Teens Not Eating Their Fruits And Veggies

U.S. teenage consumption of fruit and vegetables comes nowhere near the recommended four to five servings per day, health officials say. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in 2010, the average U.S. teen consumption was 1.2 servings per day for both fruits and vegetables. In addition, about one in four high-school students consumed fruit less than once daily, and one in three consumed vegetables less than once daily. Current daily fruit and vegetable recommendations for adolescents who participate in less than 30 minutes of physical activity daily are 1.5 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables for females and 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables for males – 1 cup is approximately equal to one medium apple, eight strawberries, 12 baby carrots, or one large tomato. Overall, 28.5% of U.S. high school students consumed fruit less than once daily, and 33.2% of high school students consumed vegetables less than once daily, the CDC said.

Laptop Wi-Fi May Affect Men’s Sperm

Sperm exposed to a wireless Internet-connected laptop exhibited reduced motility and suffered DNA fragmentation, researchers in Argentina found. Researchers in Cordoba said a study involved semen samples from 29 healthy donors that were divided into two groups. One-half of the sperm was exposed in the laboratory to a Wi-Fi-connected laptop for 4 hours; the other half was used as a control without being exposed to the laptop. The study found the sperm samples exposed to laptop Wi-Fi showed a significant decrease in progressive sperm motility – the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process – and an increase in sperm DNA fragmentation. However, levels of dead sperm showed no significant differences between the two groups, they said.

Beware Of Button Batteries

More button batteries are in use as households increase the number of electronic products they acquire, leading to more injuries, researchers say. The shiny batteries found in remote controls, watches, musical greeting cards and toys, are about the size of a dime – the perfect size for a curious child to swallow or even push into the nasal cavity or ear canal, said Dr. Kris Jatana, a pediatric head and neck surgeon at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. More than 3,400 cases of battery button ingestion annually were reported to poison centers from 2007 to 2009. It’s a challenge for physicians because children might be asymptomatic or present with non-specific symptoms such as irritability, fever, cough, poor oral intake and/or vomiting similar to those of a common viral infection. Smaller batteries, such as those found in hearing aids, will typically pass through the gastrointestinal system on their own, but the larger batteries can get stuck, causing the most significant injury – eroding through the esophageal wall or airway, causing damage to nearby nerves or eroding into a major blood vessel, Jatana said.

Cemetery Sued Over Casket Jumping

A Pittsburgh family has filed a lawsuit alleging cemetery workers jumped up and down on the casket of a family member in an effort to fit it into a grave. The family members of Agnes Zimmick, who was buried at St. Stanislaus Catholic Cemetery in Shaler in 2009, filed the lawsuit Monday against the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. “Frankly, it’s shocking this happened at a Catholic cemetery,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney, Richard Sandow. “You’re not dealing with lumber. You’re dealing with the deceased. There were many jumps, shoves and stomps.” The suit alleges several of Zimmick’s family members visited other family graves after her burial. A short time later, the family said they saw cemetery workers jump “up and down on the casket,” walk on top of the casket, and “repeatedly [strike] said casket with poles ... to force the casket into place,” according to the lawsuit. The family made their initial complaint to the cemetery just after the December 1, 2009, funeral.

Medal Of Honor Recipient Suing Ex-Employer

Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer is suing a defense firm he says hurt his chances for a job by labeling him mentally unstable, court papers show. Meyer was awarded the nation’s highest honor for gallantry in battle two months ago by President Barack Obama for service in Afghanistan when he was a sergeant in the Marine Corps. He filed an amended complaint Monday to a suit he brought against BAE Systems in a state court in San Antonio in June. Meyer, who left active duty in May 2010, alleges BAE Systems, where he worked for a time this year, ruined his opportunity to get a job with another defense contractor when a supervisor claimed he has mental issues and a drinking problem. He contends BAE painted him as having those problems after he raised objections to the British company’s alleged decision to sell high-tech sniper scopes to the Pakistani military. Meyer was wounded as he made five trips to and from a battle zone to save 36 lives and bring back the bodies of four men.

American Airlines Files For Bankruptcy Protection

American Airlines has announced that it and its parent company are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – and that its CEO has stepped down. The third-largest airline in the U.S. claims that the filing will not have an impact on travelers who have already booked with American and that AA’s frequent flier program is not going to be affected.  But the new CEO explains that the company’s necessary restructuring will “modestly” reduce the number of flights AA offers and that there will be job cuts. American was the only major airline that didn’t restructure in the years since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The last major to file for protection was Delta in 2005.

Hackers Could Make Your Printer Go Up In Flames

Researchers at Columbia University claim they’ve discovered a vulnerability that could let hackers remotely access your printer for sorts of bad things – like making it go up in flames. The researchers have been probing the printers, specifically those made by HP, for several months. They have already briefed the relevant federal agencies and the folks at HP about the problem. The problem, claim the scientists, lies in the printers’ firmware and the fact that, while many recently built printers are so multifunctional that they operate in much the same way a computer does – and are often connected to the internet – they do not have the same protection that a networked computer does. Stolfo and his team demonstrated that a hacker could remotely heat up a printer’s fuser, causing the paper to turn brown and smoke. A thermal switch caused the printer to turn off before it could truly catch fire, but the researchers believe that other printers are more vulnerable to going up in flames.

Facebook Agrees To Settle With FTC Over Privacy Violation Charges

A settlement has finally been reached three years after the Federal Trade Commission leveled charges against Facebook, claiming the social networking site violated users’ privacy. Part of the terms of the proposed settlement requires Facebook to undergo audits for 20 years. The FTC claimed, among other things, that Facebook told users their information would be kept private, even after an account was deleted, and then shared that info anyway. Under the proposed terms of the settlement, Facebook must now get express consent from its users before sharing any information outside of that user’s privacy settings.

