Author Archives: Charlee Beasor

Political Polls: This is Getting to be Ridiculous

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Categories: 2012 Political Races

Well this is just depressing: A third-party candidate for president was omitted from a presidential poll in North Carolina.

When I look at the two mainstream presidential candidates, I find that I have a hard time siding with either of them, so I am all for a third party coming in to shake up our political system and maybe work on behalf of the taxpayers instead of the political machine.

But that’s not the truly depressing part: Instead of asking a key voting state about all the candidates on the ballot (Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is indeed on the ballot in North Carolina), the poll from Public Policy Polling took the space and time to ask the question: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Honey Boo Boo?

Okay, for those of you who don’t have cable (that would be me), or don’t have time to tune into TLC (The Learning Channel, amusingly), Honey Boo Boo is apparently the nickname of a child pageant participant from Georgia (first seen on the channel’s "Toddlers & Tiaras" program), who has her very own show on TLC: "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."

As I have never seen the show myself and don’t want you to have to search for it, here is what I can find on the Internet: “Star” of the show, Alana Thompson, is a seven-year-old beauty pageant contestant. Her mother regularly feeds her a mixture of Red Bull and Mountain Dew, fondly called “Go Go Juice” just before her pageants. And, even though the family resides in America, a good portion of the show is subtitled, due to the slang and thick accents of its cast.

So, let me break it down for you one more time. Instead of asking 1,084 potential North Carolina voters between October 12 and 14 about their opinion of the only third-party presidential candidate on the ballot, Public Policy Polling instead asked about their opinion of a seven-year-old reality television star from a different state.

WHAT?

I am not a political expert, so while I’m sure there is some over-arching reason for asking such a silly question, it just gives me even less heart about our political system. I’m flabbergasted that this is what it has come down to these days.

At least 50% of those responders were “not sure” (47% “unfavorable and 3% “favorable”). Oh, and the poll had Republican Mitt Romney with a small lead in the state over President Barack Obama, in case you cared.

Though, had the third party candidate been included, who knows what the results might have been?

Pickin’ Pumpkins (and Much More in Indiana)

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Categories: Uncategorized

I love fall. It is my favorite season of the year, by far.

The air is cool and crisp and everything smells like straw and cinnamon. Brilliant hues of orange, red and yellow are everywhere – in the trees and bushes and in piles of fallen leaves. There are hayrides and bonfires to attend; apple cider and pumpkin pie to consume. It’s not too cold to play outside yet and just around the corner are Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Honestly, fall is one of the top reasons I know I don’t ever want to live anywhere else. Nothing, to me, beats fall in the Hoosier state.

To celebrate and honor our most favorite season, my husband and I took our nine-month-old daughter to her very first apple orchard and pumpkin patch (via hayride) in Hendricks County. We took part in an apple festival, visited vendors and sampled sweet and tart apple treats and cider. It was oh-so-quaint (until she tried to stuff a handful of hay into her mouth, that is).

Even with the severe drought we encountered this summer, the pumpkin patch was bursting with bright orange surprises. My husband made a muddy forage for our prized pumpkin and we created a fun memory. All-in-all, we spent less than $25 for an afternoon of family enjoyment and appreciation of the bountiful nature we have around us.

But maybe a pumpkin patch isn’t your thing. There are a TON of other things to do in Indiana during the fall.

If you want something the whole family can enjoy, try a trip to the numerous festivals around the state. More of a sophisticated palate might like to sample from Indiana’s wineries and breweries.

Or, did you know that Kokomo is home to the oldest manufacturer of opalescent and cathedral stained glass in the world? You’d learn more about that on the Glass Trail. Maybe you’re more into exploration and adventure – the Indiana Cave Trail might suit your liking in southern Indiana.

Even though I’ve lived here the majority of my life, I had no idea where to start looking – and even less of an idea as to what Indiana has available – until I stumbled across the Visit Indiana (Indiana Office of Tourism Development) web site dedicated to Hoosier fall offerings. Check it out for yourself and take in some of the wonderful treats Indiana has to offer: www.in.gov/visitindiana/fall/.

