Having a flexible work schedule isn’t always a good thing. Employees who have full or partial control of when they arrive, leave and complete their work tend to blur the borders between work and other parts of their lives, a new study shows. While workers with no schedule control tend to report more conflicts between job and family demands, those who have a say in their schedule are hardly free of stress, according to Scott Schieman, lead author of the study. The workers with flexibility tend to blend their work life with their family life by performing job duties at home. This merging can cause physical and mental stress and conflicts with their co-workers, spouses and children.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Techies At The Table
There’s more to correct restaurant dining etiquette nowadays than knowing the difference between your soup spoon and your tea spoon. The new Zagat’s 2011 Restaurant Survey included questions about “techies at the table” in New York City restaurants. The results:
· While 81% of those feel it’s acceptable to take pictures of their food, 64% say it’s “rude and inappropriate” to text, e-mail, tweet or talk on a mobile phone while at a restaurant.
· 37% typically make their dinner reservations online, up from 24% just two years ago.
· 20% report having downloaded restaurant-related apps.
Best Sports Cities
Chicago, with the NHL Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks and fast-rising NBA Bulls leading the way, is No. 1 in the 17th annual Best Sports Cities rankings from Sporting News. The Windy City has dethroned 2009’s No. 1, Pittsburgh, a first-time winner in 2009 and No. 12 this year. The top 10 on the list:
1. Chicago | 6. New York |
2. Boston | 7. Phoenix/Tempe |
3. Los Angeles | 8. Atlanta |
4. Philadelphia | 9. Denver/Boulder |
5. Dallas/Fort Worth | 10. Detroit/Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti |
World’s Most Powerful Women
First Lady Michelle Obama’s status on the global stage is in no doubt after she topped a list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. The First Lady jumped 39 places to top the rankings compiled by Forbes magazine. The top 10 most powerful women in the world:
1. First Lady Michelle Obama | 6. Indra Nooyi (CEO, PepsiCo) |
2. Irene Rosenfeld (CEO, Kraft Foods) | 7. Lady Gaga |
3. Oprah Winfrey | 8. Gail Kelly (CEO, Westpac, Australia) |
4. Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) | 9. Beyoncé Knowles |
5. Hillary Clinton | 10. Ellen DeGeneres |
Monday, October 4, 2010
No Girls Allowed
A new poll by Seton Hall University shows that the majority of women think female reporters should be banned from NFL locker rooms. The poll found 59% of women and 47% of men said female reporters should be banned from NFL locker rooms. Thirty-four percent said all reporters should be banned. The findings come two weeks after the NFL said the Jets had shown “unprofessional conduct” when they hooted and hollered at Ines Sainz, a reporter for the Mexican network TV Azteca, who was waiting to interview quarterback Mark Sanchez. The NFL also reminded all 30 teams that the same rules of access applied to all members of the news media.
Deer In Head Headlights
While the number of miles driven by U.S. motorists over the past five years has increased just 2%, the number of deer-vehicle collisions have grown by 10 times that amount. State Farm estimates 2.3 million collisions between deer and vehicles occurred in the U.S. during the two-year period between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010. That’s 21.1% more than five years ago. For the fourth year in a row, West Virginia tops the list of states where a driver is most likely to collide with a deer. State Farm calculates the chances of a West Virginia driver striking a deer over the next 12 months at 1 in 42. The top 5:
1. West Virginia (1 in 42) | 4. South Dakota (1 in 76) |
2. Iowa (1 in 67) | 5. Montana (1 in 82) |
3. Michigan (1 in 70) |
The state in which deer-vehicle collisions are least likely is still Hawaii (1 in 13,011). According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. cause about 200 fatalities each year. The average property damage cost was $3,103, up 1.7% from a year ago. The collisions are more frequent during the deer migration and mating season in October, November and December.
Top 10 Songs That Make Men Cry The Most
A new survey by the Performing Rights Society for Music has come up with the top 10 songs that turn men into crybabies.
1. “Everybody Hurts” – REM | 6. “The Drugs Don’t Work” – The Verve |
2. “Tears In Heaven” – Eric Clapton | 7. “Candle In The Wind” – Elton John |
3. “Hallelujah” – Leonard Cohen | 8. “Streets of Philadelphia” – Bruce Springsteen |
4. “Nothing Compares 2 U” – Sinead O’Connor | 9. “Unchained Melody” – Righteous Brothers |
5. “With or Without You” – U2 | 10. “Angels” – Robbie Williams |
Consumers Not Spooked By Halloween
There will be no shortage of ghosts or goblins this Halloween as 148 million Americans partake in some sort of Halloween celebration, spending considerably more than they did last year. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an average of $66.28 on costumes, candy and decorations, up from $56.31 last year and comparable to the $66.54 average spent in 2008. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $5.8 billion. Other findings from the NRF:
· Costumes will take up the largest portion of a person’s budget, averaging $23.37. They’ll also spend an average of $20.29 on candy, $18.66 on decorations, and $3.95 on greeting cards.
· This year, the highest percentage of people in the survey’s history will dress up, with 40.1% of people planning to don a costume, up from 33.4% last year. 11.5% will dress up their pets as well.
· 33.3% of people will throw and/or attend a party, while 72.2% will hand out candy, 46.3% will carve a pumpkin, 20.8% will visit a haunted house, and 31.7% will take their children trick-or-treating.
