Are you a big fan of Harry Potter books and movies? You will now have another place to enjoy the world of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.  Located within the Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure in Orlando a new area of the park is dedicated to Harry Potter and Hogwarts.  Even Muggle’s like you are welcome.  So before you plan your trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, here a few things to know:

ü  The park took five years and $265 million to build

ü  Engineers and artists used LEGO like models to build a mock ups before starting on a section

ü  There are several sections that use a 3D technology that requires no glasses to project characters

ü  The park is reported have 3 main rides named: Dragon Challenge, Hippogriff and Forbidden Journey

ü  Each visitor will be able to get the awesomely gross Every Flavor Beans

So pack up the family, break out your Harry Potter books and movies and head to Orlando to experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Tags: wizard, world, harry, potter, best, top, list rank, tip, fact, orlando, universal, studio

The observance of Memorial Day is special to almost every family in the United States due to the service of family and friends over the years.  Traced back to the decorating of graves after the Civil War, remember our fallen is essential to keep perspective when we feel that armed conflict is our only solution.  So as many families fire up the grill and gather around the pool, keep in mind that at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, DC, the grave of the Unknown Soldier will represent our fallen. Here are a few additional things to know about Memorial Day:

ü  Originally known as Decoration Day and commemorates the men and women that have died while in military service

ü  Credit is given to Waterloo, New York in 1866 for holding the first event recognizing Decoration Day

ü  3pm on the last Monday of May is the designated national moment of remembrance

ü  The Indianapolis 500 has been run every year in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911

ü  Many Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial first day of summer

So take a minute to remember those that have served and given their lives to protect our freedom.  God Bless America.

Tags: memorial, day, holiday, best, top, list, rank, fact, trivia

Love may be blind but divorce is expensive.  Celebrities and sports figures are constantly in the news for their high profile divorces and the unbelievable amount of money that is exchanged to end the relationship.  Tiger Woods may be best golfer of all time but his divorce may top the list for most expensive also.  Let’s review a few of the most expensive divorces of all time: 

ü      Guy Ritchie will receive up to $92 Million from Madonna

ü      Heather Mills will receive over $48 million from Paul McCartney

ü      Diandra Douglas received approximately  $45 million from Michael Douglas

ü      Cindy Silva received $80 million from Kevin Costner

ü      Niel Diamond shelled out approximately $150 million to Marcia Murphey

ü      Michael Jordan is reported to have paid Jaunita Jordan an estimated $168 million

Will Tiger Woods set a new record and be ranked #1 on a new list?

Tags: divorce, tiger, woods, most, expensive, best, top, list, rank, all, time

Did your grandfather tell you the story of getting a hot dog and coke for 5 cents?  This list of items allows you to see what a dollar was worth in 1940 compared to today.  President Barack Obama gets paid $400,000 per year.  That sounds great until you compare it to the $1.4 Million that President McKinley was paid in 1940, using the consumer price index to adjust for the $50,000 salary at the time.  Here are a few comparisons to show the change in the value of money over the past century:

ü  Postage Stamp:  $.02 in 1900 (2009 Value: $.53)  vs 2009 cost of $.44

ü  Minimum Wage: $.25 in 1938 (2009 Value: $3.81)  vs 2009 wage of $7.25

ü  Hershey’s Chocolate Bar: $.04 in 1908 (2009 Value: $.87)  vs 2009 cost of $.71

ü  Movie Ticket: $.36 in 1948 (2009 Value: $3.21)  vs 2009 cost of $7.50

So some things have increased in value and some have decreased.  Take a little time today and use these top websites for financial advice. 

Tags: money, value, inflation, cost, best, top, list, consumer, price, index

Are some of your fears valid or has the media blown some out of proportion?  Here is a list of common fears about disease, accidents and even one about the IRS and taxes.    A recent article by Newsweek compares a few of our greatest concerns with others that have lost their luster.  In no way are we proposing that any of these fears are less important than the others but we should all look for a little perspective.  So before you finalize your Bucket List – Consider these stats about our worst fears:

ü  In 2008 there were 14,180 murders but there were 33,289 suicides in 2006

ü  2009 had 28 Shark Attacks but there are 4.5 million dog bites in an average year

ü  Allergic reactions to Peanut products claim less than 100 deaths in an average year but unintentional poisonings claimed 27,531 deaths in 2007

ü  Airline accidents claimed 321 lives in 2005 but we lost 34,017 lives in 2008 to fatal car crashes

ü  Terrorists attacks killed 33 Americans in 2008 but approximately 27,000 lives are lost to the seasonal flu

All of the above statistics are concerning but do provide insight to where we should place more emphasis.  Life is short.  Take the proper precautions and then get busy living. Enjoy.

