A really BIG gift

Stumped on a holiday gift. Tired of the malls. Give a manatee. You can give an adoption package as a gift and you get the tax deduction. Nice, huh. Also the recipient gets an adoption certificate, a manatee photo and a biography, for just 25 dollars. The money goes to conservation and education programs. Details here.

A reason to smile

Smile! It's contagious. When you're smiling, the whole world really does smile with you. A study has found that happiness is contagious and that you can spread your cheer easily and to strangers. Study also found happiness can last a year. Now a happy cupcake makes me smile on the inside! More on happiness here.

Small Holiday idea

Think small this year. Forget overpriced gifts that will wipe out your bank account. Go small and help a cause. Adopt a Koala Bear. You get a certificate and information on how the little cute one was rescued for as little as 26 dollars. Details here.

Forget the hourglass figure

If you've been exercising and dieting like crazy to try to get the much sought after hourglass figure, good news, you can stop now. Researchers have found that even though pop culture worships the hourglass figure, it's not natural and the best for women. In fact, the hormones that make women physically stronger, more competitive and better able to deal with stress also tend to redistribute fat from the hips to the waist. So what if we look like cylinders! Read more about it here.

Hello to Yellow

With the economy putting everyone in a doom and gloom mood, color experts say we can say hello to yellow in 2009. Yellow to brighten up our grey moods will be found on everything from appliances to fashions. After all, it is the color of the sun! I happen to have yellow in my dining room, so I'm very cheery when I'm eating. Details here.
What color cheers you up?

College affordability?

College affordability sounds like an oxymoron. Who can afford college these days? New study flunks all but one state when it comes to affordability. The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education handed out F's for affordability to 49 states, up from 43 two years ago. Only California gets a passing grade. Read more about it here.

Lots of TV harms kids

If your kids watch a lot of tv, surf the web and play video games all the time, you figure they're probably going to gain weight from lack of exercise. But new research shows that's not all that will happen. The more kids play video games and watch tv, the more likelihood they'll smoke and engage in sexual activity sooner. You can read more about it here and then reconsider that new video game for Christmas.

Toys to avoid

If you're about to go toy shopping for your little ones, please remember safety. There is a top ten list of the toys you might want to avoid because they pose some safety concerns. The number one issue is the choking hazard. Many toys have removeable parts that can be swallowed. The thing to remember is if the toy or part can fit inside a toilet paper roll, it probably could be swallowed. Here's the list.

Students ethically challenged

New study out finds students think they're good, when they're really not. Some 64 percent admit to cheating on a test, 30 percent admit to stealing from a store, but 98 percent think their ethics and characters are good. Sounds like we need more ethics lessons. Read more about it here.

Phones distract drivers most

New study finds cell phones distract drivers more than chatty passengers. It also found that we drive no better whether we're using hands-free phones or not. And that passengers will stop chatting to help us drive better. In the end, phones are bad, people are good. Details here.