Learn how to have fun without spending money. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Allan Lee/Flickr)

If you’re looking for summer fun but burdened by a miniscule budget, consider what your community has to offer. A little creativity and a community activity guide can lead you to free fun in no time. Here are some ideas about how to have family fun without spending any (or much) money.

Mining your community for gems

It’s easy to plop down major coin on entertainment. Food, activities and monthly memberships are fabulous fun, but not if you’re left with too little money to pay the bills. City tourism bureaus and chambers of commerce are great places to find out about fun, free summer activities that will enable you to still save money.

Community swimming pools

For little or no money, a community swimming pool is a great place to keep cool. Prices range from free to just a few dollars per visit, depending upon where you live. For frequent swimmers, season passes can translate into significant savings.

Join the YMCA or YWCA

Top-of-the-line gym facilities, swimming pools and childcare are available at most local YMCA/YWCA facilities. Family rates can make the monthly expense much more affordable; they are weighted on a sliding scale depending upon your household income.

Free events at the community center

From art and exercise classes to dances and potlucks, local community centers offer many events that are free or minimally expensive. Community centers are a great place to meet people, too.

Go for a run in the park

Put on some running shoes and hit a safe neighborhood park. Enjoy sunshine, fresh air and exercise. You’ll feel better and won’t spend a dime. During summer, many communities offer free concerts, plays and art festivals in large public parks. Look online for a community events calendar!

Unleash your imagination at the library

A good book is a window into another world. Checking out books movies in DVD and Blu-Ray format, music CDs and, in some areas, vinyl and cassettes, is free at the library.

Enjoy a free museum or gallery ride

Once or twice per month, most public museums feature a free admission day. Contact your local museum to see when you should go. Expect the free day to fall mid-week when visitor traffic is low.

Back in your own backyard

Have you ever tried camping in your backyard? This can be a fun activity, particularly if you have young children. Watch squirrels scamper and listen to the summer chorus of crickets and cicadas when the sun goes down.

If you have a table or a flat patio, board games can also be fun on lazy summer days. If you don’t have board or card games, scan the “free” column in Craigslist, or watch local garage sales.

If the gaming fun spins on, break out the lantern for nighttime fun!

Real fun at no cost: Supermarket twist-tie art

Sources

For Dummies

One Girl’s Quest

Trent’s Blog

Will an ad-based Amazon Kindle ruin your reading experience? (Photo Credit: CC BY-SA/Graeme Douglas/Planning for Fun)

The traditional publishing industry has lost ground to e-readers, tablets and other mobile devices, and Amazon is sitting pretty with its Kindle platform. Industry studies indicate that the Kindle currently holds a 60 percent share in the e-reader market, a figure that will no doubt improve as the company introduces the $114 Amazon Kindle with Special Offers. Yet there’s a catch – those Special Offers are advertisements, a move that has many worried about the shape of the reading experience to come.

Is an ad-based Kindle worth $25 off standard price?

The price of the Amazon Kindle has fallen a few times since the first generation was introduced at $399 in 2007. This is the first time, however, that a price reduction will include the placement of ads on the popular e-reader, a move geared to capture ground from the iPad in the e-reader market. The Kindle with Special Offers is slated to ship May 3. Target and Best Buy will sell the ad-supported version of the Kindle 3 in stores at that time.

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos sees the $114 Kindle with Special Offers as a “chicken in every pot” move:

“We’re working hard to make sure that anyone who wants a Kindle can afford one,” he said via a statement.

Reader response to a Christian Science Monitor article about the price cut seems to echo the fears most consumers have about an ad-based Kindle. One reader argues for a free ad-based Kindle with $0.99 books, but that reflects another thorny issue regarding the price of e-books. Another reader concurs that a $25 discount isn’t enough to make up for the presence of ads, but one thing experts believe Amazon has done right is to isolate the ads to the Kindle’s screensaver and the bottom of the home screen.

“It’s very important that we didn’t interfere with the reading experience,” Kindle director Jay Marine told the Associated Press.

What’s in a price?

TechCrunch predicts that the $114 Amazon Kindle with Special Features is an intermediary step toward a $99 Kindle for Christmas 2011. Traditional marketing psychology suggests that the “.99” price point is a magic number.

However, new research from New York’s Columbia Business School indicates that the advantage is more imagined than it is real anymore. The “dollar-minus” approach (down to 99 cents, for instance) was actually less effective than “dollar-plus” price points (like $4.01), according to the Columbia study. Sales of products that used the dollar-plus method increased by 3 percent, and consumers felt greater trust for dollar-plus brands because the prices were perceived as being less manipulative.

