Monday, December 27, 2010

Funny Facebook Groups

No thought is too random, nor grievance too petty to keep people from organizing a Facebook Group. Readers Digest has listed some of the funnier ones:



1. Students Against Backpacks with Wheels

2. When I was Your Age, Pluto Was a Planet

3. People Who Always Have to Spell Their Names for Other People

4. No, I don’t Care If I Die at 12 a.m., I Refuse to Pass on Your Chain Letter

5. Friends Don’t Let Friends Wear Crocs

6. I Secretly Want to Punch Slow-Walking People in the Back of the Head

7. I Don’t Care if the Spider is Not Hurting Anyone, I Want it Dead!

8. I Am Fluent in Three Languages: English, Sarcasm, and Profanity

9. I Will Carry 20 Grocery Bags So I Don’t Have to Make a Second Trip

10. An Arbitrary Number of People Demanding That Some Sort of Action Be Taken

Top Baby Names Of 2010

BabyNames.com has released the top most popular baby names of 2010 and the winners are Sophia and Aidan. Aidan has been at the top of the list since 2003. However on the girls list there is a new No. 1 name: Sophia, which has beat out Ava, Olivia and Amelia, other classical names that have been sharing the spot for several years. The full list of 100 top names of 2010 can be found at www.babynames.com. Babynames.com’s Top 20 Baby Names for 2010:

(Name statistics include alternate spellings of the same name)

Top Girls’ Names 2010:                                        Top Boys’ Names 2010:

1. Sophia      11. Harper                                       1. Aiden            11. Jacob
2. Charlotte   12. Emma                                        2. Liam              12. Grayson
3. Ava           13. Abigail                                       3. Noah             13. Benjamin
4. Addison     14. Ella                                           4. Jackson          14. Elijah
5. Olivia         15. Scarlett                                     5. Ethan              15. Caleb
6. Amelia       16. Madeline                                  6. Caden             16. Owen
7. Lilly           17. Riley                                         7. Mason            17. Gabriel
8. Isabella      18. Audrey                                     8. Logan             18. James
9. Chloe         19. Grace                                       9. Landon           19. Gavin
10. Bailey       20. Layla                                      10. Oliver             20. Alexander

12 Big Comebacks Of 2010

Here are some of 2010’s most noteworthy comebacks, assembled by WalletPop.com:



1. Conan O’Brien                                                         7. Mah-Jongg

2. Whooping Cough                                                      8. American International Group

3. Devo                                                                         9. Hats

4. New Jersey                                                              10. 3-D Entertainment

5. Dennis Lehane’s detective duo Patrick and Angie      11. The Moon

6. Betty White                                                              12. Leg Warmers

Friday, November 12, 2010

Bye, Bye Phone Books

The Internet age is causing the white pages to vanish. New York, Pennsylvania and Florida have given Verizon permission to stop distributing white pages there, while Virginia will decide the issue next week. Telephone companies argue that most consumers now check the Internet rather than flip through pages when they want to reach out and touch someone. Phone companies note that eliminating residential white pages would reduce environmental impact by using less paper and ink. The first telephone directory was issued in February 1878 – a single page that covered 50 customers in New Haven, Connecticut. A Gallup survey shows that between 2005 and 2008, the percentage of households relying on stand-alone residential white pages fell from 25% to 11%. However, the business directories are doing fine, according to the Yellow Pages Association. The industry trade group claims more half the people in the U.S. still let their fingers do the walking every month.

Lottery Dreams

 
What would you do if you won the lottery? According to a new study by Market Strategies International, consumers with the good fortune to win the lottery would be conservative with their winnings and pay off their debt first. In fact, paying off debt was the top choice of consumers, regardless of income level, with over one-third responding that it would be the first thing on their list. The next six choices:
 
25% would buy a house
11% would buy a car
15% would help family and friends
10% would take a vacation
15% would save or invest
6% would help others or donate to charity

