PERSONAL SAFETY IN MALLS
Detective Kevin Coffey
"The Scholar of Thievery"
The threat of physical assault does not necessarily increase along with the crowds that herald the holiday season. It's when you're far from the crowd, in distant reaches of parking lots or other isolated areas of the mall that you are most vulnerable. To protect yourself:
Always try to walk to and from your vehicle with another person. If you are shopping alone, consider walking near other shoppers in the parking lot.
If shopping alone and leaving at night -- particularly if you're carrying several bundles -- ask a security officer to accompany you to your car. Most malls will provide that service.
Inside a mall, avoid darkened hallways and other backroom areas, especially near closing time.
Avoid using bathrooms that are tucked away in a back area of a mall concourse or department. If you can, find a bathroom near the mall's food court or other well-trafficked area. And always accompany your child to the bathroom.
Never use a video arcade or toy store as a baby sitter; predators are on the prowl for unattended children. More then 100,000 children are abducted every year -- often in malls or department stores, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCME).
Find out whether the malls and stores you frequent have procedures to search for a missing child. Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Target are among retailers participating in a program developed by the NCME. The program, called "Code Adam," was named after Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old Florida boy who was killed after being abducted from a shopping mall in 1981. As soon as a child is reported missing, employees scour the aisles. If the child doesn't turn up after 10 minutes, the police are notified.
DEALING WITH CHILDREN WHEN SHOPPING DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Holiday shopping can be chaotic, tiring and frustrating. Just imagine how much more of an ordeal it may be to a young child dragged from one store to the next as you work your way down your shopping list. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children offers these guidelines to keep tots from being pushed beyond their endurance, and older children from wandering off or otherwise getting into trouble out of boredom:
If you bring infants or toddlers on a shopping trip, limit the excursion to one or two hours. Also, make sure your child is rested and fed before you head out.
Remove your child's coat or sweater once you are indoors; overheated children can get awfully cranky.
Shop with another adult, so you can take turns browsing and minding the children.
Keep children close by at all times, and do not let them wander around unsupervised.
Point out security guards, so your child knows where to go for help if he gets lost.
When you have to wait in line, give your child a book, toy or snack to keep him occupied.
Avoid stores with narrow aisles and shelves teetering with fragile items. Be clear and firm about what your child can and cannot touch.
SHOPPING CART SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Some 21,600 children end up in the hospital each year after they've fallen -- or even leaped -- from shopping carts, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign. Children 5 years old and younger, particularly boys, are especially at risk. Shopping cart injuries include head and neck trauma, fractures, lacerations and damage to internal organs. Three children have died.
Part of the problem is that shopping carts can tip over easily because the wheel base is narrow. Adding to a cart's instability, children have a hard time sitting still.
Statistics compiled by the National Safe Kids Campaign show that 80 percent of parents leave their children unattended at least once during a shopping trip. The only way to keep children safe is to stay with the cart at all times. Even if you strap your child into the cart seat, he may still manage to tip the cart over. Just wiggling out of the harness or seat belt can quickly unbalance an already unstable load. To keep shopping carts from tipping over:
Place young children in the seat, not the basket.
If the cart comes equipped with a harness, use it. Otherwise, bring your own.
If you've got a child walking alongside you, make sure he does not try to climb inside the cart to join his brother or sister. You might want to pack a second child into a stroller or backpack -- it's cumbersome, but safer.
It's not a good idea to let a child push or steer the cart for you. He may not see or be seen by shoppers and could be struck or run over by other carts. Those miniature carts some stores supply for children to push pose the same problem, so stay close by and make sure your shopper-in-training follows the flow of traffic.
CAR BREAK IN'S AT MALLS
As parking areas fill during the holiday season, shoppers are often forced to park far from mall exits, sometimes in poorly lighted areas. Now that there is less daylight, you're likely to find yourself entering the mall while the sun is up and leaving after dark, so make sure there are lights nearby before parking. Other parking tips:
Park as close to entrances and exits as you can. No one wants to circle the lot for an hour waiting for a good spot to open up, but give it a shot, at least for a few minutes.
If forced to the far reaches of a lot -- or even beyond the lot -- seek a spot that's well-lighted or near a well-traveled roadway.
Stow your purchases in the trunk. When you're weighed down with packages, you may be tempted to throw them in the back seat and return to the mall to continue shopping. If your purchases are in plain view, you may return to find your car windows smashed and your presents stolen.
Save your most expensive purchases for last, so you can head straight home.
Have your keys ready when you approach your vehicle. Before entering, check that no one is hiding in the back seat.
ATM CRIME
Automated teller machines are handy to have around when you're spending it up at the mall and don't want to max out your credit cards. But while ATMs make it easier for you to get to your money, they provide the same service for thieves.
To protect yourself, handle your bank card with the same prudence you would cash or credit cards and keep it in a safe place. Memorize your PIN code so you won't have to write it on your card or a piece of paper, and carry it in your purse or wallet. And keep your PIN to yourself -- if others are nearby waiting to use the ATM, don't let them see which buttons you press.
More ATM advice:
Choose a bank with an ATM located in a highly visible, well-lighted area.
If you must withdraw money from an ATM after dark, have someone accompany you. Also, try not to make large cash withdrawals.
If you see anyone loitering near the machine who looks or acts suspicious, walk away.
Minimize time spent at the ATM by having your card in your hand and resisting the temptation to count the money after it has been dispensed.
While using an ATM, look around from time to time to and be aware of what's going on around you. If anything suspicious happens, immediately cancel your transaction and leave.
Never leave your receipt in the machine. Also, keep your receipts so you can check them against your monthly bank statements.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Gift for teacher
You're in a hurry. So you drop $5 on a trinket for your child's teacher, then move on to the next item on your holiday to-do list.
These gifts may be accepted graciously, but be honest: Does the teacher really need a candleholder emblazoned with Santa's rosy visage? Or a reindeer paperweight, or that perennial last-minute gift choice -- the ''World's Best Teacher'' coffee mug?
Find out what your child's teacher really wants.
These gifts may be accepted graciously, but be honest: Does the teacher really need a candleholder emblazoned with Santa's rosy visage? Or a reindeer paperweight, or that perennial last-minute gift choice -- the ''World's Best Teacher'' coffee mug?
Find out what your child's teacher really wants.
Are your kids depressed
The holiday season is usually a time for cheer, but it could also trigger depression in your kids. Holidays are high-risk for childhood depression and parents often miss the signs.
Take the depression screening test.
Take the depression screening test.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Calm a cough
A spoonful of honey can quiet children's nighttime cough and help them -- and their parents -- sleep better, a new study shows.
When compared to the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan or no treatment, honey came out on top.
"The results were so strong that we were able to say clearly that honey was better than no treatment and dextromethorphan was not," Dr. Ian M. Paul of Pennsylvania State University in Hershey, one of the study's authors, told Reuters Health.
There is currently no proven effective treatment for cough due to an upper respiratory infection like the common cold. While dextromethorphan is widely used, there is no evidence that it works, and it carries risks.
Honey is used around the world as a folk remedy for cough, and might provide a safe, effective alternative to cough medicine, Paul and his colleagues note in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
When compared to the cough syrup ingredient dextromethorphan or no treatment, honey came out on top.
"The results were so strong that we were able to say clearly that honey was better than no treatment and dextromethorphan was not," Dr. Ian M. Paul of Pennsylvania State University in Hershey, one of the study's authors, told Reuters Health.
There is currently no proven effective treatment for cough due to an upper respiratory infection like the common cold. While dextromethorphan is widely used, there is no evidence that it works, and it carries risks.
Honey is used around the world as a folk remedy for cough, and might provide a safe, effective alternative to cough medicine, Paul and his colleagues note in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Holiday no-no's
WHAT NOT TO DO DURING THE HOLIDAYS
(Marie Claire)
Consume fruitcake, eggnog, or gelt.
Kiss anyone under the mistletoe whom you wouldn't kiss under any unadorned archway.
Make your own wrapping paper from potatoes and beet juice.
Display a pine branch vertically in your apartment and call it a Christmas tree. Because you'll be at your folks' place soon anyway, and, honestly, that Charlie Brown tree is the most depressing thing we have ever seen.
Use phony plastic Christmas stuff. Examples: fake trees, spray snow, Jessica Simpson's holiday album.
Wear the Santa hat, and nothing else.
(Marie Claire)
Consume fruitcake, eggnog, or gelt.
Kiss anyone under the mistletoe whom you wouldn't kiss under any unadorned archway.
Make your own wrapping paper from potatoes and beet juice.
Display a pine branch vertically in your apartment and call it a Christmas tree. Because you'll be at your folks' place soon anyway, and, honestly, that Charlie Brown tree is the most depressing thing we have ever seen.
Use phony plastic Christmas stuff. Examples: fake trees, spray snow, Jessica Simpson's holiday album.
Wear the Santa hat, and nothing else.
Video game report card
A media watchdog group is warning that some video games for sale this holiday fall firmly in the naughty rather than the nice category. The National Institute on Media and the Family is out with its 12 annual video-game report card. And it lists 10 games that parents should strike off the gift list for kids under 17.
Take a look.
Take a look.
Dragon boat club race
Attention please…. We have alignment… GO!
Although Dragon Boat Racing is in its 5th consecutive year in Miami, FL, this year is the first ever Miami Dragon Boat Club Challenge. More excitingly, for the first time ever in Florida there will be a 1000 meter race track style division in where 50 foot long dragon boats will have to come face to face with hairpin turns! The Miami Dragon Boat Club Challenge is set to take place December 8th, 2007 from 8am to 3pm at the Miami Marine Stadium located near the Miami Seaquarium. (3501 Rickenbacker Causeway).
Brought to you by the producers of the annual Miami Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, this event has been created for the diehard dragon boat racers as well as the social recreational paddler. Unlike, the main festival held in May on Brickell, this event will focus solely on racing. There will be 25 teams racing, each team consisting of 20 paddlers. The competition will be intense as the level of performance has been increasing with our competitive Miami and Tampa teams.
Teams vary from Miami Dade College, to Miami’s first Breast Cancer Survivor team, to companies such as Turner Construction as well as the Miami Museum of Science.
Dragon Boat Racing is a 2000 year old traditional Chinese sport. These colorful boats are 50 feet long and resemble dragons as they have dragon heads, tails and scales. The only thing missing is fire breathing! This venue will also be home of the 2009 World Corcom Dragon Boat Championships and the 2009 World Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Championships.
Although Dragon Boat Racing is in its 5th consecutive year in Miami, FL, this year is the first ever Miami Dragon Boat Club Challenge. More excitingly, for the first time ever in Florida there will be a 1000 meter race track style division in where 50 foot long dragon boats will have to come face to face with hairpin turns! The Miami Dragon Boat Club Challenge is set to take place December 8th, 2007 from 8am to 3pm at the Miami Marine Stadium located near the Miami Seaquarium. (3501 Rickenbacker Causeway).
Brought to you by the producers of the annual Miami Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, this event has been created for the diehard dragon boat racers as well as the social recreational paddler. Unlike, the main festival held in May on Brickell, this event will focus solely on racing. There will be 25 teams racing, each team consisting of 20 paddlers. The competition will be intense as the level of performance has been increasing with our competitive Miami and Tampa teams.
Teams vary from Miami Dade College, to Miami’s first Breast Cancer Survivor team, to companies such as Turner Construction as well as the Miami Museum of Science.
Dragon Boat Racing is a 2000 year old traditional Chinese sport. These colorful boats are 50 feet long and resemble dragons as they have dragon heads, tails and scales. The only thing missing is fire breathing! This venue will also be home of the 2009 World Corcom Dragon Boat Championships and the 2009 World Breast Cancer Survivor Dragon Boat Championships.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Say no to Fido
Not a good time for a dog!
(Craigslist)
As the holidays are upon us, it is very important that I get this message out!
PLEASE DO NOT purchase a Puppy for anyone as a gift for Christmas! It is at this time of year that Puppies and kittens are purchased for gifts, and by February, more than half of those newly aquired animals are being 'rehomed.'
Bringing a puppy into your home is a HUGE undertaking, and a big responsibility. It is a committment that should be taken VERY seriously, and will consume much time, money and effort for the next 10-17 years!
Do NOT assume that your kids will 'help' with the puppy. They won't. They may like to play with it, but cannot give a dog the 45 minutes of walking a DAY that is required for good health!
Letting your dog outside into the yard is NOT a substitute for a good daily wallk. Your dog will need a walk in the rain, snow, or those hot sweltering days. Dogs NEED excercise.
Remember that if your dog is NOT properly exercised, he may become destructive, and exhibit signs of separation anxiety.
Remember that Vet bills are REAL, and vet care is a MUST, not an OPTION!
Please keep in mind that a puppy needs supervision and company for most of the day, until it is at least 4 months old.
Dog food is NOT cheap, and depending on the size of your dog, can run from $40-100+ per month. Heartworm and flea meds are imperative, and will cost you another $10 a month.
When you and your family want to go on a vacation, or even a weekend away, you will need to procure doggie-care for your dog, and this can cost a good deal of money! From $225 a week at a doggie day care facility!
Depending on the breed, your grooming costs can run $40 a month! Even if you have a 'low maintenance' dog, you will still need ears cleaned, and nails trimmed!
And don't forget that puppies have accidents on the carpet, and you may need to get a steam cleaning done! Dogs also shed, so get the right kind of dog for your home!
MAKE SURE NO ONE IS ALLERGIC TO DOGS - BEFORE YOU GET A DOG!!! NOT AFTER YOU GET IT!!!!
(Craigslist)
As the holidays are upon us, it is very important that I get this message out!
PLEASE DO NOT purchase a Puppy for anyone as a gift for Christmas! It is at this time of year that Puppies and kittens are purchased for gifts, and by February, more than half of those newly aquired animals are being 'rehomed.'
Bringing a puppy into your home is a HUGE undertaking, and a big responsibility. It is a committment that should be taken VERY seriously, and will consume much time, money and effort for the next 10-17 years!
Do NOT assume that your kids will 'help' with the puppy. They won't. They may like to play with it, but cannot give a dog the 45 minutes of walking a DAY that is required for good health!
Letting your dog outside into the yard is NOT a substitute for a good daily wallk. Your dog will need a walk in the rain, snow, or those hot sweltering days. Dogs NEED excercise.
Remember that if your dog is NOT properly exercised, he may become destructive, and exhibit signs of separation anxiety.
Remember that Vet bills are REAL, and vet care is a MUST, not an OPTION!
Please keep in mind that a puppy needs supervision and company for most of the day, until it is at least 4 months old.
Dog food is NOT cheap, and depending on the size of your dog, can run from $40-100+ per month. Heartworm and flea meds are imperative, and will cost you another $10 a month.
When you and your family want to go on a vacation, or even a weekend away, you will need to procure doggie-care for your dog, and this can cost a good deal of money! From $225 a week at a doggie day care facility!
Depending on the breed, your grooming costs can run $40 a month! Even if you have a 'low maintenance' dog, you will still need ears cleaned, and nails trimmed!
And don't forget that puppies have accidents on the carpet, and you may need to get a steam cleaning done! Dogs also shed, so get the right kind of dog for your home!
MAKE SURE NO ONE IS ALLERGIC TO DOGS - BEFORE YOU GET A DOG!!! NOT AFTER YOU GET IT!!!!
Eat smart at the holiday party
There is so much yummy fattening food at holiday parties, but you can still enjoy it without packing on a million pounds.
(Men's Health)
ONION DIP: This is a great way to leave the party with some vegetables under your belt. Just don't dip more than a third of your red pepper slice, or you'll come away with onion breath and too much saturated fat and cholesterol.
BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS: If the wing has a bumpy, battered coating and leaves a major oil spill on your napkin, you're holding the double-fried version of this party classic. Pick its barbecued cousin instead (the one with the slick, sticky red or brown coating). It has half the fat and calories. Take it easy on the blue-cheese sauce.
SHRIMP ON A SKEWER: You've heard about shrimp's notorious cholesterol rep? It's not entirely deserved. Though the cholesterol in foods can raise blood cholesterol, saturated fat is what really jacks up your levels. Shrimp is virtually fat-free.
CRAB PUFFS: Crab is fat-free; the puff, cream, and mayo are not. One blob tops out at at least 1 teaspoon of fat.
PIGS-IN-BLANKETS: Have one for nostalgia's sake, but stop right there. Half the fat in these little oinkers is the artery-clogging saturated type.