Sources

Christian Science Monitor

Columbia Business School

Knowing and Making

TechCrunch

Kindle sales tripled after last price drop

Facebook is a huge, valuable company -- because of a lot of pennies. Image: Flickr / bfishadow / CC-BY-SA

The company Facebook has recently been valued at approximately $65 billion. While the actual worth of the company cannot be safely estimated until the company goes on the market, it can safely be said that Facebook is worth a large chunk of cash. The value of Facebook, however, comes from its users.

Facebook statistics

Facebook publicly releases some of its basic statistics on the aggregate usage of the service. As of March 2011, Facebook reports it has more than 500 million active users, who collectively spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on the service. Goldman Sachs estimates the number of users on Facebook as “approximately 600 million.” Those users share about 30 billion “pieces of content” each year. While Goldman Sachs has estimated the value of Facebook at $65 billion, other investment firms have estimated Facebook’s value, should it go on the market, at between $40 billion and $60 billion.

Doing the math of Facebook usage

Given the uncertainty of the statistics of Facebook usage, pinning down exact numbers can be tough. In order to pin down the value of each Facebook user, however, some generalizations must be made. Assuming that there are 550 million active users of Facebook and they spend approximately 700 billion minutes per month on the service, that works out to approximately 1,272 minutes per month spent on Facebook, per user. That is 69 minutes per week, 9.8 minutes per day, per user. If Facebook is worth approximately $50 billion with 550 million users, that puts the value of each Facebook user at about $91. Assuming that the 700 billion minutes per month takes into account every day of usage, that means that 365 days a year of 9.8 minutes use, average, equals a value of about 25 cents per day. That means every minute a person spends on Facebook is “worth” about2.5 cents. A minimum-wage job in the United States currently pays about 12 cents per minute.

Micropayments versus advertising

This back-of-the-envelope calculation on the value of each minute spent on Facebook reveals a few big things. Micropayments have long been discussed as the “future of the internet.” Micropayments are tiny payments made for individual uses of content or services. Micropayments are defined differently by different services, but they are usually understood to be anything less than $20. While Facebook is opening up its new currency system, Facebook Credits, the majority of the company’s income is from advertising. So the next time you log onto Facebook, keep in mind that everything you do and the advertising you see are adding up. The amounts may be small, but in aggregate, your Facebook usage makes big money for the company.

Sources

CNN
Business Insider
Facebook statistics

When you want to rent out a space, some easy research and simple steps can protect your wallet. Image: Flickr / dreamsjung / CC-BY-SA

With the collapse of the homeowner’s market, more and more people are renting. If you have extra space in your home, or even an extra living space, you can make money by renting that space out. Before posting your ads, there are a few things you should do to protect your wallet — and your sanity.

1 – Consider the local market

Before you try to rent out space, do your research. Take a look at newspaper ads, Craigslist, and online services for spaces similar to yours. Make an appointment with a few landlords and take a look at spaces similar to what you are renting out. Once you have made comparisons with similar rentals and considered how much money you need to bring in, set your rental price.

2 – Research the law

Every state, and some cities, have varying landlord/tenant laws. Even if you are just renting out a single room in your house, you should research these laws. Most areas have at least one landlord association that offers information on the basics of the law. Landlord/tenant law can dictate everything from what you need to provide in your rental to how much notice you need to give before entering the rented space.

3 – Consider credit

Not everyone has perfect credit. As a landlord, you need to think about whether you want to check the credit of your potential renters. A credit report indicates the history of a person’s finances and bill-paying. Running a credit report on a potential renter, however, will cost you between $75 and $100. You do not have to check credit in order to rent out, but you should be reasonably confident that your renters can afford what you’re charging. Checking references and employment history is the best way to gauge an applicant’s ability to pay.

4 – Deposits, leases and paperwork

You should never rent a space to someone without paperwork. Paperwork protects both of you, and it provides documentation that could be needed for financial transactions and even proof of residency. You can find standard rental agreements for your state online or through landlord’s associations; read through the agreement carefully and make edits as you see necessary. Even if you are friends with your renter, you should charge a deposit of some kind. If something goes wrong — no matter how good of a friend your renter is — cleaning up after a renter moves out can be costly, and a deposit can pay for that.

Even if you plan on just renting out a single room to a good friend, you should make sure to price your space appropriately, know the law, consider the finances of your renter and do the paperwork. If you do the work on the front end, renting out a space can be a relatively low-stress way to bring in extra cash into your wallet.

What do those labels on wine bottles really mean? CC by Sébastien Barillot/Flickr

Options to put in your wine glass have always existed,  but in the last few years, the options seem to have been expanding. You can find thousands of dollars worth of wine in one bottle, or pick up a bottle for a few dollars at the gas station store. Sorting through the vocabulary on a bottle is the first step to buying the right wine.

