Monthly Archives: July 2012

Biggie Size My Soda Please. What? It’s against the Law?

Posted on by
4

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, Mr. Bloomberg has come up with a brilliant idea to help New Yorkers control their weight problem. A Big Soda Ban Proposal Law that will limit restaurants, fast foods, venues and everywhere to the maximum size of soda purchase to 16 oz. That’s the ticket. That is one of the main reasons why many of us are overweight. We do nothing but drink Super Size Soda’s all day. Who knew that it has nothing to do with fast food chains, eating late, all you can eat buffets, large frozen fatty drinks. Nothing at all Mr. Bloomberg. In fact, when I go get myself a Double cheeseburger with fries and order that Extra Large Soda, which is a DIET SODA, the Big Soda apparently your insinuating  will get me the extra pound or 2 on calories, not the fatty double cheeseburger and fries from your local fast food chain.

Wow, now I see on how this all makes sense. Thank goodness. I guess this means that now I can enjoy without fear my burgers, fries, buffalo wings, Phillies cheesesteaks, pizza, all you can eat buffets, cheese, garlic breads, donuts, cakes and everything else under the sun and knowing not having a Super Size or Biggie soda of more than 16oz., a diet soda on top of that which is my soda of choice, I do not have to worry too much about gaining any weight? Who Knew? Oh, that is not what you insinuated Mr. Bloomberg? OK….

All kidding aside. I don’t have any issues with our Mayor and I understand Mr. Bloomberg’s intention to do something right that he feels that does contribute to gain weight for a lot of people but does this also have to affect Diet Soda Drinkers? If anything, I’m  saving calories by drinking Diet Soda so I believe this was not in the consideration panel, at all. As far as Not having a Soda machine in school for the youngsters to drink I recall hearing not too far back, I’m all for that. Have the machines dispense plastic water bottles instead.

                                       

You see the 3 pictures above, which I got from FreeDigitalPhotos.net. You see a Regular Size soda in each one right? Not a Super Sized Soda.  Do you see anything else standing out in these pics besides the big belly in Pic #1? Like, let’s say that Huge sandwich, the fries, donuts, pizza, buttered popcorn, cake, this, that and everything else! I do not see a Super Sized soda near that belly which I do not believe is the major concern for Obesity. Look at the second picture with the Cheeseburger and the Stethoscope. That pretty much says it all. I think this law is just taking away from the bigger picture of weight control than just passing it off on the size of a soda one can purchase. I believe each person is responsible for their own personal intake. They should decide on what is good or bad for them and understand on what they are eating or drinking and how healthy it really is. I cannot recall seeing dozens of people walking the streets shoving Twinkies down their throats. Why? Because they know it’s not a healthy item to eat. I am also at fault, as I’m sure a lot of people out there are, that may not think twice about ordering that greasy double cheeseburger meal and Super Sizing it. Why do I it? To tell you the truth, it’s more for the larger size of Fries that come with it more than the Soda. Who knew that would probably be the case for most of us who Biggie or Super Size our meals?

Anyways, I do not want to harp on this item too much but we all have our own opinions on what we should and should not do. We all know right from wrong…. Well, most of us. If a “law” is being passed due the concern of overweight people, keeping in mind that I could shed a few pounds myself, on the size of sodas we are allowed to purchase, then why stop there? What about the 2 Liter bottles in the supermarkets? Should they also be banned and only sell 1 Liter? Is that next? Then what, remove all regular soda and only serve Diet Soda’s? I would not mind but others would.

There are a few things I can think of off the top of my head that would not only possibly save a few pounds, but save LIVES and should take precedence. Hmmmm, let me think here and see….. SMOKING? Now, there is something that should have just be banned all together and should have been done many, many years ago. Increasing the price of cigarettes just put more money in the pockets of the wealthy and politicians to spend on nonsense. This is coming from yours truly, A SMOKER. I’m NOT proud to be one. I have tried many times to quite but have not successfully done so, yet. It is an addictive drug! I now know this was a bad choice in my life to start, back when I was about 15 yrs old, but back then when they were cheaper, easy to get and everyone I knew who I thought were cool were doing it, who knew? If I never started or knew now what I knew then, I would not be smoking today. I applaud all the negative adds and etc. relating to kids not smoking. I only wish they did that when I was a kid. Again, a choice, a decision I have to live by. Anyways, just saying. There are bigger things in life we should work on to better our health and lives. Not the “legal” serving size of Soda. People will just buy that extra soda or 2 if needed, or unless for some chains that may serve and may also get rid of “Free Refills”? Really??

Today’s Economy

Posted on by
1

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Who knew that we are where we are in today’s economic catastrophe.

Let’s begin with the Corporate Financial firms making millions & billions while also getting “stimulus packages” to help those corporations from avoiding filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Where did all the stimulus money go? Executive corruption? Trading fraud? Huge excessive executive bonuses and payouts? Money laundering? Who knows where all the money went and if it will ever be paid back?? Did the President not state prior to giving out the stimulus packages that every penny would be accounted for?  There is a site kind of stating where the money went at http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/default.aspx but No Break Down do I see which business companies got how much and how it was used. Should I really be surprised? Nope. Who suffers the most? Tax Payers.

