Indianapolis Museum of Art

Snow White at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

In late 1994, I was lucky enough to visit a special exhibit focused on the creation of Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  Collector Steve Ison provided artwork for the display.  There was also a film shown featuring lost and deleted scenes, some of which had been colored, with some new voice work provided by actor Jim Cummings for the dwarfs.

Click on the pictures, then click them again to zoom in and read all the details (don't strain your eyes!).

The Education Division and the Publications Department from the Indianapolis Museum of Art created a great booklet for this event.

I sent one of these booklets to the Walt Disney Archives shortly after visiting the Museum.

More rejected Dwarf names:  Psycho, Sleazy, Klepto, Gassy and Grabby.  OK, maybe I made those up.

 At Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are featured in a dark ride called "Snow White's Scary Adventures."  The Disneyland version recently got some new effects and upgrades.

At Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland, you can escape the madness of the theme park crowds at the serene "Snow White Grotto" (complete with Wishing Well).

These days, there's quite a bit of buzz about a planned Seven Dwarfs Mine Car ride for Walt Disney World's Fantasyland.  Hopefully there will be spiffy animatronic Dwarfs, shining diamonds, and careening through some caverns.

Snow Globe Fantasyland

Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland (In Snow Globe Form)

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida. It's the year 2015, so we can visit the newly expanded and refurbished Fantasyland.

Snow globe Fantasyland is made up of merchandise that appeared in the Disney Catalog from 2000 to 2005.

You can take the train at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom to get to Fantasyland (after a stop at the train station in Frontierland) or you can just walk down Main Street, U.S.A. to Cinderella Castle (you can't miss it).

Cinderella Castle is the gateway to Fantasyland.


I wouldn't count on seeing Hercules or Esmeralda here, unless they are in a parade in front of Cinderella Castle.

Cinderella Castle is 189 feet tall and features a restaurant called Cinderella's Royal Table, where you'll probably find Cinderella. Only a lucky few have stayed at the Cinderella Castle Suite, a special bedroom inside the castle.

After you walk through Cinderella Castle, you'll find the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (formerly Cinderella's Golden Carousel).

Mickey's Philharmagic is a great 3D film adventure starring a mix of new and classic computer animated Disney characters. Fantasia is not the main focus here, but I thought this snow globe was really impressive (plus Mickey's Sorcerer hat and the brooms are prominently featured in Mickey's Philharmagic).


Despite the title, Donald Duck is the main star here.


You can fly, you can fly, you can fly to Neverland with the help of Tinkerbell on Peter Pan's Flight.


Journey to the second star to the right and watch out for Captain Hook!

I'd love to see an Aladdin Magic Carpet ride like Peter Pan's Flight.

It's A Small World has a very famous (infamous?) theme song.

This snow globe is actually Disneyland's version.

The Pinocchio Village Haus is a favorite dining spot for many Fantasyland visitors. Many people have fond memories of eating Figaro Fries here.

A few of the tables have a view of the Small World loading station.

Beauty and the Beast are featured in a major new section of Fantasyland.

Stroll through Belle's Village and visit Bonjour! Gifts and Gaston's Tavern.

Off in the distance is the Beast's Castle.

Step inside the Beast's Castle and let the kitchen utensils entertain you at the Be Our Guest Restaurant.

The Beast has thousands of plates, cups, dishes, forks, spoons, and knives that were once human and they really want you to use them. They're not whole without a soul to wait upon.

Travel "Under the Sea" with The Little Mermaid on Ariel's Undersea Adventure, a new musical dark ride.

Ariel and her friends (and foes) are brought to life through the magic of Audio Animatronics.


You'll see slugs cutting a rug and trout rockin' out! Sebastian the Crab and his crustacean band will make you envy all the creatures living in the depths of the ocean. So you've got to decide when you'll visit them.


To quote Ursula the sea witch, "Life's full of tough choices, innit?"

Also new to Fantasyland is a new Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs themed Mine Train.

I can't believe how much this snow globe looks like the concept art for the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction.


Of all the new Fantasyland additions, this is the one I'm most excited about.


This new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train means the end of Snow White's Scary Adventures in Fantasyland.

Snow White is leaving her old home and inviting all the Disney Princesses to occupy the space for the Princess Fairytale Hall, a new meet and greet location.

I would have liked a Sleeping Beauty dark ride here instead, featuring Aurora, Phillip, the Goons, and a finale with Maleficent the Dragon!

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a ride featuring the popular hunny-loving bear and his friends in the Hundred Acre Woods.

Watch out for Heffalumps and Woozles!


Have a spot of tea with Alice and her friends in Wonderland at the Mad Tea Party.


On second thought, don't consume any food items before riding this!


Dumbo the Flying Elephant has a new home called Storybook Circus.

There are now two Dumbo rides (Dueling Dumbos) to increase the capacity for this famous attraction.