How to interpret a wine label

There are some things every wine label will have. On most of them, the grape producer, vintage year, region and alcohol content will all be listed. The “varietal” indicates what type of grape the wine is made from. The year the wine was made is listed on vintage wines. Vintage wine labels do not always contain all this information, but they can be translated easily with a search engine.

Organic wine facts

Almost every wine has the word “organic” printed on it. Red and white wines are most common overall and the most common organic wines around. There are three types of organic. If a label just says “organic,” the bottler claims it was grown without chemicals. The organic status of the procedures, when it comes to growing, was double checked when “certified organic” is listed on the bottle. Some bottles will say “USDA certified organic.” This means federal organic standards were followed.

Movement toward natural wine

There are many connoisseurs nowadays who want “natural wine,”which contains no  chemicals. Natural wines can go as far as using only the natural yeasts that float in the air. With a good natural wine, the only ones you can expect to be just as good are the ones from the same batch, because the results are much less consistent with natural wine.

Finding sulfites in fine wine

You might see other qualities advertised on your wine label. “No sulfites” means that the wine does not contain any sulfite acids at all — which takes processing. There weren’t any extra sulfites added to the wine when “no added sulfites” is put on the label. There are a few wines with a lot of sulfites in them. These include white wine, sweet dessert wine and ice wine.

Getting the best fine wines is all about finding a wine that you love. You will find your best wine when you know what you are looking for, which takes you one step closer to enjoying it.

Lucy Lou is a red and white border collie, in addition to being mayor of Rabbit Hash. Image: Flickr / maruricekoop / CC-BY-ND

Politics is often called a dog-eat-dog enterprise. A dog, Lucy Lou, is mayor in an unincorporated hamlet of Kentucky. The election was between 15 animals and one human, and there was more than 200 percent voter turnout.

Border Collie dog, Lucy Lou, as mayor

Lucy Lou has been mayor of Rabbit Hash, Ky., since 2008. The red and white border collie has done more than her fair share in bringing attention and notoriety to the small, unincorporated town. Her responsibilities include greeting town visitors and being the “face” of Rabbit Hash. Lucy Lou is also the face of Elk Creek Vineyards, one of the seven buildings in the town.

Buying votes to make Lucy Lou the mayor

Lucy Lou, mayor of Rabbit Hash, did not come to her position without some controversy. The election where she was elected had many irregularities that the Federal Elections Commission would look down on. Votes were sold at the rate of $1 per vote, and voter turnout was more than 200 percent. There were 16 candidates in the 2008 election for mayor of Rabbit Hash, including several cats and other dogs. The money from the mayoral election was spent on restoring the local church. While Rabbit Hash is an unincorporated area that does not have a budget, a city council or a government, its citizens often band together to pay for projects in the area.

Lucy Lou breaks mayoral glass ceiling

Though Rabbit Hash, Ky., has had mayoral elections since 1998, there have only been three elected mayors. All three mayors have been canine, despite cats, gerbils and even donkeys running for the position. In 2008, when Lucy Lou was elected mayor, she was the first female mayor of the town. Lucy Lou was also highlighted by “Readers Digest” in its profile of the city. Lucy Lou’s biggest responsibility as dog mayor of Rabbit Hash, however, is public appearances — most often at the animal shelter.

Sources

AOL News
Rabbit Hash website

Even Cupid needs help with Valentine's Day gift ideas. (Photo Credit: CC BY/SomeDriftwood/Fotopedia)

Monday, Feb. 14, is Valentine’s Day. If you’re still searching for Valentine’s Day gift ideas, look no further. With a pinch of thoughtfulness, a sprinkle of practicality and a torrent of romance, you can find great Valentine’s Day gifts for him or her, from flowers to sweets and more. If you use your imagination, you won’t need to take out payday loans to finance your romantic shopping spree.

Valentine’s Day chocolate gifts

Aside from those with allergies, everyone loves chocolate. While it’s perfectly fine to buy a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates from See’s, 1800Flowers.com does one better: Junior’s Cheesecake, a double-layered, heart-shaped triumph in chocolate mousse and ganache. The cheesecake is a great Valentine’s Day gift idea that will set you back $45, plus $8 for two-day shipping. It’s worth it for Valentine’s Day chocolate decadence at its best.

A home-cooked meal to melt the Valentine’s Day heart

A romantic gesture doesn’t have to cost a great deal of money. If you are looking to impress your significant other for less, a home-cooked meal served by candlelight is sure to please. Try some stuffed chicken, lasagna or pasta with cheese and sauce. A solid white wine goes with chicken, while red wine tends to go better with beef dishes. If you’re kitchen handicapped, certain high-end grocery stores and warehouse chains sell pre-cooked gourmet dishes. Simply fire up the microwave, gangster of love!

