I am a little embarrassed that I had 2 articles I was choosing to read on cnn.com.
One about a salmonella outbreak and the other about how website co's got their weird names (Etsy, eBay, Bing, Skype etc).
I chose to read about the website names first. Now I probably should have read the salmonella article first, because it may save my life.
Priorities. Ha ha.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Hummingbirds in my Garden
So after doing some research 2 of my new plants attract hummingbirds! I am very excited about this. I need some more of those plants. We also picked up some variegated lariope that we planted under a big tree on the corner of the house. And used the grass we pulled up in one area for a bed, to spot sod some dry spots in the yard.
So at few picture of our handy work:
We picked up some more Bulbine (with the little orange flowers) for this bed, and it's planted with the Blue Eyed Grass:
We planted the two yellow bells on either side of the driveway entrance:
So at few picture of our handy work:
We picked up some more Bulbine (with the little orange flowers) for this bed, and it's planted with the Blue Eyed Grass:
To the left the African Bush Daisy and to the right the Brazilian Sage. In the middle our blueberry bush (which survived the winter!):
Friday, April 15, 2011
Bee in my Garden
With our house being on the market, I have been dying to up the curb appeal. We got the house painted in November. Now I want to work more on the landscaping!
So Steve and I picked out a bunch of plants at the Florida Museum of Natural History plant sale today. I am very excited. Two of them even are great for humming birds!! Yay!! Tomorrow we plant!
Blue Eyed Grass
So Steve and I picked out a bunch of plants at the Florida Museum of Natural History plant sale today. I am very excited. Two of them even are great for humming birds!! Yay!! Tomorrow we plant!
Blue Eyed Grass
Yellow Bells
African Bush Daisy
Brazilian Sage
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Is Rick Scott the Devil?
I'm going to say yes. Why you ask? Let me tell you.
Our Governor has stated he wants to create jobs in the State of Florida. However his proposed cuts to State employee benefits that would ultimately put many people out of work.
1. He wants to require state employees to put 5% (it's looking like it will end up being 3%) towards their own retirement. Effectively, reducing their annual income by 5%.
2. He wants to cap the premium coverage the State pays for employees to $5000. Currently premiums range from about $6000 for individuals to over $13,000 for family plans. If you have a family plan, and the cap is put at $5000 you will now be responsibile for $8000 of it. Effectively reducing your income by an additional $8000 a year.
I believe we should be responsible for some of our costs to the state. I don't want anyone to think I am asking for everything to be given to us or for a free ride. However, having said that there are some major issues with these plans.
Current employees are effectively taking HUGE pay cuts. So if you are a state employee making $25,000 annually, you have almost lost half of your take home pay. You now will be making $15,750. For a good chunk of the lower paid State Employees this will be impossible to bear. They will have to find work elsewhere if at all. The more you make, the less it will hurt.
For reference on how a cut to an employee making $25,000 would effect them check out the poverty guidelines:
*Chart from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml
New employees will have the power (I'm assuming) to add this loss to their hiring process when it comes to pay. So instead of asking for a salary of $25,000 they will ask for $34,000. But for those already employed, they are basically out of luck. Better to quit and get rehired I suppose.
Upon hearing this news, I was freaked out! We are in the process of selling our house to buy a bigger house (spuring on the economy) and now it looks like we will need to rethink this big time! It would make more sense to me to grandfather in those already in the state system, and for future hires let this information be upfront so they can decide if they can afford to take a job at the new pay rates. I'm even ok, with the retirement charges as long as they aren't doubled up with the insurance premium cap at the same time.
So to Rick Scott, way to put people OUT of jobs and halt economic growth for the state of Florida!
More information: http://www.politifact.com/florida/promises/scott-o-meter/promise/607/bring-state-employee-health-insurance-costs-in-lin/
http://saintpetersblog.com/2011/03/02/some-state-workers-unaware-of-looming-cuts-to-their-health-care-benefits/
Our Governor has stated he wants to create jobs in the State of Florida. However his proposed cuts to State employee benefits that would ultimately put many people out of work.
1. He wants to require state employees to put 5% (it's looking like it will end up being 3%) towards their own retirement. Effectively, reducing their annual income by 5%.
2. He wants to cap the premium coverage the State pays for employees to $5000. Currently premiums range from about $6000 for individuals to over $13,000 for family plans. If you have a family plan, and the cap is put at $5000 you will now be responsibile for $8000 of it. Effectively reducing your income by an additional $8000 a year.
I believe we should be responsible for some of our costs to the state. I don't want anyone to think I am asking for everything to be given to us or for a free ride. However, having said that there are some major issues with these plans.
Current employees are effectively taking HUGE pay cuts. So if you are a state employee making $25,000 annually, you have almost lost half of your take home pay. You now will be making $15,750. For a good chunk of the lower paid State Employees this will be impossible to bear. They will have to find work elsewhere if at all. The more you make, the less it will hurt.
For reference on how a cut to an employee making $25,000 would effect them check out the poverty guidelines:
| Persons in Family | 48 Contiguous States and D.C. | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,890 | $13,600 | $12,540 |
| 2 | 14,710 | 18,380 | 16,930 |
| 3 | 18,530 | 23,160 | 21,320 |
| 4 | 22,350 | 27,940 | 25,710 |
| 5 | 26,170 | 32,720 | 30,100 |
| 6 | 29,990 | 37,500 | 34,490 |
| 7 | 33,810 | 42,280 | 38,880 |
| 8 | 37,630 | 47,060 | 43,270 |
| For each additional person, add | 3,820 | 4,780 | 4,390 |
*Chart from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml
New employees will have the power (I'm assuming) to add this loss to their hiring process when it comes to pay. So instead of asking for a salary of $25,000 they will ask for $34,000. But for those already employed, they are basically out of luck. Better to quit and get rehired I suppose.