Then we have the housing collapse. Value of homes that were overvalued. Mortgages given to those spending well beyond their income and not insuring that the loans would be paid back? So in turn, homes for sale or being foreclosed are at an alarming rate. Home building put on hold and even stopped due to lack of home buyers.Who knew how much of a negative impact would be put on the housing situation due to the negative economic fallout.

Mom and Pop shops, as we know them, and other small businesses in serious trouble. With the economy spending less and watching every penny, these shops as well as others are closing like there is no tomorrow. Every one of us has seen or knows someone who had a business who had to close their doors due to the economy and people just not spending. It is a sad thing to witness driving around and seeing For Sale, Rent or Lease signs on store fronts. Even seeing “Going Out Of Business, Everything Must Go”. Who knows if and when these stores will ever re-open?  I’m wondering how the owners of such stores and buildings can survive without having income come in to pay for the real estate taxes and other bills.

The economy today leaves most of us today in awe, job insecurity and wondering if and when things will change for the better. At this point, I don’t think it would matter who will be President as these issue’s will do not have an easy fix. It will take years or maybe even decades to try and get back to some type of normalcy. This is not just for a state or our country alone. This is affecting the Whole World! Some worse of then others. Who knows how things will pane out over the next year or decade or ever!

But we all hope for the best for our retirement, children and our future! May God Help Us All.

DoomsDay Preppers – Are You Ready??

Posted on by
3

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There is a show on the National Geographic Channel called Doomsday Preppers. It was about a month or so ago I was channel flipping during the evening and landed on this show as the title caught my eye. The philosophy of this show is to prepare for any catastrophic event, such as major bad weather, an economic crisis or for the end of the world as we know it.

When watching this show and seeing on how some families are preparing, you cannot help sitting there and wondering to yourself, “Who Knew or would even have thought of something like this? What would I do if this type of scenario would actually happen and would I be prepared?” Some families build underground bunkers. Some use a Cargo Crate which is inexpensive, some go to the extreme and build a small underground bunker facility like city.

Cargo Crates are buried underground, hidden from site. This could be in someone’s backyard or another remote location. It is in most cases setup with shelving to store beverages, food, medical supplies, weaponry and other necessities to survive. They try and make it livable by adding in some furniture, TV, a bath and try to make it as homey as possible. They would also need to stay in touch with the outside world while inside so maybe a CB Radio or some other form of communication equipment is generally on site. One important factor is also safe guarding their family and access to their “Bunker”. Insuring a heavy steel door that can withstand a blast, gun shots and even fire.  Fear of a crisis and unprepared population to handle such a crisis would have intruders willing to do whatever they need to survive. Who knew that it could someday come to this point?

An underground bunker facility was pretty impressive and expensive. In one case, an old missile silo was being transformed into an underground city. They were called Silo Homes. Some could be built for one family but others had at least 6 levels of Condos,  Equipment Level, Aquaculture & Hydroponica Level,  Library & Classroom Level, Theater & Lounge Level, Workout Area Level, Pool Level and of course a Mechanical Level on the bottom floor. All this with a military style bunker cover entrance with a stainless steel door that can withstand a blast, gun shots and even fire to deter intruders and in some cases, a defense of flame throwers if anyone would breach the door. Well, all this does come with a price. Anywhere from 250K into the millions. Also, each occupant in this Silo City would be responsible and have a specific job to do to insure that the Silo is protected, maintained and running smoothly. Who knew that you can turn a missile silo into an underground city?? What a great idea.

At the end of the show, the National Geographic Channel evaluates all the setups with a rating and provides their own helpful insight on what they should do or enhance to be better prepared.

Some did not go to these extreme. There were some doing light prepping such as putting together a grab bag or also known as a Bug-out Bag. These bags are back pack style filled with necessities in case you needed to evacuate ASAP.  Some of the items include enough food & water for 72 hours, a First Aid kit, Fire Starting tool and a whole list of other items that can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag.

So, with getting an idea of what Doomsday Prepping is about, Who Knew? Are you ready, prepared to protect yourself and your family? If you never watched this show, I would have to say you should catch a glimpse, it’s worth a watch.

WELCOME

Featured

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome to whoknew.com. Currently on this site, I am just putting out some blogs relating to today’s economy and other information. These are my sole feelings and opinions based on my current  status as well as what I see and hear from other’s daily, but also does make you think.

Please feel free to comment on my postings, whether negative or positive but please keep the comments clean. 

NOTE: Any spam or advertising comments will not be approved and immediately deleted. 

Appreciate you visiting. Thank You!

Background Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Website Administrator Contact: webmaster@whoknew.com

Follow me on Twitter: @whoknew9

Please Note: This site has No affiliation with the sellers of the book Who Knew. Thank You.

An Unemployment Tsunami

Posted on by
Reply

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

WHOKNEW? Why me? Why you? Why any decent working professional. Well, I think the title of this article says it all. Unemployment, what a very, very harsh and scary word. But yet living up to its name through these trying times we face.