Out of the candy box ideas

If you’re looking for more out-of-the-box Valentine’s Day gift ideas, travel is always an exciting option. If money is no object, a romantic trip to Paris is très magnifique, but a weekend road trip to a cozy bed and breakfast is very nice as well.

For flowers, retailers like 1800Flowers and Proflowers have discount codes and coupons to reduce the cost of flower arrangements. RetailMeNot.com even offers codes to save $20 or more. If you want something that will last longer than roses, try potted orchids from Lowe’s or Home Depot. For about $20, your partner will have a reminder of you while you’re off earning money to spend on him or her.

Valentine’s Day love poems

Even if you aren’t a poet, sentiments of great writers can convey your feelings. Shakespeare’s sonnets, especially Sonnet 116, are a good example, but Pablo Neruda (“If You Forget Me”) and e. e. cummings (“May I Feel, Said He”) work just as well.

Sources

11 Alive Atlanta

Long Island Press

Serenity

Guys like Valentine’s Day gifts, too

Redecorating kids' rooms can be easy with $5 worth of paint and a few custom stickers. Image: Flickr / TinyTall / CC-BY-ND

Kids’ rooms are a difficult decorating challenge. As children grow, tastes can change and parents end up being asked to redecorate kids’ rooms again and again. Luckily, when you need to redecorate your kids’ rooms, you don’t have to spend lots of money for a new look.

Redecorating kids’ rooms – the basics

When redecorating your kids’ rooms, there are a few questions you should ask yourself first. How old are the children, and how quickly do you think they may grow out of their current obsession? If you rent your home, are you allowed to change the wall color or make structural changes to the room? What is the biggest challenge in the room — organization, design, light or space? Make a list of the changes your child wants to make and the changes you want to make and prioritize.

Redecorate your kids’ rooms with the big stuff

Buying new furniture or changing the structure of a room will quickly send you over a $100 budget. However, re-painting or re-finishing furniture can easily give it new life that fits into the new look that your kid may want. Try looking for and using dual-purpose items as well. Storage and organization shelves make great headboards, for example. Try looking in consignment and second-hand stores for inexpensive but sturdy furniture. Buying one dresser for $50 may feel like a big investment, but it will last much longer than a $20 dresser that you will have to re-purchase in a few years.

Redecorate your kids’ rooms without permanence

Kids’ taste in colors or decor can change in a matter of minutes and several times over a few years. Rather than repainting a room, try going to your local sign shop to get custom stickers made. A large custom sticker can give a great graphic feel to the room and is not nearly as expensive or as permanent as a coat of paint. You can also purchase rolled cork or dry-erase board that can be mounted to the wall for less than $100. By giving kids’ rooms a dedicated place for them to draw, write and generally express themselves, they can change their space as often as they like.

It's easy to replace a couch or love seat for very cheap, if someone takes the right shortcuts. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Every now and again, people do have to buy new furniture. For some it is not always the most pleasant experience, but there are some ways to make it easier and a lot lighter on the wallet. There are a few excellent places to look for great deals.

Replacing a couch or love seat

Replacing furniture and appliances is part of every day life, and for some it can be a somewhat unpleasant experience. Replacing living room furniture such as a recliner, a couch or love seat can also be expensive. New furniture can cost hundreds of dollars, and financing can be risky. However, there are some ways to find a great deal on home furnishings if a person is determined enough.

Be all right with used furniture

When putting together a living room on a budget, the fact may be that there is not a new piece in the right price range. Therefore, a person has to be willing to buy used furniture. Used furniture does not automatically mean lower quality. There are plenty of well maintained used sofas, recliners, love seats, coffee tables and other furniture out there, one must simply be willing to look. Here are some great starting points.

• Craigslist – look for picture ads, as Craigslist ads can run from awful to amazing.
• Garage sales – look for garage sales put on by housing communities, especially the kind where a home owners association only allows them now and again.
• “Ding and dent” stores – furniture and appliance stores have their slightly damaged goods resold for them, at discounts up to 50 percent off or more.
• Call furniture and appliance stores directly – ask about dinged and dented pieces, and try to negotiate a bargain. It could be easier than one might think.

Rent to own and financing

Going the rent-to-own route or financing through a furniture store might not be the best choice. Rent to own stores mark their furniture up, and consumers in the end pay more than retail. Financing furniture through a store usually means a no interest period before the balance is due, but if whatever is not paid off has the interest assessed automatically.

Facebook has put new security features in place -- but are they too secure? Image: Flickr / MoneyBlogNewz / CC-BY

On the same day that founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page appeared to be hacked, the site announced new security features. As with most Facebook changes, not everyone is happy. The social login is causing particular frustration with users.