SUSHI: Sushi provides a balanced sprinkle of many nutrients rather than a heavy dose of one. You take in calcium, iron, and zinc from the fish, and you get potassium, vitamin C, and carotenoids--antioxidants such as beta-carotene--from the seaweed and avocado.
CHICKEN ON A SKEWER DIPPED IN ASIAN PEANUT SAUCE: The calories are up to you: Dip the skewer lightly for a low-fat hors d'oeuvre. Bonus: You'll meet 25 percent of your day's requirement for niacin. Yippee!
MINI PIZZAS: If the crust is thin and dry, eat up; your bones will get a calcium charge from the flour and cheese, and the tomato sauce contains prostate-cancer-fighting lycopene. But the pastry-dough versions--with a thicker, greasy crust--jack up the fat so high that you should pass on seconds.
SMOKED SALMON CANAPES WITH CAVIAR: Salmon and caviar are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are linked to a decreased risk of heart disease and depression. Four canapes provide about 1 g of omega-3s. (Experts recommend 4 g per week.) Dodge the salmon mousse; its heavy cream obliterates any good from the salmon.
SPRING ROLLS: Don't be fooled by the bits of bean sprouts inside; spring rolls aren't that healthful. Each roll has 1 1/2 teaspoons of fat. You're better off looking for the almost fat-free summer rolls--unfried, slightly transparent rice-paper wrappers stuffed with sprouts, noodles, and shrimp.
CREAMED SPINACH IN PUFF PASTRY: Stop at three. You won't overdose on saturated fat, and you'll meet 17 percent of your daily quota for folate. Folate helps reduce homocysteine, a substance linked to heart disease.
SPINACH TRIANGLES: Add a few of these spinach wedges to your napkin; they're high in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that protect against macular degeneration.
SCALLOPS WRAPPED IN BACON: If the bacon just fits around the scallop, you're fine; it'll take two to reach even a teaspoon of fat.
STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES: Rice and raisins are good sources of carbohydrates--the fuel you'll need to stay on your feet all evening. And that coating is olive oil, which contains heart-protecting monounsaturated fat and vitamin E.
MINI HAM-AND-CHEESE QUICHE: Why not just take a hypodermic full of lard and inject it directly? This 2-inch bite contains nearly 4 teaspoons of fat, mostly saturated.
COCKTAIL MEATBALLS: It's no mystery why they're so good: They're made with fatty cuts of beef, veal, or pork, seasoned with grated onions and spices. Eat one and move on.
(Men's Health)
ONION DIP: This is a great way to leave the party with some vegetables under your belt. Just don't dip more than a third of your red pepper slice, or you'll come away with onion breath and too much saturated fat and cholesterol.
BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS: If the wing has a bumpy, battered coating and leaves a major oil spill on your napkin, you're holding the double-fried version of this party classic. Pick its barbecued cousin instead (the one with the slick, sticky red or brown coating). It has half the fat and calories. Take it easy on the blue-cheese sauce.
SHRIMP ON A SKEWER: You've heard about shrimp's notorious cholesterol rep? It's not entirely deserved. Though the cholesterol in foods can raise blood cholesterol, saturated fat is what really jacks up your levels. Shrimp is virtually fat-free.
CRAB PUFFS: Crab is fat-free; the puff, cream, and mayo are not. One blob tops out at at least 1 teaspoon of fat.
PIGS-IN-BLANKETS: Have one for nostalgia's sake, but stop right there. Half the fat in these little oinkers is the artery-clogging saturated type.
SUSHI: Sushi provides a balanced sprinkle of many nutrients rather than a heavy dose of one. You take in calcium, iron, and zinc from the fish, and you get potassium, vitamin C, and carotenoids--antioxidants such as beta-carotene--from the seaweed and avocado.
CHICKEN ON A SKEWER DIPPED IN ASIAN PEANUT SAUCE: The calories are up to you: Dip the skewer lightly for a low-fat hors d'oeuvre. Bonus: You'll meet 25 percent of your day's requirement for niacin. Yippee!
MINI PIZZAS: If the crust is thin and dry, eat up; your bones will get a calcium charge from the flour and cheese, and the tomato sauce contains prostate-cancer-fighting lycopene. But the pastry-dough versions--with a thicker, greasy crust--jack up the fat so high that you should pass on seconds.
SMOKED SALMON CANAPES WITH CAVIAR: Salmon and caviar are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are linked to a decreased risk of heart disease and depression. Four canapes provide about 1 g of omega-3s. (Experts recommend 4 g per week.) Dodge the salmon mousse; its heavy cream obliterates any good from the salmon.
SPRING ROLLS: Don't be fooled by the bits of bean sprouts inside; spring rolls aren't that healthful. Each roll has 1 1/2 teaspoons of fat. You're better off looking for the almost fat-free summer rolls--unfried, slightly transparent rice-paper wrappers stuffed with sprouts, noodles, and shrimp.
CREAMED SPINACH IN PUFF PASTRY: Stop at three. You won't overdose on saturated fat, and you'll meet 17 percent of your daily quota for folate. Folate helps reduce homocysteine, a substance linked to heart disease.
SPINACH TRIANGLES: Add a few of these spinach wedges to your napkin; they're high in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that protect against macular degeneration.
SCALLOPS WRAPPED IN BACON: If the bacon just fits around the scallop, you're fine; it'll take two to reach even a teaspoon of fat.
STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES: Rice and raisins are good sources of carbohydrates--the fuel you'll need to stay on your feet all evening. And that coating is olive oil, which contains heart-protecting monounsaturated fat and vitamin E.
MINI HAM-AND-CHEESE QUICHE: Why not just take a hypodermic full of lard and inject it directly? This 2-inch bite contains nearly 4 teaspoons of fat, mostly saturated.
COCKTAIL MEATBALLS: It's no mystery why they're so good: They're made with fatty cuts of beef, veal, or pork, seasoned with grated onions and spices. Eat one and move on.
Get your guy to dance
Can he cut a rug? Get your man on the dance floor!
(TheNest.com)
Cater to his musical tastes. "My husband is picky about the music he’ll dance to," says Py Kim Conant, author of Sex Secrets of an American Geisha. "It has to be 60's, 70's, or 80's rock-and-roll. I can dance to anything, so instead of waiting for his kind of music, I go out on the dance floor and dance alone or with a group of people. When he sees how much I enjoy dancing without him, he's sure to make his move when they do start playing the Rolling Stones or the Bee Gees."
Buy him a video game. Thanks to the wonders of technology, your guy can now learn to dance without having to leave his 200-square-foot basement apartment. For example, the game Dance Dance Revolution (for PlayStation 2, Xbox and computer) comes with a dance pad that connects to his PC or game console and an assortment of bouncy pop and techno tunes. The person playing the game has to follow the footsteps to dance proficiency. If your boyfriend is the type who'd rather stay home and play Grand Theft Auto than squire you to the local club, this can be a good way to kill two virtual birds with one stone.
Go back to school. Probably for the same reason they refuse to stop and ask for directions, many men are reluctant to admit that they simply don't know how to shake their booty. If you suspect this is the case, surprise your beau with an enrollment for two in a swing-dancing (or samba, or tango) class. Even if you were Miss Salsa 2002, pretending to pick up all the right moves at the same time as he does is a great way to soothe his prickly ego and coax him out to the local club.
Rent a movie. Kathryn Alice, relationship coach and author of Love Will Find You, raves about the Will Smith movie Hitch as a get-up-and-get-dancing tool. "In one scene, Hitch, a dating coach, demonstrates the basic dance a guy can do so as not to look stupid. It's a kind of side-to-side rocking, with hands on your hips and elbows bent. It's a perfect illustration of how to get away with dancing when you don't really know how, and the movie also has a great message -- that sometimes looking like a dork on the dance floor can be the best thing for your love life."
Be careful what you wish for. So your guy is schooled, groomed, and raring to go. Look out! He may be too eager to show off his not yet fully refined moves. "Once my boyfriend and I were at a New Year's dance, and there was this fantastic swing-dance couple out on the floor," says Lisa from New York. "The crowd parted to watch their skill. My boyfriend decided to get a little crowd of his own going and did this odd dance, a cross between break dancing, tap dancing and an Irish jig. I could have sunk into the floor."
(TheNest.com)
Cater to his musical tastes. "My husband is picky about the music he’ll dance to," says Py Kim Conant, author of Sex Secrets of an American Geisha. "It has to be 60's, 70's, or 80's rock-and-roll. I can dance to anything, so instead of waiting for his kind of music, I go out on the dance floor and dance alone or with a group of people. When he sees how much I enjoy dancing without him, he's sure to make his move when they do start playing the Rolling Stones or the Bee Gees."
Buy him a video game. Thanks to the wonders of technology, your guy can now learn to dance without having to leave his 200-square-foot basement apartment. For example, the game Dance Dance Revolution (for PlayStation 2, Xbox and computer) comes with a dance pad that connects to his PC or game console and an assortment of bouncy pop and techno tunes. The person playing the game has to follow the footsteps to dance proficiency. If your boyfriend is the type who'd rather stay home and play Grand Theft Auto than squire you to the local club, this can be a good way to kill two virtual birds with one stone.
Go back to school. Probably for the same reason they refuse to stop and ask for directions, many men are reluctant to admit that they simply don't know how to shake their booty. If you suspect this is the case, surprise your beau with an enrollment for two in a swing-dancing (or samba, or tango) class. Even if you were Miss Salsa 2002, pretending to pick up all the right moves at the same time as he does is a great way to soothe his prickly ego and coax him out to the local club.
Rent a movie. Kathryn Alice, relationship coach and author of Love Will Find You, raves about the Will Smith movie Hitch as a get-up-and-get-dancing tool. "In one scene, Hitch, a dating coach, demonstrates the basic dance a guy can do so as not to look stupid. It's a kind of side-to-side rocking, with hands on your hips and elbows bent. It's a perfect illustration of how to get away with dancing when you don't really know how, and the movie also has a great message -- that sometimes looking like a dork on the dance floor can be the best thing for your love life."
Be careful what you wish for. So your guy is schooled, groomed, and raring to go. Look out! He may be too eager to show off his not yet fully refined moves. "Once my boyfriend and I were at a New Year's dance, and there was this fantastic swing-dance couple out on the floor," says Lisa from New York. "The crowd parted to watch their skill. My boyfriend decided to get a little crowd of his own going and did this odd dance, a cross between break dancing, tap dancing and an Irish jig. I could have sunk into the floor."
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
You'll die for these men
The men of the 2008 calendar are all funeral directors and morticians from across the U.S. In 2007, McKenzie Mortuary of Long Beach, California held its second contest and casting call for the 2008 “Men of Mortuaries” Calendar. These men were selected and volunteered their time to raise money for breast cancer. These men are not professional models.
Take a look at the calendar.
Take a look at the calendar.
Going (how) green?
It seems all you hear about these days is going green. But just how much green are we willing to shell out to go green when it comes to our technology? A new study says:
12% are willing to put out a few extra bucks for personal computers and TV's that use less energy or come from an environmentally friendly company.
41% were concerned about the environment, but not enough to spend more for "green" products.
Seems so far, the industry has failed to cash in on the ecology-minded shoppers.
12% are willing to put out a few extra bucks for personal computers and TV's that use less energy or come from an environmentally friendly company.
41% were concerned about the environment, but not enough to spend more for "green" products.
Seems so far, the industry has failed to cash in on the ecology-minded shoppers.
Trade your gift cards
Did Uncle Joe give you a gift card for Shaggys Bait and Tackle and you hate fishing? There are a few sites that will let you swap, sell or make a trade.
Cardavenue - the premier online marketplace to buy, sell and trade pre-owned gift cards and gift certificates!
Swapgift.com allows you to trade or sell gift cards.
eBay doesn't allow users to trade cards, but it is the largest market for selling them off.
Cardavenue - the premier online marketplace to buy, sell and trade pre-owned gift cards and gift certificates!
Swapgift.com allows you to trade or sell gift cards.
eBay doesn't allow users to trade cards, but it is the largest market for selling them off.
Kids parties over the top
Many parents have expressed concern about their children receiving too many gifts, not having places to store the gifts they receive, and gifts being too much of a focus at birthday parties.
If you think children’s birthday parties are getting out of control you must check ou this website.
Forget the bounce house! I say, just give them a squirt gun and say go out back and have a blast!
If you think children’s birthday parties are getting out of control you must check ou this website.
Forget the bounce house! I say, just give them a squirt gun and say go out back and have a blast!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Will men pick love over a job?
Men pick romance over success:
“Men may be more willing than women to sacrifice achievement goals for a romantic relationship, according to a new study by Catherine Mosher of Duke Medical Center and Sharon Danoff-Burg from the University of Albany.”
Read more.
“Men may be more willing than women to sacrifice achievement goals for a romantic relationship, according to a new study by Catherine Mosher of Duke Medical Center and Sharon Danoff-Burg from the University of Albany.”
Read more.
Holiday office romances
Ah, the holidays: presents, office parties ... and office hookups resulting from too much mistletoe and gin fizzes. But can office romances actually work? Or do they live up to their heartbreaking reputation?
Seems office romances bloom during the holidays. Find out why.
Seems office romances bloom during the holidays. Find out why.
Shop smart online
If you plan to shop online this holiday season, shop smartly.
It's pretty easy when you follow this rule: do not click the "Bill Me Later" option. Pay with a credit card, or through PayPal. Many online retailers do offer this option, but by clicking on that box, you're not just delaying payment, you're opening a new credit account, and the retailer actually will do a quick credit check on you before they authorize a transaction. Financial experts say that too many credit checks and newly opened accounts can really hurt your credit score, which can make it harder for you to buy a car, a house, rent an apartment, or get a job in the near future.
Here's another problem: there's no real limit on how much you can spend with "Bill Me Later" transactions, and people without spending limits tend to spend much more than they meant to, which can easily bust your budget.
Last catch: you usually have only 90 days to pay the bill in full. If you don't, they pad your balance with a very high interest rate; 20% in most cases. And if you miss the payment deadline, the merchant will ding your credit report, hurting your credit score even more.
If you need a way to pay online, open a low rate credit card with a fixed limit. Use it for your online shopping needs- that way, you'll protect your budget and your credit.
It's pretty easy when you follow this rule: do not click the "Bill Me Later" option. Pay with a credit card, or through PayPal. Many online retailers do offer this option, but by clicking on that box, you're not just delaying payment, you're opening a new credit account, and the retailer actually will do a quick credit check on you before they authorize a transaction. Financial experts say that too many credit checks and newly opened accounts can really hurt your credit score, which can make it harder for you to buy a car, a house, rent an apartment, or get a job in the near future.
Here's another problem: there's no real limit on how much you can spend with "Bill Me Later" transactions, and people without spending limits tend to spend much more than they meant to, which can easily bust your budget.
Last catch: you usually have only 90 days to pay the bill in full. If you don't, they pad your balance with a very high interest rate; 20% in most cases. And if you miss the payment deadline, the merchant will ding your credit report, hurting your credit score even more.
If you need a way to pay online, open a low rate credit card with a fixed limit. Use it for your online shopping needs- that way, you'll protect your budget and your credit.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Cold and flu myths
By Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness
Reality Check
Colds are not caused by going outside without a coat.
Sorry, Mom. You meant well, but the only way to catch a cold or flu is by picking up a virus. Going out into the cold without a jacket or a hat, or with wet hair, does nothing to facilitate transmission. It’s true, though, that we are more prone in the winter. Viruses are more easily shared when people are clustered together indoors.
Flu vaccines do not cause flu.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention are emphatic that you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The vaccine is made from killed or “inactivated” viruses, which can’t be transmitted. However, you may experience a few side effects which mimic the disease such as aches and a low-grade fever.
Feed a cold, starve a fever? Nah. Feed ’em both.
This bit of armchair advice is probably repeated as often as it is jumbled. But you wouldn’t want to starve either virus: At higher temperatures the body produces more interferon, a protein that helps prevent virus reproduction. “The body is like a furnace, and to create heat you need calories,” says Dr. George Wootan, a family physician and author of Take Care of Your Child’s Health. “When people have chills it is because they don’t have enough calories to bring up the heat normally …by feeding them, they will have enough calories to raise the temperature, increase the interferon, and kill the bugs.” Wootan will sometimes recommend to patients without a temperature that they promote their own fever by getting into a hot tub or putting on warm clothes and getting under the covers (drink lots of water, too, if you’re going to try this method).
“[Some] might say that you should starve a fever because you don’t want the fever to go higher,” he concludes, “but the body isn’t dumb and won’t do damage that it can’t control.”