Kisses Damaging Oscar Wilde’s Tomb

The tomb of Irish poet Oscar Wilde in Paris’ Père Lachaise cemetery will be protected from visitors who have been inadvertently damaging it when they visit. Since the ‘90s, people – mostly women – started leaving lipstick kisses on his tomb as a gentle memento for a writer who didn’t show much regard for women. The problem was that cleaning off those kisses was damaging the stone. Wilde’s grandson says the tomb is close to being damaged beyond repair, so it will have a glass enclosure to protect it from further damage. The author of “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “An Ideal Husband” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” died in Paris November 30, 1900, at age 46.
 

Deadline Approaching For Holiday Mail For Heroes Greetings

The American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are reminding the public that the December 9th deadline is fast approaching to send holiday greetings filled with messages of thanks to men and women in uniform through the Holiday Mail for Heroes program. The Red Cross sorts the cards and delivers them to military bases and hospitals, veteran’s hospitals and other locations in the U.S. and abroad during the holidays. Pitney Bowes donates all screening, packaging and shipping. All holiday greetings should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
Cards postmarked after December 9, 2011, will be returned to sender. Visit redcross.org/holidaymail for a full list of recommended guidelines. Pitney Bowes has also created an online card making feature that allows Americans to send a card with a personal message of thanks and holiday cheer to a service member for $1. The new website, www.mailforheroes.com, offers four holiday card designs that will remain accessible until December 9th and will be sent to the P.O. Box for distribution to service members and their families. Simon Property Group malls are offering additional collection sites free-of-cost at its malls throughout the country. Many of the shopping centers are hosting card signing events at their Kidgits clubs.

Packing Up The Sleigh

A new survey by TripAdvisor shows that 76% of adults say the shaky economy has not impacted their December holiday travel plans; 43% are planning to travel over the festive season this year, up from 38% who did so in 2010. The majority of travelers intend to hit the road for the Christmas holiday, with 34% planning to travel – while 16% plan to travel for New Year’s. Among those traveling, 59% will visit family or friends, 18% are planning a sunshine getaway, and 11% intend to take a city break. Other findings:

Trials and Tribulations of Holiday Travel
51% of those traveling for the December holidays expect to be stressed by the experience, with airline annoyances ranking top of the list of least enjoyable travel hurdles:

Airline delays and cancellations	22%	Overcrowded airports	11%
Inclement weather	21%	Bad traffic	8%
Price of transportation	15%

Travelers’ Top Strategies for Seasonal Stress-Limitation

Traveling at off-peak hours	47%
Paying for accommodation, rather than staying with family or friends	14%
Traveling a shorter distance than usual	8%
Consuming alcohol on a flight	8%
Taking a sleeping pill on a flight	4%

Top Five Holiday Travel Mishaps – and How to Overcome Them

• Stash emergency supplies in the trunk: 29% of travelers have experienced considerable traffic jams during their December holiday travels.
  
• Monitor airport developments: 23% have endured a holiday flight cancellation.
  
• Label all luggage, inside and out: 14% have suffered the inconvenience of lost luggage over the holidays.
  
• Allow for extra time: 8% have missed a flight over the holidays.
  
• Avoid a last-minute packing frenzy: 8% have forgotten to pack gifts in their luggage.
  

Fliers Plan Frugal Measures
Festive fliers have a number of thrifty tactics up their sleeves in order to avoid or minimize baggage fees this holiday season:

Bring only carry-on bags	33%
Fly with an airline that does not charge for checked bags	27%
Have online gifts shipped directly to my holiday destination	23%
Mail gifts to my holiday destination	17%
Do laundry at my destination, to avoid checking bags	17%

Additional Holiday Travel Tidbits

• 23% have purchased last-minute gifts en route to their December holiday destination, with airports the top pick for face-saving purchases (11%).
  
• 22% of those traveling plan to pack ornament earrings or other holiday-themed jewelry, 17% will carry holiday sweaters and 10% will travel with Santa hats.
  
• Among those who have traveled over the December holidays in years past, 23% think travelers behave towards one another with worse manners than usual during the “season of goodwill”, while 16% consider manners to be improved.
  
• 49% of those traveling plan on using a smartphone or tablet device to plan or assist in their holiday travels this year.
  
• Among these mobile users, 80% will check the weather, 58% will research restaurants and 50% will use their device for navigation purposes.
  

Burger King’s French Fries Get Thicker

Burger King has changed its french fry recipe for the first time since 1998 as competition from upstarts and traditional fast-food rivals heats up. Burger King said its new fries are thicker, have less sodium, and a coating that makes them crisper and keeps them hotter longer. The fries, now also a bit wider, will be available in its more than 7,000 North American Burger King restaurants by December 5th. Prices remain the same. Burger King said the new fries have 20% less sodium than their predecessor. The $1 portion has 330 mg of sodium and 240 calories. The fries are cooked in trans fat-free vegetable oil and do not contain animal products, Burger King said. Burger King’s move comes a little over a year after Wendy’s introduced thinner “natural cut” fries that leave some skin and are sprinkled with sea salt. McDonald’s French fries often take the top spot in customer surveys, but independents such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Smashburger and In-N-Out Burger have been putting on the pressure. Burger King is promoting its new fries by giving away $1 “value” portions for free on December 16th.