Major Facebook hacking problems

In the past few days, Facebook has had several problems with hacking. Political protest pages and user’s accounts were being hacked, mainly from and dealing with users in Tunisia. Earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg’s page appeared hacked. The page was removed within minutes, but not before several screen shots had been taken by news outlets. Facebook has not released an official statement about the hackings but appears to be making some major changes.

Browsing Facebook with https

The HTTPS protocol that Facebook initially integrated in response to the Tunsinia hackings seems to have been made global. There is now an option to “browse Facebook using HTTPS whenever possible.” The HTTPS protocol is secure, though it also depends what kind of connection you use. Links posted to Facebook usually are not to HTTPS sites, so clicking a link while in that mode can be problematic from a security point of view.

Facebook social login

The social login security feature of Facebook appears to be good idea on the surface. If you are logging into Facebook from a new computer,  Facebook could ask you to identify four or five of your friends’ faces from a multiple-choice list. The problem with this is that Facebook pulls the pictures of your friends that are “tagged,” and some photos are tagged with a person’s name who isn’t in the photo. You may end up having to identify your Facebook friends’ kids, pets or which “Simpsons” characters your friends think they are. In short, using the “tagging” system may not work well as part of a security feature, given how Facebook currently works.

Source

Digitizor

Relive the cozy jammy days of youth with Jumpin Jammerz. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Michael Cote/Flickr)

You no doubt remember where you were when Kid ‘N Play exclaimed that it was time for a pajama jammie jam in the film “House Party.” Be still your beating hearts, consumers, because it’s time to take the floor in your footed pajamas again, thanks to Jumpin Jammerz. At JumpinJammerz.com, you can rediscover the miracle of warm polyester fleece pajamas with feet.

Jumpin Jammerz says you should feel good

Wearing footed pajamas may help you recapture your inner child, so Jumpin Jammerz recommends that you wear their products as liberally as decorum will allow. Jumpin Jammerz fleece pajamas are designed to provide years of comfort and, perhaps unintentionally, inform the world that you reject the stodgy world of “adulthood.”

So many Jumpin Jammerz fleecy choices

Peruse JumpinJammerz.com and you’ll quickly see you have a wealth of choices. There are licensed college footed pajamas, polar fleece, hooded footies, soft chenille for the ladies, various costumes (rock star, frog, mouse, monkey, giraffe and tiger), kids’ sizes and silly blankets (think Snuggie). Then there is what can be called the ultimate in Jumpin Jammerz adventure, an old-fashioned throwback: drop seat footed pajamas. All for about $49.95 each.

The tag line for the clearance section at JumpinJammerz.com reads: “We are blowing out hundreds of footed pajamas!”

Celebrities love Jumpin Jammerz

According to the “About Us” section at JumpinJammerz.com, Jumpin Jammerz has pushed product to numerous admiring celebrities. Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Cusack and Dakota Fanning are just a few of the names. Jumpin Jammerz were even included in the grab bags given to celebrities at the 2007 Oscars. Beat that, PajamaJeans and Forever Lazy!

If you aren’t a celebrity with big-time assets, consider joining the Jumpin Jammerz Discount Club. You’ll receive a 5 percent off coupon when you join – free of charge – at JumpinJammerz.com. For more info, contact Jumpin Jammerz at 888-884-5526 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

Sources

Jumpin Jammerz

The Stir

There are easy ways to update your kitchen, even if you can't paint or replace cabinet doors. Image: Flickr / kitchendesigner / CC-BY-SA

It seems whenever company comes over, everyone always ends up in the kitchen. There are easy ways to update your kitchen for a fresh look so you can feel confident in front of those guests. With less than $100 and one day, you can make use of easy ways to update your kitchen no matter if you rent or own.

Update your kitchen for a fresh start

No matter where you live, or even how much time you spend at home, the kitchen is the center of social life. If you’re the type that cooks at home, easy ways to update your kitchen can re-energize your everyday routine. If you usually eat out, easy ways to update your kitchen could encourage you to spend less money on expensive restaurant food — it could even help you lose weight.

Easy ways to update your kitchen for renters

If you live in a rental, it can sometimes feel like you’re stuck. Not being able to make permanent changes can feel limiting. There are easy ways to update your kitchen that won’t give your landlord a heart attack. Try getting a vinyl cut sticker — contact local sign shops, and they’ll help you cut out a giant sticker that can instantly give color and character to a bland rental kitchen. Changing out the curtains can help too; try using bedsheets rather than curtains for a less expensive, more colorful option.

