Save the Bacon!

The World Health Organization is urging people (the world population at large...aka YOU) to stop using the phrase "Swine Flu" as it is having an adverse effect on farmers. It is also incorrectly leading people to assume that they can't eat pork or that pigs should be slaughtered by the thousands.

So please, practice saying H1N1 influenza A, wash your hands, and have some bacon.

Being a Fan

On Facebook you have the option to become a "fan" of anything you choose. Recently I saw an update that a friend of mine was a fan of God. I was intrigued. How many people on Facebook are a fan of God? As of today 1, 456, 951 people are a fan of God.

What else can you be a fan of and is anything or anyone on FB more popular than God?
538,987 people are fans of Dunkin Donuts
439, 701 people are fans of Daniel Radcliffe (the actor who plays Harry Potter)
40,321 people are fans of Vacation
14, 970 people are fans of Yellowstone National Park
6, 041 people are fans of Vail Mountain

The closest I found through my non-scientific and brief search?

1, 026, 158 people are fans of Bon Jovi.

Measuring Happiness

In reading a travel article (surprise), there was a reference to Bhutan. Bhutan is somewhat unique in that it measures GNH or Gross National Happiness. I think this is a great thing to measure, no matter how intangible. A lot of things go into being happy, and it's not just money.

In an article on PBS.org:
It was perfectly in keeping with this strict but benign paternalism that the King should proclaim that "gross national happiness is more important than gross national product" because "happiness takes precedence over economic prosperity in our national development process."

What makes a people or a country happy enough that they rank in international surveys and studies? In an CNN.com article last fall, Denmark was ranked the happiest country in the world. In my estimation, winter could last too long in Denmark and affect happiness.

Out of 97 countries in the survey, the US was 16th. It's a mystery how Puerto Rico can be #2, when it's a US territory....shouldn't we have the same score (or be somewhere in the middle, like #8?).

Something to ponder: What increases your GNH?

Where Do I Fall?

In Newsweek, the writers discussed the direction (or demise) of country music. When I was in junior high on a cross-country mission trip, the sounds of country on the radio drove me crazy. In every song the dog died while some guy cried in his beer. However, my senior year of high school I started listening to country music, jumping on board with Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Shania Twain. In fact, Garth was the first major concert I ever saw, and for a long time it set the bar.

For a few years country was all I listened too (and heaven forbid someone try and change the station). The good news is that now I listen to everything. The bad news is that I'll sing along, no matter what's playing, and odds are, I'll know most of the words.

Where do you fall on the "country continuum"? Of the 15 singers featured, I'm in the artist 10 -13 range. Is Taylor Swift your style, or is she too sweet? And at 18, how much heartbreak can she really relate to? Check it out here.

Economic Etiquette

There's no shortage of quizzes out there. In fact at least 74.1% of them are on Facebook. However, if you want to see how you and Emily Post align in regards to the appropriate actions to take with a friend who is laid off (should you bash the company or offer to buy them drinks?), try this quiz here.

It's much more practical than advice on the proper thing to say when someone wants to pass you at the 8th tee in golf.

Snow (continued)

Mom came to visit over the weekend for our annual ski weekend. Spring skiing can be hit or miss, but this year it was definitely a hit, with powder all weekend. You'd think it was January rather than April when you looked at the conditions. The scenery in Vail and Breckenridge was beautiful, and to spend the weekend playing in the snow was the best!