Physicians Divided On Ethical Issues

 
Fewer than half of physicians think they should refuse gifts from drug companies, a new Medscape survey on medical ethics has found. Tallying up responses from more than 10,000 physicians, Medscape also found the physicians sharply divided on such issues as physician-assisted suicide and life support. One of the most controversial of the 21 questions on the survey was, “Would you agree that you should refuse gifts or perks from pharmaceutical companies because they may influence your medical judgment?” Almost 47% agreed and 37% disagreed, with the remaining 16% responding, “It depends.” Physician-assisted suicide split the respondents even more sharply, with almost 46% in favor, 41% against, and the rest uncommitted. When asked “Would you ever recommend or give life-sustaining therapy when you judged that it was futile?” the respondents also divided fairly evenly, with almost 24% marking “Yes,” 37% marking “No,” and 39% indicating “It depends.” Among the other results:
 
·         61% said it was not acceptable to perform a procedure merely to reduce the risk for a lawsuit; 16% said it was.
·         60% said it was not acceptable to hide a harmless mistake; 19% said it was acceptable.
·         58% would never prescribe a placebo just because a patient wanted treatment; 24% would.
·         73% said it is never acceptable to falsify a patient’s condition when submitting claims while 17% said falsification is acceptable “to get a patient the services.”

Holiday Shopping

 
The average American will spend $710 on holiday gifts this year with that figure nearly doubling to $1,384 among those who earn $100,000 or more per year, according to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker. Women will particularly power the holiday shopping season with 100% of those surveyed planning to hit the stores, while 12% of men have no holiday shopping plans. But both male and female consumers’ intentions to “give back” continues to make a comeback – increasing from 63% last year to 67% this year. Other findings:
 
·         51% of consumers will wrap up holiday shopping at least one week before Christmas, 5% anticipate shopping up to Christmas Eve.
·         43% of shoppers will pick up a little something for themselves while shopping for others.
·         20% of consumers say their most expensive gift purchase will fall in the electronics and gadgets category with an average cost of $316.
·         Gift Cards remain the most popular item consumers will give this holiday season (53%). Other popular items on gift lists include clothing/accessories (50%) toys and games (43%) electronics/gadgets (34%) books or magazines (31%) music (29%) and cash (26%).
·         Most consumers will look for ways to stretch their holiday dollars (84%), particularly women (90%) compared to men (77%). The most popular ways they will do so are:
Savings Strategy
Women
Men
Shop for clearance or sale merchandise
77%
55%
Clipping coupons
67%
46%
Buying only for people on their list
53%
43%
Re-gifting
16%
9%

Americans Still Belt-Tightening

 
There are always small ways to save a little bit of money. Bringing lunch to work or skipping the morning latte may not feel significant, but the cost savings add up over the long run. A number of Americans have done or considered doing these things and have cut back in other small ways to save money. Over the past six months, 62% of adults have purchased more generic brands and 45% are brown-bagging lunch instead of purchasing it, according to a new Harris Poll. Other findings include:
 
·         37% of Americans are going to the hairstylist or barber less often.
·         37% have switched to refillable water bottles instead of purchasing bottles of water.
·         27% of adults have cancelled one or more magazine subscriptions while 17% have cancelled a newspaper subscription.
·         22% have stopped purchasing coffee in the morning and cut 21% down on dry cleaning while 14% have begun carpooling or using mass transit.
·         22% have cancelled or cut back on cable television service, 17% have changed or cancelled cell phone service, and 17% have cancelled their landline service and are only using their cell phone.

E-Mail Outweighs Social Media At Work

 
In the business world, e-mail still trumps social media, according to a new survey. The People-OnTheGo survey shows business professionals spend an average of 3.27 hours a day on e-mail, compared with 1.18 hours on social media. Personal e-mail and corporate e-mail dominate, with 92% and 90% of professionals, respectively, checking them regularly – followed by Facebook (59%) and LinkedIn (48%). Workers spend more than half their working day (4.45 hours) on corporate and personal e-mail while also monitoring social media outlets. Other findings:
 