Easy ways to update your kitchen for owners

If you own your home or have an accommodating landlord, you can make some bigger changes to your kitchen. Try replacing the cabinet fronts with glass, fabric curtains or paint. Taking the cabinets off entirely and adding baskets to the shelves can open up the feel of a kitchen. A pot rack mounted on the wall or from the ceiling can open up a lot of space and make cooking that much easier. Painting one accent wall a bright, bold color can make a big difference as well. If you’re up for a bit of a challenge, you can remove the plasterboard above the cabinetry, opening up a shelf where you can store everything from serving dishes to your favorite teacup collection.

Girl Scout Cookies mean money for troops and regional girl scouting organizations. Image: Flickr / zaui / CC-BY-SA

Girl Scout Cookies are going on sale soon, and there are millions of people waiting with excitement. Girl Scout Cookies season differs slightly for every region of the country. The amount of money each troop gets from Girl Scout Cookies is a relatively small portion of each box.

The Girl Scout Cookies season

Girl Scout Cookies are so popular, partially, because they are available on a very limited basis. Girl Scout Cookies season varies from state to state, though many areas are starting their cookie season in the next month or two. The limited-time nature of Girl Scout Cookies helps make them more valued and marketable.

How money from Girl Scout Cookies is distributed

Girl Scout Cookies cost between $3.50 and $4 a box. That is a lot of money to put out for between 10 and 20 cookies, but thousands of people willingly pay the cost every year. According to the national Girl Scout organization, each troop gets between 50 cents and 57 cents per box sold. The baker gets 85 cents to cover the cost of the cookies, and about 1 cent is given to the “neighborhood service unit.” The remaining money from Girl Scout Cookies is given to the regional council, which supports summer camps, training and adult volunteers. The national Girl Scout organization makes money from licensing the Girl Scout Cookies name, images and cookies to other companies — e.g. Dairy Queen for the Thin Mint Blizzard.

Making your own Girl Scout Cookies

Because Girl Scout Cookies are available for only a short amount of time, many people have tried to re-create the Girl Scout Cookies flavors in  their own kitchens. There are lots of copycat Girl Scout Cookies recipes available if you need your fix. If you want to give money to Girl Scouts, you can donate directly to each troop or regional council — or give yourself the gift of cookies. Either way, Girl Scout Cookies will likely continue to be one of the most popular and successful fund-raising efforts for scouting.

Source

WalletPop

Snowplow supervisors have been accused of buying beer instead of working. Image: Wikimedia Commons

New York authorities have launched an investigation into four NYC snow bosses. Allegedly, these four union NYC snow bosses bought beer and sat in a car rather than cleaning up snow. The investigation is also digging into the question of a purposeful work slowdown.

Investigation into NYC snow bosses’ beer

After an article published by the “New York Post” that cited unnamed sources, New York officials have launched an investigation. The allegations are first and foremost that four Department of Sanitation workers parked their car, purchased beer drank it on the clock, while the city was mired in snow. The convenience store where they allegedly got beer no longer has surveillance tapes of that day, so the investigators are questioning all city employees who may have information about the incident.

Alleged slowdown during NYC snowstorm

The investigation into NYC snow bosses’ beer is just one part of the investigation into the response to the East Coast snowstorm of 2010. There are many rumors that union bosses told their employees to slow down work as a way of “punishing” the city for financial cutbacks. The official union representatives have denied that any slowdown was encouraged. About 10 percent of the NYC Sanitation Department’s workforce called in sick during the storm, about five times more than an average day.

Effects of the snowstorm response

There have been many questions about the effectiveness of the New York City Department of Sanitation response to the snow storm. Some estimates say that between five and 25 individuals may have died because emergency crews were unable to reach homes of those who needed assistance. Rather than a purposeful slowdown, the New York City Department of Sanitation is blaming the slow response on broken-down equipment and very high winds. If the investigation of NYC snow bosses buying beer finds that the allegations are true, the supervisors could face losing their jobs.

Sources

CNN
Newser

The lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" are credited to Robert Burns, though he cribbed from various sources. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

One of the traditions of New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve is singing the song “Auld Lang Syne.” The song is Scottish, and the most popular version is associated with legendary Scot poet Robert Burns. It’s one of the most popular songs in the world.

Should auld acquaintance forget who wrote ‘Auld Lang Syne’

The phrase “auld lang syne” or “old lang syne” translates best as “for old times’ sake.” The “Auld Lang Syne” lyrics were written in 1788 by Robert Burns, considered the finest poet Scotland has ever produced. Burns got the lyrics from various sources, many coming from a poem by James Watson called “Old Lang Syne.” It became a wildly popular song over the last century to sing on New Years‘ Eve when the clock strikes midnight. The original lyrics are in Scottish, which is a different language from Scots Gaelic. Scottish is a Germanic language not far removed from English, whereas Scots Gaelic is a Celtic language.

Auld Lang Syne lyrics

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne?