Strange Office Party Gifts

Gifts exchanged during white elephant parties – where people often unburden themselves of useless or unwanted items – are designed to amuse more than amaze. A new survey by The Creative Group confirms there’s no lack of funny business when these activities occur in the office. Here are some actual objects bestowed upon coworkers during year-end white elephant parties:

• “Someone gave me a framed picture of himself.”
• “I was given a used ashtray.”
• “I literally received a white elephant.”
• “The strangest item I’ve ever seen exchanged was a World War II gas mask.”
• “The same fruitcake went around the office two years in a row.”

Regifting is common around the holidays, but these employees took the concept to the extreme by wrapping up these worn-out items:

• “A broken umbrella”
• “A used candle”
• “Dirty oven mitts”

Bah! Humbug!

America may be in its most festive season, but according to a new poll by Consumer Reports many of us dread having to be nice during the holidays. The survey says 35 million of us hate smiling and being nice while standing in line, talking to family over turkeys and hams, spending money and gaining the inevitable winter weight. According to the poll, 90% listed at least one thing they dreaded about the supposedly jolliest of seasons. Along with the chief complaint of holiday “crowds,” “gaining weight” and “getting into debt” both tied for second-place in top holiday woes among survey respondents.

Holiday Jeers
1. Crowds and long lines	68%	7. Seasonal music	23%
2. (Tie) Gaining weight	37%	8. Disappointing gifts	19%
2. (Tie) Getting into debt	37%	9. Having to attend holiday parties or events	16%
4. Gift shopping	28%	10. Having to be nice	15%
5. Traveling	25%	11. Holiday tipping	12%
6. Seeing certain relatives	24%

Radio Waves To Target Bedbugs

Technology developed to scan air travelers is being used to create a device that can search for bedbugs in homes and hotel rooms, researchers say. VisiRay of Corvallis, Oregon, has signed an agreement with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to create the devices, which would use millimeter wave technology to allow inspectors to see through drywall particle boards and view clear images of pests on the other side of a wall. The company was started by graduate students from the University of Oregon Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship. The agreement is part of the Startup America initiative announced by the White House this year to make licensing new technologies affordable for start-up companies. The technology was initially developed with Federal Aviation Administration grants to use radio waves to scan passengers. It is used at 78 U.S. airports. The technology has also been licensed for development of a device that could be used in stores to help shoppers select clothing sizes by providing a 3-D holographic image of their bodies.

Americans Are Fat And Happy

Americans are fatter today than they were in 1990, says a new Gallup poll. But the average U.S. citizen isn’t bummed out about it. Instead, we’re pretty content with the extra poundage. Gallup’s findings say adults are 20 pounds cushier than in 1990, and our ideal weight is 10 pounds higher than it used to be. Men are around 196 pounds on average, up from 180 pounds 21 years ago, and list their ideal weight at 181. Ideal weight back in 1990 for men was 171. Women on average are 160 pounds, up from 142 pounds in 1990. The ideal weight for ladies is now 138, instead of 129 pounds. Even though we seem to be bulking up a bit, only 39% of those polled would call themselves overweight, and 56% say they feel “about right” when it comes to weight – even though around 1/3 of the United States is classified as obese by government guesses. Researchers have a suggestion as to why we’re all so happy to be fatter, explaining that the “disconnect between the percentage who are over their ideal weight and the percentage who say they are overweight may come from Americans’ own reluctance to describe themselves using such a term.”

Woman Claims Scientologists Kidnapped Her

An Australia woman claims she was held against her will on a Church of Scientology cruise ship for 12 years. Valeska Paris said the church’s leader, David Miscavige, sent her to the cruise ship The Freewinds when she was 17 to stop her mother from taking her away from Scientology. Paris was born into a Scientology family in Switzerland and at age 6 moved to the church’s headquarters in the United Kingdom, where she was placed in its youth wing. At 14 she joined the Church’s elite Sea Organization, signing a contract binding her for a billion years. It was a commitment that would override her bond with her own family. Paris says at 17 the church told her she could no longer see her mother because they were afraid her mom would remove her from Scientology. Her mother had denounced Scientology on French TV after her ex-husband, Albert Jaquier, had committed suicide. A self-made millionaire, his last days were spent in poverty. He blamed Scientology for fleecing him of his fortune. Paris said they took her passport and she was not allowed off the ship for the first six years without an escort and was forced to do hard labor in the engine room. In a statement, the Church of Scientology denied Paris’ claim she was held against her will.

B-Ball For X-Mas

NBA owners and players have hammered out a tentative agreement to end the league’s lockout. Now fans can expect to receive some basketball as a Christmas present. The two sides reportedly settled their differences during weekend bargaining sessions. Sports Illustrated reports the season will be shortened from the traditional 82 games to 66, with the season expected to start December 25th. Although terms of the agreement are still fuzzy, early indications say that the owners pretty much steamrolled the players, reducing their basketball-related income by $240 million a year. The resolution is especially good news for the hundreds of league workers who have been missing paychecks since the lockout started.

Researchers Look To Tap Car Computers For Weather Data

Weather researchers are looking into ways to collect weather data from onboard car computers. The National Center for Atmospheric Research is examining data like onboard thermometers. It could potentially use additional information like windshield wiper use, headlights turned on during the day and the engagement of anti-lock brakes. A trial run was conducted in Detroit two years ago. This year the departments of transportation in Nevada and Minnesota are allowing tracking on snowplows and other department vehicles. Eventually, the researchers would like to have data sampling of all cars.

Sales On Cyber Monday Jump

Cyber Monday was another lucrative day for online retailers, as early estimates showed sales up 15% from a year earlier on what is expected to be the year’s biggest day of Internet shopping. Websites run by department stores were among the day’s most prominent gainers, as sales at Macy’s, Nordstrom and similar retailers were up 39% as of Monday afternoon, according to the International Business Machines Corp.’s Smarter Commerce arm. IBM predicted Cyber Monday sales would finish the day 20% ahead of the same 24 hours in 2010. Sales on Cyber Monday are projected to total around $1.2 billion, up from $1.03 billion last year, according to comScore. The strong Cyber Monday sales come after spending from November 1st to November 25th, which was Black Friday, rose 15% compared to a year earlier, according to comScore.