2010 Halloween Costume Trends
Halloween will bring out ghosts, goblins and a lot more this year. Party City has revealed their annual Halloween costume trends. “This year, Avant-garde hits mainstream and as a result, the 2010 costumes are expected to be completely over the top,” says Melissa Sprich, top costume merchandiser for Party City. The top costume trends for 2010.
Modern-day Vampire Costumes | “Jersey Shore” Cast Members |
1980s Comeback Costumes | Greek Goddess Costumes |
Lady Gaga Costumes |
Blockbuster-inspired Costumes (e.g.: “Iron Man 2,” “Avatar,” “Toy Story 3” and “Alice in Wonderland”)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Fisher-Price Recalls Millions Of Toys
Fisher-Price is recalling more than 10 million tricycles, toys and high chairs over safety concerns. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says two of the products being recalled involve injuries. In the recall of about 7 million Fisher-Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles, the agency is aware of 10 reports of children being hurt. Fisher-Price is also recalling more than 1 million Healthy Care, Easy Clean and Close to Me High Chairs. Officials have received 14 reports of problems with the high chairs, with seven children requiring stitches. Also being recalled are more than 2.9 million toys of various types with components that present a choking hazard. Call the Fisher Price hotline at 800.432.5437 for a complete list of recalled toys.
Does Hard Work REALLY Pay Off?
Does hard work really pay off? Americans appear to be growing even more pessimistic about the job market and their chances of ever getting ahead. A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that only 26% of adults believe it’s still possible for just about anyone in America to work hard and get rich, down from 33% two years ago. While 58% don’t think a good work ethic will pay off, 46% still feel it’s possible for anyone in the United States to work their way out of poverty; 37% disagree and say it’s impossible. Other findings:
· 41% say it’s possible for anyone who really wants work to find a job; 45% don’t think finding work is that easy.
· More men than women believe anyone can work hard in America and get rich.
· 23% of adults say today’s children will be better off than their parents; 56% said no way.
· 75% think it’s at least “somewhat likely” that most of today’s younger workers will work past the traditional retirement age of 65; 47% say it’s “Very Likely.”
· 16% of Americans consider themselves working poor.
Bosses Ignoring Fantasy Football In The Office
Even though millions of Americans play fantasy football on office time, a new study suggests bosses aren’t necessarily cracking down on the habit. According to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, most employers don’t believe employees playing fantasy football in the workplace hurts productivity. When asked, “Does your company take any steps to discourage employees from partaking in fantasy football activities at the office?” mangers said:
· No, we don’t care, as long as the quality of worker output does not decline – 46.2%
· We block access to sports and fantasy football websites – 24%
· We ask that they limit such activities to lunch or other breaks – 22.1%
· No. In fact, we embrace fantasy football as a morale-boosting activity – 7.7%
· We prohibit use of company computers for personal activities – 0%
When asked to rank the level of distraction caused by playing fantasy football on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no noticeable impact, nearly 70% said four or lower.
Top Costumes For Halloween
The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2010 Top Costumes survey found that nearly 120 million children, adults and their pets are likely to sport traditional as well as trendy costumes this Halloween. Proving old habits are hard to break, 4.3 million children will celebrate Halloween dressed as a princess. Princess costumes have topped NRF’s children’s list for six consecutive years. Pop culture and Hollywood still play a large role in costume choices as well. “Alice in Wonderland” characters made the adult costume list for the first time this year, tying with “Star Wars” characters (No. 16). The top 10 Halloween costumes for 2010:
Top 10 Adult Costumes | Top 10 Children’s Costumes | Top 10 Pet Costumes |
1. Witch | 1. Princess | 1. Pumpkin |
2. Vampire | 2. Spider-Man | 2. Devil |
3. Pirate | 3. Witch | 3. Witch |
4. Nurse | 4. Pirate | 4. Hot Dog |
5. Wench/Tart/Vixen | 5. Disney Princess | 5. (Tie) Bee/Cat |
6. Cat | 6. Action/Super Hero | 6. Dog |
7. Zombie | 7. Ghost | 7. Superdog/Supercat |
8. Fairy | 8. (Tie) Pumpkin/Vampire | 8. Ghost |
9. (Tie) Athlete/Batman | 9. Batman | 9. Pirate |
10. Dracula | 10. “Star Wars” Character | 10. (Tie) Bowtie/Fancy Collar/Bandana |
See the full list at NRF.com.
National Pizza Month
National Pizza Month, which started in 1987, is held every October. So grab a slice and celebrate! Here are some fun pizza facts from Thinkquest.org:
· Americans eat around 350 slices of pizza each second, or 100 acres per day.
· Americans spend $30 billion every year on pizza.
· There are 61,269 pizza parlors in the United States.
· Americans eat 23 pounds, or 46 slices, every year.
· 3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States.
· In America, the most popular ethnic food is Italian.
· 36% of all pizza orders include pepperoni. Americans consume around 251,770,000 pounds of pepperoni every year.
Top 10 Fall Foliage Destinations
TripAdvisor has announced the top 10 fall foliage destinations in the United States. From mountain peaks to seaside ports, these destinations offer a fantabulous variety of activities for fall friends and leaf-lovers.
1. Asheville, North Carolina | 6. Traverse City, Michigan |
2. Boston, Massachusetts | 7. Door County, Wisconsin |
3. Gatlinburg, Tennessee | 8. Portland, Maine |
4. Burlington, Vermont | 9. North Conway, New Hampshire |
5. Stowe, Vermont | 10. Bar Harbor, Maine |
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