Five Identity-Theft Prevention Tips

At best, identity theft leads to unwanted hassles. Thankfully, there are a number of small steps you can take to diminish the chances of it happening:

Keep an Eye on Your Statements
Regularly monitor your checking, credit card, and debit accounts. Thieves bank on your inattention, hoping that fraudulent charges will go unnotice when statements remain unopened.

No Purse Needed
A large percentage of identity thefts happen when you’re out shopping. It’s easy for someone to grab your purse when you’re distracted in busy crowd. So, carry only the essentials with you.

Look Over Your Shoulder
Make sure you’re aware of people standing too close behind you while you’re using your card; be especially wary of someone pointing a cell phone toward you (cell-phone cameras are increasingly popular with identity thieves).

Five Unique Summer Vacation Ideas

Feel Your Oats: Five Great Ways To Eat Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the healthiest ways to start a day – its unique combination of whole grains and protein can keep you full for hours and give you the energy to get things accomplished. But if you’re tired of your usual oatmeal preparations, here are some ideas to mix things up a bit:

• A classic combination is sliced bananas with raisins and walnuts. Walnuts are a true superfood, packing tons of protein, and bananas add much-needed potassium. You can sweeten with a little Stevia or brown sugar if you need to.
• Dried apples and cinnamon are excellent in oatmeal. Mix in the apples during the cooking process to soften them a little bit. Garnish with finely-chopped fresh apples before serving to add sweetness and texture.
• Strawberries and almonds are also great additions to oatmeal. The gentle flavor of almonds belies their exceptional nutritional properties, and strawberries add all-natural sweetness and color.
• A little bit of maple syrup can add a ton of flavor to a bowl of oatmeal. Mix in finely-chopped walnuts for protein and crunch and you’ve got a great breakfast.
• Savory oatmeal is an unusual but tasty choice – make your oatmeal as normal, but season it with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Top with a fried egg and shaved Parmesan cheese and you’ll wow the breakfast table.

Stay Pure: Five Vegetables To Buy Organic

With concern about pesticides and genetically-modified food products growing, more and more people are opting to purchase organic produce whenever possible. Unfortunately, the added cost to many organic products makes it hard to manage in a limited budget. If you have to make the hard choices on buying organic, this article should help. These five vegetables are the ones that you should buy organic whenever possible, for a number of reasons.

• Celery is top on the list of vegetables that should be purchased organic whenever possible. The unique shape of the celery stalk makes it very vulnerable to contamination from pesticides, and because the majority of the plant grows above-ground, it has a lot of exposure.
• Spinach is a great leafy green that packs a load of nutrients, but the nature of the leaves makes it very good at absorbing chemicals from the air. No matter how many times it is washed, it still retains traces of pesticides.
• Lettuce, as well, should be purchased organically-grown whenever you can. Most leafy greens are particularly vulnerable to chemical contamination because of their large cell structures and exposed surface area.
• Kale is one of the best vegetables in terms of nutritional value, but much like spinach and lettuce, the shape of its leaves make it dangerous in terms of absorbing pesticides.
• You wouldn’t think that potatoes would benefit from organic growing, but not only are organic potatoes better for you, they almost always taste better too. Many large-scale potato farmers keep a side crop of organic spuds growing away from their main crop to feed friends and family.

Four Ways Benjamin Franklin Changed Your Life

We all know Ben Franklin. He flew a kite in a thunderstorm and his face is on the 100 dollar bill. He signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

There’s a bit more to him than that.

Franklin was a pioneering scientist, inventor, journalist, printer, humorist, philosopher, diplomat, politician and philanthropist. Perhaps more than any other Founding Father, his work shapes our daily lives. Here are just a few examples:

1. He won the Revolutionary War.

Aged 70, Franklin went to France in 1776 to secure their support for the Revolutionary cause. His diplomacy was a great success, with France’s military and financial backing a critical factor in the war. Franklin also negotiated the Treaty of Paris (1783), which finally gave America its freedom from Britain.

2. He gave you books.

As a young man, Franklin couldn’t afford books. So he founded America’s first free lending library, sparking a trend that continues to educate the country.

3. When it rains, he saves your life.

When the weatherman tells you to stay indoors during a storm, thank Franklin’s kite. His famous experiment with a kite and key confirmed that metal conducts electricity, leading him to invent the lighting rod. More than 300 years later they operate much as Franklin intended, saving untold amounts of lives and property.

4. He lived the original American story.

Franklin was educated to age eight, after which he was apprenticed to his brother James, a printer. He ran away to Philadelphia aged 17 and arrived penniless, owning nothing but the clothes on his back and two loaves of bread. He became one of the great renaissance men, arguably the most important American ever.

Franklin’s Autobiography (1790) tells a story of hard work, smart spending, and relentless curiosity. He knew how to laugh at himself. He respected authority, but was skeptical of it. And he believed that with sweat and faith, anything is possible. Over two hundred years after his death, these are universal American values. We see ourselves in Franklin’s image. He looks over your shoulder every day.

For more on Franklin, check out this book.