Viruses survive on surfaces.
You don’t have to wait to be sneezed on to catch a cold or flu—you can pick the virus up right from a counter top, keyboard, telephone or other surface. Rhinoviruses, the family of germs responsible for most colds, have been shown to survive on a surface (or “fomite,” in medical terms) for several hours or even days. “The concentration of virus attenuates; that is, the potency is less and less as time goes on. But you need very few viral particles to trigger an infection,” explains Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, professor and chairman of otolaryngology at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. “Even if there’s just a little left and you happen to touch that doorknob or coffee cup, the virus can then survive on your hands for quite a long time. Then all it takes is a little wipe or your nose or eyes and whatever little bit of virus on there will go to town very quickly. It’s a very efficient multiplying process.”
News: Mutant Respiratory Virus Has Claimed 10 Lives, says CDC
Colds that linger or worsen may indicate sinusitis.
Barring an underlying condition or immune deficiency, most people can fight off a cold inside of 10 days. When symptoms such as congestion, headache and runny nose drag on, it may indicate a bacterial infection of the sinuses, or sinusitis. “Duration of a cold beyond 10 days is highly suggestive of bacterial infection,” says Rosenfeld, who was the lead author of a new guideline for treating adult sinusitis, which addresses the importance of distinguishing a cold from sinusitis. “The other feature suggesting sinusitis is the pattern of ‘double worsening.’ That’s when someone starts to feel better and then all of a sudden they get hit again, and they’re getting worse. Now bacterial infection has superimposed itself on the viral illness. When you have prolonged illness or the double-worsening pattern, it’s reasonable to consider antibiotics.”
Vitamin C is ineffective for preventing or treating cold or flu.
A review of 30 studies on vitamin C that was updated in May 2007 put to rest a few dozen years’ of overconfidence in orange juice. “Vitamin C cannot effectively prevent or cure common colds or flu in the majority of people,” says Sari Greaves, registered dietician with New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Greaves allows that some benefit has been shown for extreme athletes exercising in extreme cold, but “since vitamin C is only known to offer a biological benefit in certain cases and in a restricted number of people, for the average adult, it’s not worth it to supplement.”
It’s true: we can put a man on the moon but we can’t cure the common cold.
The problem is that there are hundreds of varieties, or serotypes, of rhinovirus in addition to other viruses that cause the common cold. Of those hundreds, just a few are causing widespread infection at any point in time. The serotypes change so rapidly that they’re impossible to keep up with. A vaccine would have to be specific to the current serotype, and by the time the virus was identified and an antidote developed, the active serotype would have changed. On the plus side, we’ve been to the moon six times.
Reality Check
Colds are not caused by going outside without a coat.
Sorry, Mom. You meant well, but the only way to catch a cold or flu is by picking up a virus. Going out into the cold without a jacket or a hat, or with wet hair, does nothing to facilitate transmission. It’s true, though, that we are more prone in the winter. Viruses are more easily shared when people are clustered together indoors.
Flu vaccines do not cause flu.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention are emphatic that you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The vaccine is made from killed or “inactivated” viruses, which can’t be transmitted. However, you may experience a few side effects which mimic the disease such as aches and a low-grade fever.
Feed a cold, starve a fever? Nah. Feed ’em both.
This bit of armchair advice is probably repeated as often as it is jumbled. But you wouldn’t want to starve either virus: At higher temperatures the body produces more interferon, a protein that helps prevent virus reproduction. “The body is like a furnace, and to create heat you need calories,” says Dr. George Wootan, a family physician and author of Take Care of Your Child’s Health. “When people have chills it is because they don’t have enough calories to bring up the heat normally …by feeding them, they will have enough calories to raise the temperature, increase the interferon, and kill the bugs.” Wootan will sometimes recommend to patients without a temperature that they promote their own fever by getting into a hot tub or putting on warm clothes and getting under the covers (drink lots of water, too, if you’re going to try this method).
“[Some] might say that you should starve a fever because you don’t want the fever to go higher,” he concludes, “but the body isn’t dumb and won’t do damage that it can’t control.”
Viruses survive on surfaces.
You don’t have to wait to be sneezed on to catch a cold or flu—you can pick the virus up right from a counter top, keyboard, telephone or other surface. Rhinoviruses, the family of germs responsible for most colds, have been shown to survive on a surface (or “fomite,” in medical terms) for several hours or even days. “The concentration of virus attenuates; that is, the potency is less and less as time goes on. But you need very few viral particles to trigger an infection,” explains Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, professor and chairman of otolaryngology at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. “Even if there’s just a little left and you happen to touch that doorknob or coffee cup, the virus can then survive on your hands for quite a long time. Then all it takes is a little wipe or your nose or eyes and whatever little bit of virus on there will go to town very quickly. It’s a very efficient multiplying process.”
News: Mutant Respiratory Virus Has Claimed 10 Lives, says CDC
Colds that linger or worsen may indicate sinusitis.
Barring an underlying condition or immune deficiency, most people can fight off a cold inside of 10 days. When symptoms such as congestion, headache and runny nose drag on, it may indicate a bacterial infection of the sinuses, or sinusitis. “Duration of a cold beyond 10 days is highly suggestive of bacterial infection,” says Rosenfeld, who was the lead author of a new guideline for treating adult sinusitis, which addresses the importance of distinguishing a cold from sinusitis. “The other feature suggesting sinusitis is the pattern of ‘double worsening.’ That’s when someone starts to feel better and then all of a sudden they get hit again, and they’re getting worse. Now bacterial infection has superimposed itself on the viral illness. When you have prolonged illness or the double-worsening pattern, it’s reasonable to consider antibiotics.”
Vitamin C is ineffective for preventing or treating cold or flu.
A review of 30 studies on vitamin C that was updated in May 2007 put to rest a few dozen years’ of overconfidence in orange juice. “Vitamin C cannot effectively prevent or cure common colds or flu in the majority of people,” says Sari Greaves, registered dietician with New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Greaves allows that some benefit has been shown for extreme athletes exercising in extreme cold, but “since vitamin C is only known to offer a biological benefit in certain cases and in a restricted number of people, for the average adult, it’s not worth it to supplement.”
It’s true: we can put a man on the moon but we can’t cure the common cold.
The problem is that there are hundreds of varieties, or serotypes, of rhinovirus in addition to other viruses that cause the common cold. Of those hundreds, just a few are causing widespread infection at any point in time. The serotypes change so rapidly that they’re impossible to keep up with. A vaccine would have to be specific to the current serotype, and by the time the virus was identified and an antidote developed, the active serotype would have changed. On the plus side, we’ve been to the moon six times.
A letter to Santa
How to Send a Letter to Santa
by eHow Holidays & Celebrations Editor
Introduction
Sending a letter to Santa is as traditional as leaving him milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. Santa is a busy man come Christmas time. Writing him a letter, in addition to paying him a visit, is a great way to make sure he remembers the gifts at the top of your wish list.
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need
Pen
Paper
Envelope
Stamp
Steps
Step One
Be nice. Behave yourself year round or it is pointless to send a letter to Santa requesting gifts and a visit to your house. Santa only visits well behaved children.
Step Two
Address Santa cordially. Begin the letter with Dear Santa. Ask Santa how he is doing and how Christmas preparations are coming.
Step Three
Tell Santa of any behavior problems you may have had through the year. Explain to Santa how you have corrected the problems and what you are doing to be good.
Step Four
Make a list of gifts that you would like Santa to bring on Christmas Eve. Prioritize your list in the letter, listing the most wanted gift first and ending with the least wanted.
Step Five
Ask Santa for a reasonable amount of gifts. Remember that Santa is visiting children all over the world in just one night. Asking for a large number of gifts will be considered selfish.
Step Six
Mail your letter early in the season. Send your letter out the day after Thanksgiving if possible. This will give Santa time to reply to your letter.
Step Seven
Address your letter to Santa Claus, North Pole. Do not worry about a house number or street names. There is just one mailbox at the North pole for Santa to receive his mail, and it never gets mixed up with elf mail.
Tips & Warnings
Tell Santa about the milk and cookies you will leave out for him on Christmas Eve.
Being naughty or lying to Santa in your letter will land you a lump of coal in your stocking.
Santa will not give you gifts that your mom and dad do not want you to have.
If you send your letter too late, you will not receive a response back from Santa.
by eHow Holidays & Celebrations Editor
Introduction
Sending a letter to Santa is as traditional as leaving him milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. Santa is a busy man come Christmas time. Writing him a letter, in addition to paying him a visit, is a great way to make sure he remembers the gifts at the top of your wish list.
Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You'll Need
Pen
Paper
Envelope
Stamp
Steps
Step One
Be nice. Behave yourself year round or it is pointless to send a letter to Santa requesting gifts and a visit to your house. Santa only visits well behaved children.
Step Two
Address Santa cordially. Begin the letter with Dear Santa. Ask Santa how he is doing and how Christmas preparations are coming.
Step Three
Tell Santa of any behavior problems you may have had through the year. Explain to Santa how you have corrected the problems and what you are doing to be good.
Step Four
Make a list of gifts that you would like Santa to bring on Christmas Eve. Prioritize your list in the letter, listing the most wanted gift first and ending with the least wanted.
Step Five
Ask Santa for a reasonable amount of gifts. Remember that Santa is visiting children all over the world in just one night. Asking for a large number of gifts will be considered selfish.
Step Six
Mail your letter early in the season. Send your letter out the day after Thanksgiving if possible. This will give Santa time to reply to your letter.
Step Seven
Address your letter to Santa Claus, North Pole. Do not worry about a house number or street names. There is just one mailbox at the North pole for Santa to receive his mail, and it never gets mixed up with elf mail.
Tips & Warnings
Tell Santa about the milk and cookies you will leave out for him on Christmas Eve.
Being naughty or lying to Santa in your letter will land you a lump of coal in your stocking.
Santa will not give you gifts that your mom and dad do not want you to have.
If you send your letter too late, you will not receive a response back from Santa.
Don't have a lump of coal?
If your child has been naughty and you don't have a lump of coal for their stocking, here is a site you may want to check out.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Easy holiday menu
Too stressed to even think about the holiday dinner? Here are a few easy holiday menues that may help.
From Southern Living.
From Food Network.
From Redbook.
Here is one for the kids.
From Southern Living.
From Food Network.
From Redbook.
Here is one for the kids.
Kick it down a notch
After 10 years, the Food Network is canceling Emeril Live, the cooking show featuring chef Emeril Lagasse. Although the long-running show will stop production on December 11th, Lagasse is still under contract with the Food Network and will continue recording The Essence of Emeril and will also participate in certain specials and development opportunities in the future.
In a statement released by the Food Network, Lagasse said, "I am deeply appreciative to all the unbelievable staff -- many who have been with the show since the beginning -- and all the loyal viewers, and the many talented guests who have appeared on the show through the years. I look forward to continuing my association with the Food Network with `The Essence of Emeril,' and I have lots of new ideas cooking."
When asked why the show was canceled, Food Network publicist Carrie Welch said, "The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end."
In a statement released by the Food Network, Lagasse said, "I am deeply appreciative to all the unbelievable staff -- many who have been with the show since the beginning -- and all the loyal viewers, and the many talented guests who have appeared on the show through the years. I look forward to continuing my association with the Food Network with `The Essence of Emeril,' and I have lots of new ideas cooking."
When asked why the show was canceled, Food Network publicist Carrie Welch said, "The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end."
Rev up for the holidays
Did you survive Black Friday? And how about Cyber Monday? If not, here's some intel from Women's World- how to rev up for your holiday preparations, when you're feeling like something the cat dragged in:- try these quick and surprising tips:
1. Wear orange or red- hot colors catch your attention, help you focus, and stimulate your brain waves.
2. Doodle on paper- it sends a message to your brain to wake up! (Even looking at some zig zag patterns can have a similar effect.)
3. Hit the water cooler (the actual water- not just the gossip group!)- dehydration will zap your energy, and cause your body to try to slow down, which in turn, makes you tired. Drink small amounts of water every 30 minutes to stay hydrated and energized- and this works even if you aren't tired!
4. Chew sugarless peppermint gum- chewing releases the hormone serotonin, which relieves tension and helps you feel more awake.
5. Have a chicken sandwich for lunch- chicken contains the chemical tyrosine- an essential amino acid which boosts energy and relieves anxiety. Other sources for tyrosine are milk, cheese, or yogurt, avocados, bananas, Lima beans, or pumpkin seeds.
1. Wear orange or red- hot colors catch your attention, help you focus, and stimulate your brain waves.
2. Doodle on paper- it sends a message to your brain to wake up! (Even looking at some zig zag patterns can have a similar effect.)
3. Hit the water cooler (the actual water- not just the gossip group!)- dehydration will zap your energy, and cause your body to try to slow down, which in turn, makes you tired. Drink small amounts of water every 30 minutes to stay hydrated and energized- and this works even if you aren't tired!
4. Chew sugarless peppermint gum- chewing releases the hormone serotonin, which relieves tension and helps you feel more awake.
5. Have a chicken sandwich for lunch- chicken contains the chemical tyrosine- an essential amino acid which boosts energy and relieves anxiety. Other sources for tyrosine are milk, cheese, or yogurt, avocados, bananas, Lima beans, or pumpkin seeds.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Silly gifts
Gifts for the 2007 Holiday Season
As you rack your brain and race around trying to get gifts your family and friends will like this holiday season, keep in mind that a stupid present might just be the perfect present. Reuters reports that the website Stupid.com unveiled its list of the top 10 stupidest holiday gifts for 2007, with founder Gary Apple saying in a statement, "These gifts are so ridiculously stupid that everyone will want them." Here are a few from the top 10:
Mistletoe to Go -- Faux mistletoe on a suction cup that attaches to your forehead.
The Hillary Nutcracker -- A nutcracker made in the image of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in which the nut is cracked between her pant-suited legs.
Inflatable Moosehead -- Save the effort of hunting and a real moose's life by putting this inflatable moose head on your trophy wall.
Electronic Yodeling Pickle -- Press the button on this six-and-a-half-inch plastic pickle and an authentic-sounding yodel plays.
Poo-lar Bear Candy -- This plastic bear is filled with candy poop, so when you press down on its hind quarters he poops out a piece.
Get Off the Phone Excuse Machine -- This machine comes in handy when you need to get off the phone with a chatty Cathy. Press a button for excuses like "Whoops, there's the door," and "I can't hear you, you're breaking up."
USB Dancer -- Plug this bikini-wearing dancer into your computer's USB port and audio port and when sound plays on your system, she'll dance.
As you rack your brain and race around trying to get gifts your family and friends will like this holiday season, keep in mind that a stupid present might just be the perfect present. Reuters reports that the website Stupid.com unveiled its list of the top 10 stupidest holiday gifts for 2007, with founder Gary Apple saying in a statement, "These gifts are so ridiculously stupid that everyone will want them." Here are a few from the top 10:
Mistletoe to Go -- Faux mistletoe on a suction cup that attaches to your forehead.
The Hillary Nutcracker -- A nutcracker made in the image of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in which the nut is cracked between her pant-suited legs.
Inflatable Moosehead -- Save the effort of hunting and a real moose's life by putting this inflatable moose head on your trophy wall.
Electronic Yodeling Pickle -- Press the button on this six-and-a-half-inch plastic pickle and an authentic-sounding yodel plays.
Poo-lar Bear Candy -- This plastic bear is filled with candy poop, so when you press down on its hind quarters he poops out a piece.
Get Off the Phone Excuse Machine -- This machine comes in handy when you need to get off the phone with a chatty Cathy. Press a button for excuses like "Whoops, there's the door," and "I can't hear you, you're breaking up."
USB Dancer -- Plug this bikini-wearing dancer into your computer's USB port and audio port and when sound plays on your system, she'll dance.
Hannah Montana 3-D Movie
HANNAH MANIA IS NOT OVER YET...
Tickets On Sale Saturday For 3D Hannah Montana Movie "Best of Both Worlds Concert" The Movie Has 1-Week Engagement in February...Tickets can be purchased online at the movie's official website.
Buy tickets.
Tickets On Sale Saturday For 3D Hannah Montana Movie "Best of Both Worlds Concert" The Movie Has 1-Week Engagement in February...Tickets can be purchased online at the movie's official website.
Buy tickets.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Elf yourself
A safe holiday
Let's be safe this holiday
BY MORRIS & JAMES CAREY | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
We have written about holiday safety for two decades.
