WalletHub Unemployment Report - Utah number 2

 With the U.S. gaining 678,000 jobs in February, exceeding the previous month’s 481,000 jobs, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the States Whose Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most, along with accompanying videos and audio files, to illustrate which areas of the country have had the best recovery so far.

In order to identify the states whose unemployment rates are bouncing back most, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on six key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (February 2022) to key dates in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A. 
 

Bounced Back Most	Bounced Back Least
1. Indiana	42. Delaware
2. Utah	43. Connecticut
3. Nebraska	44. Alaska
4. Kansas	45. Texas
5. Montana	46. Massachusetts
6. Oklahoma	47. Maryland
7. Minnesota	48. New Mexico
8. Alabama	49. Hawaii
9. New Hampshire	50. California
10. Arizona	51. District of Columbia

 To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-unemployment-rates/74907

Bridal Veil Falls - Provo Canyon 

JohnFisher Photo

St. George's Red Hills Desert Garden

Visiting St. George, Utah? 

 Photos and story by John Fisher

Take an hour to wander the paths of the Red Hills Desert Garden.

As I meandered trails bordered by red rock, I saw a cascade of colors I never would have believed were found in the desert - reds, browns, rust, greens, purples, yellow, white and more. I was surprised at the variety and number of plants, almost 5,000, all found in the desert. The plants are alive and vibrant, even while they use 70% less water than plants in a similar-sized botanical garden. I stepped on rocks to cross the streams and sat under the shade of Mesquite trees. (There are eight different kinds of Mesquite trees.)

 

Stop at number 1 on the map to see a fish viewing area. In the 1,150 foot long stream or fish viewing area you may see some of the rarest fish species on earth taken from the Virgin River in southern Utah - Virgin River Chub, Desert Sucker, Speckled Dace, Woundfin, Flannelmouth Sucker, and Virgin Spinedace.

At stop 2 you'll visit a slot canyon, that is constructed to feature some of southern Utah's natural landscapes. Purple, yellow and white flowers grow from the walls.

At stop 3 you will see prehistoric fossil tracks left in the rock made millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the river and lake banks, leaving feet and tail marks in the mud. The smallest of the dinosaurs, the Scutellosaurus, was only 20 inches tall and weighed 25 pounds.

Within the park are varieties of cactus, sage, and yucca plants and a spectacular desert flower garden.

 

Desert Lily or not?

Another location adjacent to the garden is the 62,000-acre outdoor Red Cliffs Desert Reserve which includes miles of hiking and cycling trails and over a hundred kinds of wildlife.

Also, nearby is a 52-acre pioneer park with hiking trails, slot canyons, picnic areas, fire pits, an amphitheater and some great views of the city and the St. George Temple - the first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built in the west.

The Red Hills Desert Garden is located at 375 E. Red Hills Parkway, St. George UT 84770.  Phone 435-673-3617.

Contrast of red rock, green plants, and dragonflies

Visitors to Red Hills Desert Garden

Over 1,150 feet of streams

 

 

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In today's news, from Turkey, a "missing" man joins the search party looking for himself.

 

Social media planning

 Social Media Plan

A well-built plan should include:

• A clear list of goals and objectives
• An audit of your existing social media presence
• Competitive analysis
• A basic social media content strategy outline
• Building a social media calendar
• Established methods for measurement and analysis

Image from Flickr Commons
 

Set Measurable Social Media Marketing Goals and Objectives

Some of you may have already determined your specific goals but others will need to brainstorm ideas. Talk them over with your colleagues and people who matter in your life. Your goal should reflect something that interests you. In fact, it should be something you are passionate about. Focus on one thing and o it well. It should allow you a means of making income, if only from having a successful social media presence. 

Here are some examples of goals from a brainstorming session for Fisher House Publishing:

Goal: Write travel stories, sell travel products, and host travel tours. 

Goal: Provide alternative short term lodging for people, highlighting the location and things to do and see nearby.

Goal: Promote emergency preparedness and provide information and products to support preparedness.

Goal: Use a group travel tour to promote weight loss and health among seniors by changing what and how they eat.

Goal: Develop and market online courses for small business owners. 

Goal: Write food articles and recipes and promote products.

Goal: Use Fisher House Publishing to create and publish online courses for corporate training.

Objectives should be written using the SMART formula.  SMART objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.

• Establish social media followers to over 1000 people by September.
  
• Drive conversions by offering free product to sign up followers.
  
• Use weekly email to build connections with potential customers.
• By this time next year establish an industry brand so that when business managers think "online course creation" they think "FisherHouse."
  

Sources:

Sailer, Ben.  (n.d.). How to create a social media plan that WORKS! https://www.postplanner.com/blog/how-to-create-a-social-media-plan/