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<rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" version="2.0"><channel><title>gvoakes's Open Salon Blog</title><description></description><link>http://open.salon.com/user.php?uid=31698</link><lastBuildDate>Fri, 1 Jun 2012 15:06:27 -0400</lastBuildDate><item><title>What are Demotivational Posters?</title><description>

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;Demotivational posters are funny, sarcastic versions of motivational posters that bosses often hang in offices to motivate workers. In the past, motivational posters were thought to have a positive impact on the way employees felt and acted. The demotivational counterparts to the motivational posters bring joy and laughter to everyone around them.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center"&gt;&lt;img id="cid_1124914" src="/files/what_is_a_demotivational_poster1300838817.jpg" alt="What is a Demotivational Poster?" hspace="5px" width="285"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;The way that motivational posters work is to place them in different spots so that employees will see them and make better decisions or use their time more wisely. In the past this worked well, but these posters are getting old and their effectiveness is wearing out.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.forkparty.com/45-sexy-demotivational-posters/"&gt;Demotivational posters&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;nbsp;are not motivational at all, but they are funny; surprisingly they end up having the same affect for different reasons. Their purpose is to make you laugh. Laughing causes a reduction of stress and, eventually, a healthier life. This can also lead to a much more productive workplace. Instead of old, boring motivational posters, the demotivational ones will make employees laugh, thus making them better employees in the long run. They will also respect you for making them laugh instead of trying old methods to motivate them.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;Stress is one of the leading causes of health problems. It can lead to heart attacks, high cholesterol, insomnia, cramps, stomach issues, and more. When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol, which messes with our overall health. Stress can even eventually cause death; stress is never a good thing, especially for prolonged periods of time. A life without laughter is a very sad and often unhealthy one.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;This is where (sometimes)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.forkparty.com/45-sexy-demotivational-posters/"&gt;sexy demotivational posters&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&amp;nbsp;come in. Laughter has been proven to reduce stress. A good hearty laugh can relax muscles for almost an hour. Also, endorphins are released in your body when you laugh, which make you feel good and can reduce pain in your muscles or back. Laughter also helps the immune system work harder as well, so we can fight off illness when it comes our way.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;Laughter can also reduce cholesterol levels and make your heart healthier, because it increases blood flow. It also helps your blood vessels function more smoothly. Demotivational posters are a growing fad on the internet, and will never fail to make you laugh. You can also create your own by finding a picture anywhere and putting a funny caption on it. Share your demotivational posters on&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, sans-serif"&gt;, with friends by email, or print them out to hang at work. Laughter really is the best medicine. If you find the time for a good laugh at least once a day you will feel better, physically and mentally. The world is a much better place when it is funny and not stressful and sad. Get motivated by being demotivated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

</description><link>http://open.salon.com/blog/gvoakes/2011/03/22/what_are_demotivational_posters</link><guid>http://open.salon.com/blog/gvoakes/2011/03/22/what_are_demotivational_posters</guid><pubDate>Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:03:07 -0400</pubDate></item><item><title>Things to Consider when Hiring a Moving Company</title><description>

&lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   If you are moving to a new country, the excitement can sometimes be overwhelming. With so many things to think about, and arranging for the moving day, there are a lot of things you may be worried about. If you are alone and feeling helpless on how to go about moving, then a professional moving company can be of a great help. If you are planning to move around the time of a major holiday, make sure that you book a moving company 6 to 8 weeks well in advance. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;div style="text-align: center"&gt;&lt;img id="cid_323498" src="/files/movingco1253047652.jpg" alt="moving company" hspace="5px" width="422" height="316"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;div align="center"&gt;(&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/92203585@N00/281290777/"&gt;Source&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt; &lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   Finding a professional &lt;a href="http://www.movingalberta.com"&gt;moving&lt;/a&gt; company could be a challenging task if you don't know where to look. Hiring a moving company requires a lot of research! Each year, thousands of people make complaints against moving companies for not living up to their commitment. Before you hire a moving company, the following things need to be considered: &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul style="text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;&lt;li&gt;     &lt;strong&gt;References: &lt;/strong&gt;Reliable references from your neighbors, friends or colleagues will definitely help you find out about various moving companies. Taking references can help a lot as it is always good to know that you are hiring a company that has performed satisfactorily before. Handing your precious possessions to an less-known company can be a little risky.   &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul style="text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;&lt;li&gt;     &lt;strong&gt;License and Insurance:&lt;/strong&gt; Perhaps the most important thing that anyone should consider before hiring a moving company is to check out whether or not the company is licensed and insured or not. Movers need to register themselves with the Department of Transportation of the state while interstate movers are required to register themselves with the Interstate Commerce Commission.    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul style="text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;&lt;li&gt;     &lt;strong&gt;Competitive Estimates:&lt;/strong&gt; The next thing is to collect competitive estimates from three or more companies and compare them. To get best services at the most affordable rates, this is a must. See what kind of services different companies are providing and compare them. Make sure that the estimates are based on in-person assessment of your belongings and space.   &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul style="text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;&lt;li&gt;     &lt;strong&gt;Binding or&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Non-Binding Estimates: &lt;/strong&gt;Before hiring a moving company, try and understand the difference between binding and non-binding estimates. Binding and non-binding &lt;a href="http://www.movingalberta.com/MovingwithJays/tabid/217/Default.aspx"&gt;moving estimates&lt;/a&gt; are two general industry categories. A non-binding estimate is typically based on an estimated weight of the cargo and/or an estimated hourly rate. In case of a non-binding estimate, the cost can increase to more than the original estimate. According to &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Moving_&amp;amp;_Storage_Association"&gt;American Moving and Storage Association&lt;/a&gt; (AMSA) of Alexandria, Virginia, there is no guarantee in case of a non-binding estimate that the final cost will not exceed the estimated cost. On the contrary, in case of a binding estimate, the final cost of moving is predetermined, and is not liable to change at the last minute.   &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul style="text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;&lt;li&gt;     &lt;strong&gt;Extra Fees:&lt;/strong&gt; Many moving companies charge you extra fees for extra services they provide. When negotiating with the moving companies, ask them what services would come under the moving estimate given and for what all services, extra fees will be charged. This can help you in lowering down the moving cost of your movers.    &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   &amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p style="margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; text-align: left; font-family: Arial"&gt;   Selecting the right moving company can make the whole moving experience smooth and pleasant. &lt;/p&gt;

</description><link>http://open.salon.com/blog/gvoakes/2009/09/15/things_to_consider_when_hiring_a_moving_company</link><guid>http://open.salon.com/blog/gvoakes/2009/09/15/things_to_consider_when_hiring_a_moving_company</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:09:42 -0400</pubDate></item></channel></rss>