Despite the repetition, there are always folks who need help guiding them through a safe holiday season. Here are some tips from the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and the National Fire Protection Agency.
DECORATING
Use caution with holiday decorations. Look for those made with flame-resistant or noncombustible materials.
Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and don't use candles to decorate Christmas trees. Always use nonflammable holders.
Choose artificial icicles made of plastic or nonleaded metals, and avoid sharp or breakable ornaments.
Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of reach of children. .
Place older ornaments and decorations that might be painted with lead paint out of the reach of small children and pets.
TREES
Look for the "Fire Resistant" label when buying a faux tree.
Check for freshness in a live tree. A fresh tree is green, its needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break.
Place the tree away from fireplaces, radiators or heaters.
Cut a few inches off the trunk to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard. And keep the stand filled with water.
LIGHTS
Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and someone touching a branch could be electrocuted.
Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
To hold lights in place, string them through plastic hooks, not nails or tacks.
Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.
Inexpensive remote controls can be used to safely turn off exterior decorations during a rain or snowstorm.
Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
Use heavy gauge extension cords (the lower the gauge-number the better the extension cord). For example: 12 gauge is better than 14 gauge is better than 16 gauge.
ENTERTAINING
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.
But wait, there's more.
BY MORRIS & JAMES CAREY | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
We have written about holiday safety for two decades.
Despite the repetition, there are always folks who need help guiding them through a safe holiday season. Here are some tips from the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors and the National Fire Protection Agency.
DECORATING
Use caution with holiday decorations. Look for those made with flame-resistant or noncombustible materials.
Keep candles away from decorations and other combustible materials, and don't use candles to decorate Christmas trees. Always use nonflammable holders.
Choose artificial icicles made of plastic or nonleaded metals, and avoid sharp or breakable ornaments.
Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of reach of children. .
Place older ornaments and decorations that might be painted with lead paint out of the reach of small children and pets.
TREES
Look for the "Fire Resistant" label when buying a faux tree.
Check for freshness in a live tree. A fresh tree is green, its needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break.
Place the tree away from fireplaces, radiators or heaters.
Cut a few inches off the trunk to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard. And keep the stand filled with water.
LIGHTS
Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and someone touching a branch could be electrocuted.
Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
To hold lights in place, string them through plastic hooks, not nails or tacks.
Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.
Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.
Inexpensive remote controls can be used to safely turn off exterior decorations during a rain or snowstorm.
Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
Use heavy gauge extension cords (the lower the gauge-number the better the extension cord). For example: 12 gauge is better than 14 gauge is better than 16 gauge.
ENTERTAINING
Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States. When cooking for holiday visitors, remember to keep an eye on the range.
But wait, there's more.
Eat your way slim
20 Simple Steps
By the Editors of Prevention
From the instructions for some diets, you'd think losing weight was more complicated than quantum physics. The food diaries you need to write; the nutrition labels you need to read — and pronounce and translate; the protein, fat, and carbohydrate grams you have to add up. It's time to try an easier way. No math, no more squinting at the fine print and trying to decipher those words with no vowels. Instead, just 20 everyday tactics that will get you started on your weight loss plan and then help you stick to it. Soon enough, your diet will simply become the way you eat.
1. Always eat dessert
Yes, always. "A small amount can signal that the meal is over," says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. She ends her meals with a piece of quality chocolate — and she's a doctor. Other options include mini-cupcakes or fruit.
2. Blot out the fat
You can use a napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off a pizza slice. That may not sound like a lot, but multiply it by a slice a week, and that's more than a whole cup of fat you won't eat — or wear — this year.
3. Take the beltway
When junk food beckons, tighten your belt a notch. Not so you can't breathe, but so you have a gentle reminder of the size you'd like to be. "The scale isn't the only measure of weight," says Roberta Anding, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
4. Go public
Enlist the help of coworkers, friends, and family — and know they're watching. "The power of embarrassment is greater than will-power," says Stephen Gullo, PhD, author of The Thin Commandments.
5. Get spicy with it
Capsaicin, the substance that puts the hot in hot pepper, temporarily boosts your metabolism. Just make sure you're drinking a yogurt lassi with that searing-hot chicken vindaloo. Dairy blocks capsaicin's sweat-inducing signals better than water.
6. Milk it
Consuming 1,800 mg of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a recent University of Tennessee study. Jump-start your calcium intake by filling your coffee mug with fat-free or 1% milk, drinking it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pouring in your caffeine fix. That's 300 mg down, 1,500 to go.
7. Go organic
That's where you're likely to find bread and cereal with fiber counts that put the conventional choices to shame. Thought you were doing well with your 3-g-per-serving Cheerios? Nature's Path Slim blows it away with 10 g. (And it really doesn't taste like a shredded shoebox.)
8. Splurge on precut veggies at the supermarket
Sure, they cost more, but you're more likely to eat them. "Make low-energy snacks as easy as possible," Rolls says. "Keep vegetables as near to hand as you can. Make it so you have no excuse."
9. Practice fine dining
Pick a restaurant where you'll actually want to linger. "When the meals are not hurried, the presentation is beautiful and the portions are reasonable so you can regulate your attitude," Anding says. That means your body — not the empty plate — will tell you when to stop.
10. Don't skip your 3 pm feeding
"Have a 150 calorie snack [now], and it can save you 400 calories later," Anding says. An ounce of nuts or two sticks of string cheese weigh in at about 170 calories.
11. Increase your a-peel
Speaking of fiber, a lot of it's in the peel, whether it's potatoes, apples, or pears. Even oranges — don't eat the whole peel, but keep the pith, that white stringy stuff; it's packed with flavonoids. More nutrients, more fiber, less labor.
12. Drink with your dominant hand
If you're circulating at a party, Rolls suggests keeping your glass in the hand you eat with. If you're drinking with it, you can't eat with it, can you?
13. Plate it
Whatever it is, don't eat it out of the container and don't bring the container to the couch. "Part of satiety is visual," Anding says. "Your brain actually has to see the food on the plate, and when you reach into the jar, or the box, or the bag, you don't see it." If it's worth eating, put it on a plate. Eat what's there, then stop.
14. Keep your hands busy
Find a way other than food to work off your nervous energy. "It's behavior modification," Anding says. "Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, you pick up your knitting. Art works, woodworking works — anything that occupies your hands."
15. Take 10
When your mind strays from your desk to the vending machine, it could be hunger — or it could be boredom or irritation with your boss. If you're still thinking about snacking 10 minutes later, then you're probably hungry. Think of it as a chance to have one of the nine servings of fruits and vegetables you need each day.
16. Go out for ice cream
Or an eclair. Or even guacamole and chips. Just go out. Don't keep your danger foods in the house. You can't eat half of a carton of ice cream that's not there.
17. Start with salad
It's the holy grail of dieting — eat less by eating more. Rolls's research has found that eating a salad as a first course decreased total lunch calories by 12%. Avoid the croutons and creamy dressings, which have the opposite effect.
18. Just scrape by
Always order your bagel or burger with a plastic knife. Use it to scrape off the excess cream cheese and mayo. You could shave off as many as half the calories.
19. Send back the bread
All it takes is a wave of the hand, a smile, and a "No, thank you."
20. Go crazy — sometimes
Deprivation won't make you thin — or happy. Designate a meal or two a week when you can eat absolutely anything you want.
By the Editors of Prevention
From the instructions for some diets, you'd think losing weight was more complicated than quantum physics. The food diaries you need to write; the nutrition labels you need to read — and pronounce and translate; the protein, fat, and carbohydrate grams you have to add up. It's time to try an easier way. No math, no more squinting at the fine print and trying to decipher those words with no vowels. Instead, just 20 everyday tactics that will get you started on your weight loss plan and then help you stick to it. Soon enough, your diet will simply become the way you eat.
1. Always eat dessert
Yes, always. "A small amount can signal that the meal is over," says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. She ends her meals with a piece of quality chocolate — and she's a doctor. Other options include mini-cupcakes or fruit.
2. Blot out the fat
You can use a napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off a pizza slice. That may not sound like a lot, but multiply it by a slice a week, and that's more than a whole cup of fat you won't eat — or wear — this year.
3. Take the beltway
When junk food beckons, tighten your belt a notch. Not so you can't breathe, but so you have a gentle reminder of the size you'd like to be. "The scale isn't the only measure of weight," says Roberta Anding, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
4. Go public
Enlist the help of coworkers, friends, and family — and know they're watching. "The power of embarrassment is greater than will-power," says Stephen Gullo, PhD, author of The Thin Commandments.
5. Get spicy with it
Capsaicin, the substance that puts the hot in hot pepper, temporarily boosts your metabolism. Just make sure you're drinking a yogurt lassi with that searing-hot chicken vindaloo. Dairy blocks capsaicin's sweat-inducing signals better than water.
6. Milk it
Consuming 1,800 mg of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a recent University of Tennessee study. Jump-start your calcium intake by filling your coffee mug with fat-free or 1% milk, drinking it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pouring in your caffeine fix. That's 300 mg down, 1,500 to go.
7. Go organic
That's where you're likely to find bread and cereal with fiber counts that put the conventional choices to shame. Thought you were doing well with your 3-g-per-serving Cheerios? Nature's Path Slim blows it away with 10 g. (And it really doesn't taste like a shredded shoebox.)
8. Splurge on precut veggies at the supermarket
Sure, they cost more, but you're more likely to eat them. "Make low-energy snacks as easy as possible," Rolls says. "Keep vegetables as near to hand as you can. Make it so you have no excuse."
9. Practice fine dining
Pick a restaurant where you'll actually want to linger. "When the meals are not hurried, the presentation is beautiful and the portions are reasonable so you can regulate your attitude," Anding says. That means your body — not the empty plate — will tell you when to stop.
10. Don't skip your 3 pm feeding
"Have a 150 calorie snack [now], and it can save you 400 calories later," Anding says. An ounce of nuts or two sticks of string cheese weigh in at about 170 calories.
11. Increase your a-peel
Speaking of fiber, a lot of it's in the peel, whether it's potatoes, apples, or pears. Even oranges — don't eat the whole peel, but keep the pith, that white stringy stuff; it's packed with flavonoids. More nutrients, more fiber, less labor.
12. Drink with your dominant hand
If you're circulating at a party, Rolls suggests keeping your glass in the hand you eat with. If you're drinking with it, you can't eat with it, can you?
13. Plate it
Whatever it is, don't eat it out of the container and don't bring the container to the couch. "Part of satiety is visual," Anding says. "Your brain actually has to see the food on the plate, and when you reach into the jar, or the box, or the bag, you don't see it." If it's worth eating, put it on a plate. Eat what's there, then stop.
14. Keep your hands busy
Find a way other than food to work off your nervous energy. "It's behavior modification," Anding says. "Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, you pick up your knitting. Art works, woodworking works — anything that occupies your hands."
15. Take 10
When your mind strays from your desk to the vending machine, it could be hunger — or it could be boredom or irritation with your boss. If you're still thinking about snacking 10 minutes later, then you're probably hungry. Think of it as a chance to have one of the nine servings of fruits and vegetables you need each day.
16. Go out for ice cream
Or an eclair. Or even guacamole and chips. Just go out. Don't keep your danger foods in the house. You can't eat half of a carton of ice cream that's not there.
17. Start with salad
It's the holy grail of dieting — eat less by eating more. Rolls's research has found that eating a salad as a first course decreased total lunch calories by 12%. Avoid the croutons and creamy dressings, which have the opposite effect.
18. Just scrape by
Always order your bagel or burger with a plastic knife. Use it to scrape off the excess cream cheese and mayo. You could shave off as many as half the calories.
19. Send back the bread
All it takes is a wave of the hand, a smile, and a "No, thank you."
20. Go crazy — sometimes
Deprivation won't make you thin — or happy. Designate a meal or two a week when you can eat absolutely anything you want.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Is your tree "green"
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is going "greener" — with energy-saving lights replacing old-fashioned bulbs on the towering evergreen this year. Weather permitting, the tree will also get some of its electricity from 363 solar panels just installed atop Rockefeller Center.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hoped the change to the midtown Manhattan display will inspire the tens of millions of New Yorkers and tourists who see the tree every year.
"Now they will see an example of green leadership which may inspire them to make greener choices in their own lives," Bloomberg said Tuesday.
The 84-foot-tall Norway spruce will be covered with 30,000 multicolored light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, strung on five miles of wire.
Using the energy-efficient LEDs to replace incandescent bulbs will reduce the display's electricity consumption from 3,510 to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day. The daily savings is equal to the amount of electricity consumed by a typical 2,000-square-foot house in a month.
The owners of Rockefeller Center, Tishman Speyer, also showed off a new solar energy array that will generate electricity on the roof of one of the complex's buildings, the largest privately owned solar roof in Manhattan.
The solar panels will help light the tree and are also tied into the city grid. In fact, their biggest contribution will be in summer when the grid is often near capacity due to air conditioning use.
After the official tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 28, the Christmas tree will be illuminated from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. most days through the first week of January.
The Rockefeller Center tradition was started in 1931, when construction workers building the first part of the office building complex erected a 20-foot Balsam fir amid the site's mud and rubble.
After the tree is taken down in January, it will be cut into lumber to be used in houses built by Habitat for Humanity.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hoped the change to the midtown Manhattan display will inspire the tens of millions of New Yorkers and tourists who see the tree every year.
"Now they will see an example of green leadership which may inspire them to make greener choices in their own lives," Bloomberg said Tuesday.
The 84-foot-tall Norway spruce will be covered with 30,000 multicolored light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, strung on five miles of wire.
Using the energy-efficient LEDs to replace incandescent bulbs will reduce the display's electricity consumption from 3,510 to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day. The daily savings is equal to the amount of electricity consumed by a typical 2,000-square-foot house in a month.
The owners of Rockefeller Center, Tishman Speyer, also showed off a new solar energy array that will generate electricity on the roof of one of the complex's buildings, the largest privately owned solar roof in Manhattan.
The solar panels will help light the tree and are also tied into the city grid. In fact, their biggest contribution will be in summer when the grid is often near capacity due to air conditioning use.
After the official tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 28, the Christmas tree will be illuminated from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. most days through the first week of January.
The Rockefeller Center tradition was started in 1931, when construction workers building the first part of the office building complex erected a 20-foot Balsam fir amid the site's mud and rubble.
After the tree is taken down in January, it will be cut into lumber to be used in houses built by Habitat for Humanity.
Top video game gifts
Need a little extra help finding just the right gift? Here's what's especially popular this year in the video game department.
15 worst holiday gifts
If you suffer panic attacks at the mall or you have recurring nightmares about the colossal gift gaffes you've made over the years -- you may be an HGSS sufferer.
Holiday Gift-Shopping Syndrome!
Don't make these mistakes.
Holiday Gift-Shopping Syndrome!
Don't make these mistakes.
Friday, November 23, 2007
A new way to shop
Have you ever braved and confronted the maddening holiday stampede at your local shopping mall -- only to visit a dozen stores that don't have the product you were looking for? Those days may very well be a distant memory of Christmas past thanks to a new service from NearbyNow that lets you check store inventory from the Internet or mobile phone, and even reserve products to pick up. This new service is available in shopping malls in over 130 cities for the first time this year, empowering shoppers to experience stress-free shopping this holiday season.
It's as easy as 1..2..3
Holiday shopping can be a stressful time for frazzled consumers with little or no time to shop as they face the daunting task of finding - and purchasing - the perfect gift. Buying online can often further complicate the matter, with shipping charges, accuracy issues, timeliness, and potentially discovering that the perfect gift is on backorder until 2008.
NearbyNow has created a new approach to holiday shopping this season by combining the convenient use of the Internet with the vibrancy of in-store shopping. By shopping online before heading out the door, consumers have the ability to search inventory of over 800,000 products at their local mall just by going to the mall's Web site. Once the desired gift is found, shoppers can take advantage of the newly enhanced NearbyNow-powered service and "check availability", with the bonus option to 'reserve this product' - putting the item on hold at the retail store of their choice. NearbyNow will confirm the product's availability, usually within ten minutes, and notify shoppers when it will be available for in-store pickup.
"Shoppers call our service 'Google for malls' because they can search every brand, product, and sale at the mall," said Scott Dunlap, chief executive officer of NearbyNow, Inc. "We've taken the concept of shopping online and buying in-store even further than that by allowing shoppers to actually check inventory and reserve products to pick up. It is the most stress-free way to shop your local mall. It's what holiday shopping should be all about - convenience."