P2 Brings a Little Less Conversation, a Lot More Action

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Categories: 2012 Political Races, Chamber News

I get it – we’re less than two months away from an election. Stop yelling at me.

Because it seems no matter where I turn, people are yelling at me: on television, on the radio, through Facebook posts, in person, with newspaper articles, through inflammatory e-mails. They’re telling me why I should vote one way or another in November. And they’re telling me that their candidate is better because the other one is the devil and voting for him or her will literally kill me someday.

Enough. No more misinformation; no more spin; no more lies or half-truths or deceptions.

I am a decently informed voter. I don’t claim to know all the answers, or even have fully-formed opinions on all of the issues (because there are so many). But I know what matters to me at the end of the day. I’m sure you know what issues concern you as well. 

The question then becomes: How do we get everybody else on board this well-informed voting wagon? Call me naïve, but we need to get rid of the external nonsense and take a serious look at all of the candidates up for office – from local offices and state legislature all the way to Congress and the president.

I want to see voting records (because, the proof is in the pudding, folks). I want to know where politicians stand on substantial issues. And I’d like to know these things without partisan rhetoric. Meaning I can’t listen to the politicians themselves – or even the media at times – because it doesn’t seem like they want to give me true information.

Who do I turn to then? My family; a few friends. What about my employer? Maybe the boss doesn’t come right to mind as a source of political information. But, don’t you want to know if a legislator in your district previously passed a law that would have affected your paychecks? Bet you that your employer knows exactly who those legislators are already.

Even if we are just hearing from employers that it is our civic duty to be informed citizens and voters; that is the way we can right this ship.

With the Indiana Prosperity Project (Indiana P2), employers have access to great resources and tools to spread the message – and the information is presented in a non-partisan way. Voting records, legislator profiles, contact information, links to government information (how to register to vote online, how a bill becomes a law, the Indiana election process and much more) are available for free. The Prosperity Project staff will even build employers a customized web site to go along with their brand.

A newly-redesigned and user-friendly Prosperity Project web site is available for employers to explore and share with employees at www.indianaprosperity.org.

Employers – check it out and start using it. Employees – take heed and trust your employer.

And for goodness’ sake – everybody else stop yelling at me.
 

Time to Stop Saying ‘Sorry’

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Ready for a bold statement? I’m not going to say “I’m sorry” ever again.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. I will say it. But, from now on, I’m only going to apologize when necessary: As in, when I’ve made an honest mistake – personally or professionally.

How often do you find yourself using an apology as a way to diffuse an uncomfortable situation or keep the peace simply because we feel the need to say something? Taking the blame for things entirely out of our control is almost as bad as if we’d had control and lost it purposefully. Let’s not add the weight of the world to our already over-burdened shoulders – that just leads to making more mistakes.

Over-apologizing won’t fix the broken copier or the elevator out of service. It won’t make the rain clear up. It can’t solve world hunger or the fact that someone else woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

In the workplace, over-apologizing brings in unnecessary doubt as to your abilities. It makes you seem insecure and weak, and it opens the door to others walking all over you. It absolutely will not advance you to the next level. If you demand respect (at work or at home) through your words and actions and have confidence in yourself, others will follow your lead.

Lately, I’ve been thinking more about how my daughter will learn to be a strong, self-empowered young woman. And the thought occurred to me: she will learn it first and foremost at home, from me. That means I’ve got to show her a good example. And that’s a lot of pressure.

So, even though she’s only eight months old, I’m starting now to correct years of over-apologizing. I know it won’t happen overnight, but I’ve got to start somewhere.

Anyone else share this bad habit? Let’s practice keeping the “I’m sorry” card close to the vest and see how that makes us feel for a few weeks. I bet you’ll feel better about yourself and your abilities – I know I do already.
 