The Top 2011 Bing Searches

According to Bing searches, 2011 was the year of musical superstars, continued celebrity fascination, concern for human tragedy and new royalty. From rising stars and weddings to intense trials and natural disasters, Bing has captured history through the searches that mark the year’s most important people, places and moments in time. Here are the top 10 lists for the most searched people, news stories, sports stars, musicians, celebrity events, consumer electronics and TV shows. The complete report is available at http://www.BingTrends.com.

Most-Searched Person of the Year
Rank 2011			Rank 2010
1. Justin Bieber	6. Britney Spears		1. Kim Kardashian	6. Justin Bieber
2. Kim Kardashian	7. Katy Perry		2. Sandra Bullock	7. Kate Gosselin
3. Jennifer Aniston	8. Megan Fox		3. Lady Gaga	8. Jesse James
4. Lindsay Lohan	9. Lady Gaga		4. Tiger Woods	9. Jennifer Aniston
5. Jennifer Lopez	10.  Miley Cyrus		5. Barack Obama	10. Michael Jackson

Top News Stories
1. Casey Anthony trial	6. Joplin Tornado
2. Osama Bin Laden death	7. Michael Jackson–Conrad Murray trial
3. Hurricane Irene	8. 9/11 10th anniversary
4. Japan earthquake and tsunami	9. Republican primaries–Herman Cain, Rick Perry
5. Amy Winehouse death	10. Haiti anniversary

Top Sports Stars		Top Musicians
1. Maria Sharapova	6. Kobe Bryant	1. Justin Bieber	6. Selena Gomez
2. Tiger Woods	7. LeBron James	2. Katy Perry	7. Nicki Minaj
3. Serena Williams	8. Lamar Odom	3. Jennifer Lopez	8. Rihanna
4. Brett Favre	9. Hope Solo	4. Britney Spears	9. Beyoncé
5. Caroline Wozniacki	10. Carmelo Anthony	5. Lady Gaga	10. Taylor Swift

Top Celebrity Events
1. Royal wedding	6. Demi Moore–Ashton Kutcher scandal
2. Final “Harry Potter”	7. Kate Hudson baby bump
3. Kim Kardashian wedding	8. Lady Gaga coming out in the egg
4. Beyoncé baby bump	9. Lindsay Lohan arrested
5. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson dating	10. Russell Armstrong suicide

Top Consumer Electronics		Top TV Shows
1. Xbox & Kinect	6. Wii	1. “American Idol”	6. “Chelsea Lately”
2. Kindle	7. iPad 2	2. “Dancing W/ the Stars”	7. “The Young & the Restless”
3. PlayStation	8. Nook	3. “Glee”	8. “True Blood”
4. iPhone 5	9. Windows Phone 7	4. “Jersey Shore”	9. “Audrina”
5. iPad	10. Macbook Pro	5. “Family Guy”	10. “Big Brother”

Messy Holidays

It’s almost time to deck the halls – and scrub them too. Thanksgiving and Christmas may provide extra time to spend with friends and family, but they also trigger more time spent house cleaning. Holiday cleaning can nearly triple the weekly time spent by women, according to a national survey conducted by StrategyOne and commissioned by Georgia-Pacific. Women already spend 116 minutes cleaning their homes each week. Holiday gatherings can add almost four hours to that, including time spent before and after at-home parties. According to the survey:

• Thanksgiving and Christmas are the messiest holidays of all. Getting clean for the holidays means spending 115 minutes tidying up before get-togethers and another 85 minutes sopping up after at-home parties end.
  
• Christmas is considered the messiest holiday by majority of women (57.3%), followed by Thanksgiving (32.5%), New Year’s (3.4%) and Halloween (2.5%).
  
• When it comes to help, two-thirds of women said they would like assistance with cleaning, more so than other household tasks including cooking (11.6%), laundry (6.4%), ironing (4.8%), pet care (3.9%) and babysitting (3.3%). Yet, only one-third of women are actually receiving help with household chores. Among those that receive help, half typically receive it from their spouse or significant other and 17% receive it from their child/children.
  
• Cleaning up after pets (27.1%) was noted as being just as hard as cleaning up after their spouse or significant other (25.6%), and more difficult than cleaning up after their child (20.1%).
  
• Scrubbing the tub/shower (30%), cleaning the toilet (14.7%), mopping the floor (13.5%), dusting (11.4%) and cleaning windows (11%) are the chores women enjoy least.
  
• Taking out the trash is the one task women are most likely to rely on a housemate to handle (36.8%), followed by vacuuming (10.9%) and cooking (8.5%).
  

First Annual Giftee Awards

Need gift ideas? Try one – or all of these! Gifts.com, the online gift recommendation site that offers gift suggestions and expert advice, has announced the winners of the 1st Giftee Awards honoring the very best gifts of the year. Winning gifts in this year’s 10 unique categories were nominated and ultimately decided on by public vote; tapping into the collective conscience of gift givers across the United States. The 2011 Giftee Award winners are:

Best 2011 Time Capsule Gift: Adele “21” LP & MP3, Adele’s sophomore album is the best-selling digital album of all time.

Best Gift Under $25: Tasting Room Taste of... Wine Sampler, 6 tasting sized wine bottles of “exceptional quality at shockingly affordable prices.”