Shop Online, Buy In-store
A recent survey by Accenture found that consumers like to use the Internet to do their research when shopping, whether they intend to buy online or purchase in-store. Over 69 percent of those who purchased either online or in-store researched product features online beforehand, and a majority of them (67 percent) preferred to make purchases in-store. Over half of them (58 percent) used the Internet to find items in nearby stores.
"Metropark's fashion-savvy customers regularly shop both the mall and online," states Laura Bojanowski, Director of Marketing for Metropark, a shopping destination for today's trendsetting young adults. "NearbyNow has created a new way for us to access shoppers at the mall that presents Metropark's mix of contemporary and street fashion apparel and accessories that we carry to customers in a unique way, giving them the option to shop either channel at their convenience. We are excited to see how we can work together with NearbyNow to present new products for the holiday shopping season and provide our customers with the most convenient ways to shop."
The mobile phone as a local mall directory
While at the mall, consumers can use their mobile phone to find last-minute gifts, view coupons and sale promotions, and even receive mobile-only offers. It's easy to use, by texting a mall-specific code (such as "VF" for Westfield Valley Fair) to the shortcode NEARBY (632729), shoppers receive simple instructions on how to search hundreds of sale items in the mall by typing such categories as "toys", "sneakers", or any other item they might be searching for. Each shopping center will display signage outlining the appropriate shortcodes and instructions throughout the mall.
"We see shoppers using the Internet and mobile phones more and more each year," said Scott Peterson, Digital Marketing Manager for The Westfield Group, a premier mall owner and operator. "NearbyNow has created a unique way to blend these technologies to make the shopping center experience more convenient. We are excited to provide this to our 60 premier properties for this holiday season."
At a mall near you
NearbyNow has partnered with renowned shopping mall operators such as The Westfield Group, CBL & Associates Properties, and General Growth Properties to deliver their experience to malls in over 130 cities. Shoppers can log on to their local mall's Web site or click here to find the nearest participating mall.
It's as easy as 1..2..3
Holiday shopping can be a stressful time for frazzled consumers with little or no time to shop as they face the daunting task of finding - and purchasing - the perfect gift. Buying online can often further complicate the matter, with shipping charges, accuracy issues, timeliness, and potentially discovering that the perfect gift is on backorder until 2008.
NearbyNow has created a new approach to holiday shopping this season by combining the convenient use of the Internet with the vibrancy of in-store shopping. By shopping online before heading out the door, consumers have the ability to search inventory of over 800,000 products at their local mall just by going to the mall's Web site. Once the desired gift is found, shoppers can take advantage of the newly enhanced NearbyNow-powered service and "check availability", with the bonus option to 'reserve this product' - putting the item on hold at the retail store of their choice. NearbyNow will confirm the product's availability, usually within ten minutes, and notify shoppers when it will be available for in-store pickup.
"Shoppers call our service 'Google for malls' because they can search every brand, product, and sale at the mall," said Scott Dunlap, chief executive officer of NearbyNow, Inc. "We've taken the concept of shopping online and buying in-store even further than that by allowing shoppers to actually check inventory and reserve products to pick up. It is the most stress-free way to shop your local mall. It's what holiday shopping should be all about - convenience."
Shop Online, Buy In-store
A recent survey by Accenture found that consumers like to use the Internet to do their research when shopping, whether they intend to buy online or purchase in-store. Over 69 percent of those who purchased either online or in-store researched product features online beforehand, and a majority of them (67 percent) preferred to make purchases in-store. Over half of them (58 percent) used the Internet to find items in nearby stores.
"Metropark's fashion-savvy customers regularly shop both the mall and online," states Laura Bojanowski, Director of Marketing for Metropark, a shopping destination for today's trendsetting young adults. "NearbyNow has created a new way for us to access shoppers at the mall that presents Metropark's mix of contemporary and street fashion apparel and accessories that we carry to customers in a unique way, giving them the option to shop either channel at their convenience. We are excited to see how we can work together with NearbyNow to present new products for the holiday shopping season and provide our customers with the most convenient ways to shop."
The mobile phone as a local mall directory
While at the mall, consumers can use their mobile phone to find last-minute gifts, view coupons and sale promotions, and even receive mobile-only offers. It's easy to use, by texting a mall-specific code (such as "VF" for Westfield Valley Fair) to the shortcode NEARBY (632729), shoppers receive simple instructions on how to search hundreds of sale items in the mall by typing such categories as "toys", "sneakers", or any other item they might be searching for. Each shopping center will display signage outlining the appropriate shortcodes and instructions throughout the mall.
"We see shoppers using the Internet and mobile phones more and more each year," said Scott Peterson, Digital Marketing Manager for The Westfield Group, a premier mall owner and operator. "NearbyNow has created a unique way to blend these technologies to make the shopping center experience more convenient. We are excited to provide this to our 60 premier properties for this holiday season."
At a mall near you
NearbyNow has partnered with renowned shopping mall operators such as The Westfield Group, CBL & Associates Properties, and General Growth Properties to deliver their experience to malls in over 130 cities. Shoppers can log on to their local mall's Web site or click here to find the nearest participating mall.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Lighten the meal
Everything in moderation!
Use dip made from nonfat yogurt or nonfat sour cream instead of cream-based dip for the veggie platter.
Replace the traditional stuffing with an assortment of chopped veggies. Fill your turkey with mushrooms, eggplant, onions and celery.
Put out an assortment of fruit for dessert instead of pies.
Remember to drink a lot of water...
Limit the amount of high-fatty foods such as gravy, pumpkin pie. Eat them -- just in small portions.
Use dip made from nonfat yogurt or nonfat sour cream instead of cream-based dip for the veggie platter.
Replace the traditional stuffing with an assortment of chopped veggies. Fill your turkey with mushrooms, eggplant, onions and celery.
Put out an assortment of fruit for dessert instead of pies.
Remember to drink a lot of water...
Limit the amount of high-fatty foods such as gravy, pumpkin pie. Eat them -- just in small portions.
Thanksgiving diet tips
My Excellent Adventure In Weight Loss, offers the following tips to maintaining your diet through the holiday season:
(Jamie Bernard, author of The Incredible Shrinking Critic)
Fill up before you go out. If you eat some nuts or half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese before you go out to the party you'll already be full when you get there. If you don't have time to eat something at home before you leave, grab a protein bar for the road.
Pretend you're the host or hostess. If Thanksgiving is at your house this year you're in luck, but if you're going to visit family there's still hope. Either way, be the "ultimate host" and offer to clean, set the table, be a waiter, fill up glasses, etc. If you're being the host you probably won't have time to sit down for those fattening appetizers.
Show up late: If you can get away with it, show up late to Thanksgiving dinner. That way you'll miss appetizers. And if you leave early, you'll miss desserts.
Pile food high and wide on your plate, but make sure the food mountain you build is made of the healthiest dishes on the menu. Healthy Thanksgiving items include fruit, salad, and white turkey meat.
Bring a dessert that you really hate. That way you won't be tempted to eat it at the party, nor will you be tempted to make a second one for your home.
(Jamie Bernard, author of The Incredible Shrinking Critic)
Fill up before you go out. If you eat some nuts or half a cup of low-fat cottage cheese before you go out to the party you'll already be full when you get there. If you don't have time to eat something at home before you leave, grab a protein bar for the road.
Pretend you're the host or hostess. If Thanksgiving is at your house this year you're in luck, but if you're going to visit family there's still hope. Either way, be the "ultimate host" and offer to clean, set the table, be a waiter, fill up glasses, etc. If you're being the host you probably won't have time to sit down for those fattening appetizers.
Show up late: If you can get away with it, show up late to Thanksgiving dinner. That way you'll miss appetizers. And if you leave early, you'll miss desserts.
Pile food high and wide on your plate, but make sure the food mountain you build is made of the healthiest dishes on the menu. Healthy Thanksgiving items include fruit, salad, and white turkey meat.
Bring a dessert that you really hate. That way you won't be tempted to eat it at the party, nor will you be tempted to make a second one for your home.
How to carve a turkey
Here's how to carve up your Thanksgiving bird:
Lie in wait: Expert chef Marshall Shafkowitz at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute in Chicago says you should wait 30 after you take the turkey out of the oven before you carve it up. "If you carve the bird the second it comes out of the oven, it'll start to bleed and lose its moisture," says Shafkowitz.
Get the legs up: Grab the tip of the drumstick and raise it straight up, feeling for the center of the joint with a chef knife. If you hit something hard and dense, that's bone. Cartilage, on the other hand, should feel like a stale gummy bear. The knife should slide right through, leaving you with a hunk of tender dark meat.
Start with the breast: Using a sharp carving knife -- not a serrated blade -- make your first incision near the neck, just to one side of the breastbone. Slice down the body with the blade riding the bone. Now, on the same side make a horizontal cut along the ribs, until the two incisions meet. Lift the breast and slice.
Grip and rip: The skin and gristle around the wing make it harder to cut. So snap that joint with your hands, then slice through the cartilage and remaining fatty bits connecting it to the body.
Lie in wait: Expert chef Marshall Shafkowitz at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute in Chicago says you should wait 30 after you take the turkey out of the oven before you carve it up. "If you carve the bird the second it comes out of the oven, it'll start to bleed and lose its moisture," says Shafkowitz.
Get the legs up: Grab the tip of the drumstick and raise it straight up, feeling for the center of the joint with a chef knife. If you hit something hard and dense, that's bone. Cartilage, on the other hand, should feel like a stale gummy bear. The knife should slide right through, leaving you with a hunk of tender dark meat.
Start with the breast: Using a sharp carving knife -- not a serrated blade -- make your first incision near the neck, just to one side of the breastbone. Slice down the body with the blade riding the bone. Now, on the same side make a horizontal cut along the ribs, until the two incisions meet. Lift the breast and slice.
Grip and rip: The skin and gristle around the wing make it harder to cut. So snap that joint with your hands, then slice through the cartilage and remaining fatty bits connecting it to the body.
Turkey tips lines
Need a helping hand to put the finishing touches on your holiday meal? There are a bunch of Web sites around to help guide you through the process. Many offer complete recipes, as well as tips on things like how to carve a turkey or how to tell when it's done in the first place.
On the Net:
Butterball Turkey line
Land O' Lakes Holiday bake line
Starchefs
Reader's Digest site
Better Homes and Gardens site
When you're nodding off after today's Turkey Day dinner, don't blame the bird. Experts are debunking the popular thinking that turkey makes you drowsy. Turkey does contain an amino acid that can lead to sleepiness, but researchers at a New Jersey sleep center say it has a hard time reaching the brain when it's part of a big meal. Instead, they say travel, longer hours at work, overeating and alcohol are more likely to lead to an after dinner nap. One dietitian believes another factor that could lead to feeling tired could be sitting around and watching football after the big meal is done.
On the Net:
Butterball Turkey line
Land O' Lakes Holiday bake line
Starchefs
Reader's Digest site
Better Homes and Gardens site
When you're nodding off after today's Turkey Day dinner, don't blame the bird. Experts are debunking the popular thinking that turkey makes you drowsy. Turkey does contain an amino acid that can lead to sleepiness, but researchers at a New Jersey sleep center say it has a hard time reaching the brain when it's part of a big meal. Instead, they say travel, longer hours at work, overeating and alcohol are more likely to lead to an after dinner nap. One dietitian believes another factor that could lead to feeling tired could be sitting around and watching football after the big meal is done.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Women under 45 beware
Here's another reason to get heart healthy.
For decades, heart disease death rates have been falling. But a new study shows a troubling turn — more women under 45 are dying of heart disease due to clogged arteries, and the death rate for men that age has leveled off.
Heart experts aren't sure what went wrong, but they think increasing rates of obesity and other risk factors are to blame.
Read the whole story.
For decades, heart disease death rates have been falling. But a new study shows a troubling turn — more women under 45 are dying of heart disease due to clogged arteries, and the death rate for men that age has leveled off.
Heart experts aren't sure what went wrong, but they think increasing rates of obesity and other risk factors are to blame.
Read the whole story.
TSA travel tips
Traveling for Thanksgiving? The TSA has tips to keep it stress free:
Home. Business trip. Honeymoon. Family vacation. No matter where you're going, air travel is an essential part of your trip. That's why most of our efforts are dedicated to getting you there. At every commercial airport, large and small, our Security Officers are motivated individuals who take pride in making YOUR travel secure.
We screen every passenger; we screen every bag so that your memories are from where you went, not how you got there. We're here to help your travel plans be smooth and stress free. Please take a moment to become familiar with some of our security measures. Doing so now will help save you time once you arrive at the airport.
All I can say is give yourself extra time to get where you're going and pack lots of patience.
Home. Business trip. Honeymoon. Family vacation. No matter where you're going, air travel is an essential part of your trip. That's why most of our efforts are dedicated to getting you there. At every commercial airport, large and small, our Security Officers are motivated individuals who take pride in making YOUR travel secure.
We screen every passenger; we screen every bag so that your memories are from where you went, not how you got there. We're here to help your travel plans be smooth and stress free. Please take a moment to become familiar with some of our security measures. Doing so now will help save you time once you arrive at the airport.
All I can say is give yourself extra time to get where you're going and pack lots of patience.
Gift givers guide
The holiday season is the biggest time of the year for charities to raise donations - many receive as much as half of their yearly donations between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Florida's consumer watchdog agency urges donators to check out charities before you reach into your wallet to make any donations.
The Gift Givers' Guide from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is intended to help make sure your contribution actually goes to the people who need it.
Spokeswoman Liz Compton said the guide lets you check to see if a charity is registered with the state of Florida. She said that's a huge red flag if it's not.
The Gift Giver's Guide includes financial information about every registered charity in Florida. There are more than 12,000.
It tells you how much money a charity has raised and where that cash is going.
To see the Gift Giver's Guide, click.
Florida's consumer watchdog agency urges donators to check out charities before you reach into your wallet to make any donations.
The Gift Givers' Guide from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is intended to help make sure your contribution actually goes to the people who need it.
Spokeswoman Liz Compton said the guide lets you check to see if a charity is registered with the state of Florida. She said that's a huge red flag if it's not.
The Gift Giver's Guide includes financial information about every registered charity in Florida. There are more than 12,000.
It tells you how much money a charity has raised and where that cash is going.
To see the Gift Giver's Guide, click.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
5 stalks of celery
I mentioned on the air the other day about my first attempt at a Thanksgiving dinner and when the stuffing called for 5 stalks of celery chopped up and cooked, I thought that was 5 "bunches". Needless to say it came out very "green." I've never been able to live it down from my family. But it seems I'm not the only one with embarrassing moments in the kitchen. Check out this note:
Susan,
I heard you talking about one of your first experiences in preparing Thanksgiving stuffing with a recipe that required 5 stalks of celery for which you prepared five bunches of celery and had a very green stuffing that year. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that and what candor it took to share that with your listening audience. I wanted to share a similar experience with one of my first cooking experiences that I haven’t thought about for years and never had the chance to share with anyone except my parents, the parents of a good childhood friend and the Franklin County Fire Department in Grove City, Ohio..
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I was at a friends’ house on a weekend for a sleepover. I had spent a lot of time in my mother’s kitchen as a child and learned to prepare one of those Chef Boy-Ar-Dee boxed pizzas. I had made them several times by myself at our kitchen at home. One of these boxed pizza mixes accompanied me on the sleepover which my friend and I started to prepare on a Saturday morning while his parents were outside and running errands.
The recipe called for half a measuring cup of water. I read the recipe while my friend mixed the ingredients. After blooming the yeast and adding the flour mixture, the contents of the bowl looked more like soup than pizza dough. My remedy to that was to add more flour and being the bright 7 year old, I knew that you must also add a little baking powder to make the dough rise. With three times the volume of pizza dough than the box mix would have yielded, there was no need to let it rise, Right?
We placed the huge ball of pizza dough out on the greased pizza pan, pressed it as well as we could into the corners, added the small can of sauce, Parmesan cheese and the few slices of pepperoni on top and into the hot oven it went. We went down in his basement to watch T.V. and wait for our pizza to bake.
Imagine the surprise of two 7 year olds when we came upstairs, opened the oven door and witnessed the growth of what looked like the blob falling off of the pizza sheet in huge chunks and falling to the bottom of the oven. It was falling over the sides and running to the bottom of the oven like a lava flow from a Hawaiian volcano. What a mess! We took the pan out of the oven and quickly discovered the self cleaning feature on the oven we were baking in. I had never heard of such a thing but my friend assured me that his mother had used that feature several times and that it would work. We set the oven on “self clean”, grabbed some pop and chips and returned to the basement to watch the rest of our Saturday cartoons.