Want Efficiency? Don’t Multitask

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Categories: Human Resources

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We used to put “ability to multitask” as a positive on our resumes, but maybe it’s best to start leaving that one off next time you are hunting for a job.

Here’s why: Only 2% of people are able to multitask effectively, according to Ragan Communications. The rest of us – yes, going ahead and counting myself in the other 98% (but not to be confused with Occupy Wall Street, or whatever they are calling themselves these days) – need to focus on one project, one memo, one e-mail at a time.

We burn 10 IQ points for each distraction. That’s the same as missing a full night’s sleep (and as a new parent, I value sleep and I’m already apparently losing IQ points for having an infant – so you can bet I’m putting my focus on one thing at a time today).

Here are some startling facts that an OnlineCollege.org infographic offers about multitasking at work and at home:

  • 89% of people with smartphones use them at work, even though 45% of U.S. workers already believe they have to work on too many things at once.
  • On average, employees who use a computer for work are distracted once every 10.5 minutes.
  • It’s not just adults – students multitask while they learn, but 62% of the web pages students open during class are unrelated to the subject (don’t think I’ve ever heard of a class in Facebook).
  • And we are not truly relaxing, either: 67% of people use smartphones on dates; 45% do it at movie theatres; and 33% check phones in church.
  • Trying to focus on more than one thing causes a 40% drop in productivity – which is twice the effect of smoking marijuana. The average desk job employee loses 2.1 hours a day to interruptions, equaling 546 hours total for the year.
  • Using a cell phone (hands-free or handheld) while driving is distracting – it slows a drivers’ reaction as much as having a blood alcohol content of .08%.

Try to remember these statistics at work and at home and leave the little glowing technology box in your purse or pocket to reach your full productivity.

Pop Culture Influencing Our Vocabulary

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Categories: Education

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“I’ve just had an aha moment about crossing something off my bucket list. Instead of having that energy drink over at the gastropub and dropping F-bombs all night, we should head back to my man cave for a game changer to discuss cloud computing and listen to some mash-ups.”

It might seem like I am writing a story about the most boring group of people ever put onto paper, but that is not the case. (Whose bucket list includes discussing cloud computing while listening to mash-ups?)

Would you believe that those two sentences include nine of the words that Merriam-Webster has added to the 2012 update of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary? Can you pick out the nine words? I’ll give you a hint – F-bomb is one of them, clearly. As are cloud computing and mash-up.

Last week the organization released just a few of the words (or the updated definitions) added to its newest edition. Aha moment, bucket list, energy drink, gastropub, man cave and game changer – along with those others I’ve already identified – are just a few of the new ones.

Some of the other new words that have been released so far include other shocking, yet vivid words such as:

  • Sexting (yes, sexting) – “the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone"
  • Earworm – “a song or melody that keeps repeating in one’s mind” (Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe, anyone?)
  • Brain cramp – “an instance of temporary mental confusion resulting in an error or lapse of judgment”

Other words point to the Great Recession:

  • Underwater – “having, relating to, or being in a mortgage loan for which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth”
  • Systemic risk – “the risk that the failure of one financial institution could cause other interconnected institutions to fail and harm the economy as a whole”
  • Toxic – “relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market”

The word-lover in me is initially excited about these new provocative words added to the dictionary. The parent in me goes, “I don’t think I want my children discovering F-bombs and sexting.” The educated snob part of me exclaims, “This is a sham! We’re just lowering the quality of the English language another notch.”

But, it’s clear that – just as humans and technology evolve – the English language is ever-evolving. What do you think about these new additions?
 

Pet Food Company Offering Different Kind of ‘BOGO’

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Categories: Business News

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We hear often that humans aren’t the only ones suffering in a recession.

Typically, when families can hardly afford to feed themselves, their furry canine friends are often abandoned or given to rescue organizations or shelters. But the animals still need to eat – and the cost of dog food is one of the biggest expenses for these organizations.

