Most Inspiring Moments of 2010 – Yahoo Video
Can You Name The TV Shows By Car? – Sporcle Quiz
22 Dumbest Things People Do On Facebook
Links For Monday December 06, 2010
Jobs For People Who Don’t Like People
Top Retirement Havens In The World
How To Make More Money in 2011
4 Public Works Of Art Gone Terribly Wrong
Too Much Christmas Spirit Rankles Neighbors – News Story
West Virginia Ninja Training – Youtube Video
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Links For Sunday December 05, 2010
Way More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Eggnog
9 Holiday Characters From Around The World
6 Tips For Dealing With Dangerous Driving Conditions
21 Of The Worst Holiday Presents You’ve Ever Gotten
Can You Name The Events of 1987? Quiz from Sporcle.com
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10 Regrettable Christmas Toy Crazes
As if the travel and family commitments didn’t make Christmas crazy enough, the holiday season is often marked by a conspicuous consumption and pursuit for certain random products that’s downright insane. Every year or two, some new fad hits the scene and sends kids into a frenzy and their parents into a fury, and just as quickly, those crazes are forgotten as shoppers move onto the next big thing. In a sense, every toy craze is regrettable, but the ones listed here are probably the worst. Although the kids who caused them are either in college or grown by now, the memory of these fads lives on.
- Tickle Me Elmo: One of the most infamous fad toys ever released, Tickle Me Elmo made 1996 a living nightmare for parents trying to buy them and for other people trying to avoid them. Like all good crazes, this one came out of nowhere to take the country by storm, as the vibrating, laughing doll wormed its way into kids’ lives everywhere. The toy proved so popular that sales stayed high for more than a year and new shipments would often sell out quickly across the country. A Walmart employee in 1996 was tackled by 300 customers fighting to get the last doll, and he got a concussion for his trouubles. Worth it? No way. Continue reading
9 Obscure Holidays in December (Besides Christmas)
There are obscure holidays, and then there are really obscure holidays. I used to think Canadian Boxing Day and Three Kings’ Day were weird; in reality, there are so many holidays stuffed into our calendar that you could spend the whole year observing them and still miss a few. Here are a few of my favorite upcoming weird holidays. Continue reading
Filed under Holidays
A Brief History of Black Friday
Forget Thanksgiving turkey, fellowship, and football; for a lot of shoppers, Black Friday is the week’s truly notable holiday. The unofficial start of the holiday shopping season is often referred to as the busiest shopping day of the year, but where did this tradition start and just how big is it? Here are the answers to a few frequently asked questions about Black Friday. Hopefully they’ll give you some good talking points as you line up outside Best Buy at 4 a.m. on Friday.
How did Black Friday became such a big shopping day?
It’s hard to say when the day after Thanksgiving turned into a retail behemoth, but it probably dates back to the late 19th century. At that time, store-sponsored Thanksgiving parades were common, and once Santa Claus showed up at the end of the parade, the holiday shopping season had officially started.
In those days, most retailers adhered to an unwritten rule that holiday shopping season didn’t start until after Thanksgiving, so no stores would advertise holiday sales or aggressively court customers until the Friday immediately following the holiday. Thus, when the floodgates opened that Friday, it became a huge deal.
So retailers were always hoping for an early Thanksgiving?
You bet. They weren’t just hoping, though; they were being proactive about it. In 1939, the Retail Dry Goods Association warned Franklin Roosevelt that if the holiday season wouldn’t begin until after Americans celebrated Thanksgiving on the traditional final Thursday in November, retail sales would go in the tank.
Ever the iconoclast, Roosevelt saw an easy solution to this problem: he moved Thanksgiving up by a week. Instead of celebrating the holiday on its traditional day—November 30th that year—Roosevelt declared the next-to-last Thursday in November to be the new Thanksgiving, instantly tacking an extra week onto the shopping season.
Brilliant! How did that work out?
Not so well. Roosevelt didn’t make the announcement until late October, and by then most Americans had already made their holiday travel plans. Many rebelled and continued to celebrate Thanksgiving on its “real” date while derisively referring to the impostor holiday as “Franksgiving.” State governments didn’t know which Thanksgiving to observe, so some of them took both days off. In short, it was a bit of a mess.
By 1941, though, the furor had died down, and Congress passed a law that made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November regardless of how it affected the shopping day that would become known as Black Friday. [Image credit: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.]
Why call it Black Friday?
