The number one reason people dislike their jobs is workplace bullying. You know, belittling comments, persistent criticism of your work and withholding of resources. It appears this behavior inflicts more harm on employees than sexual harassment. After all, it’s tough to like your job if you’re bullied while doing it. These non-violent forms of workplace aggression such as incivility and bullying are not illegal, leaving victims to fend for themselves. Employees who experienced bullying, incivility or interpersonal conflict were more likely to quit their jobs, have lower well-being, be less satisfied with their jobs and have less satisfying relations with their bosses than employees who were sexually harassed.

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

A new study at a retirement home shows that the symptoms of depression in seniors were helped when they interacted with a “robot” baby. The Babyloid prototype costs around $25,718, but holding it for a mere 90 minutes a day, broken up into seven to eight minute sessions, was therapeutic. “The basic design, with a simplified, smiling face, was chosen to avoid the creepiness a realistic baby face can have, says developer Massayoshi Kanoh, a professor at Chukyo University in Japan. The mechanical infant can blink, smile, move its arms and flash red lights, which indicate it is content, and blue lights, which means it is unhappy and needs to be rocked to be comforted. It weighs almost five pounds and is about one and a half feet long. The theory behind the Babyloid is that by stimulating childcare, the elderly will feel useful, experience reduced depression and keep their minds sharp. Kanoh hopes that once the item is in mass production, it should retail for under $2,000 in the commerical market. (National Examiner)

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

Whistling while you work does make you do better job. Call it the Seven Dwarfs phenomenon. Scientists studied why some people “choke” in critical situations like a pro golfer missing a short putt to lose a championship concluded that they should try whistling like Snow White’s height challenged pals to distract their overworked minds. While under performing in pressure situations is often blamed on nerves, University of Chicago psychologist Dr. Sian Beilock believes the problem is more a case of mental overload, or “paralysis by analysis.” People can sabotage their performance by thinking about it too much, says Beilock, who led the study. But whistling or singing, she adds, can turn failure into success, whether on a field of play, in a classroom or making a sales pitch.
Pucker up!!

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

Eat and drink with red plates and cups. Amazingly, researchers found that test subjects given tea in cups marked with red labels drank 44 percent less than those given blue marked containers. And test subjects given pretzels on red plates ate about half as much as those given the snacks on blue tableware. The German and Swiss scientists believe the lower consumption from red plates and cups has to do with the association of the color with “danger, prohibition and stop.” They suggest deterring people from buying unhealthy foods by requiring the products to be put in red packaging. They also believe using red glasses in bars would stop people from drinking to excess.

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

SEVERAL MUNICIPAL FACILITIES CLOSED ON FAMILY DAY
(Sault Ste. Marie, ON) A number of Sault Ste. Marie municipal facilities will be closed on
Family Day – Monday, February 20, 2012.
CLOSED on February 20:
• Cemetery Office
• Children’s Centres (Jessie Irving, Maycourt, Best Start – Holy Family site)
• Civic Centre
• Essar Centre Office and Box Office
• John Rhodes Community Centre Pool
• Library (all branches)
• Seniors’ Centres (Drop-In and Steelton)
• Social Services (Ontario Works, Social Housing, Community Child Care, and
Accessibility Office)
• Transit Office
Community Centres and Arenas
Essar Centre – Open for public skating from 12 to 2 p.m.
John Rhodes Community Centre – Arena 1 open for scheduled events only.
McMeeken Centre – Closed
Outdoor Ice Rinks
Open weather permitting. Please refer to on site signage.
- More -
The Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie
P.O. Box 580 ~ 99 Foster Drive ~ Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 5N1
Telephone: (705) 759-2500 ~ Fax: (705) 759-2310
www.cityssm.on.ca
Refuse and Recycling
No collection Monday, February 20. Collection for the balance of the week will be one
day late. Refuse and recyclables must be placed curbside by 7:30 a.m. to ensure
pickup.
The landfill site will be closed Monday, February 20; however, it will be open Tuesday to
Friday, February 21-24 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, February 25 from 7:30 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m.
Transit Service
Regular transit will operate on a Sunday schedule (hourly service) on Monday, February
20. There will be no Community Bus service on Monday, February 20.
Parabus service will operate on Monday, February 20. Parabus bookings for February
18–21 must be made by noon on Friday, February 17.
For transit information call (705) 759-5438.
This information is also available on our website at www.cityssm.on.ca

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

A new study revealed that first-time parents spend an average of $2,835 in preparation for their newborn. Meanwhile a wealthy six percent fork out nearly $15,800, from decorating the nursery to freezing stem cells in the hope of medical breakthroughs.
…and they’re not even here yet!

Have a great weekend,
Lou-Anne

A McDonald’s radio ad for Chicken McBites has come back to bite them in the derriere. The ad said eating a Chicken McBite was less risky than petting a stray pit bull, shaving your head, naming your son Sue or giving friends your Facebook password. Barbers were fine with it. Expectant parents were fine with it. And Facebook execs never uttered a word in protest. But owners of pit bulls were raging mad. The ad, which has been yanked off the air, only ran for a few days in the Kansas City area. But the heat from pit bull supporters was so intense that McDonald’s issued an apology and vowed never to run the ad again.
What!? Nothing from the chickens?!

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

Chewing gum can improve your mood and help you focus, say Japanese researchers. People who popped a piece of gum twice a day for 2 weeks lowered their scores on tests of depression and mental fatigue by as much as 47% while those who sucked on a mint instead saw almost no change. The act of chewing may keep you happy and alert by increasing blood flow to your brain and reducing your levels of stress hormones, says the study author. Note: You need to keep chewing for at least 5 minutes to experience any benefits. (Men’s Health)
I told my grade 3 teacher that chewing gum in class was ok!

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

As a general rule, kidnap victims don’t have too many kind words for their abductors. But that’s only because they’ve never been kidnapped by Bedouin tribesman in Egypt. Two California women got to experience that little slice of life last Friday and were held for several hours by armed men, while they were on a minivan tour of Sinai. But what started out as a scary experience actually ended up being rather pleasant. First, the abductors allowed the Egyptian tour guide to come with them and while they had visible guns, they never pointed them at the hostages. They then joked to the women that they were just continuing their tour of the area. One of the captors also put his cigarette out when the woman claimed the smoke was bothering her. When the car stopped, they made a fire and offered them coffee. When one of the hostages said she didn’t drink coffee, they offered tea instead along with pita bread, nuts and dried fruit. They were finally released unharmed and with all their belongings intact. (shortlist.com)

See ya in the morning,
Lou-Anne

You’re not getting older, you’re getting happier. That’s the result of a recent study that shows life is rosier after age 50. Researchers say those in their mid-to-late 50s experience fewer worries and less stress than those whippersnappers in their 20s. During their survey, scientists headed by Arthur Stone, a psychologist at New York’s Stony Brook University, learned that stress and anger slowly decreased from young adulthood through old age. But worry remained at a constant level until it briefly increased in the 40s, then declined at age 50.

Ooooh .. that’s why I’m not always happy .. harumph!
See ya Monday morning,
Lou-Anne