McDonalds In Calif has a makeover

A McDonald's in the suburbs of L.A. has gotten rid of the plastic furniture, Ronald McDonald statue, and yellow and red colors. The only thing that is the same is the menu and golden arches. Feng shui has taken over, with leather seats, bamboo plants, waterfalls, and earth tones. Feng shui is a an ancient Chinese practice where objects are re-arranged to promote health, prosperity, and harmony. Owners of the McDonald's say they hope people will feel calm and peaceful, likely to return. I found this info on msn.com also. Wouldn't that be weird to see a McDonald's like that that?

Carry a PC in your Pocket

I was reading on msn.com that there is a way to carry your PC in your pocket without actually bringing your PC with you. There are USB flashdrives called keychains or thumb drives that have all the tools and files loaded from your computer. All you do is take the keychain to an internet cafe, with you on travel, or to school and not worry about lugging your computer. How cool is that?

Too Expensive to eat healthy

It has been 5 years since I graduated college with my undergrad where I did 4 years of track and field. It was easy to go to the gym, track practice, and lift because I didn't have to work! It was class, track, go out! Because I was burning so many calories, I was able to eat what I wanted and keep a figure. But now, I must work at it. Because my day is 5am-midnight, it's hard for me to get a workout in. Recently, I am trying to do cardio and abs every day, and hope to lift a few days a week. the biggest problem I have? FOOD! I love to eat... I love fast food, chocolate, junk, etc. I still, somehow, have kept a figure, but I want to start eating healthy. The problem? TOO EXPENSIVE!! I eat Kashi cereal for breakfast, but I want to buy lots of fruits, chicken, veggies, etc, but let me tell you, I cant afford it. I bought blueberries that were $4, strawberries for $3 and wanted to buy Albacore tuna.. but even that was expensive! How is the Surgeon General going to say that obesisty is an epedemic in AMerica and we need to eat healthy, but no one can afford the healthy foods out there! It is really irritating!

Taxi service is Pittsburgh is RIDICULOUS

So my girlfriends and I met up this weekend for an overnighter at the Hilton and a night out in the South Side. We haven't seen each other in months since we graduated college a few years ago, and wanted the night to be fun! It was until we ended up at some crazy bar/party wayyyy back in the South Side. It wasn't even CLOSE to the main street where any other bars were. It was 1 AM so we decided to call a cab. "All circuits are busy now.... please try again later" is what we heard when trying to get TO the South Side 4 hours earlier! Nothing had changed! It was the same message when we were trying to get HOME! How are you going to have one cab service in Pittsburgh??? No one could get through. I kept having to hang up and call back numerous times until I got through, but even that was "all customer service reps are busy, please stay on the line for the next rep." Are you kidding? I'm not calling to check up on my credit card bill or cancel my cable, I'm trying to get a darn cab! I finally hung up when my friend's boyfriend said he'd get us, even though he was sleeping since he had to work early in the morning. My thing is, with all the new technology in the world today, I would expect to get through to a cab service in a big city A LITTLE FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT! ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will your Car rat you out??

I was reading on msn.com that technology in cars can actually tell how you have been driving. Due to GPS and tracking systems, new technology could be coming out very soon. Parents would be able to tell via email sent from their cars GPS system whether their child made it to a specific destination, went outside the boundaries of their hometown, how fast they drove, etc. Insurance companies would be able to track your mileage since many drivers report low-mileage each year to receive discounts on their car insurance. Safe-driver discounts could be monitored telling insurance companies how quickley you've braked after a certain MPH, how sharp a turn you took, etc. Ex-DUI offenders could even be required to use cars that have a breathilizer system. You must blow into the analyzer before your car is automatically started. Thinking a sober person could do that for you to drive home? Think again. The steering wheel would have sensors detecting heart rate, and other biomechanical devices that would authorize the driver to repeat a code. Finally, other parts of the steering wheel could detect the BAL in tissue. SOOO crazy how technology these days can do THAT much!

Sedentary Lifestyle affects National Parks

I was reading on msn.com that national parks around the world have been visited 25% less since 1987. The reason suspected? Sedentary lifestyle. Adults and children alike and are involved with too much tv, video games, text messaging etc. Children aren't playing outside anymore, and parents are getting used to the idea of not taking nature-like trips. Is it proven that this is the reason? No... but it does make sense to researchers. And it makes sense to me! If obesity is rising, children are involved with technology and not playing outside, then why would a family want to take a vacation at a national park where they have to walk trails, hike, and camp? It's easier to relax in a hotel/cruise in the Carribean or laying on the beach not having to move. Lazy people!

Athletes Exempt from Gym Class

I was coaching high school track and field yesterday for non-mandatory conditioning. As the kids were talking amongst themselves during stretches, I overheard some of my athletes claiming that they shouldn't have to take gym class because they are in a sport. I overheard another say that he shouldn't have to make-up gym class if he was absent because he is in shape from hockey over the winter. I wanted to tell these kids something else!! BUT, I remember I thought the same thing when I was in high school gym class. I loved gym class.... I was competitive and bossy. When I had to leave early for a track meet, I didn't have to make gym up because I was in a sport. Kids don't understand the concept of gym at all. It's not just a class period where they can shoot hoops or play dodgeball, while the non-athletic kids huddle in the corner or claim to feel ill so they can sit on the sideline. I realize that as a soon-to-be teacher, I have to separate athletes from gym class. They are NOT related at all. Physical education has nothing to do with having to be athletic. It's about breaking down skills, demonstration, and having the students practice these skills step by step so they understand why they must do it correctly. Just because you are an athlete doesn't mean you can't learn new skills. And just because you may be considered athletic doesn't mean you shouldn't involve yourself in the class. We as teachers need to really work on separating athletes from physical edcuation class to bring the group together as a whole instead of separating the group.

Companies that are Fading away

I was reading on aol.com about companies that may be fading out in 2008. Not all will eliminate completely, but they will be broken up into parts and sold. Here is the list:
Motorola, Sears Holdings (Sears and K-Mart), Citigroup, Ford, Yahoo!, AMD, Sprint, and QWest.

The ones that surprised me were Motorola, Sprint, Yahoo and Ford. Why are they fading? Because they can't keep up with the current technology of their competitors. Motorola used to be the number 2 hand-set maker just two years ago which started with the Razr phone. They never had another great 'burst of technology' since and others are passing them up. Currently Samsung, Nortel, and Cisco may be buying parts of Motorola.

Sprint has been in trouble with phone service for a few months now, with stocks falling like crazy. Verizon and AT&T are soaring with faithful customers. Comcast is considering purchasing Sprint to offer a bundle package which includes cable, internet and now wireless services.

Although Google leads the search engine world, Yahoo is on the line, considering to be bought out by Microsoft for at least $30 billion. Google and Microsoft have been battling it out ever since Google purchased DoubleClick for a large amount of funds. Yahoo cannot survive on it's own.

Ford fading?? America's car? I know foreign cars are made well, like Nissan for example, but I never thought Ford would go out of business. SOme plants have closed down in recent history, leaving long-term workers out of jobs, and costs of parts are plenty expensive. All in all, Ford is in trouble!