Imagine the additional surprise of two 7 year olds when the fireman interrupted our Saturday cartoons to pull us from the house because a very concerned neighbor had called the fire department, concerned of the smoke pouring out of the house by the smoke created from this self cleaning oven.
After telling this story to the fireman, I look back on the experience having learned three very important cooking tips:
All measuring cups are not “one cup” as demonstrated with the three cup measure that my friend’s mother owned.
There is something called “SELF RISING” flour in a cooks’ arsenal.
A “SELF CLEANING” feature on an oven actually cremates anything in the confines of that oven and then locks you away from the scene of the crime so that it can accomplish its’ goal which sometimes includes a new kitchen paint job.
Thank you for sharing and I hope this little cooking story brightens your day so that you don’t feel too bad!
Raymond L. Mitchell
LOYAL LISTENER
Susan,
I heard you talking about one of your first experiences in preparing Thanksgiving stuffing with a recipe that required 5 stalks of celery for which you prepared five bunches of celery and had a very green stuffing that year. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that and what candor it took to share that with your listening audience. I wanted to share a similar experience with one of my first cooking experiences that I haven’t thought about for years and never had the chance to share with anyone except my parents, the parents of a good childhood friend and the Franklin County Fire Department in Grove City, Ohio..
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I was at a friends’ house on a weekend for a sleepover. I had spent a lot of time in my mother’s kitchen as a child and learned to prepare one of those Chef Boy-Ar-Dee boxed pizzas. I had made them several times by myself at our kitchen at home. One of these boxed pizza mixes accompanied me on the sleepover which my friend and I started to prepare on a Saturday morning while his parents were outside and running errands.
The recipe called for half a measuring cup of water. I read the recipe while my friend mixed the ingredients. After blooming the yeast and adding the flour mixture, the contents of the bowl looked more like soup than pizza dough. My remedy to that was to add more flour and being the bright 7 year old, I knew that you must also add a little baking powder to make the dough rise. With three times the volume of pizza dough than the box mix would have yielded, there was no need to let it rise, Right?
We placed the huge ball of pizza dough out on the greased pizza pan, pressed it as well as we could into the corners, added the small can of sauce, Parmesan cheese and the few slices of pepperoni on top and into the hot oven it went. We went down in his basement to watch T.V. and wait for our pizza to bake.
Imagine the surprise of two 7 year olds when we came upstairs, opened the oven door and witnessed the growth of what looked like the blob falling off of the pizza sheet in huge chunks and falling to the bottom of the oven. It was falling over the sides and running to the bottom of the oven like a lava flow from a Hawaiian volcano. What a mess! We took the pan out of the oven and quickly discovered the self cleaning feature on the oven we were baking in. I had never heard of such a thing but my friend assured me that his mother had used that feature several times and that it would work. We set the oven on “self clean”, grabbed some pop and chips and returned to the basement to watch the rest of our Saturday cartoons.
Imagine the additional surprise of two 7 year olds when the fireman interrupted our Saturday cartoons to pull us from the house because a very concerned neighbor had called the fire department, concerned of the smoke pouring out of the house by the smoke created from this self cleaning oven.
After telling this story to the fireman, I look back on the experience having learned three very important cooking tips:
All measuring cups are not “one cup” as demonstrated with the three cup measure that my friend’s mother owned.
There is something called “SELF RISING” flour in a cooks’ arsenal.
A “SELF CLEANING” feature on an oven actually cremates anything in the confines of that oven and then locks you away from the scene of the crime so that it can accomplish its’ goal which sometimes includes a new kitchen paint job.
Thank you for sharing and I hope this little cooking story brightens your day so that you don’t feel too bad!
Raymond L. Mitchell
LOYAL LISTENER
Office party tips
HOW TO HAVE THE PERFECT OFFICE HOLIDAY PARTY (Men's Health)
Drink Smart: Eat something beforehand to soak up that alcohol. Spirits and sweet drinks go down easy and sneak up on you later. Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water and pace yourself at a drink an hour.
Dance with Dignity: Your enthusiasm evokes a flailing Elaine Benes. Gentlemen, meet the side tap. Step to one side and tap the other foot to it -- it's foolproof. Some men are shy dancers, and some are overly confident. If you're not an expert, keep it simple.
Mingle Like a Pro: Before the party, skim a magazine or the newspaper for conversation starters. Then probe until you hit the right topic. If all else flops, food is the ultimate icebreaker. Everyone wants to know where to find the best pizza.
Don't Be a Decoration: Dress subtly. The reindeer sweater? Not subtle.
Curb Mindless Bingeing: Nerves and boredom can make the hors d'oeuvres your fallback -- and downfall. Eating is a way of soothing yourself. It's a stress response to avoid interacting with people who make you anxious.
Resist Office Cliques: See all the higher-ups circulating? So why are you still chatting with your lame-o lunch crew? Make a point of meeting three new people -- it's low-key networking that could pay off. Remember, it's a conversation, not a monologue. Practice by striking up a conversation with the bartender or the guy next to you, then raise the stakes and approach a higher-up.
Chat Up the Right-Hand Man: Let your colleagues fawn over your boss. Show some office savvy by working the behind-the-scenes players, including administrative assistants. You'll enhance your reputation by taking an indirect approach and being diplomatic. Besides, the big guy won't remember your conversation. Impressing his deputies will eventually impress him.
Talk, But Don't Touch: Canoodling at the party creates an office rep you'll never live down.
Drink Smart: Eat something beforehand to soak up that alcohol. Spirits and sweet drinks go down easy and sneak up on you later. Alternate alcoholic drinks with glasses of water and pace yourself at a drink an hour.
Dance with Dignity: Your enthusiasm evokes a flailing Elaine Benes. Gentlemen, meet the side tap. Step to one side and tap the other foot to it -- it's foolproof. Some men are shy dancers, and some are overly confident. If you're not an expert, keep it simple.
Mingle Like a Pro: Before the party, skim a magazine or the newspaper for conversation starters. Then probe until you hit the right topic. If all else flops, food is the ultimate icebreaker. Everyone wants to know where to find the best pizza.
Don't Be a Decoration: Dress subtly. The reindeer sweater? Not subtle.
Curb Mindless Bingeing: Nerves and boredom can make the hors d'oeuvres your fallback -- and downfall. Eating is a way of soothing yourself. It's a stress response to avoid interacting with people who make you anxious.
Resist Office Cliques: See all the higher-ups circulating? So why are you still chatting with your lame-o lunch crew? Make a point of meeting three new people -- it's low-key networking that could pay off. Remember, it's a conversation, not a monologue. Practice by striking up a conversation with the bartender or the guy next to you, then raise the stakes and approach a higher-up.
Chat Up the Right-Hand Man: Let your colleagues fawn over your boss. Show some office savvy by working the behind-the-scenes players, including administrative assistants. You'll enhance your reputation by taking an indirect approach and being diplomatic. Besides, the big guy won't remember your conversation. Impressing his deputies will eventually impress him.
Talk, But Don't Touch: Canoodling at the party creates an office rep you'll never live down.
Feed your face
Edible Skincare - As Good As They Taste!
There are more and more beauty products and skincare flooding the market, and they are becoming more and more expensive too. With the discovery of one after another, harmful chemical ingredients in some of these products, we do start to wonder if we should really slap these things on to our skin.
But before there were industrialisation and capitalism, what did our ancestors do to take care of their skin? Cleopatra was known to bathe in milk to keep her skin supple, some ancient Chinese were known to use natural extracts from certain flowers to give that red tint to their lips and cheeks.
So why shouldn't we go back to nature, and get help from the most basic nutrient provider - food? Here are some tips and tricks some of us and our users have tried and love them.
(knowingfood.com)
There are more and more beauty products and skincare flooding the market, and they are becoming more and more expensive too. With the discovery of one after another, harmful chemical ingredients in some of these products, we do start to wonder if we should really slap these things on to our skin.
But before there were industrialisation and capitalism, what did our ancestors do to take care of their skin? Cleopatra was known to bathe in milk to keep her skin supple, some ancient Chinese were known to use natural extracts from certain flowers to give that red tint to their lips and cheeks.
So why shouldn't we go back to nature, and get help from the most basic nutrient provider - food? Here are some tips and tricks some of us and our users have tried and love them.
(knowingfood.com)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Turkey dinner will cost more
Something to consider before you gobble on Thursday.
Menu items for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings will cost more this year, but remain affordable, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
According to AFBF’s 22nd annual informal survey of the prices of basic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table, the average cost of this year’s dinner for 10 is $42.26, a $4.16 price increase from last year’s average of $38.10.
You may want to start charging your guests a cover charge.
Menu items for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings will cost more this year, but remain affordable, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
According to AFBF’s 22nd annual informal survey of the prices of basic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table, the average cost of this year’s dinner for 10 is $42.26, a $4.16 price increase from last year’s average of $38.10.
You may want to start charging your guests a cover charge.
What a couple needs
2 things every marriage needs: First- the high five. Be your spouse's cheerleader! How to react to your partner's good news is sometimes more important than how you react to their bad news. The second ingredient your marriage needs is dates you both look forward to- this can lead to going along with what you don't really want to do, which can lead to resentment.
3 things every marriage could live without: First, the eye roll. When you don't like what your spouse is doing or saying, you roll your eyes and sigh. Research shows that body language is just as hurtful as name calling- it's passive/aggressive behavior. Figure out what rubs you the wrong way- if it's small, get over it! But if it's something you think they can, and should change, then say so- deal with the problem head on.
The second thing your marriage can do without is "Wait! The kids need me!" Sometimes high parenting standards can lead to low marriage standards. Being available to your kids all the time puts your marriage on the back burner.
The last thing that shouldn't have room in your marriage is the public put-down- don't correct your spouse in public! Treat them with the same courtesy you'd give to a stranger- when they've finished a story (that you might not have agreed with)- instead of "Are you crazy? It didn't happen that way!", just wait until they've finished their version, and simply say, "I liked the way you put that."
3 things every marriage could live without: First, the eye roll. When you don't like what your spouse is doing or saying, you roll your eyes and sigh. Research shows that body language is just as hurtful as name calling- it's passive/aggressive behavior. Figure out what rubs you the wrong way- if it's small, get over it! But if it's something you think they can, and should change, then say so- deal with the problem head on.
The second thing your marriage can do without is "Wait! The kids need me!" Sometimes high parenting standards can lead to low marriage standards. Being available to your kids all the time puts your marriage on the back burner.
The last thing that shouldn't have room in your marriage is the public put-down- don't correct your spouse in public! Treat them with the same courtesy you'd give to a stranger- when they've finished a story (that you might not have agreed with)- instead of "Are you crazy? It didn't happen that way!", just wait until they've finished their version, and simply say, "I liked the way you put that."
Friday, November 16, 2007
Teachers needed
The University of Florida and Florida State University may be arch rivals in athletics, but they joined forces to announce a $10 million program designed to attract math and science majors into teaching careers.
Each university will receive up to $2.4 million over five years from the National Math and Science Initiative, a not-for-profit organization created by ExxonMobil. The program will address what school officials said is one of the nation's greatest economic and intellectual threats.
That's the declining number of qualified science, mathematics and computer science teachers in the nation's elementary, middle and high schools.
Both universities also will get $1 million each from the Helios Education Foundation, another not-for-profit organization. With matching state money, each school will have about $5 million.
"To flourish in the 21st century, the United States must continue to generate intellectual capital that can drive the research and development activities that fuel our economic engine," said Florida State President T.K. Wetherell.
University of Florida Provost Janie Fouke said the program will help "head off a scientific brain drain by putting bright scientific minds into teaching positions."
Each university will receive up to $2.4 million over five years from the National Math and Science Initiative, a not-for-profit organization created by ExxonMobil. The program will address what school officials said is one of the nation's greatest economic and intellectual threats.
That's the declining number of qualified science, mathematics and computer science teachers in the nation's elementary, middle and high schools.
Both universities also will get $1 million each from the Helios Education Foundation, another not-for-profit organization. With matching state money, each school will have about $5 million.
"To flourish in the 21st century, the United States must continue to generate intellectual capital that can drive the research and development activities that fuel our economic engine," said Florida State President T.K. Wetherell.
University of Florida Provost Janie Fouke said the program will help "head off a scientific brain drain by putting bright scientific minds into teaching positions."
R U IMing?
INSTANT MESSGIING POLL: Summary
DIGITAL TALK: More than four in 10, or 43 percent, of teens who instant message use it for things they wouldn't say in person, according to an Associated Press-AOL poll released Thursday.
RELATIONSHIP HELP: Twenty-two percent use IMs to ask people out on dates or accept them, and 13 percent use them to break up.
AGE DIFFERENCE: Overall, nearly half of teens age 13 to 18 said they use instant messaging. Only about one in five adults said they use IMs, though usually with less technological aplomb or hormone-driven social drama.
Sure, instant messaging is fast and efficient. For many teenagers, it's also a great way to avoid those OMG moments — that's "omigod" — of mortifying face-to-face confrontations.
More than four in 10 teens, or 43 percent, who instant message use it for things they wouldn't say in person, according to an Associated Press-AOL poll released Thursday. Twenty-two percent use IMs to ask people out on dates or accept them, and 13 percent use them to break up.
"If they freak out or something, you don't see it," said Cassy Hobert, 17, a high school senior from Frenchburg, Ky., and avid IMer who has used it to arrange dates. "And if I freak out, they don't have to see it."
Overall, nearly half of teens age 13 to 18 said they use instant messaging, those staccato, Internet-borne strings of real-time chatter often coupled with enough frenzied multitasking to fry the typical adult brain. Only about one in five adults said they use IMs — though usually with less technological aplomb or hormone-driven social drama.
Danny Hitt, 34, a real estate agent in Riverside, Calif., says he has chatted with four or five IM buddies at once — a number some teens would consider embarrassingly low. He prefers the telephone for important communications.
"To me, a significant conversation takes a phone call," Hitt said. "The inflection in the voice, you lose that" with instant messages.
Instant messaging's lack of physical proximity is exactly the point for those determined to avoid cringe-inducing episodes.
DIGITAL TALK: More than four in 10, or 43 percent, of teens who instant message use it for things they wouldn't say in person, according to an Associated Press-AOL poll released Thursday.
RELATIONSHIP HELP: Twenty-two percent use IMs to ask people out on dates or accept them, and 13 percent use them to break up.
AGE DIFFERENCE: Overall, nearly half of teens age 13 to 18 said they use instant messaging. Only about one in five adults said they use IMs, though usually with less technological aplomb or hormone-driven social drama.
Sure, instant messaging is fast and efficient. For many teenagers, it's also a great way to avoid those OMG moments — that's "omigod" — of mortifying face-to-face confrontations.
More than four in 10 teens, or 43 percent, who instant message use it for things they wouldn't say in person, according to an Associated Press-AOL poll released Thursday. Twenty-two percent use IMs to ask people out on dates or accept them, and 13 percent use them to break up.
"If they freak out or something, you don't see it," said Cassy Hobert, 17, a high school senior from Frenchburg, Ky., and avid IMer who has used it to arrange dates. "And if I freak out, they don't have to see it."
Overall, nearly half of teens age 13 to 18 said they use instant messaging, those staccato, Internet-borne strings of real-time chatter often coupled with enough frenzied multitasking to fry the typical adult brain. Only about one in five adults said they use IMs — though usually with less technological aplomb or hormone-driven social drama.
Danny Hitt, 34, a real estate agent in Riverside, Calif., says he has chatted with four or five IM buddies at once — a number some teens would consider embarrassingly low. He prefers the telephone for important communications.
"To me, a significant conversation takes a phone call," Hitt said. "The inflection in the voice, you lose that" with instant messages.
Instant messaging's lack of physical proximity is exactly the point for those determined to avoid cringe-inducing episodes.
Body tricks
TRICKS TO TEACH YOUR BODY
(Men's Health)
If your throat tickles, scratch your ear! When you were 9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can still appreciate a good body-based feat, but you're more discriminating. Take that tickle in your throat; it's not worth gagging over. Here's a better way to scratch your itch: When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm. This spasm relieves the tickle.
Experience supersonic hearing! If you're stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your right ear. It's better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of speech. If, on the other hand, you're trying to identify that song playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound. The left ear is better at picking up music tones.
Overcome your most primal urge! Need to pee? No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex preoccupies your brain, so you won't feel as much discomfort.