·         72% of the business professionals surveyed use social media for both work and personal reasons.
·         Social media tools that trail Facebook and LinkedIn in popularity in the workplace include Twitter (23%), blogs (22%), and YouTube (11%).
·         More than 67% said they regularly monitor multiple inboxes, and almost 66% reported interrupting their work constantly just to check those inboxes.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Top 10 Ways Being Online Saves You Money

American consumers can save $7,707 a year by having access to and using high-speed broadband Internet, according to the Internet Innovation Alliance. The cost savings are detailed in a financial analysis titled, “The Real Cost of the Digital Divide.” The analysis finds that, after factoring in the average annual cost of a home broadband connection ($490), the typical American family could save tons of money per year on essentials like housing, food, clothing and basics like entertainment and travel through discounts and sales only available to online consumers. The savings are based on the average U.S. household income before taxes of $62,857.
 
Top Ten Potential Annual Savings Garnered by Broadband Connectivity
Entertainment
Savings: $2,747 or 51.72%
Automotive
Savings: $438 or 1.5%
Travel
Savings: $1,532 or 20%
Newspapers
Savings: $193 or 100%
Housing
Savings: $974 or 7.67%
Gasoline
Savings: $95 or 4.76%
Food
Savings: $965 or 25.70%
Non-Prescription Drugs
Savings: $76 or 24.20%
Apparel
Savings: $640 or 37.12%
Bill Pay
Savings: $47 or 100%
 

Overexposed Online

As millions of Americans flock to theaters to see “The Social Network,” millions more are exposing their identities and potentially critical financial information on popular social networking sites. According to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of ID Analytics, more than 24 million Americans age 18 or older leave their social network profiles mostly public. Millions more expose key pieces of identity information including date of birth, birthplace, and even current and previous addresses. Nearly 70 million U.S. adults on social networking sites share their birthplace on their profiles. Birthplace is one of the most common “security questions” asked by financial institutions to verify someone’s identity. Other highlights of the 2010 Social Network Fraud Survey include:
 
·       Nearly 20 million Americans reveal their pets’ names on their social networks, another common security question asked to verify identities.
·       18-34 year-olds are most likely to reveal personal information on social networking sites.
·       Overall men and women on social networking sites tend to share similar information about themselves. However, men are much more likely to share their current address than women. Men are also almost twice as likely to share photos of their car, while women are almost twice as likely to share pet names.

2011 Travel Trends Forecast

TripAdvisor has announced the results of its annual travel trends survey. Americans appear eager to pack their bags in the coming year, as 36% plan to spend more on leisure travel in 2011 than this year, while 42% expect to spend the same amount. Ninety percent plan to take two or more leisure trips next year. While travelers named an increase in online travel deals as the best travel development of 2010 (39%), rising airfares (40%) and bedbugs (20%) are the top two travel concerns for 2011.
 
Travelers Globetrotting in 2011:
·       69% of travelers plan to take international trips next year; 52% will travel to Europe; 13% will visit Asia; and 12% will journey to South America.
·       The top three international destinations U.S. travelers plan to visit in 2011 are Paris, London and Rome.
·       75% of respondents plan to visit a U.S. city next year, with Las Vegas, New York City and San Francisco the most popular choices.
 
Best Travel Development of 2010:
·       More online travel deals – 39%
·       Cheaper hotel rates – 22%
·       More in-flight Wi-Fi Internet access on planes – 12%
 
Worst Travel Development of 2010:
·       Carry-on baggage fees – 69%
·       Higher hotel fees – 10%
·       TSA full body scanners – 10%
 
Friendliest and most annoying travelers:
Friendliest Travelers:
Most Annoying Travelers:
1. Americans
1. Americans
2. Australians
2. French
3. Canadians
3. Japanese

Political Ad Overload

Most Americans are glad the mid-term elections are OVER! Folks in Cleveland saw more political TV ads than people in any other city in the country, according to Nielsen. Cleveland TV had 29,689 political ads out of a total 126,656 ads (23.44%) in October – or about 1 in 4 of all ads. Ohio led the country in political ads, with Columbus landing the number two slot at 24,693 ads. Nationwide, Americans saw more political ads in October than they did in October 2008: 1.48 million in 2010 compared to 1.41 million in 2008. October 2010 was the largest political ad month ever! The top 10 markets for political ads in October:
 
