Low Calorie Movie Treat at AMC Theatres!

Move over buttered popcorn and soda pop! There is a four piece "Healthy" Snack Pack offered at AMC Theatres that is also quite tasty! And guess what? all of this mounts up to about 450 calories and for $7 (seven US dollars), it's yours!
The Smart snack pack consists of Dasani Water, Odwalla Chocolate Chip Chewy Nut Trail Mix bar, PopCorners popped kettle corn chips, and Chiquita Fruit chips! It is indeed fulfilling and tasty without the extra calories!

I could not resist eating the Odwalla bar before the movie was over! Smile. Sorry! Go get your own and enjoy the movie!

Workplace Fairness? Touchy Topic

As of the year 2012, do not count on workplace fairness. Keep your weight and body image under control. Keep your hair healthy. Keep your teeth maintained. "Get in where you fit in." Don't expect your boss to know more than you know. Assume that your preferential treatment will be your only way for you to network and get promoted.

It is not what you know; it is "who you know."

If you get passed over for a job or a promotion, then suck it up and take it. Even with reasonable cause, the EEOC can not fight your case unless you have "hard facts" showing that they were reckless and have no regards to the law. Other than that, EEOC can not fight the "good ole boy" system as far as the "Employment at Will" states such as North Carolina. Hiring your best friend who is barely qualified for a position is not illegal. It may not be fair to others wanting to move up within the company, but it is not illegal.

An unfair workplace is normal in this day and time; make the best of it until you become self-employed or until "it's your turn" to finally move up.

Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

Snow White and the Huntsman was very entertaining. Not quite Oscar grabbing, but action packed. There were seven dwarfs. There was the apple that cast the spell. Actually, almost every element of the Snow White fairy tale was present in this film except the "official prince."

Chris Hemsworth (from Thor) was the Huntsman obviously. Typically, he is great "eye candy" but in this film, he had plenty of clothes on, and he was covered in mud and dirt for most of the film.

It is not a film that I would see twice, but I enjoyed the first round!

Protein Shake Review: Abbott's AdvantEdge Carb Control

These ready to serve protein shakes have 17 grams of Protein and 0 grams of sugar. They typically give me about two hours of energy from just one drink. Sucralose is the final ingredient listed which I was told was a sugar substitute. The French Vanilla flavor is delicious!

Also, listed is Biotin which is good for hair, skin, and nails. Luckily, the percentages of the vitamins average about 20% of the daily value. So you do not have to worry about overdosing by drinking one shake.
Great meal/snack replacemnt option!







November 2012 update:  If these protein shakes are stored a few months without drinking them, some of the ingredients seem to condense inside.  I suggest pouring the shake into a separate cup/glass to make sure a "condensed" layer does not come oozing out onto your lips.  The shake pictured below has a November 2013 expiration date; so it is not old nor close to expiring. Yet, it does have some condensing going on.

Will Groupon survive?

Groupon has been in the news lately for two things besides their "daily deals."

1) Groupon is launching a mobile credit card reader that connects effortlessly to most smartphones. Almost anyone can accept credit cards from anywhere at anytime. The company "Square" led in this technology. Now, apparently, others are following.

2) Groupon has settled a class action lawsuit regarding expired Groupons.

So, in my opinion, Groupon is smart to start to get away from the "daily deals." The "daily deals" revenues must be decreasing because I rarely hear people talking about them anymore.

For service based businesses, offering "daily deals" did not benefit the business unless they counted on a significant amount of people allowing their groupon deals to expire. So that would be money for the business without having to provide any service.

Many of my clientele who were purchasing Groupon deals heavily are now very selective about what deals that they buy. They look at location of the business and how unique of an experience that they will be buying in to.

Customer spending habits continue to change. Groupon is smart to look at other business models to increase revenues. I believe that they will survive, but they may not remain known for their speciality of offering "daily deals."

Trayvon Martin Case: Similar to the Job Market

When it comes to "justice" and "arrests" and "restraining orders" and "communicating threats" - it is about "who you know!"

When it comes to the "job market" - it is about "who you know!"

Examples: 1) The Trayvon Martin case: An unarmed, lightweight young man is attacked during the night and fighting for his life required national organized rallies to bring a "White man whose father is a retired judicial officer" to even be arrested for murder. Zimmerman's father has judicial connections.

2) I had tenants threatening my life (i.e. Communicating threats) by voicemail and by text messages - and the court system tells me that someone else could have been using the tenant's phone. They would not be able to prove it was actually her communicating the threats. However, another associate of mine shared with me that they received a guilty sentence for communicating threats surrounding a "domestic" issue. My associate had more education than my former tenant, but apparently, I was not connected enough in the community to get my charges to stick.

3) I also have seen an associate of mine with "police connections" get restraining orders on their own mother-in-law.

So trust and believe that the court system can be massaged for you or against you.

As far as the job market, employers are now only posting half of their job vacanies.

Less postings mean less potential EEOC charges, and employers have the legal right to fill the unposted job positions with anyone they want - regardless of the person's qualifications.

So I suggest, that young people get an education in order to learn how to communicate and network. Their life and success could depend on it!

Social Media: Is Facebook a Keeper?

Apparently, Facebook went public as far as the stock market is concerned according to the recent news reports. Apparently, it was valued to be worth more than "UPS" (United Parcel Service). That is strange to me. I would think a physical delivery service would be more valuable than a social media network.

Facebook is about branding. I believe that Facebook is going to remain trendy for much longer than "myspace" did.

I like Facebook better than Twitter as far as fan page appeal. Twitter seems like too much pressure to always post on a daily or even an hourly basis. Besides Kim Kardashian, who else does anyone need to keep up with 24/7? Smile.

Linkedin is a favorite for business minded and professional people. Even though some people treat their Linkedin account like "Twitter," I do not agree with that usage of Linkedin for daily messages.

Depending on the nature of your business or purpose, one has to choose the right social media.

If you are job searching, then you need to focus on LinkedIn. If you want a community bulletin board for a homeowner association or a facility where you need team communication, then Facebook fan pages are a good choice.

I like Facebook. I never opened up a mySpace account. I always felt the loading time for mySpace was ridiculous. I did not have patience for it.

Facebook and Linkedin are quick for searching. Maybe it is the advancement of computer speeds that have benefited Facebook and Linkedin. So it could be "good timing" on the release of these social media giants.

I do find it hard to attach value to a free service. I also ask myself would I pay Facebook to keep my account open? Would I pay Linkedin to keep my account open?

I definitely would let Linkedin sink before I would let Facebook sink. Facebook is fun and upbeat. It is a stress free, "let loose" website.

Linkedin is a more serious, professional platform that is more for "show" than any real action. Linkedin is a "politically correct" platform.

Facebook is an "after five" social central. You really get to learn people.

I would probably pay to remain active on Facebook if I had to. I think Facebook is just as important now as a web domain or maybe even more important.

Maybe I should buy into Facebook when it sinks to about $20 a share!