Most Wacky Gift: “Go the F**k to Sleep,” a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes aren’t always how parents want to send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Not recommended for reading to children.

Best Edible Gift: 1 Cheese and 1 Sausage Lou Malnati’s Pizzas, All pizzas are hand-made from scratch, baked and quickly frozen to preserve their hot out of the oven freshness and delivered nation-wide.

Hottest Toy for Holiday: LEGO MBA Kits 2-6 month Subscriptions, with the LEGO Master Builder Academy subscriptions, kids will learn new building skills, face new challenges, and get a new kit delivered to their home every month.

Best Gift for the Hostess: Corkcicle, this faux-icicle is made of BPA-free plastic filled with a reusable freeze gel and real cork, so you don’t have to worry about an early thaw diluting your wine. Simply place your Corkcicle in the freezer for at least two hours, and then insert it into any bottle of wine.

Best Office Secret Santa Gift: USB Heated G-Gloves, USB G-Gloves are colorful, quirky and have a warming pad inside – the perfect solution to cold, dull offices in the winter. Plug them into your USB port and your hands will become toasty warm, and open-end design allows easy finger mobility.

Best Gift for Modern Teens: iPad 2 With Wifi 16 GB, with two cameras, and tons of space, teens can have maximum creativity and fun with this touch screen tablet.

Best Romantic Gift: 4 Day Western Caribbean Cruise from Miami, Florida, a Carnival Imagination Cruise with Ports of Call in Key West, Florida, and Cozumel, Mexico starts at $179 per person.

Best Active & Healthy Gift: Your Bar Gift Box, includes a You Bar Gift Card for a box of 13 nutrition bars designed and named by you; and six fresh, handmade bars selected from a variety of proven delicious recipes.

Top 10 States For Hidden Jobs

HiddenJobsApp.com, the free website and smartphone app that tracks hiring announcements and job leads across the U.S., has published its top 10 list for states with the most hidden jobs. With millions of Americans out of work it’s important to follow every lead and uncover those hidden gems that might lead to the next gig. That means targeting companies in their state that are growing and hiring. Most of the companies that HiddenJobsApp.com finds have yet to post these jobs online. HiddenJobsApp.com has been tracking these companies since the spring of 2011. Here is a list of the top states with the most hidden jobs as of press time:

1. Florida	23,598 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/florida-hidden-jobs.php
2. California	21,562 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/california-hidden-jobs.php
3. Ohio	16,668 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/ohio-hidden-jobs.php
4. Indiana	15,355 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/indiana-hidden-jobs.php
5. Tennessee	12,042 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/tennessee-hidden-jobs.php
6. Michigan	11,778 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/michigan-hidden-jobs.php
7. Texas	8,519 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/texas-hidden-jobs.php
8. North Carolina	8,062 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/North-Carolina-hidden-jobs.php
9. Georgia	7,839 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/georgia-hidden-jobs.php
10. New York	7,128 hidden jobs	http://hiddenjobsapp.com/new-york-hidden-jobs.php

Frown Towns

In you want record-setting sunshine, St. Petersburg is your city! It once soaked up a Guinness-certified 768 straight days of rays. But there’s an asterisk: The people of St. Pete also have the darkest clouds hanging over their heads. Men’s Health put America on the therapist’s couch and discovered the top frown towns. Here are the saddest cities:

Top Frown Towns
St. Petersburg, FL	St. Louis, MO
Detroit, MI	Birmingham, AL
Memphis, TN	Miami, FL
Tampa, FL	Reno, NV
Louisville, KY	Las Vegas, NV
The Blues-Proof Cities
Honolulu, HI	Madison, WI
Manchester, NH	Sioux Falls, WI
Fargo, ND	St. Paul, MN
Omaha, NE	Burlington, VT
Boston, MA	Plano, TX

See the full list at http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/frown-towns

True Cost Of ‘12 Days Of Christmas’

If you’ve ever thought about actually purchasing all the items listed in the holiday classic “The 12 Days of Christmas,” you had better have a pile of cash ready. According PNC Financial, the total cost of realizing the full 12 Days of Christmas has crossed the $100,000 mark for the first time, coming in at $101,119.84. While that’s only a 4.4% change from last year, it’s a 35% increase over the total price from only five years ago. The single most expensive item on the list is the seven swans a-swimming, at $6,300, followed closely by the $6,294.03 you’d have to pay for the nine ladies dancing. The cheapest item would be eight maids a-milking, which only costs $58. The partridge only costs $15, but it has to come with the pear tree, which adds another $169.99. However, even the least expensive item would need to be purchased several times over to fulfill the 12 Days bonanza. But for only $24,263.18 you can get one of each item on the list.

2011 PNC Christmas Price Index
Traditional				Internet
			% Change			% Change
	2010	2011	2011/10	2010	2011	2011/10
1 Partridge in a Pear Tree	$161.99	$184.99	14.2%	$194.94	$242.44	24.4%
Partridge	$12.00	$15.00	25.0%	$70.00	$80.00	14.3%
Pear Tree	$149.99	$169.99	13.3%	$124.94	$162.44	30.0%
2 Turtle Doves	$100.00	$125.00	25.0%	$200.00	$445.00	122.5%
3 French Hen	$150.00	$150.00	0.0%	$260.00	$300.00	15.4%
4 Calling Birds	$599.96	$519.96	-13.3%	$450.00	$520.00	15.6%
5 Gold Rings	$649.95	$645.00	-0.8%	$374.75	$699.70	86.7%
6 Geese-a-Laying	$150.00	$162.00	8.0%	$525.00	$1,386.60	164.1%
7 Swans-a-Swimming	$5,600.00	$6,300.00	12.5%	$6,482.00	$10,412.50	60.6%
8 Maids-a-Milking	$58.00	$58.00	0.0%	$333.44	$337.92	1.3%
9 Ladies Dancing	$6,294.03	$6,294.03	0.0%	$8,322.55	$8,322.55	0.0%
10 Lords-a-Leaping	$4,766.70	$4,766.70	0.0%	$13,373.35	$13,373.35	0.0%
11 Pipers Piping	$2,356.20	$2,427.60	3.0%	$2,200.00	$2,200.00	0.0%
12 Drummers Drumming	$2,552.55	$2,629.90	3.0%	$1,620.00	$1,620.00	0.0%
Total Price Index	$23,439.38	$24,263.18	3.5%	$34,336.03	$39,860.06	16.1%
True cost in song	$96,824.29	$101,119.84	4.4%	$137,851.73	$174,382.93	26.5%
“Core” index, ex. swans	$17,839.38	$17,963.18	0.7%	$27,854.03	$29,447.56	5.7%