If you ask most people why the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday, they’ll explain that the name stems from retailers using the day’s huge receipts as their opportunity to “get in the black” and become profitable for the year. The first recorded uses of the term “Black Friday” are a bit less rosy, though.
According to researchers, the name “Black Friday” dates back to Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. The Friday in question is nestled snugly between Thanksgiving and the traditional Army-Navy football game that’s played in Philadelphia on the following Saturday, so the City of Brotherly Love was always bustling with activity on that day. All of the people were great for retailers, but they were a huge pain for police officers, cab drivers, and anyone who had to negotiate the city’s streets. They started referring to the annual day of commercial bedlam as “Black Friday” to reflect how irritating it was.
So where did the whole “get in the black” story originate?
Apparently storeowners didn’t love having their biggest shopping day saddled with such a negative moniker, so in the early 1980s someone began floating the accounting angle to put a more positive spin on the big day.
Do retailers really need Black Friday to turn an annual profit?
Major retailers don’t; they’re generally profitable—or at least striving for profitability—throughout the entire year. (A company that turned losses for three quarters out of every fiscal year wouldn’t be a big hit with investors.) Some smaller outlets may parlay big holiday season sales into annual profits, though.
Is Black Friday really the biggest shopping day of the year?
It’s certainly the day of the year in which you’re most likely to be punched while grabbing for the latest Elmo doll, but it might not be the busiest day in terms of gross receipts. According to Snopes.com, Black Friday is generally one of the top six or seven days of the year for stores, but it’s the days immediately before Christmas when procrastinators finally get shopping that stores make the serious loot. Black Friday may, however, be the busiest day of the year in terms of customer traffic.
Snopes’ data shows the ten-year span from 1993 to 2002, and in that interval Black Friday was never higher than fourth on the list of the year’s busiest shopping days by sales volume. In 2003 and 2005 Black Friday did climb to the top of the pile for sales revenue days, but it still gets stiff competition from the week leading up to Christmas, particularly the Saturday right before the big day.
But Black Friday tells us how the holiday season will shake out, right?
Again, not necessarily. According to a 2007 Time story, even if Black Friday goes swimmingly for retailers, it doesn’t really tell analysts much about how the holiday season will look. The National Retail Federation told the magazine that since the bulk of holiday shopping still occurs in the week leading up to Christmas, those days are far more important for retailers’ bottom lines than Black Friday is. That week coupled with the steep discounts most retailers start offering on the day after Christmas end up determining how well the holiday season goes for retailers.
What’s the story on Cyber Monday?
It’s obviously a bit tough for online retailers to cash in on the retail bonanza that their brick-and-mortar counterparts enjoy on Black Friday; you can’t really have a doorbuster sale when you don’t have any doors to bust. In 2005, though, Shop.org, the online arm of the National Retail Federation, started promoting the Monday immediately following Black Friday as “Cyber Monday,” Black Friday’s tech-savvy cousin for online retailers.
So is Cyber Monday the biggest online shopping day of the year?
Like Black Friday, Cyber Monday probably isn’t quite the e-commerce boom that you’d expect. According to Snopes, the first few years of Cyber Monday looked a lot like Black Friday. Sales were certainly higher than normal, but the biggest e-commerce days were still usually a couple of weeks before Christmas. Basically, online shopping’s big days are governed by the same keep-putting-it-off impulse that shapes traditional retail’s best revenue days, only the online jackpots come a little earlier as procrastinators have to allow for shipping time.