California-based FreeHand™ is trying to fill the gap with a new “buy-one-give-one” food donation program called Pound for pound, scoop for scoop, meal for meal™. For every pound of dog food sold, the company will give an equal amount of food to an Indianapolis rescue organization or shelter. Though the company is out of Los Angeles, animals in Indianapolis will benefit from the donations.

The more products it sells, the more dogs’ lives FreeHand and its partners can save. 

FreeHand Managing Director Tom Bagamane stresses that the donated food stays in the local communities where it is purchased. Affiliated resellers designate recipients from a list of local rescue groups and shelters screened and approved by FreeHand.  Online purchasers may select recipient organizations from a pre-approved list provided at checkout.  Importantly, all recipient organizations must adhere to strict criteria established by FreeHand to ensure the respectful treatment of the animals under their care.

To date, Indianapolis area rescue organizations and shelters that have qualified for FreeHand food donations include: Beagle Buddies, Greyhound Pets, Indianapolis Animal Care and Control and Indy Pit Crew.

“We are proud to announce the introduction of FreeHand dog foods in our clinic,” said Dr. Bill Neumann, DVM and medical director at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness in Indianapolis. “FreeHand has a noble mission that we support wholeheartedly – to provide dog food donations to local rescue groups and shelters. The FreeHand buy-one-give-one concept is great and unique in that donations are given to local organizations as opposed to programs that send donations someplace around the world.”

Find a list of retailers offering FreeHand products by visiting www.LendaFreeHand.com/store-finder, or call (855) GIVEBAK. You can also learn more about the movement on Facebook and Twitter.

There’s Only So Much (Political Advertising) a Person Can Take

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Categories: 2012 Political Races

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Who doesn’t enjoy a good campaign commercial? With politicians lambasting their opponents, blaming them for the recession, mortgage failure, tax crisis, Midwest drought and McDonald’s taking away the McRib sandwich (okay, those last two are a bit facetious – obviously no one controls the weather), what’s not to love?

And no doubt you’re already saturated with political campaigns. “How can this be?,” you proclaim. “It’s only August!”

You are not wrong in your exasperation. The sheer number of television campaign advertisements shown so far this year is shocking (with three months to go before the election, even) and the amount of money spent by candidates and Super PACs is astounding.

Think you’ve had enough? Be glad you don’t live in Ohio. Or Florida. Or North Carolina. The money spent on the presidential election alone in this cycle has been $37.2 million in Ohio on TV ads; $36.3 million in Florida; and $20.4 million in North Carolina.

In fact, across nine “battleground” states (the three listed, along with Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire), the presidential campaigns and Super PACs have spent $174 million on television spots alone. And that amount was just for nine states through the beginning of July.

Let me put that into perspective: According to ESPN, in 2012 the average cost for a 30-second television ad during the Super Bowl was $3.5 million. That $174 million spent so far on presidential advertisements in nine states equals about 50 Super Bowl commercials. (Unfortunately, politicians don’t include the Budweiser Clydesdales or barking dogs dressed as "Star Wars" characters in their ads.)

It’s not just which states you are in, but also the networks you watch. For instance, if you are a regular Fox News viewer, chances are you’ve seen a number of the 479,055 advertisements that have aired on the network thus far. CNN is next with 191,027 campaign ads and another news network, MSNBC, aired 75,207, according to NCC Media.

You can’t really avoid it by changing the channel, either. ESPN, TNT, USA, Lifetime, HGTV, and the Weather Channel, to name a few, top the list of number of ads aired this election cycle. Even Food Network viewers can’t escape the barrage (33,118 ads so far interspersed between Paula Deen and Bobby Flay).

It’s safe to say that as the election draws closer, we will see even more of these ads. But, are they effective? Americans that are planning to vote most likely have decided which candidate they will support – but there are always individuals that can be wooed at the last minute.

One thing is for sure, however: The broadcast television industry must really love election time.