For a historical look at PNC’s index, check out www.pncchristmaspriceindex.com. The site includes an interactive train journey where visitors can pick up each of the gifts along the way.

CDC Confirms Cases Of New Swine Flu Virus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed three cases of a new flu virus, which originated in pigs but apparently spread from person to person in three Iowa children. However, there’s no reason to fear the beginning of a new pandemic, says Arnold Monto, a flu expert and professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The CDC has counted a total of 18 cases of this new virus, an influenza A strain known as S-OtrH3N2, in two years. That suggests that it’s not spreading quickly or easily, experts say. All three of the Iowa children had mild illness, the CDC reports. The virus also seems treatable with standard anti-viral drugs. The 10 cases of H3N2 in 2011 also have been spread throughout the U.S. – in Pennsylvania, Maine, Indiana and Iowa – which doesn’t indicate a disease “cluster” or outbreak, officials say.

How Do You Rate Your Doctor

A high percentage of U.S. adults give their physicians high grades, an online survey indicates. Lead author Rajesh Balkrishnan, an associate professor in the University of Michigan School of Public Health and College of Pharmacy, and colleagues analyzed data from www.DrScore.com, where 14,984 patients ranked visits from 2004 to 2010 on a 10-point scale. The average overall satisfaction rating was 9.28, with 70% giving their doctors 10’s. Another 2,291, or 15%, gave 9’s, the researchers said. Less than 25 of the ratings were 1 or less. These high marks overall suggest that most patients give doctors the benefit of the doubt and realize factors beyond the physician’s control, such as insurance red tape, contribute to their dissatisfaction, Balkrishnan said.

NASA Launches Mars Rover

NASA launched its latest unmanned Mars rover Saturday in Florida in an effort to scour the planet’s surface for signs of microbial life. The Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral with the rover, nicknamed Curiosity, aboard. It will take eight and a half months for Curiosity to make the 354 million-mile journey to the surface of Mars. NASA scientists expect the 1-ton rover to land on the planet the morning of August 6th. Curiosity should land in Gale Crater, which contains a mountain about 3 miles high. Satellite imagery has shown sediments in this area were laid down by water, which could have supported micro-organisms. Curiosity part of a $2.5 billion mission, has 10 sophisticated instruments on board to study rocks, soil and the atmosphere. The funding will cover the first two years of operation, though the rover has enough power to keep it running for about a decade.

Third Accuser Says Syracuse Coach Molested Him

A third person has accused Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine of molesting him as a child. Zach Tomaselli, a 23-year-old Maine resident, told police last week Fine molested him in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel room when Tomaselli was 13. The accusation prompted a search of Fine’s home in DeWitt, New York, Friday, during which authorities seized documents. Former Syracuse ball boy Bobby Davis has also accused Fine of molestation for more than 12 years beginning in 1983, before he was in the seventh grade. Davis’ step-brother, Mike Lang, also claims he was abused by the coach. A recording of a phone conversation Davis made with Fine’s wife, Laurie Fine, in 2002 reveals she knew of the coach’s alleged misconduct, ESPN said. In the conversation, Laurie Fine reportedly tells Davis, “I know everything that went on with him. ... Bernie has issues, maybe that he’s not aware of, but he has issues.”

Reducing Holiday Food Waste

Food wasted in the United States annually could satisfy the hunger of the estimated 1 billion malnourished people worldwide, a food waste expert says. Tristram Stuart – a food waste expert and contributing author to State of the World 2011 of the Worldwatch Institute – said some simple changes in food responsibly and donating excess to the hungry could help make the holiday season more plentiful and hunger-free for all. The United States generates an extra 5 million tons of household waste each year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, including three times as much food waste as at other times of the year, Stuart said. “When our total food waste adds up to 34 million tons each year, that equals a lot of food,” Stuart added. As Americans prepare for the holidays, the Worldwatch Institute advises to:

• Be realistic:  The fear of not providing enough to eat often causes hosts to cook too much. Instead, plan out how much food will realistically be needed.
  
• Plan ahead:  Create a shopping list before food shopping.
  
• Go small:  The season of indulgence often promotes plates piled high with more food than can be eaten.
  
• Encourage self-serve: Allow guests to serve themselves.
  
• Compost food scraps:  Instead of throwing out the vegetable peels, eggshells, and other food scraps from making your meal.
  
• Use vegetable scraps and turkey carcasses for stock and soups.
  
• Donate excess:  Food banks and shelters gladly welcome donations of canned and dried foods, especially during colder months.
  
• Support food-recovery systems.  Some will come to you to collect your excess.
  
• When giving food as a gift avoid perishable items.
  

Big Screen TV For The Big Guy?

