I guess there was no way you could miss it if you had your TV on last night. President Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union speech to the nation. While I listened attentively for any thing new, I heard nothing of the sort. It seemed to me to be the same tired old speech that I have heard every president give. I hope he can do more with his politics than he did with his speech!
Great Bosses
There are so many things I like about the company I work for that it can be hard to choose which thing is the best. My company believes in keeping its workers happy and they do a great job of doing that. Recently, we added a new feature to the many benefits we receive already. This time, we were able to have Lockers installed in the workout room that is located on the bottom floor. It’s been a treat for me as I use the room all the time.
I like to stay physically fit and the gym at work is an important part of doing that. The problem was that there was nowhere to store my clothes while I worked out. There were times when everyone had stuff strewn all about and the place was a mess. That’s why it was nice when we were able to install a Gym Locker for everyone who wanted one. It’s made life so much easier for all involved!
The best part about the whole deal was that it was easy to do. We found a place online that offered some great Lockers for sale. We quickly took advantage of the situation and purchased some for our office. We now have the appearance of being a top notch company and the employees love it. Life has become a little bit simpler for everyone involved and we all want to thank our bosses for being so nice!!
Shows and the Arts
One of the benefits/misfortunes of my job is the amount of travel that goes with it. While travel can be a nuisance at times, there are other times when it is not so bad. One thing I like is the ability to check out new places that I have never been. My most recent experience is when I bought Joe Louis Arena Tickets. I was able to see the Detroit Red Wings Hockey team play against the Washington Capitals. It was a great experience for me.
Another great time I had was when I scored a couple of Minskoff Theater Tickets. While I can’t say that I am a big theater fan, I turned out that I really enjoyed the show. I am always open to new experiences and this was one that I really enjoyed. I think that these higher arts have a reputation for being boring, even though I know that is not always the case.
I think that my father instilled in me some reverence for the higher arts. I remember when he came home with Ford Center For The Performing Arts Tickets and took me to a show. I think that has stuck with me and I wanted to give that experience to my own children. Now that I have done so, I hope they will learn to appreciate the knowledge and skill it takes to put on such a show.
The latest on Pirates
It seems the pirates in Somalia are undeterred by efforts to eliminate them. Several countries have ships in the water guarding the shipping trades and other measures have been taken to reduce the threat that piracy poses. So far, efforts have done little to stop the lucrative trade. This has left many countries pondering the possible solution to the problem.
One of the main ideas is to stop piracy where it starts, inside Somalia. But there are few countries that wish to enter the country with ground troops to break up the ring. There seems to be few answers to this problem as the pirates continue to wreak havoc on the high seas!
Carp invasion
It seems that the people who live around and depend on the great lakes for their living have found a new enemy. The Asian carp is coming to town and they don’t like it at all. Imported to America to help keep fish ponds in the south clean, they have been migrating north ever since. They are now threatening to take over the great lakes and ruin the tourist and fishing trades.
Many steps are being taken to stop the fish cold. Electric fences, lock closings, and even poison have been tried. So far, the efforts have been successful, but it would only take a few to get started with the takeover. I hope that these efforts will be successful and want to remind everyone about the dangers they impose when they import foreign species.
Good news from Tennessee
One of my sisters lives down in Tennessee. She has been there for more than a few years now and is doing very well. She has a good job and lots of friends. The problem is that one of her friends recently went through some difficulties and had to enter a Tennessee Drug Rehab center. It was a good thing that she did because I heard that her behavior was very self-destructive. That’s never a good thing.
It seems that my sister’s friend had become dependent on alcohol and it was affecting her work, family, and home life. Unfortunately, like many people, it took a major event to force her to realize her condition. It wasn’t until she wrecked her car that she volunteered to enter an Alcohol Rehab program. The good news is that she came through it and is ready to start a new phase in her life.
After hearing about the whole thing, I realized that there are many people who are going through the same type of thing. I thought I would try to study up on the problem to see what I could do to help. I found some good information on the internet that can help me recognize the signs of these types of behavior so that I can intervene when necessary. I glad that my sister has her friend back and I am certain that she will do fine. I really hope she will.
Ted Turner
It was amazing to read about the controversy over Billionaire Ted Turners move to take in Buffalo that will shortly be homeless. Officials of Montana’s wildlife agency say that they are willing to approve a plan to transfer more than 74 buffalo to Turners ranch. There has been some opposition to the plan but I hope it will go through. Some worry that the buffalo carry a disease known as brucellosis. It has been known to spread into domestic herds of cows and causes premature babies.
I think the plan is a good idea. Turner will pay the cost of keeping the animals and will receive a portion of their offspring. He will probably use them to enhance his restaurants that mainly serve buffalo meat on the menu. Lets all hope that the plan goes through!
Recycling!!
While I have never been accused of being an environmentalist, I do believe that it is important to recycle when possible. Our planet could be in danger and I think we should act on the side of caution and try not to find out what happens if we manually change our earth’s natural state. We only have a finite number of resources and I think we should use them more wisely.
There are many places to take your recyclable items to. Most counties have drop off points where you can turn in what you have. I am lucky that my neighborhood has a recycling plan in place and they make it easy to do so. I encourage everyone to take part in this important aspect of maintaining our resources in an efficient manner.
Lonely?
I was perusing the news today and ran across a weird story. It seems that loneliness can spread through groups of people much like a cold. There are a few characteristics of being lonely that force people to change how they interact with other people. The sickness makes people feel cut-off which in turn cuts off other people. This all adds up to people feeling more alone even while in groups. I hope that people will realize the bad effects of this sickness and learn to recognize the signs; you may be able to help someone as well as yourself.
Controlling ourselves and others
Our company is growing despite the rough economy and is aggressively looking to expand. One way that we are working on to accomplish this goal is to dramatically expand our involvement in trade shows. We have worked hard to present a promotional show with lots of human interaction. The problem is that we have had some unpleasant incidences involving crowd control. This has led to our modifying our methods at the shows.
After studying the situation and realizing we needed to do more to control the flow of people to our exhibits, we have decided to take advantage of the use of stanchions and velvet rope in order to provide a calmer atmosphere. We have found that people naturally respond to the barricades we have created and obey them without causing a fuss. Since we have instituted this practice, our exhibits are better controlled and serve the public better.
We feel that by taking steps forward in this area, we have been able to connect with our customers in a more substantial way. Our appearances at the shows are more successful and are much less stressful for our employees. We have a few less problems and more time to do our jobs. I hope we will be able to continue the current trend and build our customer base. We are off to a good start!