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

(Sing chorus after every verse)

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

And surely I’ll buy mine!

And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

We two have run about the slopes,

and picked the daisies fine;

But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!

And give us a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

Differing opinions

Some people prefer a version that uses the original Burns lyrics in Scottish, which certainly has its own good qualities, though it can be a bit difficult to understand.  There is a particularly haunting version by Mairi Campbell that is well worth a listen, though it uses a slightly different melody.

The traditional version sung by Susan Boyle

Source

Auld Lang Syne on Wikipedia

What you pump through your headphones can have real effects on your workout. Image: Flickr / talatlas / CC-BY-SA

Science has shown that the right motivating workout music can improve your workout. Not only can it motivate you to keep going, it can help your heart beat faster. Motivating workout music can make your workouts more effective.

The science behind motivating workout music

Study after study has found that the right workout music can improve a workout. A song with 120 to 140 beats per minute coincides with the target heart rate for most workouts. Music also provides a “timing cue” that helps time the moves of a workout to the beat. That means the right motivating workout music can even help you avoid an injury by encouraging smooth, regular movements. There are even businesses like Hella Sound to customize workout music to your goals.

Motivating workout music top 100

Most pop and commercial dance music clocks in with 120 to 140 beats per minute. Though motivating workout music is incredibly personal, there are standards across many genres. The readers of Fitness Magazine rated their top 100 songs, and the top 10 winners are:

1. “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
2. “Ain’t No Other Man” by Christina Aguilera
3. “Fergalicious” by Fergie
4. “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne
5. “Maneater” by Nelly Furtado
6. “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas
7. “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado
8. “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” by Fall Out Boy
9. “It’s Not Over” by Chris Daughtry
10. “This Is Why I’m Hot” by Mims

See the full list at Fitness Magazine

Manly motivating workout music

If the Fitness Magazine top 100 seems a little heavy on the “chick rock” for you, then The Art of Manliness blog has its own suggestions — and it doesn’t include “Eye of the Tiger.”

1. “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC
2. “Say This Sooner” by The Almost
3. “Keep the Car Running” by Arcade Fire
4. “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys
5. “Loser” by Beck

See the full list at Art of Manliness.
No matter what you choose for motivating workout music, it’s all about getting yourself out and moving — no matter what kind of workout you chose.

Lemon-lime soda with strawberries is a great New Year's Eve party idea for kids. Image: Flickr / juniorvelo / CC-BY-SA

For most adults, a New Year’s Eve party seems pretty easy to plan. But if you’ve got a pack of young ones, then New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids may be in order. Depending on how many kids you have and their ages, a kids New Year’s Eve party can be a snap.

Targeting New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids

The biggest challenge of New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids is targeting age groups. Letting kids younger than 10 stay up until midnight could be very difficult, for example. The best kids New Year’s Eve parties help the kids feel like they’re celebrating a big change, and they’re just a bit more “grown up.” If you’ve got a mixed-age group of kids, try to have different activities for the kids that stay up later.

New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids – the food

For kids parties, loading the kids up on sugar may be the first instinct. Some sugar should definitely be on the menu for your kids New Year’s Eve party, but it should be tempered with something more nutritious, such as raisins or mixed nuts. Try mixing cranberry or apple juice with lemon-lime soda to serve in plastic champagne flutes. Breakfast for dinner is also a great option for New Year’s Eve parties, and leftovers make the next morning that much easier.

New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids – the activities

If you’ve got kids that won’t be staying up until midnight, that doesn’t mean they can’t watch the ball drop. Look for a major city in a time zone three or four hours ahead of your party, and watch the ball drop there. New York is great for West Coast, and Paris is great for East Coast parties. Use film cans or chip cans to help kids create time capsules. Washable paint can be used to put hand prints on butcher paper as New Year’s growth charts to be continued each year. An award ceremony at the end of the night or beginning of the morning can also start out the new year on the right foot.

The water cooler is a great place to chat - but a bad place to avoid work rumors. Image: Flickr / danielmorris / CC-BY-SA

Spending 40 hours a week or more at work can feel like you’ve got a second family. With that much time, taking steps to avoid work rumors can be important. Here are four ways to avoid work rumors with your co-workers.

Avoid work rumors with e-mail

It has happened to all of us – typing the wrong name or hitting “reply all.” If you are trying to avoid work rumors, an e-mail sent to the wrong address can really hurt. Double-check the recipient on all your e-mails — even if it’s just a quick note.

Avoid work rumors by avoiding gossip

Anytime a group of people are together all day every day, gossip can happen. Work rumors are a result of some people simply needing drama or looking for something to talk about. If you want to avoid work rumors, avoid the gossip mongers. Making friendly conversation is one thing, but talking about other co-workers is something entirely different. If someone tries to start a work rumor or gossip about someone else, just turn the topic of conversation or politely excuse yourself.

