How to make symbols with your keyboard

How to make symbols with your keyboard:

Doesn’t work with all programs but quite a few.     Click to enlarge
Thanks Jamie

Run, Forest, Run

Run, Forest, Run:

via

Office Thief Caught

Office Thief Caught:
Office employees at an animal shelter in Swinoujscie, Poland, were noticing small amounts of money and supplies missing over the past year. All staff members were under suspicion, but a hidden camera revealed the try culprit: a cat named Clement.

After 200 GBP had gone missing in a month, managers set up the secret camera and left banknotes on the desk to see who would be tempted

The film showed two-year-old Clement - one of the centre's rescue cats - sneaking into the office at midnight and making straight for the cash.

"When we watched the video we saw Clement jump up on the desk and pick up the money in her mouth," said Alina.

Following clues from the video, they looked under the sofa and found all the missing money. They suspect Clement left no clues behind because she always wears white gloves. Link -via Arbroath, where you can see a video report.

Dog Carries Cat Home

Dog Carries Cat Home:

SURVEY: The Pros & Cons of Your Next Hand Shake

SURVEY: The Pros & Cons of Your Next Hand Shake:
The Japanese bow, the Chinese nod, the Greeks will slap you on the back, and French and Italians kiss on both cheeks. The Greetings Around the World website has an extensive and interesting list of greetings in different cultures.
So why, with a world of greeting options available, is the "Western" hand-shake one of most widely accepted forms of greeting? Christy Lamagna, Chief Strategist, Strategic Meetings & Events says, “I get so much from a person when I shake their hand. Do they look me in the eye? Is it a firm hand-shake? Is it a crushing handshake? Too aggressive? Too soft? Hands trembling or cold?" Beth Cooper-Zobott of Equity Residential says, “I value a good strong handshake with good eye contact. I always note the way people shake hands - even when I'm just watching it on television.”
As many know, the hand-shake is an archaic gesture, the origins of which go way back in ancient times, when people needed to confirm they did not have a weapon in their hand.
Unbeknownst to the ancients, they DID have a weapon in their hands. Just as we do today.
When I was in Hong Kong a few years ago, I noticed people, such as taxi drivers, still wearing masks, and no one extended a hand to shake.  But while SARS  and the Bird Flu changed things in Asia, the hand-shake is still strong in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Why? I have seen people cough into their hands, then turn around and extend their right hand for a shake. People also handle dirty money, raw food with salmonella, animals and many other bacteria-laden objects. I see people shake hands, then turn around and eat finger food, transferring any bacteria directly into their mouths.
There are many articles on the Internet that suggest that many men and women do not wash their hands after using the rest room. (The CDC has a tutorial page on how to wash your hands). The hands have no natural antibacterial capabilities so they just pick up more and more bacteria every time they touch something.
The possibility of contagion is the major reason to forgo the handshake, but there are others. For instance, many people do not even know how to shake a hand properly. A limp, clammy hand is like shaking a wet fish:

Even worse are the people who think a firm grip means practically breaking the bones in one’s hand. I had to stop wearing a ring on my right hand because of painful grips.
Those who advocate hand-shaking often cite its universal appeal. But as we see from Greetings Around the World, that's hardly true. In fact, within the U.S. itself are many cultures with hand-shaking taboos.
Can there be a middle ground? I propose a fist bump. It is friendly, provides contact and makes people smile. When people extend their hand to me, I extend my fist. It is good for a laugh, if nothing else.
How do YOU feel about hand-shaking? Please take this quick (and anonymous) poll:

5 Tips From A Delta Reservation Agent

5 Tips From A Delta Reservation Agent:


What's the best site for finding airfares? How do I score free upgrades? Will anyone actually try to call my bluff when I claim a bogus bereavement fare? No one is better suited to answer these questions than an experienced flight reservation agent.

Earlier today, one such Delta agent offered herself up to a ton of these questions during an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit.

Here are some highlights we cherry-picked for you:

1. On the best site for looking for airfares:

"Bing.com/travel - the fare predictor is pure genius. Not even Delta agents have access to that information. A close second would be Skyscanner.

In general you want to book 6 weeks to 12 weeks in advance. Any earlier and the flights won't be on sale, any later and the others will have already snapped up all the low fares. Award tickets are another animal though...

I love that skyscanner lets you search with the airport code "USA". It brings up all the flights from the USA to a particular destination. Often it's cheaper to book one ticket to the coast and a separate flight internationally. Skyscanner makes planning that easy."

2. In response to a reader who suggests getting a cheaper flight by booking a flight where your actual destination is the layover stop and then just get off at the layover.

"That works only for one way tickets and if you aren't checking bags. On a roundtrip, skipping any flight in the itinerary causes all the remaining flights to cancel. So your return flight will cancel too. If you check a bag they'll check it all the way to your end destination any you won't be able to pick it up at your 'layover city.'"



3. On booking super far in advance:

"Unless you're booking business/first class, booking super far in advance is always a bad move. Airlines charge higher fares for those reservations. It's just like in the tech world where the early adopters pay more."

4. On unethical behavior that people use to score discounts/fee waivers:

"There are lots of unethical ones like booking child fares for adults to get 10-20% off or using bereavement/medical exemptions to get cheaper last minute fares or to get agents to waive change fees. Delta/AirFrance/KLM require a bit of info such as a hospital name, address, and phone number for a medical fare but they NEVER call to check up on it so I'm surprised more people don't just lie about it."

5. How to complain your way into free upgrades/miles/etc:

"[A]fter your flight you should call or email (preferably the later) and let them know about every single thing you didn't enjoy about your flight (food, movie selection, rude flight attendant, tray table didn't work, wifi didn't work etc). The airlines have a specific department to deal with complaints and they'll give you tens of thousands of miles, free business lounge passes, travel vouchers, drink tickets etc."



You can check out the whole session at Reddit.

How to Flake Out on Someone Gracefully [Social Gps]

How to Flake Out on Someone Gracefully [Social Gps]:

If you've ever made plans with someone only to realize you really don't feel like following through on them you know that it's incredibly difficult to flake out on those plans without being a jerk. Your best option is to not make those plans, but if you need to bow out, here's how to do it gracefully. More »