Q1 - School Bus: In order to meet the demands associated with its $17 million budget deficit, the Humble, Texas, Independent School District is now selling advertising space on their school buses. According to local news reports, auto dealers, hospitals, homebuilders, parking lots, and other businesses are among the first to advertise on the buses. Do you think it's okay for school districts to use their busses as rolling billboards? What if the advertisements appeared inside the bus as well?
Q2 - Sponsorship: Michael Jordan has Nike. Tony Stewart of NASCAR fame has The Home Depot. If any company or brand could sponsor you, whom would you want as your sponsor?
Q3 - Engrish: Professional golfers on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour have been told that by the end of 2009, all players who have been on the tour for two years must pass an oral evaluation of their English skills or face suspension. Do you think it's right for the LPGA to demand that their players speak English?
Q4 - Vice President: Earlier today, John McCain announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate/running mate, while last week Barack Obama announced Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee. Did you follow the vice presidential candidate selection process? How important is the VP candidate when you cast your vote?
Q1 - BPA: A chemical commonly found in baby bottles, can linings, and household products does not pose a health hazard when used in food containers, according to a draft assessment released by the Food and Drug Administration. Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. The FDA report stands in contrast to more than 100 studies performed by government scientists and university laboratories that have found health concerns associated with BPA. Some have linked the chemical to prostate and breast cancers, diabetes, behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity, and even reproductive problems in lab animals. Exposure to the small amounts of BPA that migrate from the containers into the food they hold are not dangerous to infants or adults, the FDA said. Had you heard about the BPA issue before reading this question? If so, is it something you're concerned about?
Q2 - Rub it On: According to a new study by researchers at Rutgers University, several commonly used skin creams may cause skin tumors. Researchers stumbled across the findings after they exposed hairless mice to ultraviolet radiation to mimic sun exposure. Afterward, they applied four popular moisturizers to the mice. What they found was that all four -- Dermabase, Dermavan, Eucerin and Vanicream -- caused tumors to grow on the mice. The cancers were not melanomas, the researchers said in their report, but another type called squamous cell carcinoma. This type of cancer results when cells in the skin start to change, the National Institutes of Health said on its Web site. It's relatively slow-growing and can spread to other locations, including internal organs. Knowing about this research, will you now avoid using Dermabase, Dermavan, Eucerin and Vanicream? If you never use these products, would you take the time to alert your family and friends who do?
Q3 - Drinking: In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which imposed a penalty of 10% of a state's federal highway appropriation on any state setting its drinking age lower than 21. Today, nearly 100 chancellors and presidents from colleges and universities across the U.S. are asking lawmakers to consider lowering the federally mandated minimum drinking age to 18, saying the current law encourages dangerous binge drinking on campus. The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age, and now includes the leaders of Johns Hopkins University, Syracuse University, University of the Incarnate Word, Tufts, Duke, Colgate, Maine Maritime Academy, Kenyon, Morehouse, Dartmouth, College of Idaho and Ohio State, just to name a few. Do you agree with the Amethyst Initiative? Should the drinking age be lowered to 18 or is the law okay as it current stands?
Q4 - You: Generally speaking, how concerned are you about your own health? Not concerned at all; somewhat/slightly concerned; about average; more than slightly concerned; very concerned; something else entirely?
Q1 - Military Baggage: Some airlines are now charging U.S. soldiers extra baggage fees to take their military kits with them as they set off for duty. Military personnel carry large, heavy kit bags containing boots, clothing and gear. In the past few months, airlines have instituted fees for all travelers ranging from $15 for one bag to $250 for a third bag. The Veterans of Foreign Wars is asking the trade group representing the nation's major airlines to encourage its members to waive fees for a third piece of luggage checked by servicemen and women. Do you think military personnel should be charged extra baggage fees?
Q2 - Opt Out: When possible, search engines like Google and Yahoo! match your search results with advertisements related to those results. Yahoo! call this "ad matching," (sometimes also called ad customization), and they do this in order to make the ads you see more relevant and useful for you. Recently, Yahoo enacted an opt-out option for users who don't want their searches to be tracked and analyzed for relevant advertisements. While the company has framed this development as a move toward transparency, choice and greater privacy, it also predicts that most users will prefer to remain seeing ads that suit their searches. What do you think? If you saw an opt out button, would you use it to remove advertisements from your search results, or do you like seeing ads alongside your searches.