I’m sure we all know of at least one person who is currently unemployed. We all know of at least one person who has been out of work for at least 6 months, a year or longer. Who knew that it would get so bad? Losing your work for whatever reason; position eliminated, lack of work, downsizing or just plain fired.

Some of us, including myself being unemployed going on 2 years were at least fortunate enough to get a little severance package from work during our departure. Most of us probably just got a “Can you come into my office please” and being told of cutbacks and layoffs and leaving empty handed. Either way, there is never a good way to leave a job, but is much worse leaving empty handed. You have a mortgage or paying rent, you have to provide for your family or self, you have bills and other possible unforeseen expenses; you have to worry about Medical Insurance. Who knew how much of a negative impact, burden and stress losing a job could have on a person and family? If you are fortunate not to know, just ask the person you know unemployed.

On top of this, there are not many jobs out there aside of working maybe at a pizzeria, fast food restaurant, or some other odd job you normally would not do. By this, I do not mean that these jobs are worthless, not at all. But to those coming from the corporate world with specializations and a skill set for other types of work, this is not the answer for most. For the short term to bring some kind of income in, it will have to do. But for the long run, you most likely want to get something you have been learning and doing most of your career. Yes, some may change their career due to the current economic and unemployment situation, but most may not want to start a new career, especially when they have been doing the same type of work for over 20 or 30 years. Who knows.

Some major problems to unemployment is Job Security, Outsourcing and Off Shoring jobs. To me, job security means there is no turn around in the work force. Turn around is when people usually will leave their current jobs to go work for another company for either a better position, salary or challenge. In today’s world, people are struggling just to keep their current job, no matter how much they may hate their existing job. Outsourcing or Off Shoring is a way for a company to think they will save money and thinking that they will get back more, financially. With this being said, I’m sure you have noticed when you call a support or help line number, you get someone halfway around the world? Not understanding what they may say or having to repeat yourself numerous times? Who knew this would happen? Well, you can thank those company executives who think they were doing us all a favor. I only wished those Executives would call them on a daily basis to see how ridiculous this makes their company look.

 I remember a few years back recruiters used to knock at my door; I could walk out of my office, go the next floor or building and get a job with almost no problem. Today? Well, it’s unfortunately a new world out there and I really mean a new World out there. This is not just affecting us here in the US, but all across the world, impact is being felt both economically and unemployment wise. Who knew that we would have been in this situation just a few years back?

 

 

Job Eliminations & Corporate Values

Posted on by
1

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

To have a successful technology customer service group providing superior quality of service to their customers and users, there has to be a mutual joint respectfulness between Management and there sub ordinates.  Really, who knew? IT does give you an idea of what to think about at your work place and see if the Corporate Culture is true to their employees.

In this day and age, in some cases, this may be somewhat scarce as it seems that all anyone does is what is best for themselves, not the group or company. Unfortunately, this in turn would provide average to below average service, no respect amongst colleagues and would really damper the culture and atmosphere of any work place.  Workers will complain more, management and upper management in most cases are never satisfied and in turn, everyone is out against everyone and who knows what outcome may lie ahead?

What is even worse? Company mergers. It’s like a Star Wars movie when everything turns to the Dark Side. When new Management (Darth Vader) comes in from the company that was acquired and in turn, do whatever they want, right or wrong, just to show they have control. No matter how long the original employee(s) has been there, years of sweat, burning the midnight oil, caring for the company, staff and work, building a solid reputation, it all goes out the window in a blink of an eye. When new management feels threaten of these types of employees, they try to get rid of them, without question even from Human Resource and bring in their own people, without regard.

Who knew on how savage the Corporate environment could be. What does this say about management-employee relation? I bring this up because it is related to Management relations that for me turned out to be the worst case scenario. With the new management in place, when you have meetings to discuss major projects and they decide to take the wrong path to accomplish them successfully and you give your opinion to do the right thing; you get “Why are you always fighting us?” Excuse me? Is this not a meeting of open discussion to express our views? Fine, let’s do it wrong so you can learn a lesson. Then, before you know it, at the end, their wrong decision making is pinned on you, the scapegoat and only then do you realize what they really wanted to accomplish. 

But I will say this. When at the end after you are let go and then find out sometime after that the company realized what type of person, or in this case, looser(s) they brought in, not doing their job(s) and even doing something that would get them fired at the end, does bring a little satisfaction. Who knew this would happen? I knew by their work ethic. This also confirms a saying I pretty much live by: “What goes around, comes around”. Another good saying is if you “talk the talk, walk the walk”. I am one that has always done this. I Lead by Example.

It is really a shame with today’s economic issues, unemployment rising with no end in sight; lose of security in the job market and no turn over making getting another job more difficult. Who knew that we would get to this point today, not just in the U.S., but all over the world? But, I still value good relations & Networking. We are all part of a Team! One fails, we all fail. Management has to look beyond themselves and need to realize what is best not just for themselves, but for their employees and the company by taking on the Ownership and Responsibility!