The Resources Center

Ready to find the best deals for holiday gifts? Santa sent us with some really jolly news for you. Think Cyber...cybermonday.com. With the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday season, Shop.org has updated its CyberMonday.com website with new features that allow shoppers to find the best deals this year.

Partnering with major retailers like eToys.com, Overstock.com, Zappos.com and Barnesandnoble.com, CyberMonday.com will become your one stop shop for all your holiday gift needs.

E-commerce sites that win awards and revenues have a few vital things in common. They are a commitment to a constantly improving user experience and customer-centric business priorities. The win is meansured, not in awards, but in sales.

As a fragile economy and gas prices are starting to affect buyer behavior, more and more consumers are opting to spend their hard earned dollars online. With retailers offering free delivery, customers are seeing the value of shopping online as gas prices continue to cut away more and more of their paychecks.

E-commerce tactics suchs as free shipping and discounts are beginning to flood retail websites and as a result online retailers are implementing new technologies into their website to make it seem more customer-centric.

Amazon.com has managed to retain its title as "king of the Internet jungle" for another year in a row being named number one on BIG research's favorite online retailers. Despite a slight decrease in online retail this year as consumers continue to remain cautious with their cash, Amazon recorded sales of $14.8 billion last year making it not only the most beloved online retail store but the largest in terms of sales as well.

Amazon continues to reinvent itself to its customers creating a great value. Soon it will be a one stop shop as it has increases its inventory of products from books, music and movies to now electronic book readers, motorcycles, ATVs and rumors are circulating saying wine will debut at the online giant soon. In addition to increasing its product line, Amazon has begun promotions such as "Daily Deals" and "Friday Five" on its Amazon MP3.

The human body has mystified scientist for centuries and with statistics like the ones we've compiled for you, its is no wonder! Here are some fun facts sure to surprise everyone.

• The largest cell in thehuman body is the female egg adn the smallest is the male sperm
• A full bladder is roughly the size of a soft ball
• It takes food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach
• Human thighbones are stronger than concrete

When the Twin Towers were hit on that fateful morning seven years ago, the sounds were heard all over the world. Wellington, New Zealand was no exception. Below was an email received by the US Embassy and Mission to Wellington, New Zealand a few days after the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. The email was written by a Wellington "mum" sharing the story of her young son TK's response to the news. Who would have thought paper planes could mean so much?

She wrote:

My son TK (who will be 4 next week) watched as the American flag outside the American Embassy (in Wellington) was put to half mast yesterday morning. The embassy is across the road from TK's creche and after the flag was lowered, he asked why. His teachers explained to him that it was because a lot of people had been hurt, and then they (the teachers) suggested that the children take flowers over to the Embassy, as a mark of respect.

Is your child struggling with their multiplication tables? Are you having a hard time finding ways to have them practice their grammar? No fear parents, we've collected some educational websites that make subjects like social studies, geography, math, English and science both informative and interesting for your students. Next time your kids need some help, use some of these websites. We think you won't have any trouble getting your children to practice their verbs or their states and capitals with these websites.

The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999 at Columbine High school in Littleton, Colorado. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebod, the two shooters killed 12 students, 1 teacher and wounded 23 before turning their guns on themselves. It is the deadliest high school shooting in United States history.

On Thursday, May 8, 2008, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

Flying on an airplane can be one of the most fascinating and exciting things you do in your life--but it can also be your worst nightmare.  There is nothing that can turn your relaxing flight into high stress quicker than turbulence, a screaming child or stale peanuts given by not so customer friendly flight attendants. Despite these rare setbacks at the end of the day air travel is still America's favorite means of transportation. Here is some flying humor sure to keep even the most seasoned flyers in high spirits.

Airline Announcements:

1. United Flight Attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

2. On landing, the FLIGHT ATTENDANT said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

Canada has over 61 percent of its citizens using some form of online banking. According to a recent comScore survey, out of 37 global markets Canada had they highest adoption rate of online banking than any other market including the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.  More Canadians are banking online and they are doing it more frequently than the other contenders for the online banking crown.

The internet has changed the way everyone does business, especially the banking industry. With the introduction of online banking, many consumers are managing their accounts barefoot and in bed instead of messing with their brick and mortar counterparts. 

Summer is the time when we ditch the office and school assignments and take some quality times with friends and family.  So this summer when you're at the game with some friends or taking a family vacation to Disney World, escape the heat of summer with some cool summer jokes that will bring a smile to everyone around.  Whether you're cooking out, swimming, or at band camp, these will keep you laughing.

July 4th Humor

Only In America:

-Do people order double cheeseburgers, a large fry and a diet coke

-Do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and leave useless things and junk in boxes in the garage

-do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters

-can you get a pizza to your house faster than an ambulance

-do we have drive up ATM machines with Braille for the blind 

It has been shown that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays (UV) in childhood is one of the most common causes of skin cancer down the road.  Dr. Mary Lein states that even one or town heavy sunburns can increase the risk of developing melanoma. “That’s why it is so important to emphasize prevention early in life,” Dr. Lein says.