Several consumers will be picking up a new TV for Christmas – either for themselves or their loved ones. The experts in big screen TV’s, Paul’s TV inside Art Van Furniture, have put together five helpful tips for holiday shoppers:

Alphabet soup: LED, LCD or Plasma TV? LED’s have richer color and are more energy efficient. LCD’s are less expensive and have a matte finish and will display better in brighter rooms. Plasma’s have the richest color palette of all and the best viewing angles.

Numbers: 1080p is the term used mostly when identifying resolution. 1080p is currently the most desirable resolution. The higher the resolution the better the overall picture quality.

Cords: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the best cable you can purchase. It carries audio as well as video, and will give the best picture and sound from one cord.

Installation: If you are considering installing your HDTV professional installation is highly recommended. Not only for safety purposes but what does one do with all of the exposed wires? Professional installation guarantees a worry free experience.

Save the Box: Hang on to the box and the Styrofoam that your HDTV came in. This will come in handy if moving or if something goes wrong and the unit needs to be shipped back to the manufacturer.

Office Courtesy Blunders

A California staffing company said its survey of office workers found breaches of etiquette including lunch theft and sneezing into the boss’ coffee. Robert Half International said its survey found workers had witnessed breaches of workplace etiquette including a worker throwing papers into the air while collaborating on a project and shouting “forget this.” The company said the survey was conducted to coincide with the release of its video series “Don’t Let This Happen to You,” which offers advice on avoiding common breaches of workplace etiquette. Robert Half asked workers to recount the worst or wackiest etiquette blunders they’ve witnessed or heard about in the workplace. Here are some of the more memorable anecdotes:

• “A coworker fell asleep at her desk and another team member took a picture of her snoozing and sent it to the boss.”
• “Someone was stealing other people’s lunches from the lounge area.”
• “A colleague purposely sneezed into the boss’s coffee cup.”
• “A coworker had a drink at lunch and returned to work wasted.”
• “After asking me a question, a coworker talked excessively for 30 minutes without letting me get in one word.”
• “Someone didn’t get what he wanted and loudly hung up on a conference call.”
• “I once heard an employee screaming at a customer.”
• “Someone thought he put a customer on hold and then used inappropriate language within earshot.”
• “Employees were walking around the office barefoot.”
• “A person took a cell phone into the restroom while still talking.”

World’s Greatest Guitarists

While Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly and Chet Atkins are on Rolling Stone’s new list of the 100 greatest guitarists, some obvious guitar wizards are missing. Not included are Glen Campbell, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. Rolling Stone limits the list to 100 pickers. The guitar gods, and a few goddesses, are from all styles of music. Others who made it on the list include Joe Walsh, Roger McGuinn, Billy Gibbons, Duane Eddy, Bonnie Raitt, Les Paul, Derek Trucks and Carl Perkins. Rolling Stone’s Top 10:

1. Jimi Hendrix	6. B.B. King
2. Eric Clapton	7. Chuck Berry
3. Jimmy Page	8. Eddie Van Halen
4. Keith Richards	9. Duane Allman
5. Jeff Beck	10. Pete Townshend

The 8 Germiest Places In The Mall

During the craziness of the holidays, the last thing you want is to get sidelined with a cold, flu, stomach bug or worse. But while you’re checking items off your shopping list you may be exposing yourself to germs that can make you sick. CNN asked a panel of experts to rank the worst germ hotspots at your local shopping center. They found that the filthiest area in a restroom (and therefore in the whole mall) isn’t the toilet handle or the doorknob – it’s the sink. Bacteria, including E. coli, fester on the faucet and handles because people touch those surfaces right after using the toilet, explains Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona. “The sink area is a moist environment, so bacteria can survive longer there,” he adds. Watch out for soap dispensers, too. When Gerba’s team tested liquid soap from refillable dispensers in public bathrooms, they found that one in four contained unsafe levels of bacteria. Check out the 8 germiest places in the mall then stock up on hand wipes and hand sanitizer:

1. Restroom sinks
2. Food court tables
3. Escalator handrails
4. ATM keypads
5. Toy stores
6. Fitting rooms (rather the clothes you try on in the fitting rooms)
7. Gadget shops
8. Makeup samples

Most Popular Toys For 2011

The National Retail Federation released its hot toys list for 2011, topped by video games for boys and Barbie dolls for girls. The list also features Apple’s iPod on both lists. According to the federation’s holiday shopper survey, 43.1% of consumers say they’re planning on buying toys this holiday shopping season.

2011 Top 10 Toys for Boys		2011 Top 10 Toys for Girls
1. Video Games	6. Disney CARS	1. Barbie	6. (Tie) Elmo
2. LEGO	7. Xbox 360	2. Dolls (generic)	6. (Tie) Lalaloopsy
3. Cars (generic)	8. Elmo	3. (Tie) Disney Princess	7. Dora the Explorer
4. Transformers	9. Nintendo DS	3. (Tie) Monster High Dolls	8. Nintendo DS
5. Hot Wheels	10. Trucks (generic)	4. American Girl	9. LeapFrog Products
		5. Video games	10. Apparel

Workers Shopping On Cyber Monday

With an estimated $11 billion spent holiday shopping on Black Friday, which was about a billion bucks over last year. Last year, Cyber Monday broke online sales records, and CareerBuilder’s latest survey shows the trend may continue. Fifty percent of American workers plan to spend time holiday shopping online at work this season – on par with 52% last year. Of these workers, 34% will spend one hour or more shopping, and 16% will spend two or more hours. However, half of U.S. companies say they now monitor Internet and email use of employees, up from 47% last year. Survey highlights:

• 65% of workers spend at least some time conducting non-work related web searches in a typical workday; 22% say they conduct non-work related web searches at least five times a day.
  
