service with the switch.
State workers are largely happy. Another survey found 85 percent of the workers like working four longer days better than five shorter ones.
Working mothers like Carolyn Dennis — she has two young sons — found a way to adjust.

"It's actually a lot easier than the five-hour day, because I have all day Friday to clean and run errands and still have the whole weekend to spend with my kids," said Dennis, customer service manager for the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
"I actually found it's freed up my time. We never did anything in the evening anyway, but having that extra day has made it easier to be a working mom."

Dennis leaves the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan at 5:45 a.m. with her youngest, a 2-year-old, in tow. she drops him at a day care center near work in downtown Salt Lake City. Her husband, a business owner, drops the couple's 7-year-old son, a first-grader, at school.
Dennis works from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., skipping lunch hour and leaving a half-hour earlier than normal. That allows her to cut down a long day for her youngest.

"I started out getting him dressed while he was still asleep, but now he's getting up early for breakfast. Ryan is still on a malleable infant schedule. He's happy and smiling when I drop him off, so it makes my day go better," she said.

Original Article: Watch Video

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Celebrating 25 Years of Awareness, Education, and Empowerment

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Celebrating 25 Years of Awareness, Education, and Empowerment

Oprah to Interview Palin (Tell me what you think)

Oprah to Interview Palin


I suppose I could just put up a post with "Oprah" and "Palin" in the headline and let the Google searches do the rest, but here's a little more detail. The Mighty O will have The Mighty P on her show Nov. 16, in connection with the release of Palin's book, Going Rogue.

You will recall that there was a controversy, or rather "controversy," during the election, when Oprah Winfrey said that she would not have any candidates, including Palin, on her show before the vote. (Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama, and had him on her show twice before her endorsement.) Her announcement followed a Drudge Report story that there were disagreements on Oprah's staff as to whether to have Palin on—though there was no indication either that Palin had been invited, nor that Palin (who at the time had not done any press after her nomination) would appear on the show.


Now that Palin's no longer governor, and not running for anything, she's taking up Winfrey's invitation extended after the election. It'll be interesting to see how Palin presents herself on the show, and how soft or contentious the interview will be on both sides.


Source: Oprah to Interview Palin

Post your comments and tell me what you think about this article


Read more: http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2009/10/20/oprah-to-interview-palin/#ixzz0UXRLOPBN

Looking for a job? Here's a tip, Try a sandwich board...

Looking for a job? Try a sandwich board
Posted by lisacullen Monday, October 13, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Submit a Comment • Trackback (0) • Related Topics: Getting a Job, Interviews, Stupid Workplace Tricks, careerbuilder, job-hunting
Seven years ago, I reported a piece about white-collar unemployment for which I interviewed a man who advertised his availability by wearing a sandwich board in midtown Manhattan. Seems we're back to those bad old days. Here are some drastic measures some job hunters are taking, according to CareerBuilder:

• Candidate advertised on a billboard.

• Candidate carried around a sign that said, "Will work for paying bills."
• Candidate brought a broom to the interview to "clean up the waste and corruption in the office."
• Candidate wore a shirt to the interview that said, "Please hire me."
• Candidate showed up with breakfast for the employer every day until hired.
• Candidate approached the hiring manager in a restroom.
• Candidate sent a giant cookie with "Hire Skip" written in frosting on it.
• Candidate parked outside of the office building with a sign that said, "Seeking employment."
• Candidate wrote a poem about why she wanted the job in her cover letter.
• Candidate promised to give the employer a foot massage if hired.
• Candidate noticed the employer wrote a blog about a particular restaurant. She persuaded the restaurant to put her name on the menu so the employer would see it the next time he ate there.
• Candidate created an electronic resume with flash animation and musical score.
Read more: http://workinprogress.blogs.time.com/2008/10/13/looking_for_a_job_try_a_sandwi/?iid=sphere-inline-bottom#ixzz0UXUC6Y9w

Oktoberfest Charity Golf Tournament

Oktoberfest Charity Golf Tournament

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Pamper Yourself with Bloomingdale's: FREE Lancome Gift

Sophisticated Shopper: Bloomingdale's: FREE Lancome Gift ($110 Value!)