Avoid work rumors by staying sober

Every office culture is different. Some employment contracts lay out that you should stay entirely sober while at work, others have a bottle of Irish Cream next to the coffee pot. No matter what your office culture, know your limit and stay below it. Being drunk may be the excuse for lots of office faux pas, but why give the gossip mongers the ammunition? If you’re going to be drinking, don’t do it at work.

Avoid work rumors by being honest

Work rumors are usually started because someone believes they’ve got information someone else wants to keep secret. Be it information about the new 401k program, the next office party, or your credentials, rumors can get started very quickly. Start out by being honest about yourself and the credentials on your resume. Be honest about anything you are asked about. If you need to keep something secret, then be honest about that. Even a simple “I can’t talk about that, but I should be able to share more on Tuesday” helps assuage work rumors.

A Kindle E-reader is proving one of the top tech gifts for the 2010 holidays. Image: Flickr / robertnelson / CC-BY

Tech gifts have always been popular,  for good reason. Top tech gifts are usually something that someone won’t buy for themselves or at least put off the purchase of. The top tech gifts for the 2010 holidays cover a wide price range and many of the people on your gift list.

Point-and-shoot cameras

Even though anyone you’re considering getting a top tech gift for probably has a nice camera, a point-and-shoot camera can still be a great 2010 holiday gift. There are times you don’t want to haul around a large SLR camera, and a point-and-shoot such as the Sony Cybershot or Canon PowerShot combines a great sensor with spur-of-the-moment flexibility.

TV for the 2010 holidays

A major top tech gift for the 2010 holidays will be TV boxes of various forms. Apple TV is popular and under $100, though selection is still low. The Roku box is less than $60, and connects to Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu Plus.

Electronic readers as a top tech gift

With expanding libraries and improved displays, e-readers are definitely a top tech gift for the 2010 holidays. Amazon’s Kindle offers a lightweight, easy-to-read screen with a $139 price point. Barnes and Noble Nook is $149, and the NookColor is $249. The Nook even offers a “lending” feature to allows readers to share their books.

Gift cards as top tech gift?

So you know you have someone on your list that would love a top tech gift. You have no idea though, what cell phone carrier they are on, what operating system they run, or what “operating system” even means. A gift card to their favorite tech store — Apple, Best Buy, or Amazon.com — can say “I know you want something from the top tech gift lists, but you know more than I do. It’s not a cop-out, it’s a way to give them exactly what’s wanted.

Connect the top tech gifts

One thing that has been around for a few years, but is still proving useful as a 2010 holiday top tech gift is a wireless hotspot. Be it Sprint, AT&T or Verizon, a MiFi device allows users to create their own wireless hotspot. Since most top tech gifts have wireless connection capability, a roving hotspot that works almost anywhere could be the perfect way to make a tech-gift recipient even happier.

An Orange County mall Santa helped make one marriage proposal very memorable. Image: Flickr / fredosan / CC-BY-ND

While working malls and tree fantasies around the country, Santa is often called on to offer a special helping hand. Jonathan Nguyen and his girlfriend, Jenny Hoang, have been dating since 2001, so he wanted to make his proposal special. To do this, Jonathan enlisted the help of a Santa for his Orange County marriage proposal.

Santa enlisted for Orange County marriage proposal

After a few-days-long breakup this fall, Johnathan decided that he wanted to propose to Jenny. He wanted to make a big splash with the proposal, and a hot-air balloon and beach-side proposal both didn’t quite feel right. When visiting the mall, however, he saw Santa and decided that the jolly old elf would be the perfect way to ask his girlfriend for her hand in marriage. He talked with Santa and his elves, and the plot was hatched.

Santa and the elves help with Orange County proposal

On Sunday afternoon, Jenny took a couple of her friend’s kids to the Orange County mall to get a picture with Santa. Santa and the elves and Jonathan were all expecting her, and after the kids got their picture with Santa, he called her back. The elves signaled to Jonathan, who was hiding in a nearby store. When Jenny returned to talk to Santa, Johnathan sneaked out and dropped to one knee. With a ring in his hands, Johnathan professed his love and proposed. Jenny, who also fell to her knees, accepted with teary eyes.

Santa’s Orange County marriage proposal isn’t the only hijink

The holidays are always an incredibly busy season for Santa — but not every story is as happy as a marriage proposal. On the same Sunday that Johnathan proposed to Jenny, a “Santa bandit” robbed a Rhode Island yacht club. 2010 has been a rough year for Santas, as the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, an organization of freelance Santas, reports that bookings are down by nearly a quarter.

Sources:

PopFi.com
MSNBC.com