Tuesday's Tip: Stay Hydrated

It’s been a hot summer so far, and it can be easy to get dehydrated as you run from attraction to attraction. No, I don’t want to spend $3 for a bottle of water, but I also don’t want to have to cut my touring plan short due to the dizziness, sleepiness and headaches caused by the dreaded d.

But never fear: you can get free ice water from Disney counter service restaurants. It’s true! Just ask, and the cast member behind the counter will hand you a towering cup of ice water. Not only is it health friendly, it’s also positively budget friendly!

Today’s Tuesday tip was brought to you by Elisabeth McGuirk, a full-time mommy and part-time Disney enthusiast living near Johnson City, N.C. She works on MickeyFix.com, helping fellow Disney fans find all of the Disney stuff they didn’t know they needed. Find your Mickey Fix on twitter @mickeyfix. 

Monday's Memories: Bert

This memory isn't too old, but it's still a precious memory for me!  Last week while I was at Walt Disney World with my youth group, we were invited to have our own "meet and greet" with the characters prior to the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade at the Magic Kingdom.  We all "know" Bert from Mary Poppins and he lined it all up for us!  

We did as we were instructed: 

Meet at City Hall at 2:15.

Tell the front desk we were there.

Wait for "Bert's" manager to come get us and take us to the Car Barn.

Meet the characters!

Parade at 3:00.

We knew we were not going to have a lot of time with the characters.  Probably one big group photo with everyone- basically the "Face Characters" from the parade.  But we were STOKED!  The closer it got to 2:30... 2:40... 2:45, we worried.  Then it came.  "Bert" sent a text at 2:47 that said they all had to get on their floats and prepare for the parade.  I was sad, but understood.

Here are Bert and Mary on their float!

He sees our group and starts waving!

He's telling Mary some of our names and how he knows us!  Mary would respond with, "Oh, Hi Anna!  Hi Beth!"  It was pretty sweet!!

Bert waving "bye" to our group as the float pulls around the corner.

I hope that "Bert" will continue to work at WDW for as long as possible!  Maybe on our next trip we can try to get another "Meet and Greet" for our family!! :)

Magical Blogorail: How I Plan a WDW Vacation

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Green. Enjoy the ride as we share with you the ways we prepare for a trip to Disney.

There are many ways one can plan a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland.  In the past, I have planned trips based around Run Disney events, school schedules, convention schedules and free dining schedules.  But, in an ideal world, I would plan my trip based on lowest crowds, cheapest rates and cooler weather!

The first thing I always do is choose a date.  Like I mentioned above, sometimes the dates are chosen for me and other times I get the luxury of deciding for myself when we will travel.  In choosing my dates, I look at crowd patterns, weather predictions and school calendars.  I try to stay away from peak times (the actual holiday and when schools are out of session) and when the temperatures are high.  

Once our date is chosen, we start making a budget.  Where will we stay- Value, Moderate or Deluxe? Will we get the dining plan or try to eat meals out of our room to save money?  Will we add park hopper or get a standard ticket?  How many days will we visit the parks?  All of these questions will help us determine our budget.

When our budget is set, we make our room reservations and order tickets.  We always stay on property.  That's a no brainer for our family.  It's nice now knowing all the resorts have mini fridges and wi-fi!  Since we spend so little time in our room, we usually stay at Pop Century or one of the moderate resorts.

Then, I continue to check the Disney web site and other blogs to see when calendars, hours of operation and extra magic hours will be.  Once I know hours, I start planning which park we'll visit on each day.  

Then, I wait until 180 days before the trip when I can make our dining reservations based on which park I think we'll be at that day!  While I do have a plan, we don't always stick to it.  I try to leave some wiggle room for those unexpected events and activities at the parks and resort.  

At this point, we know our dates, budget, hotel, "itinerary" and dining plans.  The next thing to do is start using our Disney Rewards Visa to rack up more points to spend on our vacation!  I also will buy Disney Gift Cards at Walgreen's or another drug/ grocery stores when we have extra cash at the end of the month.  I pull out my travel box and see what needs to be replaced or purchased.  

About a month prior to the trip, we get our countdown calendar and start counting down the days!!  I start working on our packing list and if we are traveling in the winter months (when it's typically cooler in Alabama) I pull out the boys spring/ summer clothes to see what needs to be replaced or what has been outgrown from the previous year's wardrobe!  I also start buying Disney goodies for the boys so we won't spend so much on souvenirs at the parks and they'll have things to keep them occupied on the ride down.