1. Cleveland, Ohio (29,689 political ads out of 126,656 – 23.44%)
2. Columbus, Ohio (24,693 political ads out of 105,651 – 23.37%)
3. Portland, Oregon (25,527 political ads out of 117,208 – 21.78%)
4. Sacramento, California (26,965 political ads out of 127,318 – 21.18%)
5. Seattle, Washington (26,071 political ads out of 133,874 – 19.47%)
6. Champaign-Springfield, Illinois (14,662 political ads out of 77,264 – 18.98%)
7. Reno, Nevada (18,364 political ads out of 98,414 – 18.66%)
8. Denver, Colorado (24,302 political ads out of 130,255 -- 18.66%)
9. Orlando, Florida (22,517 political ads out of 1122,417 – 18.39%)
10. West Palm Beach, Florida (18,546 political ads out of 101,126 – 18.34%)
 
Jackson, Mississippi, had the least amount of political advertising in October with only 827 political ads out of 81,218 total ads – or about 1.02%

StReSseD OuT

For the third year running, money, work and the economy top Americans’ list of stressors, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association. Nearly three-quarters of respondents reported unhealthy stress levels in 2010, about the same as in 2009. Satisfaction with work-life balance dropped from 42% in 2009 to 36% in 2010. Meanwhile, stress over job stability is on the rise, from 44% of people experiencing job stability concerns in 2009 to 49% in 2010. The results also found that parents underestimate the impact of stress on their families. While 69% of parents say their stress has little or no impact on their children, 91% of kids ages 8 to 17 say that they can tell when their parents are stressed out. The survey also uncovered a link between stress and weight among both adults and children. One-third of the children in the survey were overweight. The overweight kids were more likely to report that their parents were stressed (39% vs. 30% for normal-weight children). Overweight and obese kids were also more likely to experience health problems related to stress.
 
See the full report at www.stressinamerica.org.

B&B’s For Vets

The B&B’s for Vets program is going global. West Virginia innkeeper Kathleen Panek came up with the idea, offering a free night to veterans in 2008 at her Gillum House in Shinnston. Now she says nearly 900 inns in the U.S. alone will be taking part in the Veterans Day program. Hotels in six other countries have signed on as well, including Canada, Mexico, Namibia, Africa and France. Veterans Day is tomorrow. Many of the participating inns will be offering free stays tonight. Find out more at www.bnbsforvets.org.

Friday, October 22, 2010

8 Things You Should Always Pay For – No Matter What

Hard times call for hard choices – especially when it comes to prioritizing which bills get paid. But there are some bills you should keep high on the priority list, no matter what. A Tennessee homeowner found out the hard way this month when his house caught fire and the firefighters arrived – and just watched it burn to the ground. The homeowner, who lived outside the city limits, had forgotten to pay a $75 annual fire service fee. Walletpop.com has listed the eight things you should pay before anything else:
 
1. Home and auto hazard insurance.
2. Life insurance (if you have dependents)
3. Utilities
4. Medications, medical tests and exams and urgent care
5. Bald tires and bad brakes
6. Roadside assistance service
7. Homeowners’ Association (HOA) dues
8. Property taxes

Crazy Interview Attire

Getting ready to meet with a prospective employer? If so, we have a bit of advice to pass along – leave your cat suit and pajamas at home. In a recent survey, OfficeTeam asked human resources managers to recount the strangest interview outfits they had heard of or seen. Here are just of few of the more bizarre examples:
 
A blanket worn as a shawl
Spandex
A skirt made out of plastic
A cat suit
A top held up with a big safety pin
A crazy hat
Leather pants and cowboy boots
A braid with pink bows
Jeans with suspenders
A Star Trek T-shirt
 
These flashy outfits were more fitting for a night on the town than an interview:
A tube top
Low waist pants
A micromini and fishnet stockings
A leather vest with no shirt
A sequined top
A very low cut blouse
 
