Culture Feast has several opinion articles written about this year’s highly-anticipated election year. We’ve seen articles that bash McCain and we’ve seen articles that bash Obama. To me, it seems there are definitely more anti-Obama articles on the internet, but then again I’ll freely admit I have bias. Supporting my opinion is the fact that Barack Obama’s camp had to literally create a website to dispel all the rumors and misinformation that has been plaguing him since he stepped into the political race.

With that said, I feel compelled to write on behalf of the Senator who is officially nominated for the Democratic party for the President of the United States. I was speaking with a few family members, all die-hard conservatives, about Barack Obama. It became so clear to me that this election seems different than any other election I’ve witnessed in my 31 years of age. Every election has had heated debates and has been filled with attacks, mostly all of them biased and inaccurate. But I think I can fairly debate that Obama seems to have more inaccurate and “urban legend-like” emails about him, his family and his performance than any other candidate that has run for President.

We’ve all thought of it before, I’m sure. Barack is the first African-American Presidential candidate. His name alone is “different” than the typical American name of Joe, Ted, George or Bill. The fact that his father isn’t American and is a believer of Islam also is unique to Obama than any other candidate in history. All of these point, in my opinion, create a huge opportunity for misinformation, fear, inaccuracies and down right prejudice.

So, with that said, you should know by now that Barack Obama will speak tomorrow night (Thursday, August 28th) at Denver’s Democratic National Convention. Reports say he will outline his agenda on all the major issues and this will be the time where Obama has the country’s stage to describe himself and to explain his beliefs and values.

For all of us who are intelligent, loving and believe in the United States, shouldn’t we all agree to give Obama the chance to explain himself on Thursday? Is it truly responsible of all of us to have our minds made up before he has the podium? I think not.

Come Friday morning, you still feel the same about Obama (against) then I will salute you, my friend. You have a right to your opinion and your beliefs. We all do. But we also have the responsibility to be educated on each candidate’s stances. We must hold their votes and their OWN WORDS as their creed and nothing else, particularly an email or a website that inaccurately describes the candidate.

God Bless America and God Bless these two candidates. May the RIGHT man win.

I’m not writing to convince you that video and other social media has taken hold of the web. You’d basically be living under a rock if you disagreed. So with that said, on to my point. I want a new HD video recorder but I don’t want to pay HD prices.

For those of you who follow my online life, you know I film the Moxie Mo Show and I love embedding video that I record onto my blog as well as other sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. I got a Flip Ultra Video Recorder for Christmas this past year and it has literally transformed my once “text only” life into a social media conundrum. What should I use to produce the best content? Can my SD videos keep an audience glued when everyone and their dog has HD? And is HD video really better than SD video? Well, I’m no expert, but I definitely agree that HD is absolutely purer and easier to watch and is just so fun to have.

So that leaves me with no answer to my puzzling question. How can I be in the “big leagues” when I don’t have the “big league” income or power that Robert Scoble or Cali Lewis or even iJustine have? And yes, I already know that just having HD will not put you into the big leagues. I realize it’s the content and what you have to say to the world that matters. But HD has got to help that a bit, no? Thus, I write you, CultureFeast readers, and ask, “is there an affordable HD Video Recorder that has worked wonders for you?”

Without getting all technical, all I really want to use it for is to record my podcast as well as my typical life events: birthdays, parties, my dog Deco and well… me! I could care less if it’s the highest resolution and has all the neatest and latest tricks. I just want one that is easy to hold, easy to shoot and easy to transfer to my Macbook where I then can work my editing magic.

So, do any of you have a suggestion? I do not want to spend more than $500 tops. I just read in one of my RSS Feeds that some major manufacturer will be releasing a new HD Video Recorder for $400 but for the life of me I can’t remember which company is making this little gem. Leave me a comment in the notes if you have any suggestions, advice or anything I should stay away from!

Now, it’s no secret to my family that I’m the technical one. I love the internet, social networking, gadgets and thanks to December 31st, 2007, I’m a true Apple Addict since purchasing my first Macbook. I brought all of my tech-goodness on this trip. After all, I own a blog, I produce the Moxie Mo Show and I must be connected to all my friends across the globe via Twitter and Plurk. So yes, I was prepared to have a wonderful, relaxing vacation all the while being totally connected to my technological “geekness” and internet addictions.