Feel no pain! German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. The trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
Clear your stuffed nose! Forget Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth. The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you'll feel your sinuses start to drain.
Stop the world from spinning! One too many drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of your ear responsible for balance -- the cupula -- floats in a fluid of the same density as blood. As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the cupula becomes less dense and rises. This confuses your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional foot-on-the-floor wisdom.
Make your heart stand still! Trying to quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing. It'll get your heart rate back to normal.
Thaw your brain! Too much Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you, press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much as you can. Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too. In compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache. The more pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache will subside.
Prevent near-sightedness! Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics. It's usually caused by near-point stress. In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles -- like the eyes -- into relaxing as well.
Wake the dead! If your hand falls asleep while you're driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don't let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
Impress your friends! Next time you're at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position. Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He'll resist. Now have him put one foot on a surface that's a half inch higher (a few magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will cave like the French. By misaligning his hips, you've offset his spine. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts down the body's ability to resist.
Read minds! Your own! If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.
(Men's Health)
If your throat tickles, scratch your ear! When you were 9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can still appreciate a good body-based feat, but you're more discriminating. Take that tickle in your throat; it's not worth gagging over. Here's a better way to scratch your itch: When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm. This spasm relieves the tickle.
Experience supersonic hearing! If you're stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your right ear. It's better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of speech. If, on the other hand, you're trying to identify that song playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound. The left ear is better at picking up music tones.
Overcome your most primal urge! Need to pee? No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex preoccupies your brain, so you won't feel as much discomfort.
Feel no pain! German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. The trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
Clear your stuffed nose! Forget Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth. The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you'll feel your sinuses start to drain.
Stop the world from spinning! One too many drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of your ear responsible for balance -- the cupula -- floats in a fluid of the same density as blood. As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the cupula becomes less dense and rises. This confuses your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional foot-on-the-floor wisdom.
Make your heart stand still! Trying to quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing. It'll get your heart rate back to normal.
Thaw your brain! Too much Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you, press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much as you can. Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too. In compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache. The more pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache will subside.
Prevent near-sightedness! Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics. It's usually caused by near-point stress. In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles -- like the eyes -- into relaxing as well.
Wake the dead! If your hand falls asleep while you're driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don't let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
Impress your friends! Next time you're at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position. Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He'll resist. Now have him put one foot on a surface that's a half inch higher (a few magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will cave like the French. By misaligning his hips, you've offset his spine. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts down the body's ability to resist.
Read minds! Your own! If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.
Skin deep beauty
MIAMI (CBS4) ― Larisa Forman uses several products to keep her skin looking young and healthy.
"I usually try to go with one line, and I get 3 things: serum, a moisturizer, and I use something for my eyes."
But you can forget the cosmetics counter, and just head to the grocery store if you buy foods for a good skin diet.
Dr. Mark Steven Nestor is a dermatologist in Aventura. "Nutrition in and of itself is very important for our health, and our health is reflected in our skin."
He says it's important to fuel up with face-friendly foods.
First on the list are egg yolks, which contain Vitamin A.
Nutritionist Susan Nowrouzi at Baptist Hospital says Vitamin A in egg yolks helps maintain the outer layers of the skin.
"It's important for the healthy epithelial of the skin," she said.
Then, there are whole grains, which contain Vitamin B, helping produce skin enzymes.
And don't forget Vitamin C found in citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruits, which according to Nowrouzi, "Vitamin C is a wonderful antioxidant, and it's great for your collagen which supports your skin elasticity."
Vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes contain beta carotene, which experts say help protect the skin against sun damage.
Also good for the skin is oily fish, like salmon, which is rich in Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Salmon also contains zinc, which helps our skin heal.
"If we're lacking this in our diet," said Dr. Nestor, "if we're lacking this in our system, we can have problems healing."
Experts say the benefits of a healthy diet are, in some ways, skin deep.
"I usually try to go with one line, and I get 3 things: serum, a moisturizer, and I use something for my eyes."
But you can forget the cosmetics counter, and just head to the grocery store if you buy foods for a good skin diet.
Dr. Mark Steven Nestor is a dermatologist in Aventura. "Nutrition in and of itself is very important for our health, and our health is reflected in our skin."
He says it's important to fuel up with face-friendly foods.
First on the list are egg yolks, which contain Vitamin A.
Nutritionist Susan Nowrouzi at Baptist Hospital says Vitamin A in egg yolks helps maintain the outer layers of the skin.
"It's important for the healthy epithelial of the skin," she said.
Then, there are whole grains, which contain Vitamin B, helping produce skin enzymes.
And don't forget Vitamin C found in citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruits, which according to Nowrouzi, "Vitamin C is a wonderful antioxidant, and it's great for your collagen which supports your skin elasticity."
Vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes contain beta carotene, which experts say help protect the skin against sun damage.
Also good for the skin is oily fish, like salmon, which is rich in Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Salmon also contains zinc, which helps our skin heal.
"If we're lacking this in our diet," said Dr. Nestor, "if we're lacking this in our system, we can have problems healing."
Experts say the benefits of a healthy diet are, in some ways, skin deep.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Relieve stress at work
(Forbes.com)
Find A Ritual: If people at work are getting on your nerves, and talking about it doesn't work or isn't possible, come up with a quick, relaxing ritual. This might include listening to a favorite song, closing the door for five minutes or going for a walk.
Plan For The Unexpected: Don't be the kind of business traveler who flips out when a flight inevitably gets delayed or cancelled. When you've got a trip coming up, think about what you could do with an extra hour if you hit a snafu. You could hammer out e-mails, walk the airport or eat at a leisurely pace. That way if it does happen, you are prepared.
Get Perspective: Your company lost a big client, the earnings report was awful and you blew a deal. It may seem like the end of the world, but what will the situation look like a year from now? Imagining some time and distance from a problem can give you perspective about a crisis.
Stretch It Out: If you hunch over your keyboard or have bad posture, you're probably wasting energy trying to sit up straight at meetings. Feel better and make it easier on your body to look alert by stretching. One exercise to try today: Stand in a doorway and hold your right arm at a 90 degree angle against the frame. Take a step and turn your body to the left. This alleviates muscle tension in your upper back, allowing you to better hold yourself upright.
Yoga In The Conference Room: Companies such as Balance Integration work with employers to bring stress-relieving classes to offices. Options might include yoga, tips for learning to meditate and regain focus at your desk and, for employees who spend all day sitting in their cubicles, ergonometric coaching.
Tell A Joke: Laughing when you're stressed out can help you gain a little bit of control over a situation. Even a lousy joke can help lighten the mood in an office. Try exaggerating a problem or poking fun at someone's silliness. Don't, however, make fun of the weak or put anyone down in a hostile way.
Leave Your Desk For Lunch: Munching while checking your e-mail is no way to eat. If you're eating lunch under stress, you're slowing your digestion and probably not paying attention to what or how much you're putting in your mouth. Set time aside to leave your desk and enjoy your food.
Know Your Body Rhythms: Pay attention to your body clock. Knowing whether you're a morning or night person can help you figure out when is the best time to schedule meetings or work on big projects. Do you tend to crash every day around 3 p.m.? Prepare for your afternoon slump by regularly eating a pre-emptive afternoon snack.
Get Physical: Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and recharge. Sneak some activity into your day by making an effort to get outside for a 10-minute walk, especially before a stressful meeting. Make sure you follow through on this goal by asking a coworker ahead of time to go with you.
Find A Ritual: If people at work are getting on your nerves, and talking about it doesn't work or isn't possible, come up with a quick, relaxing ritual. This might include listening to a favorite song, closing the door for five minutes or going for a walk.
Plan For The Unexpected: Don't be the kind of business traveler who flips out when a flight inevitably gets delayed or cancelled. When you've got a trip coming up, think about what you could do with an extra hour if you hit a snafu. You could hammer out e-mails, walk the airport or eat at a leisurely pace. That way if it does happen, you are prepared.
Get Perspective: Your company lost a big client, the earnings report was awful and you blew a deal. It may seem like the end of the world, but what will the situation look like a year from now? Imagining some time and distance from a problem can give you perspective about a crisis.
Stretch It Out: If you hunch over your keyboard or have bad posture, you're probably wasting energy trying to sit up straight at meetings. Feel better and make it easier on your body to look alert by stretching. One exercise to try today: Stand in a doorway and hold your right arm at a 90 degree angle against the frame. Take a step and turn your body to the left. This alleviates muscle tension in your upper back, allowing you to better hold yourself upright.
Yoga In The Conference Room: Companies such as Balance Integration work with employers to bring stress-relieving classes to offices. Options might include yoga, tips for learning to meditate and regain focus at your desk and, for employees who spend all day sitting in their cubicles, ergonometric coaching.
Tell A Joke: Laughing when you're stressed out can help you gain a little bit of control over a situation. Even a lousy joke can help lighten the mood in an office. Try exaggerating a problem or poking fun at someone's silliness. Don't, however, make fun of the weak or put anyone down in a hostile way.
Leave Your Desk For Lunch: Munching while checking your e-mail is no way to eat. If you're eating lunch under stress, you're slowing your digestion and probably not paying attention to what or how much you're putting in your mouth. Set time aside to leave your desk and enjoy your food.
Know Your Body Rhythms: Pay attention to your body clock. Knowing whether you're a morning or night person can help you figure out when is the best time to schedule meetings or work on big projects. Do you tend to crash every day around 3 p.m.? Prepare for your afternoon slump by regularly eating a pre-emptive afternoon snack.
Get Physical: Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and recharge. Sneak some activity into your day by making an effort to get outside for a 10-minute walk, especially before a stressful meeting. Make sure you follow through on this goal by asking a coworker ahead of time to go with you.
Put your butt out
Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. To have the best chance of quitting successfully, you need to know what you're up against, what your options are, and where to go for help.
Today is the Great American Smokeout!
My 1 year annniversary is December 31st. If I can do it...you can too.
Today is the Great American Smokeout!
My 1 year annniversary is December 31st. If I can do it...you can too.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The HGTV Keys Dreamhouse
A magical bayside spot, complete with white sand beaches, miles of coral reef and the crystal clear water of the Florida keys, awaits the winner of the 2008 HGTV Dream Home Giveaway. One lucky viewer will receive a new, custom-designed and fully furnished bayside home located in the new development of The Shore at Islamorada, Florida in March, 2008.
The HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2008 will be open for entries once per day beginning Tuesday, January 1 at 9:00 a.m. through Tuesday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. Viewers will get a peek inside the tropical-style house during HGTV Dream Home 2008 on Tuesday, January 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. During the special, Monica Pedersen, a designer with the network’s popular series Designed to Sell, will take viewers on a visual excursion that includes every room in the house as well as its beautiful views of the Florida Bay. Specific entry information, a photo gallery and a 360 degree virtual tour of the 2008 HGTV Dream Home in Quick Time, along with “dreamy” design tips, will be available at Dream Home Central on HGTV.com beginning Monday, December 3, 2007.
“This is one of the most incredible HGTV Dream Homes yet,” said Jack Thomasson, HGTV House Planner. “Located right in the middle of the Florida Keys, close to the hot beaches and cool scenes of Miami and to the eclectic mix of the southern-most town of Key West, the home will be filled with all of the tropical charm and features you would expect in an HGTV Dream Home.”
The Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package that includes a fully-furnished home with over 3,500 square feet of living area, a 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid, a state of the art kitchen with high end appliances, and since Islamorada is the sport fishing capital of the world, there's even a room dedicated to fishing! Located in the garage of the home - this room includes fishing equipment, maps, and everything an avid fisherman could want! The house will feature deep porches with beautiful views of the Florida Bay, and will evoke a casual elegance while providing the finest luxuries, comforts and conveniences in this tropical paradise.
Again this year, HGTV will televise the moment when one lucky viewer will discover that they are the winner of the 2008 HGTV Dream Home during a surprise visit from the HGTV Dream Home team on March 16, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.
The HGTV Dream Home Giveaway 2008 will be open for entries once per day beginning Tuesday, January 1 at 9:00 a.m. through Tuesday, February 19 at 5:00 p.m. Viewers will get a peek inside the tropical-style house during HGTV Dream Home 2008 on Tuesday, January 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. During the special, Monica Pedersen, a designer with the network’s popular series Designed to Sell, will take viewers on a visual excursion that includes every room in the house as well as its beautiful views of the Florida Bay. Specific entry information, a photo gallery and a 360 degree virtual tour of the 2008 HGTV Dream Home in Quick Time, along with “dreamy” design tips, will be available at Dream Home Central on HGTV.com beginning Monday, December 3, 2007.
“This is one of the most incredible HGTV Dream Homes yet,” said Jack Thomasson, HGTV House Planner. “Located right in the middle of the Florida Keys, close to the hot beaches and cool scenes of Miami and to the eclectic mix of the southern-most town of Key West, the home will be filled with all of the tropical charm and features you would expect in an HGTV Dream Home.”
The Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package that includes a fully-furnished home with over 3,500 square feet of living area, a 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid, a state of the art kitchen with high end appliances, and since Islamorada is the sport fishing capital of the world, there's even a room dedicated to fishing! Located in the garage of the home - this room includes fishing equipment, maps, and everything an avid fisherman could want! The house will feature deep porches with beautiful views of the Florida Bay, and will evoke a casual elegance while providing the finest luxuries, comforts and conveniences in this tropical paradise.
Again this year, HGTV will televise the moment when one lucky viewer will discover that they are the winner of the 2008 HGTV Dream Home during a surprise visit from the HGTV Dream Home team on March 16, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.
Dr. Oz's Green drink
This morning Jeff Martin brought me the new Dr. Oz "Green Drink." It's supposed to be super healthy. I can tell you it smells like grass but it tastes very refreshing. You'll need a juicer and lots of fresh produce. Here is the recipe.
I'm worried my body will go into shock with too much healty stuff so I quickly got a candy bar from the snack machine just in case.
I'm worried my body will go into shock with too much healty stuff so I quickly got a candy bar from the snack machine just in case.
Have a tightwad Christmas
Try these ideas for keeping holiday spending under control, finding alternative gifts and making your hard-earned dollars go farther this year.
(Liz Pulliam Weston)
Trim down and try something new
If the grand total is overwhelming, start trimming your list.
Some ideas:
Agree to exchange cards instead of gifts with friends.
Have a potluck instead of an elaborate feast that requires you do all the work (and grocery shopping).
Make do with last year's decorations and clothes, or swap with friends.
Persuade your extended family to draw names rather than have everyone buy everyone else a gift.
Boot the adults and give gifts only to the kids.
Once you've got the list, consider the following ideas to help you get the most bang for your holiday bucks and skip the expensive, last-minute rush at the mall:
Cruise the deal sites. Web sites like Ben's Bargains, Deals of America, My Bargain Buddy and SlickDeals.net can alert you to killer bargains around the Web, such an Amazon.com Baby Store sale where a leopard-print fleece infant jacket could be found for $3 and a Dr. Seuss sun hat for $2.60. Another deal: a well-made acoustic guitar for $40, half the usual price, plus free shipping from Musician.com.
Nabbing the best deals often requires vigilance, since the real bargains tend to come and go quickly. The guitar deal, for example, lasted just a few hours. Of course, you'll need to make sure you're not buying a bunch of stuff you don't need or can't use. A bargain's not a bargain if it induces you to spend money you wouldn't otherwise.
Use your spare change. Got a big bucket of pennies and other coins? Haul your clanging cache to your bank, if it offers free sorting, or look for a Coinstar sorter that offers gift certificates in lieu of cash. Certain Coinstar machines waive the usual 8.9% fee when you opt for gift cards or e-certificates, and the providers include Amazon.com, iTunes, Eddie Bauer, Starbucks, Pier One and others. (You can give these cards directly, I suppose, but I argue against it in "Gift cards are not gifts." I use 'em to buy REAL gifts.)
Check your credit card rewards. You may be able to turn your frequent-flier miles or other points into decent gifts, but watch the exchange rate.
With many reward programs, you're lucky to get half a cent for every mile or point you turn in for merchandise, and some offer much worse deals than that.
Sell last year's misfires. Typically, the longer you wait to sell something, the less value it has. So round up the latest batch of clothes that didn't fit, gadgets you didn't need or knickknacks that didn't suit and get them listed on an auction site like eBay (good for collectibles, clothes and small electronics) or a classified site like Craigslist (best for big, bulky items). If weather in your area permits, a pre-holiday yard sale might help you generate some coin.
Click here for even more ways to save.