• 22% of employers have fired someone for using the Internet for non-work related activity.
  
• 7% of human resource managers surveyed have fired an employee for holiday shopping.
  
• 54% of employers block employees from accessing certain websites – up from 50% in 2010.
  
• 56% of workers on social networks check their profiles during their typical workday. Of this group, 15% spend at least one hour a day browsing.
  
• 32% of employers prohibit employees from communicating about the company on social media.
  
• 61% of workers send non-work related emails during their typical workday; 19% send more than five personal emails a day.
  
• 28% of employers monitor emails and 8% report having fired someone for non-work related emails.
  

The funniest, weirdest, and over-the-top Christmas displays

www.uglychristmaslights.com 

Does your family enjoy driving around to look at Christmas lights this time of year? Then you’ve seen some houses where the lighting is, well, not quite right or even hideous. Check out Ugly Christmas Lights if you need a laugh this holiday season. The site showcases the funniest, weirdest, and over-the-top Christmas displays that their readers send in each year.

Time Of Day Affects Heart Attack Severity

The severity of a heart attack – and subsequent recovery – depends on what time of day the heart attack occurs, researchers say. Dr. Jay H. Traverse, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis and physician researcher with Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and colleagues conducted an analysis of 1,031 patients who had acute heart attacks. The study found the size of a heart attack and subsequent left-ventricular function are significantly different based on the time of day. The greatest amount of injury to the heart occurs when individuals have a heart attack between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. The peak injury was 82% higher than that recorded at the lowest time of an attack.

AIDS Stabilizing Worldwide

New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths globally are falling to the lowest levels since the peak of the epidemic, U.N. officials in Switzerland said. Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, said a report by Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, said new HIV infections have been reduced by 21% since 1997, and deaths from AIDS-related illnesses have decreased by 21% since 2005. UNAIDS and World Health Organization estimates said 6.6 million, or 47% of the estimated 14.2 million people eligible for treatment in low- and middle-income countries, had access to lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy in 2010, an increase of 1.35 million since 2009. The report highlights that there are early signs that HIV treatment is having a significant impact on reducing the number of new HIV infections. The report said that at the end of 2010:

• An estimated 34 million people lived with HIV globally.
• An estimated 2.7 million new HIV infections were diagnosed.
• An estimated 1.8 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
• Treatment averted 2.5 million deaths since 1995.

Facebook Cuts 6 Degrees Of Separation To 4.74

Six degrees of separation may be good enough for most people, but for Facebook members it’s only 4.74 degrees, according to a study conducted jointly by the social networking giant and the University of Milan. The study examined all 721 million active Facebook users, who had 69 billion friendships among them, Facebook said. The researchers approximated the number of hops between all pairs of individuals on Facebook using algorithms developed by the University of Milan’s Laboratory for Web algorithmics. They found that 99.6% of all pairs of users are connected by six hops – five degrees of separation – but 92% are connected by only five hops, which works out to four degrees of separation. That makes the average 4.74 hops, compared with the 5.28 hops recorded in 2008. The reason is the growth in Facebook membership worldwide, which ties together even more people. The researchers also found that a user’s friends are most likely to be in the same age group and come from the same country. Most pairs of people in any one country, the researchers found, are separated only by four hops – three degrees of separation.

Heels Get Lower, Is Economy Heading Higher?

A new study suggests women are choosing lower heeled shoes and those high heels may soon be tossed in the back of the closet. IBM says they’ve been monitoring billions of social media posts and heel heights are about to decline. Researchers say usually when the economy is bad, skirts get shorter and heels get higher. That’s because people turn to them as a means of fantasy and escape. Over the last 100 years, high heels soared during the worst recessions. IBM says the move to a lower heel now may indicate a mood of “long term austerity” that’s evolving among consumers. The study says high heels won’t disappear altogether, but even high-end shoe designers like Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin are beginning to offer more kitten heels and flats.

Postal Service To Increase Shipping Prices

The U.S. Postal Service plans to raise shipping prices by 4.6% next year in an effort to boost revenue. Under the proposed rates, which face review by the Postal Regulatory Commission before they would take effect January 22nd, priority-mail shipment prices would increase 3.1%, and express-mail prices would rise 3.3%. The steepest increases are for international mail and parcel-select service, which is mainly used by commercial shippers. The increases would come on top of a 1-cent rise in the price of first-class mail, to 45 cents. The Postal Service lost $5.1 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30th, and it would have lost more than $10 billion if it wasn’t allowed to delay a required annual $5.5 billion payment into a fund for future retiree health benefits. The Postal Service also unveiled a new $39.95 overnight box for customers shipping items that can’t fit into an express-mail flat-rate envelope, the cost of which would rise to $18.95 under the proposed changes. The new express mail box would still lower prices for half- and one-pound packages as well as commercial packages to local and nearby areas, the Postal Service said.

Florida A&M Band Suspended After Suspected Hazing Death

Florida University has stopped all band performances amid an investigation into the death of a student over the weekend that authorities say is linked to hazing. Robert Champion, a 26-year-old drum major with Florida A&M University’s marching band, became ill and died Saturday night after a game. Investigators believe hazing was involved. The cause of death is inconclusive, however, and the medical examiner says more tests are required. FAMU President James Ammons announced yesterday he is immediately suspending “any and all performances and engagements for bands and other ensembles under the auspices of the Music Department, including the Marching 100.” The suspension will stay in place during the investigation, Ammons said, and it will not be lifted until he authorizes it. Ammons also said there were previous instances of possible hazing in the band this semester, and at least 30 band members were let go because of it.