A week out, I start packing suitcases, buying snacks, and working on my spreadsheet with all the important times (parades, hours, shows, etc), confirmation numbers, weather forcasts and crowd patterns.  I start gathering email and mailing addresses so we can send postcards and e-cards to friends and family.  

Throughout this whole process, I'm continuously reading Disney blogs, Disney Facebook groups, Twitter feeds and watching Disney Pinterest Pins for new ideas and things to do and try!  I don't think I'll ever do everything I want to do at Walt Disney World!

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Your Highway in the Sky.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard: 

1st Stop ~ A Disney Mom’s Thoughts

2nd Stop ~  ~ Your Highway in the Sky

3rd Stop ~ Disney Living 

Final Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic

Destination Disney: Pink

This week's color is PINK.  After going through so many pictures, I found a few of my favorite PINK shots.  Thanks Heidi for hosting, again! :)  These posts are so easy for me during the crazy summer months and being almost 33 weeks pregnant!!  

Piglet and Practical Pig are both pink.

While Aurora is prettier, she and Brer Rabbit both wear pink. 

In Fantasyland, you can ride in a pink tea cup or on a pink Dumbo!

Wordless Wednesday: "C"

"C-man" on the carousel.

Cinderella

Cupcake

Cap'N Jack's

Tuesday's Tip: Your Disney Wakeup Call

Waking up early on vacation is a total bummer, but I simply can’t miss the Magic Kingdom rope drop show on my first morning in the World. But today’s tip will have you jumping out of bed with a big grin on your face, ready to seize the Disney day with gusto: schedule a wakeup call from your favorite characters!

Using the “wake-up call” button on your resort phone, schedule your call for whatever time you want. The next morning, let your kids answer the phone when it rings, and watch their little faces light up with delight as Mickey and Stich encourage them to get out of bed.

Couple of tips: schedule your call for an “off-time,” like 7:06 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.—you’re more likely to get the character greeting. Also, when you pick up the phone, make sure you say, “hello.” The recording is voice activated.

Today’s tip was brought to you by Elisabeth McGuirk, a full-time mommy and part-time Disney enthusiast living near Johnson City, N.C. She works on MickeyFix.com, helping fellow Disney fans find all of the Disney stuff they didn’t know they needed. Find your Mickey Fix on twitter @mickeyfix.

Missions Around the World (showcase): England and Canada

Our youth group from church is in Orlando this week doing mission work.  We'll end our week at Walt Disney World touring the World Showcase at Epcot and learning a bit of "missions & outreach" information about each country.  This is what we'll be learning:

UK

·      History of country The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two world wars and the Irish Republic's withdrawal from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999. The latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process, but devolution was fully completed in March 2010.

·      Population in 2011 63,047,162

·      Population age 0-14 in 2010 17.4%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  82.3/77.8

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 4.5

·      Unemployment in 2011 8.1% of labor force

·      Homelessness rates The UK has one of the highest levels of homelessness in Europe with more than 4 people per 1,000 estimated to be homeless
Source: Homeless Pages, 2004.

The average life expectancy of a Homeless Person in the UK is 42 years, compared to the national average of 74 for men and 79 for women. This is lower than the life expectancy of Ethiopia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Source: “Still Dying for a Home” – Crisis, 1996.

In the UK there are 10,459 rough sleepers and 98,750 households in temporary accommodation
Source: Department for Communities and Local Government, 2005

Homelessness costs London £38.9 million a year in lost economic development and costs to its justice and health-care communities, and a much higher toll in human lives
Source: University of Western Ontario, 2003

The estimated cost for one homeless person in the UK to be provided accommodation and other support services is £15,000 per year
Source: Homeless Link UK, 2008

Statistics indicate that 63% of homeless women in the UK have experienced domestic violence and 40% have been sexually abused
Source: Homeless Link, 2007

·      Population Below Poverty Line 14%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS  85,000

·      Religion Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1%

Canada

·      History of country A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically, the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across the World's longest unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness, as well as responding to the particular concerns of predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.

·      Population in 2011- 34,300,083

·      Population age 0-14 in 2010 16.3%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  83.6/79.2

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 4.6

·      Unemployment 2011 7.5%

·      Homelessness rates Supporting Canada’s homeless population costs Canadian Tax Payers CAD$6 billion a year
Source: International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 2008.