So why didn’t I think to check if the condo “next to the beach” which we rented was internet connected? Why? If I only I would have thought this out, I could have even bought a USB powered wifi card through my own cellular carrier, plugged it into my Mac and voila, I’m connected! But no, I went to Florida thinking “it’s 2008, all places have wifi or an internet connection.”

Drum roll please… my iPhone came to me as if to say “Jeff, no worries, friend. I may be a year old and I’m not 3G, but I sure know how to connect you to the world.” And hence, the next 7 days weren’t completely lost. My iPhone connected me with a beautiful browsing experience as well as allowed me to tweet my heart out with items of “got stung by a jellyfish and had a shark swim right past me, no joke” as well as “on the beach, friends! Where are you?”

The main reason my iPhone saved me was because of iPhone 2.0 firmware. We already know all about it, I realize. But God Bless Apple with the App Store. It truly has changed the way people connect, socialize and gain their “geekness” in this world. The 12 hour drive back to Dallas was brutal, but no worry, I had Super Monkeyball to play and I could tweet with Twinkle. I was able to google the term “sand fleas” and know that I sure don’t want those when I’m frolicking in the sand. And last, but definitely not least, I was able to email and tweet pictures of pure heavenly bliss to share with all my friends who had to suffer being at their jobs in the 104 degree heat. Long live the iPhone!

This year has been a crazy and busy year. I just started a new job, I’m busy with my blog, my podcast and writing on Culture Feast, and I’m ready to just sit on the beach and stare at the ocean. What is it about life that gets us so stressed out that sometimes we get even stressed about taking a vacation?

I have 5 days to pack and get ready for the long two day drive to Destin. I know I’m going to have fun and I hope I can relax a lot. But I’m stressed out! I still have to work (my 2nd week at my new job) this upcoming week and I still have several projects due with my blog writing. I’m also a bit stressed that I have and take enough money to enjoy me 7 days in paradise.

This post isn’t to brag or to make anyone envious. On the contrary, I want to know if there are other people out there who stress out about vacation? Shouldn’t going on a vacation make you feel peaceful and relaxed? And nine times out of ten, do you ever feel like you need a vacation after your vacation? I sure do.

According to recent research, 43% of Americans suffer from major stress in their daily lives. Three out of five doctors visits are stress related. Finally, stress is linked to five deadly “diseases” that plague our society today: cancer, heart disease, lung ailments, liver damage and suicide.

I read these statistics and it hit me hard. It’s not necessarily my eating that I need to watch or the chemicals I consume on a daily basis. Yes, both of these are very important in maintaining your health. However, I never really think how stress really harms my body. So, I decided to write this to get you thinking. What are you doing to reduce stress in your life? Maybe, just maybe, you need a little vacation.

The biggest news in the last few days has been the new iPhone 2.0 firmware that was pushed out for all iPhone users. In essence, this firmware update was for the 3G so that it would work properly and add more benefits. Thankfully, Apple was smart in that they decided everyone should have these benefits, not just the new iPhone folks. With that said, this new firmware has basically changed the “1.0 iPhone” to a new masterpiece thanks to the addition of 3rd party apps from “The App Store.”

So lets say, though, you’re really wanting a faster speed so that’s why you’re considering the new iPhone. According to reputable sources, the 3G is twice as fast than the old iPhone when browsing via cellular and almost as fast as being connected to Wi-Fi. That, in itself, could be a reason to purchase a new phone. But did you also realize that AT&T’s 3G coverage isn’t the best? Check out this map of AT&T’s 3G network. Sadly you’ll see there’s not much blue which may make “smaller city” folks blue that they bought it. The second benefit for getting the new iPhone is a way more advanced GPS that literally “blips” on the map as you walk down the street. That may be cool, but is it worth $199 cool? That I still don’t know.

Other than that, there’s really no difference between the “1.0 iPhone” and the 3G iPhone. We both have the new firmware so in essence, one is faster than the other, when you’re browsing the internet away from home or work. In my opinion, the real saving grace for the argument to get a new 3G (considering you have the “old” one) is as long as you’re eligible for an upgrade, the price of $199 really isn’t too bad. There’s no way I’d be thinking about this if the iPhone was originally priced back in 2007.

So, lets hear from you. Those of you, like me, who are still on the fence about getting the 3G, list your reasons why you’re waiting. Those of you who’ve already taken the plunge, tell me why I shouldn’t be on the fence.