Traveling has never been so easy and so much fun.  Thanks to new devices like iPods, DVD players and navigation systems, people are able to ditch the bulky maps and licenses plate spotting games and replace them with items that make them feel just at home. Parents can now have the kids entertained while an animated computer voice gives you step by step directions. “Bing! Take exit 223C in 1.4 miles,” says the GPS voice.

But could these new necessities be costing you a lot more than you realize? Perhaps the price of all these new technologies should include a new car battery too.

It's that time of the year to break out the barbeque, kick back with Dad in his favorite recliner and watch the ball game. That's right, its time to celebrate our favorite men in our lives...dads, step dads, grandfathers, and positive male role models.

On the humorous side, Bill Cosby once told a reporter that fatherhood is making your child feel the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. The lesson there is making your child feel important. Coach J. Valvano remembered the power of the father role model when observed, "My father gave me the greastest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me."

Over 1.5 million college seniors will be graduating this year.  As corporate offices continue to focus on diversity, so do college classrooms. The class of 2008 is one of the most diverse classes in US educational history.

Since 1980, the number of graduating females exceeded the number of graduating males. This year is no different with 898,000 females graduating and 608,000 males. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, between 1974 to 2004, undergraduate enrollment of minority students grew from 17 percent to 32 percent.

Many people are familiar with the law that anything can go wrong will go wrong. The origin of this law starts in 1949 at Edward's Air Force Base.  Capt. Edward A. Murphy was working on Air Force Project MX981 which was designed to see how much deceleration a person could stand in a crash.

After discovering several problems with wiring done by a project technician, Murphy said, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he'll find it." A project manager overheard the conversation and added to a list of laws he was collecting.

Mother's Day is May 11th.  With the increasing popularity of gift cards in recent years, it must be no surprise consumers are expected to spend around $1.6 billion on them for Mother's Day. It is the best and simplest way to get mom the perfect gift.

Several website have emerged with the gift card craze which will help you find the best store for mom without the hassle of commuting to the mall. Some popular sites are giftcertificates.com which has 1,000's of store gift cards to choose from.

It appears the slow down in the economy will not be effecting Mother's Day this year. Saying "I love you" with budgeted bucks is seen as a "must do." While consumers are planning a buying level about the same as last year, around $138.63, their expenditures will be focused on one major gift rather than several smaller gifts.

Consumers still plan to spend big bucks to please mom this Mother's Day however this year they plan on being cautious with how they expend those gift dollars.  BIGresearch Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist says, "Gas prices and other economic issues will still be at the forefront of people's minds as they shop around for the perfect gift for mom."

Online spending is expected to rise a robust 17% this year, despite a sluggish economy that has bruised many brick-based retailers.  With sales expected to top $204 billion this year, it seems the Internet is the continual rising star for the retail industry. To capture the dollars this year will require more sophisticated marketing efforts.

On St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish.  So this year make sure you're full of Irish humor and sayings! Here are some of our favorites for you. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mom’s everywhere would agree that disposal diapers are the best invention of all time.  With that in mind here are some new inventions for 2008 that might get mom’s just as excited.

While we would agree that the “e-ticket” and microwave oven has redefined both the airport line and the kitchen. If you don’t agree ask any traveler who was running late to the airport or a college student living in a dormitory.  Here are some new inventions for 2008 that we think food and travel lovers will love too.

Here are some Valentine's Day humor just in time for Valentine's Day.

• What did the boy elephant say to the girl elephant on Valentine's Day?
  I love you a ton!

• What did the boy bat say to the girl bat on Valentine's Day?
  You're fun to hang around with!

• What did the boy cat say to the girl cat on Valentine's Day?
  You're purrr-fect for me!

• What did the boy pickle say to the girl pickle on Valentine's Day?
  You mean a great dill to me!

• What did the boy squirrel say to the girl squirrel on Valentine's Day?
  I'm nuts about you!

• Did you hear about the romance in the tropical fish tank? 
  It was a case of guppy love.

Margaret Ross, Kamaron Institute founder was recently featured in Associated Press news story about teen violence.

Holiday Decorations 

Here are some ideas for New Year's party decorations that you may like to try:

Light up your house with strings of colored or tiny white lights. String lots of small, white Christmas tree lights around the room.
Hang a large cardboard horseshoe on the door. Horseshoes mean good luck, but they must be hung the right way (ie like a cup) or the luck will fall out.
The more streamers and ribbons decorating the room, the more festive it will look and feel.

Make colorful paper chains and string them around the room.

Have bowls of colorful flowers on the table.

Use bright table napkins and/or place mats.