Women and Children are the fastest growing group of those who are homeless in Canada
Source: Women’s Housing Advocacy Group, 2003

There are 6,100 homeless people in Ontario
There are 3,365 homeless people in Quebec
Source: www.thamesresearch.org.uk/news-and-views/homelessness-facts-and-figures/

There are 200,000 Homeless people in Canada.
Source: International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 2008

·      Population Below Poverty Line 9.4%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS  68,000

·      Religion Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16%

Destination Disney: Orange

Lots of fun ORANGE items from Walt Disney World this week as a part of Destination Disney with "Heidi's Head!"

Goofy wears orange, along with Stitch at Halloween!

Nemo is orange like Brer Fox's shirt.

Concretosaurus at Animal Kingdom is Orange like Mad Hatter's coat! 

Tigger and the Tiger are both orange.

Halloween pumpkins on Main Street are orange.

Flounder can sometimes be orange like the Grand Marnier Slushie in France.

Are Timon and Pluto orange, or gold or yellow??  Help me out! :)

Missions Around The World (showcase): Morocco and France

Our youth group from church is in Orlando this week doing mission work.  We'll end our week at Walt Disney World touring the World Showcase at Epcot and learning a bit of "missions & outreach" information about each country.  This is what we'll be learning:

Morocco

·      History of country In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, a series of Moroccan Muslim dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. The Alaouite dynasty, to which the current Moroccan royal family belongs, dates from the 17th century. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Sultan MOHAMMED V, the current monarch's grandfather, organized the new state as a constitutional monarchy and in 1957 assumed the title of king. Morocco annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. Under King MOHAMMED VI - who in 1999 succeeded his father to the throne - human rights have improved. Morocco enjoys a moderately free press, but the government has taken action against journalists who they perceive to be challenging the monarchy, Islam, and the status of Western Sahara. Influenced by protests elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa, in February 2011 thousands of Moroccans began weekly rallies in multiple cities across the country to demand greater democracy and a crackdown on government corruption. Police response to most of the protests was subdued compared to the violence elsewhere in the region. A commission set up in March 2011 presented a draft constitution that was passed by popular referendum in July 2011. Under the new constitution, some new powers were extended to parliament and the prime minister, but ultimate authority remained in the hands of the monarch. That same month, the king urged swift implementation of the new constitution, starting with the holding of parliamentary elections in 2011 instead of in 2012. A prominent moderate Islamist party, the Justice and Development Party, subsequently won the largest number of seats on 25 November 2011, becoming the first Islamist party to lead the Moroccan Government. In January 2012, Morocco assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.

·      Population in 2011 32,309,239

·      Population age 0-14 in 2010 28.0%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  79.32/ 73.04

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 26.49

·      Unemployment 9.4% of labor force

·      Homelessness rates more than 30,000 Moroccan children are homeless

·      Population Below Poverty Line 15%  Living standards in Morocco are low by international standards and have declined continually since the early 1990s. As a result, the number of Moroccans living below the poverty line has risen sharply in the last decade.

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS 26,000

·      Religion Muslim 99% (official), Christian 1%, Jewish about 6,000

France

·      History of country France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing de Gaulle's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.

·      Population in 2011 65,630,692

·      Population age 0-14 in 2010 18.4%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  85.1/ 78.6

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 3.8

·      Unemployment  9.3%

·      Homelessness rates An estimated 1 million people are homeless in France
An estimated 100,000 people live on the streets in France
Source: http://www.emmaus-france.org.uk, 2007

·      Population Below Poverty Line 6.2%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS 150,000

·      Religion Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%, unaffiliated 4% overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pagan

Missions Around The World (showcase): Japan and Italy

Our youth group from church is in Orlando this week doing mission work.  We'll end our week at Walt Disney World touring the World Showcase at Epcot and learning a bit of "missions & outreach" information about each country.  This is what we'll be learning:

Japan

·      History of country In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains a major economic power. In March 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, devastated the northeast part of Honshu island, killing thousands and damaging several nuclear power plants. The catastrophe hobbled the country's economy and its energy infrastructure, and tested its ability to deal with humanitarian disasters.