A Splendid Snack: Five Great Cupcakes

The cupcake trend has swept the country, with charming little bakeries opening up from coast to coast serving the bite-sized cakes with decadent frosting. If you want to make cupcakes at home, here are five great ideas for recipes that will go beyond the traditional chocolate and vanilla:

-          Salted caramel is a popular flavor among more mature eaters – the tang of the salt mixes perfectly with the sweetness of the caramel. For the body of the cupcake, use a dark chocolate flavor to add complexity, then add icing made with salt and caramel. Top with a few large grains of sea salt.

-          Red velvet cupcakes are popular because of their dramatic coloration and rich, satisfying flavor. A true red velvet cake uses vinegar and buttermilk to release the red coloration in cocoa, but it’s fine to use food coloring as well. Top with a white buttercream icing.

-          Lemon cake is a great choice for cupcakes, as the intensity of the tart flavor works well in a small serving. Use fresh lemon zest in your batter and top with a lemony icing, then crush lemon drop candies or other sour confections in a food processor and sprinkle lightly on top.

-          Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes are a great way to make a dense, satisfying dessert. The peanut butter in the batter makes the cupcakes a little heavier than normal, and topping them with a whipped peanut butter icing adds a different texture.

-          Another popular way to combine salty and sweet flavors is by making maple bacon cupcakes. Using maple sugar in the batter and icing adds an earthy sweetness, and topping the iced cupcake with candied bacon adds crunch, salt and fat.

Going to New York This Fall? Don’t Miss These Broadway Shows

No trip to New York City is complete without a visit to the Great White Way. If you’re bound for the Big Apple this fall, make sure you head to Broadway to catch at least one of these exciting shows:

The Mountaintop
A moving and socially charged play that explores the events before Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 assassination. Starring performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. (Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 West 45th Street)

Relatively Speaking
A laughter-filled evening of three one-act plays by some of today’s leading comedy writers: “Honeymoon Hotel,” by Woody Allen, “Talking Cure,” by Ethan Coen (of Coen brothers fame), and “George is Dead” by Elaine May. (Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 West 47th Street)

Chinglish
An innovative new comedy by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, “Chinglish” follows an American business who travels to China for work. The play explores communication, miscommunication, and human connection, packing in lots of laughs along the way. (Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th Street)

Other Desert Cities
This is a wry and sometimes scathing drama about a woman who returns home after a six year absence to celebrate Christmas with her parents and siblings. When she announces that she's about to publish a memoir focusing on an intense chapter in the family’s history, the tension escalates. (Booth Theatre, 222 West 45th Street)

Seminar
A sharp comedy with dark undertones, centered on four young writers participating in a private seminar taught by a major literary figure. Attractions, allegiances, and rivalries abound. Alan Rickman stars. (John Golden Theatre, 252 West 45th Street)

Enjoy These Exciting Pennsylvania Fall Events

As Autumn falls upon Pennsylvania many great events await you: from huge block parties and film festivals to haunted houses and apple picking. Here’s a look at some of them:

Bloktoberfest – On October 15th from noon to 8 p.m., South Philly’s premiere block party returns and it's bigger than ever. Three blocks on South Street will be filled with great food and live music during an event that benefits education initiatives tied to the area’s schools and students.

Philadelphia Film Festival – Starting on October 20th, the Philadelphia Film Society celebrates 14 days of independent, feature length, and documentary film during the Society's 20th anniversary.

Haunted Houses – With Fright Factory, Terror Behind The Walls, The Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride, Sleepy Hollow Hayride, Lulu’s House of Horrors, and more, Pennsylvania is filled with plenty of places to experience thrills and chills during Halloween season.

Apple Picking, Pumpkin Patches, and more – Fall is the perfect season for picking apples, getting pumpkins, and harvesting a variety of other fruits and vegetables. There are also plenty of great places for picking up other fall goods like apple butter, pumpkin bread, and canning supplies. For an extensive list of farms around Pennsylvania, click here.

Craft Beer Express – Climb aboard on November 12th as a special party bus shuttles you back and forth between 12 of Philadelphia’s best craft beer bars as they host a plethora of special theme events.

The New American Dream

New Books For Kids & Young Adults

Too cold to play outside? These books make great companions!

The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson
(Ages 8-12)

An ancient, heart-shaped charm brings a violent power to all who wear it—until 12 year old Charlie manages to destroy it forever.

Mister Creecher by Chris Priestly
(Ages 12-18)

On the streets of Victorian London, a monstrous man saves Billy’s life. Then the man introduces Billy to his ‘father’: Dr. Frankenstein.

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara
(Ages 5-7)

A surprising take on The Three Little Pigs.

With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
(Ages 9-12)

In this vivid and big-hearted mystery set in 1957 Arkansas, Ollie, the daughter of an itinerant preacher, befriends a boy whose mother is wrongfully accused of murder.

Dinosaur vs. the Library by Bob Shea
(Ages 3-5)

Bob Shea’s toothy and gregarious hero returns to face his toughest opponent yet: the library! Can he be quiet for an entire story?

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