Q3 - Bigfoot: At a press conference scheduled for later today in Palo Alto, California, two Georgia-based law enforcement officials are set to reveal both photographic and DNA evidence of what they claim is the captured body of Bigfoot, the alleged ape-like creature said to inhabit remote forests throughout the world. Do you believe creatures like Bigfoot exist?
Q4 - Funerals: A funeral home in Idaho is offering funeral webcasts for people who cannot attend a funeral in person. If you could not attend a funeral in person, would you watch it online.
Swiped from Fleur de Lisa, because I want to catch her attention so she'll answer my Four For Friday questions on her blog!
What is in the back seat of your car right now? Technically, I have no idea what's "in" the back seat of my car (were I to guess I'd say some sort of foam padding). On the back seat in my car... nothing. Sitting on the floor directly behind the driver's seat (now we're talkin')... a brown paper bag waiting for my next trip to the grocery store!
When was the last time you threw up? A few months ago, I think.
What's your favorite curse word? I do not have a favorite but do enjoy the occasional F-bomb. "Son of a" (said just like that is also fun).
Name three people who made you smile today. Rod, Jerry, and Ja Ja (Ja Ja's a dog, and dogs are people too).
What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Working.
What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Not working.
What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Falling asleep on my couch, convincing myself that I will still be sleepy if I would just get up slowly and move to the bedroom.
Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes.
What is the last thing you said aloud? "Oaky, later then!"
What is the best ice cream flavor? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
What was the last thing you had to drink? Water (Arrowhead).
What was the last thing you ate? Handful of Tim's Cascade Snacks' Hawaiian Kettle Style Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips.
Have you bought any new clothing items this week? I refuse to buy clothes until I lose some weight (and yes, I see the irony when balanced against the Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips).
When was the last time you ran? The Thursday before last, while playing tennis with Travis Whitney.
What's the last sporting event you watched? The Men's 4x100 meter race (swimming) at the Olympics.
Who is the last person you emailed? Work-related (confidential, sorry).
Ever go camping? Yes.
Do you have a tan? Being in southern California, one would think I would be tan, but not so much. Only on the tops of my feet, in between the straps of my flip-flops.
Do you drink your soda from a straw? Only when offered one.
What did your last IM say? Work-related (again, cannot share).
Are you someone's best friend? Yes.
What are you doing tomorrow? Working and then sharing a meal with my friend Bill.
Where is your Mom right now? At a cozy little Inn in Vermont.
Look to your left, what do you see? A wall of closets.
What color is your watch? I stopped wearing a watch (it seems that the cell phone is the new watch).
What do you think of when you think of Australia? My trip there in 1997.
Would you consider plastic surgery? Yes, I would consider it.
What is your birthstone? I do not know.
Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? It depends on the fast food joint. If I know the menu cold, it's drive-thru all the way (unless it's too busy). However, honestly, I don't do fast food that much these days.
How many kids do you want? I am undecided... between none and maybe (just maybe) more than none.
Do you have a dog? I do not, but I do have a new neighbor and he has a dog (Ja Ja).
Last person you talked to on the phone? Confidential (work-related).
Have you met anyone famous? I'm sure I have but not anyone who I think would remember me. In order to say I met someone, I have to feel like they "met" me too; meaning, we would remember meeting were we to meet again.
Any plans today? Just a trip to the grocery store later tonight. That's about all. I worked all day today (pretty normal for a Monday).
How many states have you lived in? Nine (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah).
Ever go to college? Yes.
Where are you right now? In my house.
Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Not going there (that sort of stuff is just negative and never gets you anywhere).
Last song listened to? "Stealing Cinderella" by Chuck Wicks.
Are you allergic to anything? I have food intolerances (not "allergies" per se)... Splenda, MSG, and Cilantro.
Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Right now, it would have to be my flip-flops.
Are you jealous of anyone? Not so much.
Is anyone jealous of you? That I doubt very much.
What time is it? 6:26 p.m.
Do any of your friends have children? Yes.
Do you eat healthy? Not so much.
What do you usually do during the day? Work.
Do you hate anyone right now? No way.
Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Indeed, I do.
How old will you be turning on your next birthday? Forty-three on September 19.
Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes, to the one in New Jersey when I was a kid.
How did you get one of your scars? Attempting to slice a piece of bread from a frozen loaf (in the absolutely stupidest manner known to no man but me).
Q1 - Revive: When you're dragging or lacking energy and on the verge of letting out a succession of yawns and you have work to do, what do you do to snap out of it?