Then there were those who channeled the ‘80s with these getups: 
A jumpsuit
A shirt off the shoulder
Acid-washed jeans
Bright yellow shoes
A tie-dye T-shirt from the ‘80s
Dressing up as a ‘Gothic
A tank top and baggy jeans
Green and blue hair
 
Perhaps these applicants were trying to show they were team players:
A basketball jersey
Tennis shoes
A jogging suit
Yoga or exercise clothes
A baseball cap
 
 
These applicants prove you can be too casual:
A sweatshirt and sweatpants
Pajamas with slippers
A cut-off T-shirt and pants
A bandana and torn jeans
 
Interviews can be “sink or swim,” but these job seekers were too literal in their interpretation:
A swimsuit and cover-up
A sundress and flip-flops
Bermuda shorts
A Hawaiian shirt and jeans
 
This wardrobe “don’t” should have been obvious:
An applicant wore the uniform from his former employer

Finding Felons In Your Family

According to Ancestry.com, one in eight Americans has a felon in their family tree. If you’re curious whether any of your ancestors did time for a crime, Ancestry.com has posted a collection of nearly 75,000 records of prisoners from the nation’s most infamous U.S. penitentiaries, including McNeil Island, Alcatraz and Leavenworth, among others. The prison record collection spans 1875 to 1963 and even includes photo ID cards of nearly 3,500 inmates who did time in McNeil Island. If your ancestor served time at one of these institutions, they could easily have rubbed elbows with some of America’s well-known criminals also found in the collection, including Al Capone and Robert Stroud, known as “The Birdman of Alcatraz.” This collection also reveals other notable facts about our nation’s criminal past, including:
 
·         Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi and Oklahoma top the list of “worst-behaved” states. The “best-behaved” states include Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
·         Some of the most common offenses perpetrated by the inmates included bank and postal robbery, which were most common in maximum-security facilities. Mail fraud, IRS law violations and counterfeiting topped offenses of those in medium-security facilities.
·         From the late 1870s through the mid 1900s, if you committed a felony your chances of going to the slammer were about 1 in 10, surprisingly comparable to today.
·         The average length of sentence that an inmate served was nearly 2 1/2 years.
Check out the details at www.ancestry.com/blacksheep.

Women More Charitable Than Men

According to a study by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, females are more generous when it comes to being charitable than men. In all income groups, women are more likely to give – sometimes twice as much a men. In the study’s middle range of income, $43,500 to $67,532, the average donation was $728 from women and $373 from men. World Vision says those findings mirror what it is seeing among its supporters across the country. Among the nearly 885,000 Americans who sponsor a child through the organization, three out of four are female.

Who Do You Trust?

Americans don’t put much trust in major institutions these days, according to an AP/National Constitution Center survey. When asked “What public institutions do you trust,” Americans said:
 
1. The military – 43%
4. Organized religion – 18%
2. Small business – 39%
5. Banks, financial institutions – 6%
3. Scientific community – 30%
 

Top 10 Pet-Friendly Cities

Portland, Oregon, tops the list of best places to live with pets, according to a new report from Livability.com. The cities on the list have pet-friendly parks and trails, quality veterinary care, active animal-welfare groups, as well as an abundance of pet boutiques and retail shops. The top 10 cities include:
 
1. Portland, Oregon
6. Eugene, Oregon
2. Colorado Springs, Colorado
7. Asheville, North Carolina
3. Rocky Mount, North Carolina
8. Albuquerque, New Mexico
4. Boulder, Colorado
9. Nashville, Tennessee
5. Santa Cruz, California
10. Louisville, Kentucky

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

10 Major Mistakes Job Hunters Make

With the highest unemployment rate in more than 20 years, over 40 million people are now circulating résumés. But many haven’t looked for jobs in a long time and are falling victim to 10 common mistakes. According to Bob Gerberg Jr., CEO of ERI, many talented and marketable people are simply doing the wrong things. Gerberg says the 10 major mistakes that millions of people make are:
 
·       They use old-style historical resumes that no longer work.
·       They rely on old job hunting methods and don’t follow a plan.
·       They never market their transferable skills.
·       They don’t minimize their liabilities.
·       They don’t know how to find enough public openings.
·       They never send resume to their best prospects.
·       They never get considered for private jobs.
·       They don’t go after exciting new industry options.
·       They don’t act on leads to private jobs.
·       They come across as average in interviews.
 
