Indie Wolf

Remember when illegal downloading of music was all over the news and teenagers were being charged with fines because of excessive downloading? For some reason those stories have dropped out of the public eye. I wonder if that is because it is so rampant, it is difficult and near impossible to punish everyone.

But I recently came across survey software results that found that teens are less likely to download illegally if they knew and understood the laws and regulations against it. 49% of the teenagers surveyed said they were not aware of the laws regarding illegal downloading. And only 11% (between 7th and 10th grade) said they clearly understood the laws.

If they are so worried about it, maybe they should start a full-scale campaign to teach teenagers those laws.

In businesses, it is incredibly hard to keep track of those documents that get sent around the office for adjustments and editing.  That is why record retention is so important. NextPage did a little study to see how many documents were created between 12 people within 6 months.

• Each person created about 90+ versions of that same document.
• 77% of those documents were stored on the user’s hard drive.
• Overall, there were 3,000 documents created off of the one original document.

Lately I have noticed how common eating disorders are in the media. I just saw a documentary on BBC about boys that are anorexic and an Intervention for a guy suffering from bulimia nervosa. Poor body image is plaguing both girls and boys of all ages. They find ways to stay thin so they can look like the stars they see on tv and in magazines. Instead of eating healthily and staying physically active, they turn to drastic measures to get an “ideal” body shape. There have been many studies full of percentages and causes of these disorders. Recently, an online survey software has found these startlingly statistics about body image in people of all ages.

•  56% of women are unhappy with their overall appearance.
• 71% of these women hate their stomachs.
• 63% of men are unhappy with their abdomens as well.
• 89% of women want to lose weight while 22% of men want to gain weight.
• 50% of women and 30% of men smoke to control their weight.
• In men ages 14-19, only 41% are dissatisfied with the way they look.
• 40% of women and 29% of men say that the way their partner feels about their body is very important to how they feel about themselves.

This is an epidemic that just keeps becoming more serious and more common. We need to instill confidence and feelings of self-worth in the younger generations. Maybe that will help the future generations.

If you are anything like me, you love to look at horribly made websites. Many are local and are in desperate need of some Utah SEO! Or reading the Darwin Awards or other things like that. But I’ve recently come across a site that has the worst analogies ever made in high school papers. Here are just a few of my favorites:

• “From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had and eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and “Jeopardy” comes on at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30.”

• “Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze.”

• “Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight train, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.”

• “John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.”

• “His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.”

In a shocking scientific study, credible sources have concluded that a rising number of celebrities are flocking to the adorable gold idol we all know and love: Uncle Buddha. Far from being cloaked under red robes and Japanese symbols, Buddhism counts many of Hollywood’s top actors among its ranks including Orlando Bloom, Angelina Jolie, and Uma Thurman. Even singers Sting and Alanis Morisette are a part of the Asian sensation.

But Buddhism isn’t just for the entertainment industry; when Laker’s coach Phil Jackson and Apple CEO Steve Jobs aren’t busy dominating their respective fields, they also claim Buddhism as their faith of choice.

And as the ace of personal branding Tiger Woods demonstrates, the choice to pursue enlightenment is probably a good PR move, as Buddhists have not been publicly involved with witch hunts, attempted genocide, or molesting children.

But you don’t have to be the top dog in your field to be a member of this exclusive club, just ask Keanu Reeves!

Many companies–especially smaller businesses–have doubts when it comes to record retention and how long they should keep those documents. It can get confusing, irritating, and cluttered. But here is a great chart that goes through how long each type of document should be stored. Take a look by clicking here.

Being cooped up during the winter is fine by me. But when summer comes, the last thing I want to do is sit inside all day.  So, in order to appease my raucous desire to not have to be stuck here in my “cell”, I’ve thought of the three best jobs in the summertime:

1. Lifeguard: What could be more perfect than getting paid to sit outside and soaking up the rays? If I didn’t have all these bills to pay, I would take a pay decrease and become a beach lifeguard.
2. Truck Driver: Not what you expected, right? But just think about it. By getting local truck driving jobs, you can get paid to drive around and actually see what the day is like–unlike getting that one single window in the office which doesn’t open and is too high for you to look out of.
3. Anything Other Than Office Work: It’s true. Basically, anything that you can enjoy the warm weather would be a great job.

What do you consider being the best summer job for you?

My younger sister is graduating from high school pretty soon, and I have decided to host a fabulous dinner party for her. I’m going to pull out all the stops for my baby sister with a semi-formal dinner with all the family and close friends. I’ve even found a china replacement piece so that my china set will be complete and ready for the dinner. Today’s goal is to find recipes for fantastic hors d’oeuvres. And who know what tomorrow’s goal will be. Maybe finding a great dress! Can’t go wrong there.

When you think of summer what comes to mind? Outdoor activities, sunshine, or you dad throwing his back out because he is trying to keep up with his kids? Well, that is what comes to my mind. This summer, I think my dad might be going through a mid-life crisis. He wants to be young again (but then again, who doesn’t?). He doesn’t want to admit that because of his age he is slower than he used to be. In a few weeks, I am going home to visit for my youngest sister’s high school graduation…and I plan on bringing my pops home something that just might help him in his “forever young” endeavors–essential oils. This way, when he strains a muscle, pulls something he never knew existed, or just can’t seem to forget the age of his body, he can use balsam fir essential oil and douglas fir essential oil to relieve some of the muscle soreness.

So, I was on the airplane flying back from Hawaii and I was looking through the on-flight catalogue and stumbled upon some of the most obscure products. Products that literally made me stop and laugh out loud. The following are just a few of what I found…

Gator grip bath mats (real gator skin… ok it’s not real, but pretty cool!)

Big foot garden sculpture (can you say scary!?!)

Bee hat (looks like a regular hat, but wait, a net comes out of the top for handy insect protection!)

Giant Ten Commandments tablet (they’re huge!)

Lawn aerator sandals (they strap onto your shoes and you literally walk around your lawn to aerate it)

Cruizin’ cooler (you actually sit on your cooler and peddle it around)

Poop Freeze (spray on your dog’s poop and it freezes it to -62 degrees so that you can easily pick it up and dispose of it)

Hilary Clinton nut cracker (looks just like her!)

Who comes up with these things to sell? I guess what I really want to know is WHO BUYS THEM!?!