Q2 - Turning: Do you turn your blinker on when you're in a clearly designated and differentiated turning lane?
Q3 - Tracking: BrickHouse Security recently partnered with Duracell batteries for a national advertising campaign to highlight the lifesaving value of child locator devices/beacons. BrickHouse's device is said to helps parents relocate wandering children before the unthinkable can happen. If you have small children, have you ever considered using such a devise? If you don't have children yet, is this something you think you'd use?
Q4 - Olympics: At initial glance, one might think the International Olympic Committee blundered by awarding the 2008 Summer Games to a city in a totalitarian country that aids Darfur's thugs but considers the Dalai Lama a menace, and that censors political debate but can't silence the hacking coughs from some of the planet's most polluted cities. The four other finalists for the 2008 Olympics were all fine and attractive cities that were most certainly less controversial than Beijing (safe to say we wouldn't have seen "Free Saskatchewan" protests leading up to a Toronto version of these Summer Games). And perhaps that's precisely the point: whether it was the IOC's intention or not, due to all the surrounding sagas, Beijing seems to have made the Olympics interesting again. Regardless, with concern for environmental impact and human rights existing across the globe, do you think the U.S. and other countries should have boycotted the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, or do you think having them in a communistic country will eventually lead to democracy for that country?
If you're from my generation or beyond, you probably grew up watching a cartoon featuring an ant and an aardvark. Wikipedia informs me that the cartoons I'm referring to were produced between 1969 and 1971, which made me around 5-years-old when these hilarious skits hit my television screen.
Earlier today, a dear friend sent a link to The Ant and the Aardvark, which is now available on YouTube. Seriously, I cannot get enough of this stuff:
Where have all the good cartoons gone? Apparently, onto YouTube!
Meagen Ridley tagged me with the following questions. Enjoy!
What time did you wake up this morning? 9 a.m.
What do you usually have for breakfast? Turkey Wrap from Trader Joe's, blueberry breakfast bar (also from TJ's), and some water.
What is your favorite CD at the moment? Scrubs - Original Television Soundtrack (various artists).
What kind of car do you drive? 2008 VW Jetta.
Favorite item of clothing? Short sleeve shirts from Quicksilver
If you could go anywhere on vacation where would you go? Vancouver, British Columbia in the fall.
What color is your bathroom? One is white, the other white with teal'ish tiles.
Where would you retire? Right now I couldn't tell you but I know it won't be Florida or Arizona.
Most memorable birthday? My 40th!
Favorite sport to watch? Football (both college and pro).
Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning, 100% of the time.
Shoe size? 12.5
Pets? None, and I would love to have a dog (no, three or four dogs), and a couple of cats also.
What did you want to be when you were little? A Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus clown, architect, and the general manager of a 4- to 5-star resort hotel.
What is your favorite candy? Peanut M&Ms.
What is your favorite flower? The Lilium "Stargazer" (the Stargazer lily).
What is a day on the calendar that you are looking forward to? Thursday, November 27, because it's Thanksgiving and for me it signifies the start of the holiday season.
What are you listening to right now? Sound from a nearby television.
What is the last thing you ate? Breakfast.
Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? My Aunt Irene who I'm going to pick up in a few minutes and take to a local art festival.
Celeb hair you covet? Uhh, I got nothing.
One of your favorite school teachers? 12th Grade - Mr. Ken Shannon.
When was the last time you cried? A few weeks right toward the end of the movie "Anywhere But Here."
What did you do last night? Hung out with an out-of-town houseguest (we went to another local art festival and then met a neighbor and her fiancée at a local restaurant/bar for drinks and dancing - neither the fiancée or I danced... we held purses and jackets while others danced).
How many cities have you lived in? I'm going to take "cities" to mean "towns" and/or cities... 15.
How many kids do you want? Undecided (somewhere between none and maybe more than none).
If I were a billionaire I would? Give millions and millions away to significantly worthwhile people and causes and seriously rethink the whole kid issue.
Q1 - Paint: Did you paint the walls in your home or were they painted to your liking before you moved in?
Q2 - Room: What's your favorite room in your house and why?
Q3 - Work: If your employer offered you the opportunity to work from home, would you take it?
Q4 - Houseguests: When was the last time you hosted overnight visitors in your home, and how long did they stay? Option follow-up question: Do you enjoy entertaining/hosting overnight visitors?