Gerberg advises job seekers to use these key rules to drafting an outstanding résumé that will work.
·       Your résumé must be one page in length.
·       The jobs you are going after must be listed first.
·       The top third of your résumé must be a 20 second summary.
·       Any liabilities must never be disclosed.
·       Your transferable skills must be emphasized.
·       Your résumé must have a first class image.
·       Your résumé must be scanning ready with relevant key words.

Throw Your Own Great Funeral

Funeralwise.com, which provides “free, do-it-yourself funeral planning,” suggests individuals think about throwing their own funeral on October 30th, the 11th annual Create a Great Funeral Day. To help, Funeralwise.com is offering free funeral planning and cash prizes to survey participants who share their views about “living” funeral services. The sweepstakes were inspired by the film “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek, which tells the true story of a Depression-era man who threw himself a funeral party while he was still alive so he could hear what people would say about him. The sweepstakes survey asks the following questions, among others:
 
·       Would you like to attend your own funeral if you could?
·       Would you consider throwing yourself a funeral before you die?
·       Have you wondered who would come to your funeral?
·       What kind of funeral would you prefer - a somber traditional funeral, an upbeat celebration of life, or no funeral at all?
 

Germiest Hot Spots At School

Break out the hand sanitizer! A recent study conducted by the University of Arizona in a K-12 school system found that the germiest place at school is the cafeteria table. Researchers swabbed classrooms and common area surfaces to determine the relative numbers of total bacteria and on frequently touched. In addition to the cafeteria table, the most contaminated sites include: 
 
·       The computer mouse, which harbored nearly twice as many bacteria as desktops
·       The bathroom paper towel handle
·       Water fountain
·       Bathroom sink faucets
·       Library table
·       Computer keyboard

Most/Least Ticketed Cars

Believe it or not, it is not flashy red sports cars that get cited for speeding the most. However, if you happen to see a middle-aged man driving a foreign vehicle or a Hummer, look out. A new study by Quality Planning reveals the vehicles with the highest and lowest percentages of traffic violations, and the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class tops the list, racking up the most violations. On the opposite end of the scale, 6 of the 10 least ticketed cars were GM models. Quality Planning determined each vehicle’s number of moving violations per 100,000 miles driven. The top 10 most and least ticketed vehicles:
 
Vehicles With Highest Percentage Of Violations:
 
Make/Model
Body Style
% Violations
Average Age
% Male
 
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Convertible
404%
53
41%
 
Toyota Camry-Solara
Coupe
349%
50
39%
 
Scion TC
Coupe
343%
30
39%
 
Hummer H2/H3
SUV
292%
46
73%
 
Scion XB
Hatchback
270%
37
40%
 
Mercedes-Benz CLS-63 AMG
Sedan
264%
46
58%
 
Acura Integra
Coupe
185%
33
60%
 
Pontiac Grand Prix
Sedan
182%
40
41%
 
Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG
Sedan
179%
47
44%
 
Volkswagen GTI
Hatchback
178%
40
44%
 
 
Vehicles With Lowest Percentage Of Violations:
 
Make/Model
Body Style
% Violations
Average Age
% Male
Buick Rainier
SUV
23%
61
71%
Mazda Tribute
SUV
26%
36
29%
Chevrolet C/K- 3500/2500
Pickup
26%
40
86%
Kia Spectra
Sedan
27%
40
44%
Buick Lacrosse
SUV
32%
65
50%
Saturn Aura Hybrid
Sedan
37%
59
14%
Oldsmobile Silhouette
Minivan
37%
41
50%
Chevrolet Uplander
Minivan
38%
40
54%
Hyundai Tucson
SUV
38%
47
40%
Pontiac Vibe
SUV
39%
41
32%
 
For a complete list, see www.qualityplanning.com