Guests find circus themed entertainment under the Big Top while they wait for a spin on Dumbo.

The Casey Junior Circus Train provides an opportunity for kids to let off some steam.

Storybook Circus is located on the former site of Mickey's Toontown Fair (formerly Mickey's Starland and before that, Mickey's Birthdayland).

Circus clowns threatened to take control of Goofy's Barnstormer, but their plans to re-theme the coaster were thwarted by the Great Goofini (Goofy as performing pilot, the new theme for the Barnstormer).

This is not a snow globe, but I thought this was really funny.

60 soft skills at work

The top 60 soft skills at work
Challa S S J Ram Phani


Amit Kumar did his M Tech from IIT, New Delhi. He has an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad. But he still could not get the job of his choice during campus recruitment.
Reason: Blame it on his soft skills. Or rather the lack of them. These include communication, listening, negotiation, etiquette, language skills etc. Hence, he could not compete with his fellow students who got better jobs.
Part II: How to improve your soft skills Soft skills play a vital role for professional success; they help one to excel in the workplace and their importance cannot be denied in this age of information and knowledge. Good soft skills -- which are in fact scarce -- in the highly competitive corporate world will help you stand out in a milieu of routine job seekers with mediocre skills and talent.
The Smyth County Industry Council, a governing body based in the US, conducted a survey recently. The results of the survey was called the Workforce Profile which found "an across-the-board unanimous profile of skills and characteristics needed to make a good employee." The people most likely to be hired for available jobs have what employers call "soft skills".
Here were some of the findings according to the workforce study:
The most common traits, mentioned by virtually every employer, were:
~ Positive work ethic. 
~ Good attitude.
~ Desire to learn and be trained.
Mohan Rao, a technical director with Emmellen Biotech Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mumbai defines a 'good attitude: "It is a behavioural skill, which cannot be taught. However it can be developed through continuous training. It represents the reactive nature of the individual and is about looking at things with the right perspective. You must be ready to solve problems proactively and create win-win situations. And you must be able to take ownership ie responsibility for your actions and lead from the front without calling it quits at the most critical moment."

Most of the business leaders observed that they could find workers who have "hard skills" ie the capability to operate machinery or fulfill other tasks, but many potential hires lack the "soft skills" that a company needs.

CEOs and human resource managers said they are ready to hire workers who demonstrate a high level of "soft skills" and then train them for the specific jobs available. The ever-changing impact of technology has given hard-skills-only workers a short shelf life.
According to results of the Workforce Profile, (source: www.workforce.com) the more valuable employee is one who can grow and learn as the business changes.
Soft skills "are as important, if not more important, than traditional hard skills to an employer looking to hire -- regardless of industry or job type. This could offer a major breakthrough as educators and training providers seek to develop and cluster training courses to fit business and industry needs."
Top 60 soft skills
The Workforce Profile defined about 60 "soft skills", which employers seek. They are applicable to any field of work, according to the study, and are the "personal traits and skills that employers state are the most important when selecting employees for jobs of any type."

1. Math.2. Safety.
3. Courtesy.
4. Honesty.
5. Grammar.
6. Reliability.
7. Flexibility.
8. Team skills.
9. Eye contact.
10. Cooperation.
11. Adaptability.
12. Follow rules.
13. Self-directed.
14 Good attitude.
15. Writing skills.
16. Driver's license.
17. Dependability.
18. Advanced math.
19. Self-supervising.
20. Good references.
21. Being drug free. 
22. Good attendance.
23. Personal energy.
24. Work experience. 25. Ability to measure.
26. Personal integrity.
27. Good work history.
28. Positive work ethic.
29. Interpersonal skills.
30. Motivational skills.
31. Valuing education. 
32. Personal chemistry.
33. Willingness to learn.
34. Common sense. 
35. Critical thinking skills.
36. Knowledge of fractions.
37. Reporting to work on time.
38. Use of rulers and calculators.
39. Good personal appearance.
40. Wanting to do a good job.
41. Basic spelling and grammar.
42. Reading and comprehension.
43. Ability to follow regulations.
44. Willingness to be accountable.
45. Ability to fill out a job application.
46. Ability to make production quotas.
47. Basic manufacturing skills training.
48. Awareness of how business works.
49. Staying on the job until it is finished.
50. Ability to read and follow instructions.
51. Willingness to work second and third shifts.
52. Caring about seeing the company succeed.
53. Understanding what the world is all about.
54. Ability to listen and document what you have heard.
55. Commitment to continued training and learning.
56. Willingness to take instruction and responsibility.
57. Ability to relate to coworkers in a close environment.
58. Not expecting to become a supervisor in the first six months.
59. Willingness to be a good worker and go beyond the traditional eight-hour day.
60. Communication skills with public, fellow employees, supervisors, and customers.
How many soft skills do you possess?