I’ve never been a gamer. That being said, I can say that EA’s Spore Creature Creator was a marketing campaign success. Why? Take people like me, for example. I like to blog, surf the net and get my social networking on. I don’t play games, but I couldn’t help but be interested after hearing several friends on Twitter talk about their newly created Spore. EA even held contests with “web celebs” such as iJustine, Phil DeFranco and Veronica Belmont to see whose Spore Creature Creator was the best creation.  It generated tons of buzz.

So I found myself quickly downloading the free trial and within an hour, there I was, the proud dad of a Spore.  The free download allows you to create your own Spore but it has very limited options.  You can video your Spore walking around, howling, growling and even dancing.  You can then take that video and upload it to YouTube and share it with your friends. The full software, once it’s released, will allow users to create creatures and watch them evolve, develop and play with other creatures from multi-users.

EA got it right, in my opinion. They created a successful buzz about Spore, which will fully be released September 7th, 2008. So, my readers, did you create your Spore? If so, tell us about it!

Dallas, from the four years I’ve lived here, has always had hot summers. Most everyone knows that. But doesn’t it seem to be getting hotter as each summer roasts by? I recall moving here in August 2004 and instead of frying and praying I wouldn’t get a heat stroke, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the temperature gauge read 81 degrees! It was 4:00pm when I read the temperature. It was truly an amazing, beautiful and not-hot day! Now, I realize, that was an anomaly.

I guess why I feel this hot topic needs to be addressed is because as you’ve read on Culture Feast  before, we have people complaining about high energy costs as well as protecting our environment by conserving energy. But isn’t it really difficult to be green when the temperature is so highly in the red?

As a pro-greener, I decided I’d do some research from the National Weather Service’s website here in DFW. I calculated the high temperature for today (June 28th) for the last 10 years as well as the last 20, 30, and even 60 years. I was expecting a dramatic increase in temperature and, finally, I would be able to PROVE global warming once and for all.

Interestingly, I was surprised with my findings. True, the highest temp for June 28th has occurred today (in regards to my own experiment, with a high of 99F), but it definitely didn’t sound any warnings. The year of 2005 had a high of 98 degrees. One thing worth noting, though small, is the rest of the 2000s had low 90s for June 28th’s high temperature. Maybe we are warming up, degree by degree, as the years pass? If you’d like to see the temperature experiment, click here.

Regardless of global warming, unusual weather trends or the fact that it’s summer in Dallas, one thing we can all agree on is that it is hot outside. What do you do to relieve the heat? Leave your favorite “beat the heat” tips in the comments below!

Flipping Out is a documentary about the professional and personal life of Jeff Lewis.  Jeff is a neurotic, obsessive compulsive, anal-retentive, yet very successful house remodeler/re-builder.  Jeff and his team buy low end houses in Los Angeles and then tear them down to their original foundation and frames and then rebuild them into absolute masterpieces.  He's known through out the country as one of the most successful rebuilders in the world.  His talent, in my opinion, is bar none but that's not why Bravo has a hit series.  Jeff's personality couldn't be matched by any other famous celebrity even if they tried.  He's one in a million.  He treats his "team" like children and he loves making his assistant take his pets to the dog psychic every week.  If one assistant messes up his food order, then all hell breaks lose.  All the while if a flood were to come down the street and the flood destroys his new model house, he would remain calm.  It's that kinda of "you don't know what you're getting" personality disorder that makes this show so brilliant and so original. 

According to Bravo, "the second season of Bravo's hit series "Flipping Out" returns with everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive house-flipper, Jeff Lewis. It takes a special kind of personality to handle flipping six multimillion-dollar houses at one time, but Lewis, one of Los Angeles' most colorful creative renovators and real estate speculators, pulls it off and turns a six-figure profit on every property every time."   

Season 2 is sure to add many more fights between Jeff and his buyers and between Jeff and his team.  These fights generally begin over someone not adding 25% lemonade in Jeff's drink (his lunch drink must consist of 25% lemonade, 25% Sprite, 50%water) or someone will get an ear full.  On the other hand, you will also see how Jeff is so phenomenal at what he does.  Watching the challenges of having to turn 6 houses (and all the teams those houses involve) in a matter of weeks or months can be extremely daunting.  And trust me, it's more fun watching it on your couch than being in Lewis' shoes.  The man is pure genius and with that comes the territory of heated arguments, funny laughs, and eye opening accomplishments that Jeff and his team perform.  He's got a show for one reason.  He's an expert at what he does. 