(Liz Pulliam Weston)
Trim down and try something new
If the grand total is overwhelming, start trimming your list.
Some ideas:
Agree to exchange cards instead of gifts with friends.
Have a potluck instead of an elaborate feast that requires you do all the work (and grocery shopping).
Make do with last year's decorations and clothes, or swap with friends.
Persuade your extended family to draw names rather than have everyone buy everyone else a gift.
Boot the adults and give gifts only to the kids.
Once you've got the list, consider the following ideas to help you get the most bang for your holiday bucks and skip the expensive, last-minute rush at the mall:
Cruise the deal sites. Web sites like Ben's Bargains, Deals of America, My Bargain Buddy and SlickDeals.net can alert you to killer bargains around the Web, such an Amazon.com Baby Store sale where a leopard-print fleece infant jacket could be found for $3 and a Dr. Seuss sun hat for $2.60. Another deal: a well-made acoustic guitar for $40, half the usual price, plus free shipping from Musician.com.
Nabbing the best deals often requires vigilance, since the real bargains tend to come and go quickly. The guitar deal, for example, lasted just a few hours. Of course, you'll need to make sure you're not buying a bunch of stuff you don't need or can't use. A bargain's not a bargain if it induces you to spend money you wouldn't otherwise.
Use your spare change. Got a big bucket of pennies and other coins? Haul your clanging cache to your bank, if it offers free sorting, or look for a Coinstar sorter that offers gift certificates in lieu of cash. Certain Coinstar machines waive the usual 8.9% fee when you opt for gift cards or e-certificates, and the providers include Amazon.com, iTunes, Eddie Bauer, Starbucks, Pier One and others. (You can give these cards directly, I suppose, but I argue against it in "Gift cards are not gifts." I use 'em to buy REAL gifts.)
Check your credit card rewards. You may be able to turn your frequent-flier miles or other points into decent gifts, but watch the exchange rate.
With many reward programs, you're lucky to get half a cent for every mile or point you turn in for merchandise, and some offer much worse deals than that.
Sell last year's misfires. Typically, the longer you wait to sell something, the less value it has. So round up the latest batch of clothes that didn't fit, gadgets you didn't need or knickknacks that didn't suit and get them listed on an auction site like eBay (good for collectibles, clothes and small electronics) or a classified site like Craigslist (best for big, bulky items). If weather in your area permits, a pre-holiday yard sale might help you generate some coin.
Click here for even more ways to save.
Get out the door faster
Tip #1: Pre-pack your kids' lunches and backpacks.
Tip #2: Review your next day's schedule, and your kids' schedules, before bed. You'll sleep better—and dress better—if you know what's in store.
Tip #3: Have the coffee machine prepared so that all you have to do is press "on." Or make a pitcher of iced coffee ahead of time. Keep a to-go cup handy so you can take your coffee out the door.
Tip #4: Prearrange your clothes, ironing anything that needs it. When possible, buy wrinkle-free.
Tip #5: Coordinate the bathroom schedules of the people you live with.
Tip #6: Have a lineup of several routine breakfasts, with at least one being portable.
Tip #7: Keep your makeup case organized, and minimal, with your everyday things most accessible. Have two different makeup routines—one normal, one makeup "lite" for really rushed days.
Tip #8: If you tend to linger too long when you read the newspaper or take a shower, set a timer.
Tip #9: Get a low-maintenance haircut.
Tip #10: Prepack your briefcase and/or purse.
Tip #11: Keep your cell phone in its charger, right on top of your briefcase or purse.
Tip #12: Morning is no time to be industrious. If you're hit by the urge to wash a few dishes, pay a few bills, or clean up old e-mail and mail—fight it!
(Oprah.com)
Tip #2: Review your next day's schedule, and your kids' schedules, before bed. You'll sleep better—and dress better—if you know what's in store.
Tip #3: Have the coffee machine prepared so that all you have to do is press "on." Or make a pitcher of iced coffee ahead of time. Keep a to-go cup handy so you can take your coffee out the door.
Tip #4: Prearrange your clothes, ironing anything that needs it. When possible, buy wrinkle-free.
Tip #5: Coordinate the bathroom schedules of the people you live with.
Tip #6: Have a lineup of several routine breakfasts, with at least one being portable.
Tip #7: Keep your makeup case organized, and minimal, with your everyday things most accessible. Have two different makeup routines—one normal, one makeup "lite" for really rushed days.
Tip #8: If you tend to linger too long when you read the newspaper or take a shower, set a timer.
Tip #9: Get a low-maintenance haircut.
Tip #10: Prepack your briefcase and/or purse.
Tip #11: Keep your cell phone in its charger, right on top of your briefcase or purse.
Tip #12: Morning is no time to be industrious. If you're hit by the urge to wash a few dishes, pay a few bills, or clean up old e-mail and mail—fight it!
(Oprah.com)
Where to stick your nose
When was the last time you picked up a book? I'll bet your child reads more than you do. It's Children's Book Week, sponsored by the Children's Book Council to encourage the enjoyment of reading for young people. Get more information at their website.
Here are the top 100 books for kids.
Okay, now back to my heavy reading of People magazine.
Here are the top 100 books for kids.
Okay, now back to my heavy reading of People magazine.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Fire your colorist and go gray
Three years ago 51-year-old Anne Kreamer decided to go natural and stop dying her hair dark-brown. What resulted was her book Going Gray: What I Learned About Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, And Everything Else That Really Matters.
The title of the book alone says Kreamer sure learned a lot. Here are some points:
Gray doesn't mean dowdy. After she posted "before" and "after" photos on Match.com, she discovered that the gray locks version received three times as many "winks" from men than her brunette version.
At bars, younger guys flirted with her. Her conclusion: tinted hair is a sign of phoniness and a gray head translates into candor and self-assurance.
HOWEVER, she admits, when it comes to the job market, gray is a big disadvantage. After interviewing Human Resource workers, Kreamer concludes that prospective bosses "definitely discriminate against gray-haired applicants." Then she connects the dots to the House of Representatives, saying, "Perhaps that explains why only six of the 67 female House members have gray hair."
Other factoids Kreamer dishes out:
At a 2005 Fortune conference for "heavy-hitting businesswomen," only 11 of 324 attendees were dye-free.
The average American woman faces "economic, romantic, and social pressure" to color her hair -- and that's why "65 percent do."
Kreamer herself had spent $65,000 over her lifetime dyeing her graying hair.
The reason she decided to go gray to begin with: After seeing a photo of herself with her daughter and an older friend, she felt her dark-brown dye job looked fraudulent.
FYI: I plan to have chemically dependent hair till I'm 80.
The title of the book alone says Kreamer sure learned a lot. Here are some points:
Gray doesn't mean dowdy. After she posted "before" and "after" photos on Match.com, she discovered that the gray locks version received three times as many "winks" from men than her brunette version.
At bars, younger guys flirted with her. Her conclusion: tinted hair is a sign of phoniness and a gray head translates into candor and self-assurance.
HOWEVER, she admits, when it comes to the job market, gray is a big disadvantage. After interviewing Human Resource workers, Kreamer concludes that prospective bosses "definitely discriminate against gray-haired applicants." Then she connects the dots to the House of Representatives, saying, "Perhaps that explains why only six of the 67 female House members have gray hair."
Other factoids Kreamer dishes out:
At a 2005 Fortune conference for "heavy-hitting businesswomen," only 11 of 324 attendees were dye-free.
The average American woman faces "economic, romantic, and social pressure" to color her hair -- and that's why "65 percent do."
Kreamer herself had spent $65,000 over her lifetime dyeing her graying hair.
The reason she decided to go gray to begin with: After seeing a photo of herself with her daughter and an older friend, she felt her dark-brown dye job looked fraudulent.
FYI: I plan to have chemically dependent hair till I'm 80.
Does your man play games
Here are the facts, ladies. Two-thirds of all men in television-owning households between the ages of 18 and 34 have videogame consoles, according to media research company, Nielsen. That means your chances of going with a gaming guy are pretty high.
What can his choice of gaming system tell you about him? We convened a panel of experts to give you the scoop.
FYI: My boyfriend, Howard is a gamer and he's the sweetest most considerate man I've ever known. I guess I'd play them too but they make me dizzy.
What can his choice of gaming system tell you about him? We convened a panel of experts to give you the scoop.
FYI: My boyfriend, Howard is a gamer and he's the sweetest most considerate man I've ever known. I guess I'd play them too but they make me dizzy.
Monday, November 12, 2007
A Veteran's Day poem
Remember
Written by Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC
It was the Veteran, not the reporter,
who has given us the freedom of the press.
It was the Veteran, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It was the Veteran, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to fair trial.
It was the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Veteran, who salutes the flag, who served under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Written by Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC
It was the Veteran, not the reporter,
who has given us the freedom of the press.
It was the Veteran, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It was the Veteran, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to fair trial.
It was the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Veteran, who salutes the flag, who served under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Keep in touch
WAYS FOR FEMALE FRIENDS TO STAY IN TOUCH
(iVillage.com)
Relive Your Youth: When your best friend from high school visits, do the same everyday things you did back then -- get a cup of joe, make a chicken stir-fry and head to the movies, where we don't buy anything because it's too expensive.
Start a (Small) Club: Go to movies together, and take turns paying. It's a little thing, but you'll feel as though it's your own special movie club. Critique the movie afterwards and catch up on life, so it'll keeps you in touch.
Be the Glue: Sunday night is a great time to call faraway friends, because people are home, it's a nice start to the upcoming week and we get to recap the past weekend together.
Get High Tech: Thank god for email! It's much easier to keep in touch with old friends because of it.
Get Physical: Go to the gym with a same group of friends. It's a plan that's good for friendships -- and your health, too!
Celebrate! Always mark your friends birthdays and reach out them on the special occasion.
Give No-Reason Gifts: If you see something in a store that you know your friend will like, get it!
Get into Girl Talk: The glue that holds best friends together is great communication. You may be different, but meaningful, colorful, wonderful conversations will keep you connected.
(iVillage.com)
Relive Your Youth: When your best friend from high school visits, do the same everyday things you did back then -- get a cup of joe, make a chicken stir-fry and head to the movies, where we don't buy anything because it's too expensive.
Start a (Small) Club: Go to movies together, and take turns paying. It's a little thing, but you'll feel as though it's your own special movie club. Critique the movie afterwards and catch up on life, so it'll keeps you in touch.
Be the Glue: Sunday night is a great time to call faraway friends, because people are home, it's a nice start to the upcoming week and we get to recap the past weekend together.
Get High Tech: Thank god for email! It's much easier to keep in touch with old friends because of it.
Get Physical: Go to the gym with a same group of friends. It's a plan that's good for friendships -- and your health, too!
Celebrate! Always mark your friends birthdays and reach out them on the special occasion.
Give No-Reason Gifts: If you see something in a store that you know your friend will like, get it!
Get into Girl Talk: The glue that holds best friends together is great communication. You may be different, but meaningful, colorful, wonderful conversations will keep you connected.
Get rid of "unibutt"; slim down
Shapewear Slims Instantly
"Shapewear" refers to body-shaping undergarments that take off the inches without a single visit to the gym!
As The Early Show on CBS continued its year-long "Weapons of Mass Reduction" series Thursday, Glamour magazine's executive fashion editor-at-large, Suze Yalof Schwartz, showed the ones she thinks work best, with the help of volunteer models and "before" and "after" views.
Schwartz says if you really want to slim down, you should go a size smaller than you really are.
Shapewear, by any name, is hardly new. Women have been wearing body garments to conceal lumps and bumps for years, but Schwartz says the latest trend features shape-shifting undergarments that are sleeker, sexier, and designed to make you lose inches in an instant!
Selecting the right shapewear to get the job done can be a bit confusing. There are many brands and styles of body-shapers, but Schwartz likes Dr. Rey's Shapewear, Spanx and Maidenform.
The following descriptions were prepared with information provided by the manufacturers:
Volunteer No. 1
Problem area: Lumps and bumps
Solution: DrR. Rey's Shapewear
Smooth Slip: $45
Maximum control tummy panels. Highly contoured waist and hips. Hidden, no-slip finish at neckline and straight hem.
Renowned plastic surgeon to the stars Dr. Robert Rey offers a shapewear line designed for women who want to redefine their body shape without plastic surgery. Dr. Rey's pieces give you complete support while helping to smooth and shape your curves, leaving you feeling comfortable and confident in your clothing. Head-to-toe gorgeous gets easier with the smoothing slip from Dr. Rey's Shapewear. Years of surgical experience informs your foundations with maximum control panels and construction meant to mimic the results you'd get from going under the knife. Stretch microfiber gets a shot of softness from aloe.
Stretch microfiber. Aloe finish. 72 percent nylon, 28 percent spandex.
Volunteer No. 2
Problem area: Tummy Bulge
Solution: Spanx
Slim Cognito Seamless Mid-Thigh Bodysuit: $68
Go undercover with the SPANX Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Bodysuit! This shaper comfortably shapes problem areas, accentuates your waistline, minimizes your tummy and thighs, lifts your rear, and makes inches seem to disappear! The detachable straps attach to your bra to keep the bodysuit in place and allow you to wear the bra that's best for you - and your outfit!
And to avoid the flat, uni-butt look that many shapers give your backside, Slim-Cognito offers "The Great Divide." You won't feel the subtle butt separator, but the natural perky shape won't be lost on those in your wake!
Fabric Content: 80 percent Nylon, 18 percent Spandex/Elastane, 2 percent Cotton
Volunteer No. 3
Problem area: Hips and thighs
Solution: Maidenform
Control It High-Waist Thigh Slimmer: $34
Master your thighs to look better and slimmer in your clothes. Control It! Shapewear introduces a new firm control Hi-Waist Thigh Slimmer that offers 360 degrees of support, slimming and smoothing.
"Shapewear" refers to body-shaping undergarments that take off the inches without a single visit to the gym!
As The Early Show on CBS continued its year-long "Weapons of Mass Reduction" series Thursday, Glamour magazine's executive fashion editor-at-large, Suze Yalof Schwartz, showed the ones she thinks work best, with the help of volunteer models and "before" and "after" views.
Schwartz says if you really want to slim down, you should go a size smaller than you really are.
Shapewear, by any name, is hardly new. Women have been wearing body garments to conceal lumps and bumps for years, but Schwartz says the latest trend features shape-shifting undergarments that are sleeker, sexier, and designed to make you lose inches in an instant!
Selecting the right shapewear to get the job done can be a bit confusing. There are many brands and styles of body-shapers, but Schwartz likes Dr. Rey's Shapewear, Spanx and Maidenform.
The following descriptions were prepared with information provided by the manufacturers:
Volunteer No. 1
Problem area: Lumps and bumps
Solution: DrR. Rey's Shapewear
Smooth Slip: $45
Maximum control tummy panels. Highly contoured waist and hips. Hidden, no-slip finish at neckline and straight hem.
Renowned plastic surgeon to the stars Dr. Robert Rey offers a shapewear line designed for women who want to redefine their body shape without plastic surgery. Dr. Rey's pieces give you complete support while helping to smooth and shape your curves, leaving you feeling comfortable and confident in your clothing. Head-to-toe gorgeous gets easier with the smoothing slip from Dr. Rey's Shapewear. Years of surgical experience informs your foundations with maximum control panels and construction meant to mimic the results you'd get from going under the knife. Stretch microfiber gets a shot of softness from aloe.
Stretch microfiber. Aloe finish. 72 percent nylon, 28 percent spandex.
Volunteer No. 2
Problem area: Tummy Bulge
Solution: Spanx
Slim Cognito Seamless Mid-Thigh Bodysuit: $68
Go undercover with the SPANX Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Bodysuit! This shaper comfortably shapes problem areas, accentuates your waistline, minimizes your tummy and thighs, lifts your rear, and makes inches seem to disappear! The detachable straps attach to your bra to keep the bodysuit in place and allow you to wear the bra that's best for you - and your outfit!
And to avoid the flat, uni-butt look that many shapers give your backside, Slim-Cognito offers "The Great Divide." You won't feel the subtle butt separator, but the natural perky shape won't be lost on those in your wake!
Fabric Content: 80 percent Nylon, 18 percent Spandex/Elastane, 2 percent Cotton
Volunteer No. 3
Problem area: Hips and thighs
Solution: Maidenform
Control It High-Waist Thigh Slimmer: $34
Master your thighs to look better and slimmer in your clothes. Control It! Shapewear introduces a new firm control Hi-Waist Thigh Slimmer that offers 360 degrees of support, slimming and smoothing.
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