Shawshank Redemption Hollywood Tour

The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.

Do you know where the movie was filmed?
Mansfiled, Ohio! Yeah, at the historic prison Ohio State Reformatory.

The Reformatory was built between 1886 and 1910. The  facility remained in full operation until December 1990. In 1995, the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed, and they bought the Ohio State reformatory for $1. The OSR is now open for tourism with three Shawshank Trail tours available:

1. The Shawshank Hollywood Tour
2. The Reformatory East Cell Block Tour
3. The Reformatory West Tower Tour

The oak tree under which Andy buries his letter to Red is located at 40°39′14″N 82°23′31″W / 40.65400°N 82.39195°W / 40.65400; -82.39195 (Shawshank tree), near Malabar Farm State Park, in Lucas, Ohio.   The tree was heavily damaged by straight-line winds in a thunderstorm on July 29, 2011. The broken trunk is now laying on the ground of The Ohio State Reformatory next to a pond.

Other movies filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory:

• Harry and Walter Go to New York (1975)
• Tango & Cash (1989)
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
• Air Force One (1997)
• Godsmack "Awake" music video (2000)

We visited the Reformatory yesterday after we were done fishing in the nearby Mohican State Park. The Reformatory is open Monday - Saturday from 11am o 4pm and Sunday from 1 to 4 pm.

How to Find Federal and State Employee Salaries Online?

How much do you earn in a year, in a month, in a week?

Salary is something very private in the United States you better not ask your friends in your community or your colleagues in your companies. However, salaries of federal and state employees including people working  for higher education colleges and local schools are matter of public records. If you want to know and know how to search online, it is all one-click away at your fingertips.

Want to know how much your fellows earn working for Uncle Sam? Want to know how much your scientist and professor friends earn? Here is Data Universe providing a database of federal government employee salaries, searchabe by name, agency, job title, or location. IIf you are an Ohioian resident looking for a job or thinking of changing your position, you are probably more interested in searching for Ohioians' salaries, BuckeyInstitute.org is the online searchable database for federal, state and local employee salaries, higher education salaries, and your child's teachers' salaries.

Whitney Houston Died Today Feb. 11, 2012 - Sad!

How sad and shocked when I search Reddit and found that Whitney Houston died today at the age of 48. When Whitney Houston was one of the world's best pop singer at her peak from the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, I remember loving her powerful voice along with Barbra Streisand's.

So sad her majestic voice and regal image were tarnished by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage. "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

Here is "Saving All My Love for You", which brought Whitney Houston her first Grammy for best female pop vocal.

Deeply sad!

Black Friday 2011

Black Friday 2011 is approaching to its end by the time I write this post. This year Kohl's is on top of our shopping list, then JC Penny Outlet Store, then Walmart.

Just Dance 3 Wii video game is the one on top of the kids' list, and they had it today. It was amazing to watch them dance together and perfect their dancing skills. Very good way to sweat and stretch! I tried once on the Mermaid with Nosaj, and he has been the best in the house. Already a four-star dancer!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving in Year 2011!

Today, November 24,  is the fourth Thursday of November, 2011, the official day of Thanksgiving Day.

I am thankful for having food to eat and a house to live. I am thankful for having two kids to keep me alive with hope to see them grow up and be independent with their own lives.

This Thanksgiving holiday I decide to shop less and eat less. I would walk routinly and stay fit for the rest of Year 2011.

Shop only what you need, not what you want. This is the way to go green with Earth's limited resources.

HikeOhio!

HikeOhio! - get off the couch and outta the house...

HikeOhio is a Meetup group for walking and hiking in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Founded on August 25, 2008, it currently has 1,361 members.

This group is for anyone who likes to hike and walk on nature trails, backpacking trails and just about anywhere in the great outdoors. All those who are dedicated to hiking excursions in Ohio, with a focus on leaving no trace of litter on our lands can join us! We will get together for evening hikes on metro parks trails, gather for day hikes in the Ohio State park and forest system and maybe even do overnight trips if anyone is interested. Lace up your hikers and hit the trail with us!

Proudly joined on November 21, 2011.

If interested, here is HikeOhio's calendar for the upcoming events.

King of Prussia Mall - The Largest Shopping Mall in the U.S.

King of Prussia is a booming town with the largest shopping mall in the United States. It is located in the northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The King of Prussia Mall has two sections, one is Plaza at King of Prussia, the other is Court at King of Prussia, which includes the Pavilion at King of Prussia.

The King of Prussia Mall was first developed and opened by the Kravco Company in 1963. It now has over 400 stores and 2,793,200 square feet (251,388 m²) total retail floor area. Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, H&M, Nordstrom, etc are some of the high-end stores; Sears, JC Penny are the examples of the medium to lower-end stores. Several retailers rent more than one space, such as three Macy's, two Coach stores, two Victoria's Secrets, three Auntie Anne's (Aha, my favorite!)

The King of Prussia Mall is a prominent tourist destination in the Philadelphia area, with an estimated 20-25% of visitors as tourists. Ask for details of mall tourist packages if you plan to visit Philadelphia. The mall tourist package typically include mall gift cards.