So take it from me, please.  Watch this show at least TWO times and I promise that you will be flipping out just like me!

According to Showtime, Weeds is an American "dark comedy" television series. The plot revolves around a widowed housewife from an affluent California suburb who becomes an upper-middle-class marijuana dealer to make ends meet.  She has two children and comes across as your every day "Mrs. Suburbia".  The catch is obviously she's a drug dealer by profession.  So why would this show interest you?  Well besides it winning its fair share of awards, Weeds debuted as the most watched series on Showtime that a first season series ever had.  You also can't beat the star of the show, Mary-Louise Parker and her insanely hysterical friend, Celia, who is played by Elizabeth Perkins.  Kevin Nealon, from SNL fame, also stars as Nancy's (Mary-Louise Parker) creepy, pot smoking CPA. 

The reason this series is so appealing to me is because it describes reality in an unrealistic manner.  Hear me out!  You have a suburban family in California who lives in a typical, cookie-cutter house and whose Mom is a part of the PTA.  The town knows everyone's business and gossips as if there were no tomorrow about it's residents all the while going to church every Sunday.  But the truth of the matter is that everyone has a private life and most of us have a dark side.  Mary-Louise's character just happens to sell pot for a living.  The justification of why she sells drugs so that she can support her family (her husband dies before the first premiere) is what appeals to me most.  Sometimes we have to do things we're not proud of in order for the bigger, better things that need to be accomplished.

If you're looking for an intelligent show with scents of humor and cannabis mixed in, then Weeds is definitely your series. This show doesn't glorify drugs.  On the contrary, it shows that doing anything you have to, in order to support your two widowed kids, can be a daunting task.  However, if it's done right, then things can work out.  So I as I finish up this article, I'm downloading Season 2 to my Apple TV.  I'll keep you posted!

As you know with my earlier iPhone post, I'm very excited about the upcoming announcement regarding the new iPhone.  However, I would be ignorant to think that iPhone's next-generation 3G phone is going to be the only one on the market.  Blackberry Bold has consistently kept it's users happy by continually upgrading it's 9000 series so that it can be a strong contender with Apple.  I thought it may be interesting to compare the two and then let you, the reader, make a decision on which one is going to take the market.

In order to do this, we must all agree that no one knows for sure what exactly iPhone 2.0 will be.  Rumors are continually swirling that it will be 3G and have an integrated GPS inside.  Others say that it will be a bit slimmer and offer more functionality than its predecessor.  For more information on next week's upcoming announcements by Apple, click here.  So, just for argument's sake, lets agree that the new iPhone will have 3G and GPS.  How does the Blackberry Bold stand up to it?

Apple and Blackberry have both announced their new models will have GPS inserted into the handheld which will be an amazing and wonderful piece of functionality.  They both will have a strong integration with Active Exchange so that businesses can and will begin to take them seriously from an enterprise standpoint.  I think it's fair to say that Blackberry has consistently met this challenge and is still one of the most popular phones used in business today.  However, the new iPhone is rumored to have better synchronization for Microsoft's Exchange which may mean iPhone begins pulling its weight in the enterprise world and will begin being taken seriously.

The iPhone dominated its competition in regards to music, video, photos and other "multimedia" which is why it became one of the most successful phones ever in history.  The iPhone's web browser is one that can't be beat with it's awesome HTML capabilities, fast bandwidth (when on Wifi), and an ever-so-easy browser (Safari).  Blackberry realized their mistake in a "not-so-fancy" HTML browser and has thus completely changed their capabilities with the Blackberry Bold 9000 series.  It has an awesome web browser, rich multimedia and a powerful 2 megapixel camera.  Blackberry has successfully reached the bar that Apple set with the iPhone.  But is it a little too late?

The iPhone's major setback is that it currently only works on AT&T (unless your illegally jailbreak it) which will obviously keep some away.  The Blackberry can be used on most all the major cellular networks.  The Blackberry Bold also has "real keys" while the iPhone has an industry-changing user interface with 3.5 inch multi-touch display.  Apple got it right with this multi-touch display as no other phone had this technology until the iPhone came out.  Both the Blackberry Bold and the new iPhone will have 3G which will transform the way users do business and personal browsing/uploading/downloading and multimedia.

