Downtown Newark, Ohio Final Friday

All the merchants are getting ready for August's Final Friday Celebration tonight from 4:00 to 8:00. Also, don't forget to stop at Farmers Market on South 3rd Street.

Single shoe sighting......................

This photo was sent to me by Jim Weisent during his travels on Monday evening near North 21st St. & Price Road. Having a hard time telling, but if the cup lid to the left is a a jumbo lid, this should be about a lady's size 6.

Ohio University knocked out of top spot.............

Click here to read the complete article at TIME.com

Latest buzz question I receive about fire hydrants...............

Fire Hydrant Painting Project

The City of Newark Water Dept. has started painting the tops of fire hydrants various colors to show firefighters the flow rate of the hydrant. Blue tops designate the greatest flow rate, followed by green, orange and red with the lowest rate. The department has tested the flow on about 1,500 of its 2,000 hydrants and plans to complete the painting of all hydrants by the fall.

9 things to motivate your employees.....................

From Time.com

1. Be generous with praise. Everyone wants it and it’s one of the easiest things to give. Plus, praise from the CEO goes a lot farther than you might think. Praise every improvement that you see your team members make. Once you’re comfortable delivering praise one-on-one to an employee, try praising them in front of others.

2. Get rid of the managers. Projects without project managers? That doesn’t seem right! Try it. Removing the project lead or supervisor and empowering your staff to work together as a team rather then everyone reporting to one individual can do wonders. Think about it. What’s worse than letting your supervisor down? Letting your team down! Allowing people to work together as a team, on an equal level with their co-workers, will often produce better projects faster. People will come in early, stay late, and devote more of their energy to solving problems.

3. Make your ideas theirs. People hate being told what to do. Instead of telling people what you want done; ask them in a way that will make them feel like they came up with the idea. “I’d like you to do it this way” turns into “Do you think it’s a good idea if we do it this way?”

4. Never criticize or correct. No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear that they did something wrong. If you’re looking for a de-motivator, this is it. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “Was that the best way to approach the problem? Why not? Have any ideas on what you could have done differently?” Then you’re having a conversation and talking through solutions, not pointing a finger.

5. Make everyone a leader. Highlight your top performers’ strengths and let them know that because of their excellence, you want them to be the example for others. You’ll set the bar high and they’ll be motivated to live up to their reputation as a leader.

6. Take an employee to lunch once a week. Surprise them. Don’t make an announcement that you’re establishing a new policy. Literally walk up to one of your employees, and invite them to lunch with you. It’s an easy way to remind them that you notice and appreciate their work.

7. Give recognition and small rewards. These two things come in many forms: Give a shout out to someone in a company meeting for what she has accomplished. Run contests or internal games and keep track of the results on a whiteboard that everyone can see. Tangible awards that don’t break the bank can work too. Try things like dinner, trophies, spa services, and plaques.

8. Throw company parties. Doing things as a group can go a long way. Have a company picnic. Organize birthday parties. Hold a happy hour. Don’t just wait until the holidays to do a company activity; organize events throughout the year to remind your staff that you’re all in it together.

9. Share the rewards—and the pain. When your company does well, celebrate. This is the best time to let everyone know that you’re thankful for their hard work. Go out of your way to show how far you will go when people help your company succeed. If there are disappointments, share those too. If you expect high performance, your team deserves to know where the company stands. Be honest and transparent.



Licking County Ohio's Newark-Heath Airport

Finally, lady's apparel with me in mind....

Don't trip over a dollar to pick up a nickle...........

"Good" things may cost a little more, but will last you longer. This does not just pertain to household furnishings, clothing, automobiles etc.

This thought also pertains to banks, attorneys, mechanics, insurance and of course real estate agents.

From the New York Times:
When we start treating everything around us as disposable, it’s hard to not think of money as disposable, too. And it’s this line of thinking that gets us into trouble.


Don’t be the person who ends up with a storage unit full of stuff you didn’t really want in the first place and an empty bank account. Do be the person who buys good things and then hangs on to them. Both you and your bank account will be happier.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE.