Tags: fear, concern, death, attack, best, top, list

Do Women have a problem with the truth?  A recent study in Britain tried to determine which of the sexes tells more lies.  The men won the battle but the women were not too far behind.  We like to put our celebrity liars on our list of Most Annoying People.  So let’s review the Top 10 Lies that Women Tell:  

1. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine
2. I don't know where it is
3. It wasn't that expensive
4. I didn't have much to drink
5. I've got a headache
6. It was in the sale
7. I'm on my way
8. Oh, I've had this ages
9. No, I didn't throw it away
10. It's just what I've always wanted

A few of these always raise eyebrows when you hear them in certain situations.  The truth is not the same without the lies we make up. (U2)

Tags: lies, men, women, top 10, best, list, rank, top

Do men have a problem with the truth?  A recent study in Britain tried to determine which of the sexes tells more lies.  Even the first President George Washington told a lie.  There have been many good and bad movies made about lies and deceit. The ability to tell a great lie is essential to the success of most politicians.  Here are the Top 10 lies that men tell according to the London Science Museum:

1. I didn't have much to drink
2. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine
3. I had no signal
4. It wasn't that expensive
5. I'm on my way
6. I'm stuck in traffic
7. Your bum doesn't look big in that
8. Sorry, I missed your call
9. You've lost weight
10. It's just what I've always wanted

Now all of us will wonder if someone is telling the truth the next time we hear one of these responses.  The next list is Women’s Top 10 lies.

Tags: lies, men, women, top 10, best, list, rank, top

Are you considering being a Road Warrior or working from a Virtual Office or both?  Many companies are making the switch to having more employees work from home in order to reduce office expenses or to have local representation in regions throughout the country. The widespread use of laptops and the availability of Wi-Fi have made the transition easier to make the switch.  Here are a few inexpensive or free tools that are essential for the productive virtual office:

• Skype Account: This free web conferencing service provides users the ability to chat live via webcam or just voice.
• Headset: A quality headset w/microphone is fairly inexpensive and free up both hands
• DropBox: This online service allows users to drop files into virtual web based storage in order to share documents without having to e-mail the files.
• Yammer: Think of it as your internal company twitter network with updates shared among your workgroup
• Evernote: Need a virtual Sticky Note?  This is it.  You can add e-mails or web pages and access it from your mobile device

Working from home is a great way to conserve energy, reduce traffic and increase productivity.  Using the tools listed above will increase your ability to contribute at a high level while freeing up a little time for your favorite things to do. 

Tags: virtual, office, tools, free, web, laptop, best, top, list, rank

Are you are a soccer (or football) fan?  If you are then the FIFA World Cup is one of your favorite sporting events.  South Africa hosts the FIFA World Cup starting on June 11^th and will continue until the newest champion is crowned.  Many of the best players come from the most popular European soccer teams.  The best players from around the world are preparing to lead their country to victory.  Here are a few quick facts about the FIFA Soccer World Cup:

ü  South Africa is the first African country to host the World Cup

ü  As host, South Africa automatically qualifies

ü  Qualifying teams started the process over 3 years ago

ü  Five new stadiums were built for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa

ü  Each team will have 23 players with no substitutions after the deadline within 24 hours of the first team game

So put away your European Soccer League jerseys and rally for your favorite nation.

Tags: fifa, soccer, world, cup, league, futbol, football, best, top, list, rank

Have you heard of the Chatroulette?  It is a combined name of Chat Roulette.  Visitors sign in, turn on the webcam and start the Video Chat Roulette.  Yes – Video Chat Roulette.  The social media service rotates you through random people via video chat.  So if you are daring, log in and see what you get.  Here are a few things to know before you get started:

ü  Chatroulette pairs up two random strangers using their webcam

ü  The concept originated and was developed by a 17 year old Russian teen in a few days

ü  The name comes from Ternovskiy watching “Russian Roulette” in The Deer Hunter

ü  If you get tired of the person you are connected with you can switch

ü  Be careful – One in Ten connections can be offensive

So spin the wheel of Chatroulette and see what you get in the hottest new social networking website. 

Tags: chatroulette, chat, roulette, webcam, video, chat, best, top, list, rank