Now, in my opinion (which keep in mind, I'm a consumer, not an expert), who will win?  Personally, I will have to give the winning call to Apple.  The Blackberry Bold is a serious contender but it still lacks things that the iPhone delivers.  The iPhone is synonymous with multimedia.  It's an iPod (and I still haven't seen any other phone competitor do the iPod justice), it's a desktop web browser and it's also a powerful mini computer.  It works fantastically with the Apple TV and other Apple products.  The 3rd party applications that Apple will soon be releasing via it's App Store is also a sure way to beat its competition.  We're holding our breath in anticipation to see what the iPhone can do next once these applications get released.  It truly will change the iPhone for the better.

So what are your thoughts?  Do you think the new iPhone will stamp out its competition?  Do you think Blackberry's Bold will beat iPhone?  Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

One of the biggest misconceptions in finding a job is the resume.  We've been taught that the resume can only be one page.  We've been taught that a resume should detail every thing you've ever done in your professional life.  We may have also been taught that adding personal statistics can liven up a resume.  I'm here to tell you, these are all false.  Resumes are no longer one-page identities of your professional life. 

Statistically speaking, people "job hop" more and more, especially in our younger generations.  However, with that said, it's never a good idea for a resume to be a book.  Your resume needs to be a concise, descriptive and quick reading.  It's true when you hear that recruiters only take a minute or two to look over a resume.  I'm proof of that.  You have to keep in mind that we get HUNDREDS of resumes a day.  Literally.  I don't have the time to look over one hundred resumes in full detail.  It's impossible, so keep it concise yet reflective of what you can do best.  And for the love of all that's holy, we don't need to know that you're divorced with three children who are all Boy Scouts.  Keep the personal statistics to yourself, in regards to a resume.

So now that we have that out of the way, here's my two cents.  Network, network, network.  The days of Monster and CareerBuilder being the only places that lists openings are over.  If you haven't created a profile on LinkedIn, you need to do that immediately.  Don't just create a profile, though.  You need to interact on LinkedIn (a social network for professionals) daily.  The more connections you have, the more opportunities you can find.  Also, do you attend any type of group meetings, clubs or organizations relative to your job profession? 

For example, if I'm recruiting for a designer for the ad agency I'm employed with, my best bet is to find him/her at a local designer organization/club/association.  Or I simply pick up the phone and call every designer I know and ask if they have anyone they would recommend.  Referrals are really the best way recruiters and companies obtain the best talent.  So network, network, network.

Here's the bottom line.  No one is safe in this economy.  Just because I'm a recruiter doesn't mean I don't risk getting laid off.  So keep your resume updated and keep interacting with social networks so you can meet people that you would never have the chance in real life to meet.  If you know of any openings, then let your friends and colleagues know.  Karma works in the job search too!

What are your thoughts?  Have you found any advice that works best for you in regards to finding a job?  Where do you network?  I would love to hear your comments below!

According to Engadget, the 3G iPhone will also be cheaper than the original iPhone's price when it first launched.  The new iPhone will also have proper GPS capability installed in the phone.  The new generation phone is also supposed to support advanced IM and MMS features.  Several sources have also confirmed that testing has already been complete and therefor the release of the next generation iPhone is imminent.

Now, my blogging friends, what do you think?  If Apple releases their next generation iPhone in June or July, are you interested in buying it?  If you don't have an iPhone currently, does this next generation release make you want one?  And if the price is supposedly cheaper than the 1st generation iPhone, does this make a difference in buying one?

For those of us who are in love with the iPhone already, we have more reasons for joy when the WWDC comes around.  New applications will be released, through iTunes, that will finally make our 1st generation iPhones even better than previously imagined. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts, Culture Feast readers!.  Will you be purchasing a next generation iPhone whenever it gets released?  Please take a few seconds to voice your opinion in the comments.

I came across this really cool yet different idea on several social networking sites that I participate in on a day to day basis.  Somethingstore.com is a fun, new website that operates quite simply: they send you something which is selected randomly from their inventory for $10.00 (free shipping) and you will find out what that special something is when you receive it in the mail. Their website says that this "something" could be a cool gadget or a table game.  It could be a set of kitchen knives or a magazine.  The fun of this idea is you don't know what you bought until it arrives packaged on your front door. Yes, it's $10.00 but the point isn't about cost.  It's about getting a group of people interested in a new idea, on the web, and then spreading the word in the ever-so-social Web 2.0 way.