A must read & make you smile blog post.............

Nothing is withheld from us which we have conceived to do.

Do things that have never been done.

Click here to read the most interesting blog post

you will read this week.

Thank you to Cultural Offering, Execupundit, & Blog of Impossible Things

All Star Performance...................

Last night during a dinner out with friends an oyster shooter clog one of WPDGNEWARK's avid reader's airway, as they stood up another person sitting at our table recognized the sign of what was happening. Quickly jumping from their seat the Heimlich Maneuver was performed, the air way unclogged and dinner and fun was had by all during the next three hours.


CLICK HERE TO STUDY THE GUIDELINES OF PERFORMING THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER.

Tips: Taking photos with any device.............

First known picture of Michael Phelps.....

Photo passed on to me by B. Cost, Jr.

The great sock debate................

From Men's Heatlh:

There’s a liberation movement happening down south, and it involves your feet.

Guys are doing one of two things to free themselves from boring black socks. They’re wearing bright, colorful socks that break all the rules you’ve heard (“socks always match trousers, blah blah blah . . . ”), or they’re skipping them entirely. A suit and dress shoes sans socks? Why not? Jeans with orange and red striped socks? Right on trend.
Whether you’re over socks or just need some guidance, it’s high time to get the rules down.

Ditch the socks if you’re . . .
. . . wearing well-tailored pants. The of-the-moment, warm-weather look pairs a slightly short pant leg with scene-stealing shoes. Two things you don’t need? Socks. Choose pants (without a break) that hover around the ankle, cut short enough to show off the wingtips, bucks, or whatever kicks you’re rocking. Or, for a more casual take, roll up your jeans a few times so they skim the tops of the shoes. Stick with low-to-the-ground sneakers (like any of these) as opposed to cushioned running shoes.
. . . wearing sandals. This should go without saying, but we’re saying it anyway.
. . . at the beach. Sitting down to take off your shoes and socks makes a dip in the ocean way less spontaneous. The casual beach environment calls for flip-flops or boat shoes, neither of which requires socks. As a general rule of thumb: go sockless in the warm months.

Tip: If you’re concerned about foot stench—and you should be—arm yourself with foot powder (we like Gold Bond Foot Powder).

Keep the socks if you’re . . .
. . . not ready to go bare. If it’s too extreme for you, there are other options out there. You can still amp up your below-the-calf style with colorful, patterned socks. They offer a peek of personality when you cross your legs and easily add style to a basic black suit. Check out Richer Poorer, Happy Socks, and Paul Smith, and ease your way into the bolder patterns by starting off with horizontal stripes.
. . . exercising. Blisters speak for themselves.
. . . sticking with a low cut pair. Get the cushion and stink-saving benefits of socks with the stylish, sockless look by wearing a pair of low profile athletic socks (like no-show socks from Hanes) or loafer socks (like these from Banana Republic) Make sure they’re low enough to go unnoticed, ideally in a similar color to the shoe to blend in.

NOTE: If anyone ever comments that you are not wearing socks, always respond that you are "wearing matching boxers also".

Back to being Amish...........

Electric is out at home and office, car is in the shop for the fifth day. Anything like the last storm, we will have power back by August 17th!

What Norma Jeane would have looked like today......

Thank you www.dailymail.co.uk

Click here to check out an older Bruce Lee.

NASA against Mars, .722 batting average.........

Starting today check out NASA web site for updates during this two year long game.

Click here for NASA.gov and watch NASA television.

Gambling on gasoline..........

Since the price of gasoline has risen significantly during the past couple of days, I have decided to start a commodity use game. Instead of filling the tank 100% as I always do, I am now calculating the amount of gas I will need for a three day period.

I will be keeping track of the price per gallon paid during August so at the end of the month I can figure my average per gallon price paid. There is nothing worst than driving with $3.89 per gallon gas when the new price has dropped twenty cents.