Sheraton To Give Away Free Nights in Their Newly Renovated Hotels

Looks like kiddies aren't the only ones rocking their new back to school fashion this month---hotels have been unveiling new looks left and right too. Hilton made a splash earlier this week with their new logo and before that, Westin and Renaissance unveiled new websites and new logos, respectively. So, who's the newest hotel to join the rebranding rodeo?
Sheraton Hotels.


The long-suffering, outdated brand of Starwood Hotels has completed a staggering $4 billion worth of renovations on 86 of its North American properties and it wants you to give the new digs a whirl by holding a "Check-In On Us" giveaway.

The contest officially kicks off on October 6 and runs through October 9th. Over two thousand winners from the online entries will be selected to win a free night at a Sheraton in one of the new hotels. The process is based on a first-come, first-serve basis so don't forget to enter on the first day. If you miss out, Sheraton will still offer folks a discount coupon they can use at a Sheraton.

Meanwhile, Hotel Chatter will be doing some sniffing around the Sheratons in Boston and New York tomorrow so stay tuned for our reports on the Sheraton's much-needed new look. So far, we're loving the new "adult" website (gone are the garish bright orange colors) and the Guest Chatter section, where guests can dish (after being vetted by Sheraton folks) on their recent Sheraton stays. You know how much we love to chatter....

Free Pizza at Pizza Fusion on Monday Oct. 5th

Pizza Fusion, the Fort Lauderdale-based organic chain, will give away 100 personal sized pizzas at each of its South Florida locations on Monday, Oct. 5.

You need to purchase an Honest Tea beverage and eat in the restaurant. No take out.
It's first come, first served.
For more information, click here for the Pizza Fusion blog.
You can find out about future giveaways by becoming a fan of Pizza Fusion’s Facebook page or a follower of its Twitter feed.

Ways to Ease Your Everyday Worries

We know Mama was right when she said, "Money can't make you happy." But we also know financial worries can shake us up. As we wait for the economy to turn around, is there anyone who isn’t feeling anxious? If you’ve been laid off and there’s no job in sight, you may feel like life is whirling further out of control with every hoarded dollar you spend.

But that “so-scared-I-can’t-breathe” feeling doesn’t have to take over. You can stop it by deliberately tuning out fear and turning up the volume on other things like love, faith and community. Focusing on life’s positives can help you feel grounded.



“We tamp down fear by noticing the blessings and opportunities the economy has handed us,” says the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. “Having less money for eating out can result in healthier meals eaten with family, and more time to build and strengthen relationships.” Being aware that there are others who are worse off may spur you to volunteer.



Here’s another thing: A financial challenge such as an impending foreclosure, a layoff, a house worth less than the mortgage, is just a problem to get through. How we deal with that problem may shape us for good or ill, but the fact that it happened to us says nothing—we’re the same people we were before.



Even in the depths of the Great Depression, when 1 American in 3 was out of work and there were breadlines everywhere, people still managed to fall in love, play with their children, sing along with the radio, enjoy life. A lesson we can learn from those times is that there are always pockets of joy, and many ways to foster inner peace.



1. Accept that troubles are part of life. With all the focus on celebrity lifestyles during the past decade or so, “it’s almost as if we’ve been told life is supposed to be perfect all the time, and something is wrong with us if it isn’t,” says Victoria Moran, author of Living a Charmed Life. “That’s not true!”



Sometimes you just happen to be the person whose car runs over a nail in the road, and you end up with a flat tire. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. Being careful won’t eliminate every last chance of picking up a nail. Neither will being nice and working hard on your driving skills.



In the same way, you aren’t any more unlucky than anyone else if the economic slowdown is creating new difficulties for you. The answer to “Why me?” is “Why not me?” When you keep reminding yourself that life has its ups and downs, you’re better able to “change your default setting,” as Moran puts it. “All of a sudden, ‘Everyone’s healthy, and we’re safe and content, even now,’ becomes as good as ‘Rich and getting richer,’” she says.



2. Don’t obsess over the news. Molly Peter, a real estate agent and mother of four in Bethesda, Maryland, never watches the news anymore. “It’s surprising how much more positive I feel every day,” she says. Instead, she listens to music or an audiobook while in the car or cooking.



This technique is OK to use as long as you’re not in denial about the upheavals going on, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a University of California, Riverside, professor of psychology and author of The How of Happiness. Of course you want to stay informed—just don’t let it overwhelm you. “Your life will be happier if you focus on affirming things,” rather than things that depress you, says Dr. Lyubomirsky.