Monarch Beverage Hits the Open Road for Wellness

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Categories: Health Care, Wellness

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Have you ever picked up a mountain bicycle and biked 500 miles a week (Olympic athletes aside, anyway)? Sounds crazy, right?

Not for Miguel Marquez, inventory specialist at Monarch Beverage. He did just that – and in six weeks biked a mind-boggling 2,238.64 miles. In SIX weeks. (I had to emphasize that again!)

Marquez wasn’t alone however. As part of Monarch’s latest workplace wellness initiative, employees that signed up to participate in a biking program biked an astonishing 25,690.87 miles. Their goal was to go around the world in 42 days, and they beat that goal by almost 800 miles. Each individual had a goal of completing 180 miles in six weeks.

Color me impressed.

As company wellness has become a more pressing issue (due to rising health care costs stemming from diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, often caused by inactivity and poor nutrition), organizations are looking for new ways to get their teams up and moving.

Monarch’s employees – some of whom spent over 30 hours a week on their bicycles – were asked to get back on their bicycles and help the company reach the goal of bicycling “around the world,” while also utilizing Indianapolis’ new and updated biking lanes and trails.

Sixty employees initially joined the bicycling program and during the sixth week of the competition Monarch asked the rest of its employees to chip in and help out – over 550 miles were donated by employees not originally participating.

The program was also incentivized: those who submitted at least 30 miles per week were entered into a drawing for an incentive or given prizes. Statistics were e-mailed weekly to keep the motivation going.

Marquez was invited to join a team (employees could bike as individuals or as a team) and his goal was “just to keep up with the first place team and all my coworkers … and go as many miles as possible.” He also shares that he spends time bicycling with his family, but has never bicycled professionally.

Kudos to Monarch employees for their hard work, and to the company for encouraging and supporting its staff to get riding!

What unique wellness initiatives are taking place at your organizations?

State Rep Leading Charge for Natural Gas

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Categories: Energy, Government

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Did you see gasoline prices at the pump hit almost $4 recently? Earlier in the year experts projected that we’d see it go as high as $5 this summer – and summer is definitely not over.

Depending on how often you fill your gas tank, driving back and forth to work, the grocery store, daycare – just the basics – can add up quickly. (We budget at least $300 a month for gasoline in our household, with only one car and a small child keeping us at home most evenings.)

Imagine having a fleet of vehicles that have massive tanks to fill (dump trucks, ambulances, school buses, tractor trailers, snowplows). That would add up quickly – and does – for the state of Indiana and public and private businesses of all types here. 

The point is: gas is expensive; diesel is expensive. And, neither are the cleanest fuel options available. But, is there another legitimate option? Possibly.

State Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) is leading the charge for compressed natural gas as an alternative. During the recent Clean Energy Summit held at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Frye invited Greater Indiana Clean Cities Coalition Executive Director Kellie Walsh to present information to a group that included representatives from a number of utility and energy organizations.

Walsh’s presentation highlighted the fact that 80-90% of natural gas is produced domestically. 

Some other interesting facts:

  • Natural gas is not a threat to soil, surface water or groundwater; its nontoxic, noncorrosive and non-carcinogenic
  • It has lower ozone-forming emissions than gasoline
  • Most natural gas is drawn from wells or in conjunction with crude oil production and can come from subsurface porous rock and shale
  • Natural gas powers about 112,000 vehicles in the country and roughly 14.8 million worldwide and has been used as a transportation fuel for over 30 years
  • Compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas are considered alternative fuels under the Energy Policy Act of 1992

Frye told Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick that the state could save around $200 million in fuel costs over a 10-year period by switching vehicles to compressed natural gas. He intends to work on legislation to incentivize the switch, he says.

While the natural gas seems to be there for the taking, there is not much infrastructure in place to support it: filling stations would have to be built; fleets would need to be retrofitted with natural gas engines (which Cummins makes already, by the way).

This just scratches the surface of the positives and negatives of natural gas; most likely it will be a story that we follow in the near future.