houstongal has written 5 posts
New Japanese Law Requires Employers to Combat Obesity in the Workforce
Interesting article, especially noting how the Japanese companies adamantly make the point that this new law in Japan doesn't affect their employees in the U.S. --------------- http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/63/43.php July 3, 2008 - by Jeremy Smerd A new Japanese law requiring employers to combat obesity in the workforce or face fines will not lead to punitive measures against overweight employees in America, Japanese firms say. The law that went into effect April 1 f ...
Colombia's Sugar Cane-to-Ethanol Industry
The Houston Chronicle today has a very positive article about the sugar cane to ethanol production industry of Colombia. Uribe wants to expand from 500,000 acres to 2.5 million acres, which should produce work for A LOT of people. Growing and harvesting sugar cane is very labor intensive work. GoinSouth - Did you know Colombians are investors in the first sugar cane ethanol plant to open up in Lake Charles? Cane Yields Biofuels Bonanza by John Otis - www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/ ...
Rubito is missing
I noticed today that there are posts where it appears that Rubito had participated, but there were no visible comments from him. It seems that he is no longer a member. Did he voluntarily ask to be removed? I don't recall any unusual behavior from him as of late, but I also haven't been reading every post. Although I know this should be asked directly to Peter or the mods, but I would imagine that others would eventually notice that he's missing and ask the same question. ...
Photos from Shanghai
I mentioned Yuyuan Gardens in my post about shopping in Shanhai so it's fitting for me to add some photos.
This is one of the buildings in Yuyuan. You'll see lots of roof shots because I fell in love with the ornateness of the buildings.
a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank">
This one is one of my favorites because there are little dogs on the peaks.
By houstongal on 2008-07-04 17:11:13. 9 comments.
Judge orders Google to give YouTube user data to Viacom
A lot of PBHers frequent YouTube. After reading the following, you may want to be more careful as to what you view and download on the website. 7/3/08 SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Google expressed disappointment Thursday at a judge's order to give entertainment giant Viacom details of video-watching habits of visitors to its popular video-sharing website YouTube. On Tuesday US District Court Judge Louis Stanton backed Viacom's request for data on which YouTube users watch which videos on the ...
Shopping in Shanghai
To me, Shanghai doesn't offer much for the tourist. Sure, one can go to the Yuyuan Gardens one afternoon and maybe take a boat ride on the river (best at night to see the lights on the Bund). Luckily the shopping is terrific and stores are open until 10 pm daily. Here are some of my favorite places to shop: 1. Pearls - Freshwater pearls are cheap. Pearl City on Nanjing Road is the easiest place to get to. I usually stay in Xintandi and take the subway out to Nanjing Road (sorry, I don't remem ...
How to Hedge Currency Risk if You Retire Abroad
Always a popular topic on PBH. In case you missed the Saturday Wall Street Journal's "Ask Encore" advice column by Kelly Greene, here it is in its entirety. Q: We want to retire to Europe within the next five years. We will continue to draw a pension in U.S. dollars. What, if anything, can be done to protect us from the ravages of the exchange rate? Bob Powell, Geneva, IL A: Living in Europe -- an idea romanticized by the best-sellers-turned-movies "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "A Year in P ...
Your First Concert Experience
So many posts about music in Off-Topic.....so who did you see in your first concert without your parents accompanying you??
Retiring Abroad May Not be Paradise
There are often lots of questions on PBH about retiring abroad. Today's Wall Street Journal has a good article on the front page of the Personal Journal, for those considering the move. No examples of anyone retiring to Colombia, but they interviewed couples that moved to Uruguay and Panama. Article discusses banking and finance, health and social security, housing, taxes and legal issues to consider. ...
Year of the Rat
For those of you who follow the Chinese calendar, this is the year of the Rat. And I happen to be a Rat. Rats, in general, are leaders. They are charismatic, practical, hard-working, clever and intelligent, and they adapt easily to their environment. On the other hand, they can be aggressive and stubborn. Rats are most compatible with dragons, monkeys and oxen. They are incompatible with rabbits, goats, roosters and horses. Additionally, metal Rats (that's me) are: Ambitious and forceful ...
Sorority/Fraternity Affiliation?!
RobertJorge just gave me this idea for a post. Any PBHer's out there who were in a sorority or fraternity while in college?
20 Questions
CatGirl, TravelinGirl and I have been playing 20 questions with the boys in the evenings. Dan was our first victim and he played the game well and in true military style. Tonight MitchAlvarez was in the hot seat and answered questions that were beyond the standard yes/no format. Eywed has volunteered to be our next contestant. Watch this space Wednesday evening. Anyone else interested in playing? Just let us know..... we promise we won't bite! ...
Day of Thanks
I thought it would be appropriate to thank all of my wonderful friends on PBH on this day of thanks. You've brought laughter in my work day and smiles late at night. I'm grateful to have met 3 PBHers in person and looking forward to meeting more in the coming weeks. And thanks to Peter for creating the Off Topic zone where we can post something like this without fear of being banished in PBH neverland. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ...
Hot vs. Good looking vs. Handsome vs. Cute
OK ladies....I think this would be a fun post for us (guys are welcome to join in for a female version of this post - hot vs. sexy vs. gorgeous vs. cute). What's the difference between a guy who is "hot" versus one that is "good looking" versus "handsome" versus "cute"? My colleagues and I decided that HOT = someone with "the whole package" - very handsome (i.e., manly) with a great body to boot. CUTE = tends to be in reference to someone who looks younger and innocent. HANDSOME = t ...
Old Childhood Photos
Gabo's latest avatar photo made me think that it would be cool if we could post photos of when we were a child. Now that we have an Off-Topic zone, this is the perfect place to share fun stuff like this. ...
Morning Edition Piece on Colombia
There was a piece on NPR (National Public Radio) in the US this morning titled, "Colombia Launches Hearts and Minds Campaign." To take control of his country, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has used army offensives and aerial fumigation of drug crops to undercut funding for Marxist rebels. Now Colombia has launched a "hearts and minds" campaign in 53 communities. To listen: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12193716 ...
Internet is out to the US
Apparently the internet to the US is out in Bogota until Saturday morning. If you can read Spanish, there's an article in El Tiempo:
http://www.eltiempo.com/economia/2007-06-22/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3606182.html ...
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