·      Population in 2009 127,156,000

·      Population age 0-14 in 2010, 13.2%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  87.2/ 80.1

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 3.1

·      Unemployment 4.6%

·      Homelessness rates An estimated 25,296 people are homeless in Japan
An estimated 5,000 people are homeless in Tokyo
Source: www.street-papers.org/case-studies-asia, 2006

·      Population Below Poverty Line 16%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS 8,100

·      Religion  Shintoism 83.9%, Buddhism 71.4%, Christianity 2%, other 7.8% note:total adherents exceeds 100% because many people belong to both Shintoism and Buddhism (2005)

·      UM Missionaries

·       The Reverend D. Timothy Boyle is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned to teach at Kwansei Gakuin University in Nishinomiya, Japan.

·       Yuko (Juji) Boyle is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church currently serving as a counselor at the Shin'ai (True Love) Home in Kobe, Japan.

·       Jonathan Daniel McCurley is an international missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries, commissioned in October 2009 and assigned to the Asian Rural Institute in northern Japan.

·       Umipig-Julian, Devorah - Social worker for the Christian Coalition for Refugees and Migrant Workers (CCRMW)in Tokyo, Japan.

·       Valino, Angelita - In ministry to international seafarers through the Council on Cooperative Mission, Kanagawa District, Japan.

·       Valino, Lamberto - In ministry to international seafarers through the Council on Cooperative Mission, Kanagawa District, Japan.

Italy

·      History of country Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

·      Population in 2011 61,261,254

·      Population age 0-14 in 2010 14.2%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  84.6/78.6

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 3.8

·      Unemployment in 2009 7.8%

·      Homelessness rates An estimated 7,000 people are homeless in Rome
Italy has no official, legal definition of homelessness

An estimated 17,000 people are homeless in Italy
Source: http://www.wantedinrome.com/news/news.php?id_n=3559

·      Population Below Poverty Line 12%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS 140,000

·      Religion Christian 80% (overwhelming Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah Witnesses and Protestants), Muslims NEGL (about 700,000 but growing), Atheists and Agnostics 20%

·      UM Missionaries

o      The Rev. Dr. Rodney L. Aist is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church assigned to work with the Methodist/Waldensian community in Milan, Italy and vicinity.

Missions Around The World (showcase): Germany and USA

Our youth group from church is in Orlando this week doing mission work.  We'll end our week at Walt Disney World touring the World Showcase at Epcot and learning a bit of "missions & outreach" information about each country.  This is what we'll be learning:

Germany

·      History of country As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro. In January 2011, Germany assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term.

·      Population in 2009 82,167,000

·      Population age 0-14 13.4%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  83.1/77.8

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 4.0

·      Unemployment in 2009 7.5% of labor force

·      Homelessness rates An estimated 254,000 people are homeless in Germany
Approximately 25% are women
Approximately 11% are children and young people
Source: European Federation of National organizations working with the Homeless (FIANCE)

·      Population Below Poverty Line 15.5%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS 67,000

·      Religion  Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%

·      United Methodist Missionaries

·       Michelle S. Dromgold is a mission intern with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, serving initially with the Evangelisch-methodistische Salem-Gemeinde Neukölln, Kindertreff Delbrücke (Kindertreff) in Berlin, Germany.

·       Erb-Kanzleiter, Christine- Pastor of Peace United Methodist Church, an international English-speaking congregation in Munich, Germany.

·       Givens, Krista- Pastor of the International United Methodist Church of Hamburg, Germany.

·       Modayil, Romesh Philip - Local pastor of the English-speaking International United Methodist Church in Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany.

·       Seckel, Carol Ann - Coordinator of English Language Ministries and International Congregations Ministries with the United Methodist Church in Germany.

·       Seckel, Kevin - Pastor of the New Hope English-speaking Fellowship of the United Methodist Church in Frankfurt, Germany.

USA

·      History of country Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

·      Population 313,847,465 (2011)

·      Population age 0-14 20.0%

·      Life expectancy (females and males, years)  82.1/77.7

·      Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 5.5

·      Unemployment in 2012 8.1% of labor force

·      Homelessness rates

o      Estimated homeless figures in the United States range from 600,000 to 2.5 million
Source: http://www.fas.org, 2009           

o      1.37 million of the total homeless population in USA are children under the age of 18. 40% are families with children, 41% are single males, 14% are single females
Source: International Journal of Psychosocial Research, 2008

o      Research by Dennis Culhane, University of Pennsylvania, followed thousands of homeless people in New York and each of them used an average of $40,000 a year in public services, such as increased health care.
Source: University of Pennsylvania

·      Population Below Poverty Line 15.1%

·      People living with HIV/ AIDS 1.2 million (2009)

·      Religion Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)