Granted, the idea of purchasing something online isn't new and isn't necessarily "Web 2.0."  However, the creativity and the social networking piece to this (spreading the word via social mediums) is why this website and it's business model match the Web 2.0 standard.  You spend $10.00 on a random and unknown gift for yourself, you then blog about it and talk about it over social networking sites and then your friends do the same and start the process all over again.  It's brilliant and fun.

So, check it out.  Go buy something at the somethingstore.com.  You never know why you may get!  Once your gift arrives, make sure you let us know what you got in the comments below!

One of the reasons I find this social medium to be exciting is because of it's social networking power.  You don't necessarily have to have 4,000 friends to create influence on Twitter.  If you can grasp the concept of sending a text message on your cell phone, you can understand the functionality of Twitter.  Twitter only allows you to write 140 characters within each message (or tweet) you send out to the "twitosphere".  This not only makes those who enjoy brevity and simplicity happy, but it also gives each person the opportunity to follow and actually read a lot of people's "what are you doings".  There's no long blog post to read, no video to sit through and no gallery of pictures to sort.  There are just short and brief announcements from your followers/friends that can range from what you're currently doing to the world's latest breaking news event.

Just last week, Cali Lewis and Neal Campbell from Geekbrief.tv decided to host a birthday party for their intern, William.  Instead of organizing this birthday party with paper invites or even sending out an Evite as most would do, Neal and Cali decided to invite friends of theirs that are on Twitter.  What better way to announce this than on Twitter?  It literally became a Dallas Twitter party within a couple of hours.  This is what I find so appealing about this medium.  It's social!  It's live.  It's always updating on the lives of your friends. The birthday party was a success and we had a great time getting to know our Twitter friends in real life (attached are two pictures from the Dallas Twitter birthday party).

Another reason I particularly like Twitter can be summed up by a personal example.  Daniel Dessinger from Culture Feast sent out a tweet last week asking anyone who was interested in writing for his blog to message him back on Twitter.  I pounced upon this awesome opportunity.  Within minutes he had sent me another reply giving me the guidelines, details and instructions and thus I began writing for Culture Feast.  I can't think of another social networking site that gives you the opportunity to meet so many people in such a quick amount of time.  The ability to keep up with 100 people's lives and current situations is so much easier than it is on other social networking sites, in my opinion.

If you still aren't convinced, I would love to suggest you watch a quick film made by the geniuses at CommonCraft titled "Twitter in Plain English".  They give an excellent explanation of why you should start using Twitter.  If you're on twitter, please follow me @jeffmccord.

As a recruiter for an advertising agency here in Dallas, I get to bring my dog, Deco, to work with me every single day.  I adopted Deco from the Animal Rescue of Texas back in June 2007 when he was just 3 months old. One of the important factors for me in getting a dog was the fact my employer allowed me to bring him to work. The last thing I personally wanted to do was leave a 3 month old puppy in a crate by itself in my apartment. 

A lot of people ask me why my company allows me to bring Deco to work.  If you think about it, from a company's perspective, it allows an employee to be more productive and it keeps the employee in the office.  It's definitely to their advantage to add this option to a benefits package.  My employer created some basic guidelines for those of us who bring our dogs to work:

(1) All dogs must have current vaccination shots, rabies shots, etc.

(2) If you dog leaves your cube/office, the dog must be on a leash at all times.

(3) There is a fenced-in area outside where all dog owners take their dogs to use the restroom.  Doggie bags are at every entrance in our building.  All employees are responsible for keeping the environment clean.

I've been recruiting for over nine years. I can't think of a more unique way to sell my company to potential employees. Even our clients love seeing our four-legged friends roaming the halls or sitting in a conference room. 

Now before you think there is no way your company would allow this, consider these points.  Did you know some of the top Fortune 500 companies have adopted the "bring your dog to work" policy?  Google and Amazon allow their employees to bring their dogs to work.  There are at least 3 local employers here in Dallas that have given this benefit to their employees as well.  If you're interested in finding a company that has a "Bring Your Dog To Work" policy, check out www.simplyhired.com/a/special-searches/dog-friendly.

Finally, did you know Friday, June 20th is Take Your Dog To Work Day?  If you're serious about having your employer consider this policy, I would suggest getting a group of co-workers to approach your company's HR or leadership and discuss with them the added benefits and reasons why you should bring your best friend to work.  Start off small and ask your company to adopt June 20th as Take Your Dog To Work Day.