Upon hearing this news, I was freaked out! We are in the process of selling our house to buy a bigger house (spuring on the economy) and now it looks like we will need to rethink this big time! It would make more sense to me to grandfather in those already in the state system, and for future hires let this information be upfront so they can decide if they can afford to take a job at the new pay rates. I'm even ok, with the retirement charges as long as they aren't doubled up with the insurance premium cap at the same time.
So to Rick Scott, way to put people OUT of jobs and halt economic growth for the state of Florida!
More information: http://www.politifact.com/florida/promises/scott-o-meter/promise/607/bring-state-employee-health-insurance-costs-in-lin/
http://saintpetersblog.com/2011/03/02/some-state-workers-unaware-of-looming-cuts-to-their-health-care-benefits/
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
How do we think of food?
For 8 years I have worked for a very bureaucratic, yet impactful, organization. The Museum for all its wondrous interiors is still a state entity. It is, after all, THE State of Florida's natural history museum. For the last 5 years I am the one who plans events all year long. I approve menus, I proof invites, I order booze, I decide on decor and much to my annoyance I obey rules and fill out forms. Form after form after form. Everything has to be approved by a higher being living in a couple of different places on the campus of the University of Florida, legal, the Foundation and UF administration. What does that mean for me? My events cost a lot of money, I have little control on creativity when it comes to food, and I am constantly worried about liability.
I must use a caterer that 1. has at least $2 million in insurance and 2. a legal catering license. This eliminates many eateries in Gainesville. I must use licensed bartenders that fulfill the above criteria, plus they must be trained for safety reasons. I get all of this, but it also makes me sad.
I just watched Bizarre Foods, and I was amazed at 2 different segments they did on it. They were in San Francisco and they filmed Food Not Bombs. The get perfectly good, yet slightly bruised, food out of restaurant dumpsters around San Fran. Then they make dinner for the homeless with it every Thursday. Now this illegal of course, but the police looked the other way. People are starving all over the world and restaurants throw out dumpsters full of food every day. Orlando's leg of this organization have been getting the crack down from their police. I can't even reuse dishes for public consumption without having them washed in a commercial cleaner.
More info on this org: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/
More info on the City of Orlando vs. Food Not Bombs: http://blogs.orlandoweekly.com/index.php/2010/11/round-two-of-orlando-vs-food-not-bombs-set-for-february-of-next-year/
They also did a segment on Urban Foraging. yes, that is exactly what I wrote! People around San Fran forage for wild grown food, and then have a flash mob-esque restaurant. They charge $85 for a an 8 course meal, and text the location 2 hours prior to dinner. Again, this is illegal, because they aren't a licensed restaurant and it's not a house dinner party. They are amazing though. They find wild fennel, wild snails (cleaned of all toxins of course), wild boar and seaweed. Gourmet!!
A great article/interview with Iso Rabins, a mastermind behind the movement: http://www.thelocaldish.com/san-francisco/find-it-san-francisco/local-gone-wild-urban-foraging.html
How cool would it be to have a foraged catered meal for 60 or 70 people at the Museum, a natural history museum? What kind of impact could we make by spreading this message? Look at your environment, learn about your environment, use your environment!
I get the "rules," i understand wanting to protect our patrons (or more selfishly, protect the Museum and ultimately UF). But the legal necessity of our lives makes us miss out on so much!
Bon Appetite!
I must use a caterer that 1. has at least $2 million in insurance and 2. a legal catering license. This eliminates many eateries in Gainesville. I must use licensed bartenders that fulfill the above criteria, plus they must be trained for safety reasons. I get all of this, but it also makes me sad.
I just watched Bizarre Foods, and I was amazed at 2 different segments they did on it. They were in San Francisco and they filmed Food Not Bombs. The get perfectly good, yet slightly bruised, food out of restaurant dumpsters around San Fran. Then they make dinner for the homeless with it every Thursday. Now this illegal of course, but the police looked the other way. People are starving all over the world and restaurants throw out dumpsters full of food every day. Orlando's leg of this organization have been getting the crack down from their police. I can't even reuse dishes for public consumption without having them washed in a commercial cleaner.
More info on this org: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/
More info on the City of Orlando vs. Food Not Bombs: http://blogs.orlandoweekly.com/index.php/2010/11/round-two-of-orlando-vs-food-not-bombs-set-for-february-of-next-year/
They also did a segment on Urban Foraging. yes, that is exactly what I wrote! People around San Fran forage for wild grown food, and then have a flash mob-esque restaurant. They charge $85 for a an 8 course meal, and text the location 2 hours prior to dinner. Again, this is illegal, because they aren't a licensed restaurant and it's not a house dinner party. They are amazing though. They find wild fennel, wild snails (cleaned of all toxins of course), wild boar and seaweed. Gourmet!!
A great article/interview with Iso Rabins, a mastermind behind the movement: http://www.thelocaldish.com/san-francisco/find-it-san-francisco/local-gone-wild-urban-foraging.html
How cool would it be to have a foraged catered meal for 60 or 70 people at the Museum, a natural history museum? What kind of impact could we make by spreading this message? Look at your environment, learn about your environment, use your environment!
I get the "rules," i understand wanting to protect our patrons (or more selfishly, protect the Museum and ultimately UF). But the legal necessity of our lives makes us miss out on so much!
Bon Appetite!
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