By: Ethan Trex at mentalfloss.com
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15 Black Friday Myths
- MYTH: Black Friday sales begin on, well, Black Friday
Most major retail chains will have their Black Friday sales online on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, when you’d expect people to be busy traveling to relatives’ houses and stuffing themselves with turkey. In fact, in years past, we’ve seen some deals sell out before Black Friday. dealnews’ #1 Black Friday tip is to begin shopping online on Thursday, as early as possible. - MYTH: Doorbusters are free
Whaaa? Believe it or not, many people believe that Black Friday is a day to score freebies. This myth may be what lures people to sleep overnight outside a store, but most doorbusters are just low-priced items meant to create frenzy. If you find a free TV on Black Friday, please send us a photo of it alongside your pet unicorn. - MYTH: The deals are so good on Black Friday, they’re worth sleeping overnight on a curb for
These days, more and more Black Friday deals are available online as well as in-store. Couple that with the fact that many Black Friday doorbusters are either matched or beaten later in the season, and you can only conclude that it’s not worth camping out for Black Friday specials. At most stores, being first in line to go in at 5 am only guarantees that you’ll get shoved around as the 500 people behind you are also let in. - MYTH: Nobody will match Black Friday prices
That’s just not true. In a few weeks, we’ll put out our list of stores that offer price matching on Black Friday. (See last year’s list.) Moreover, major online retailers like Amazon.com will have Black Friday sales too. In fact, in 2009, Amazon matched the best Black Friday prices at Walmart. And Best Buy. And newegg. And Staples. And Office Depot. And Apple. And Target. The list goes on. - MYTH: Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year
The Saturday before December 25 is actually the busiest shopping day of the year. - MYTH: Prices on Black Friday are the lowest you’ll see all year
Many Black Friday deals are matched or beaten later in the season. It’s a buyer’s market, and prices aren’t going up. If a deal doesn’t make you swoon, wait for a better deal later. Also, in their Black Friday ads, retailers often mix in their everyday prices with their steeper discounts, hoping that a shopper will bite on a high-profit item. - MYTH: Black Friday prices are always sale prices
Not only are some deals matched later on, some prices were better before Black Friday. In the past several years, retailers have been caught red-handed jacking up prices before Black Friday, then lowering them with supposed discounts that leave the price higher than it was before. It helps to know what things cost now to make sure you’re getting a bargain down the road. When applicable, peel back price stickers to see what the original price really was. - MYTH: If you have buyer’s remorse, you can always just return your purchases
Not so fast! Stores have tightened their return policies considerably, making it harder to return items. Some will only give you store credit even if you have a receipt, not give you back the cash value or credit your card. Some stores are now even keeping track of serial returners and banning them. If you don’t remember to ask for a gift receipt for each item, your recipient may be unhappy too, because they’ll likely only be offered store credit for only a limited portion of the return. Bah humbug! - MYTH: Signing up for a store credit card to get an extra discount is a no-brainer
If it’s really that good for you, do you think they’d try to up-sell you so hard? There’s a reason why most people decline these offers, not the least of which is the fact that retailers dangle such offers to get you to overspend. Also, opening new lines of credit can affect your credit score, so you have to consider how long you’ll keep the card, will you pay it off each month, and will it harm you the next time you need a mortgage, car loan, or other form of credit in the near future. - MYTH: All of the good deals are in the Black Friday ads
On Thanksgiving Day, retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have historically advertised additional Black Friday deals that weren’t in their circulars. These “secret” deals will only be found online (e.g., at BestBuy.com), so the trick is to uncover them on the Web on Thursday so you’ll know about them when you get to the store on Friday. - MYTH: Leaked Black Friday ads are accurate
In fact, they are often inaccurate. See last year’s leaked OfficeMax flyer. It was 100% inaccurate. This year has already had its first failure, as two conflicting Harbor Freight ads have been released (hopefully one of those is right). - MYTH: You have go to an Apple Store in person for its Black Friday Sale
In reality, all of Apple’s Black Friday sale prices will be available at the Apple Store Online, with free shipping site-wide. However, consumers looking for the season’s best deals on Apple products should also check Apple resellers like MacConnection, Amazon, and MacMall, which undercut Apple’s Black Friday prices last year and may offer a sales tax advantage. - MYTH: Black Friday is the best day to buy a new TV
For the last three years, the best time to buy a good TV wasn’t on Black Friday; it was either in December (2007 & 2008) or January (2009). The rule is that Black Friday is the best time of the year to buy no-name TVs, and the weeks following are the best time to buy high-end TVs. - MYTH: If you are buying big-ticket electronics, you should protect them with extended warranties
Not necessarily. Retailers lower prices, then need add-ons to recoup profit. Don’t be talked into buying a long, pricey warranty if you know a one-or two-year plan will do the trick. It’s cheaper to buy a techie friend dinner in exchange for help than paying for in-home setup. - MYTH: You can get free shipping coupons codes for anything
If only that were true. Free Shipping Day this year is December 17, and has hundreds of participating merchants, but doesn’t nearly encompass all of them. You can look around on the Web every day for coupon codes, and wait for a free shipping offer for the store you want, but you won’t get it for everything.
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Weird Wednesday: Weird Thanksgiving Facts
Now those of us who celebrate Thanksgiving often only see it at its face value – a great excuse to eat plenty of food and to appreciate everything that we have. But there is much more to this crazy holiday and the stories and history behind it are definitely worth remembering. Here are some interesting facts about this traditional holiday that you might not know. Continue reading
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9 Secrets To Cooking the Perfect Turkey
It is that special time of year again, when we spend lots of time in our kitchens, and make fabulous feasts for our family and friends. Whether you are cooking for a crowd, or just having an intimate dinner with your significant other, it pays to incorporate some turkey cooking tips to help ensure a juicy and tasty bird. Continue reading
7 Tips For Keeping Your Sanity on Thanksgiving
Few holidays inspire as much anticipation as Thanksgiving. In-laws and cooking? The stakes are high, and something could go wrong at any moment. Fortunately, with a little food science and common sense, you can avoid the pitfalls that sitcom writers love to rely on.
1. Keep it simple. Unless you’re a culinary master, trying to pull out all the stops and create every possible dish that might show up in a Hollywood-perfect Thanksgiving feast is actually a recipe for disaster. Turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a simple vegetable dish such as string beans is already a feast! If you’re cooking for guests and nervous, pick dishes that you’re comfortable making. If you’re trying something new, give it a practice run a few days before.
2. Go potluck. Even if you are a culinary whiz, divvying up the courses is a great way of bringing a group of people together, and an opportunity to pass along culinary traditions to younger generations. If you have young kids, you can also use it as an opportunity to give them confidence in the kitchen. Making mashed potatoes? Hand the recipe over to your kids and offer to be their assistant chef.
3. Use mise-en-place. French for “everything in its place,” mise-en-place is the practice of prepping all the ingredients and measuring them out in advance. Making a stuffing? Dice up the celery and veggies the day before, and store them in a plastic container or plastic bag in the fridge. Using breadcrumbs? Spices? Measure them out into another bag or small container. If you’re baking your stuffing separate from the bird—recommended for food-safety reasons—you can even stash the mise-en-place parts inside the baking pan and store the whole thing in the fridge. Then, on Thanksgiving day itself, just pull the pan out of the fridge and mix-and-go. (Tuck a copy of the recipe into the pan when you’re prepping, too!) Repeat this for all your dishes, and you’ve already cut the big day’s work by more than half.
4. Use the microwave. I know, heresy, but the microwave does a great job for cooking certain types of foods such as potatoes, asparagus, and string beans. Cooking starchy foods like potatoes is all about heating the starch granules up to around 180–190°F for the starches to melt and then gelatinize, and popping a potato in the microwave gets it up to around 212°F, the boiling point of water—well above the temperatures need to cook that potato. Figure about a minute to two per potato, checking as they cook. For veggies like asparagus and string beans, throw them in a microwave-safe bowl, add a few teaspoons of water, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until the water starts to steam, four or five minutes. If you want to go fancier, you can always toss the veggies into a pan and sauté them in butter or olive oil and add spices.
5. Cook the breasts separate from the legs. Cooking a whole turkey is a challenge for a simple reason: turkeys don’t cook uniformly, and they’re not one uniform thing. Turkey breast meat will be finished cooking before the darker, leg meat because the ratio of the types of proteins in the meats differ, and different proteins cook at different temperatures. If you don’t mind giving up the tradition of standing at the head of the table and carving the turkey, try cooking turkey breasts and turkey legs separately. Experiment with cooking the turkey legs in a slow cooker in olive oil—they’ll come out moist and delicious after six hours—and roasting the turkey breast in the oven, just like any other type of roast.
6. Use a thermometer. Meats are done cooking once they reach a certain temperature. Medium-rare steak is done when it hits 135–140°F, whether that takes ten or thirty minutes. Same thing with turkey. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspectional Service advises cooking turkeys until the thermometer reads 165°F; this is the “instant kill” temperature for any bacteria that might be present. With care and proper hold times, you actually can safely cook turkey to lower temperatures to avoid potential dryness, but hold time becomes critical for proper pasteurization. Regardless, use a good digital probe thermometer to let you know when the turkey has reached temperature.
7. Cheat on your dessert: buy it. A good bakery can turn out a great pumpkin pie for practically the same amount of money that you’d pay for the ingredients yourself. If you’re really into baking, or feel that the homemade touch is important, try making something else. Chocolate is always a winner, so why not chocolate mousse? Snag a pumpkin pie for those that prefer it.
By Jeff Potter at readersdigest.com
Filed under Holidays
