Free Ice Cream for a Cause

On Tuesday, Sept. 27^th Cold Stone Creamery^® and the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® are inviting everyone to take part in the 10^th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social.  From 5-8 p.m., all Cold Stone locations will be giving away a FREE 3-ounce portion of the Sprinkled with Wishes Creation, Sweet Cream Ice Cream mixed with Brownie, Rainbow Sprinkles and Fudge. 


Guests are encouraged to make donations to the Make-A-Wish foundation during this event. Additionally, throughout the entire month of September, every Cold Stone store nationwide will sell paper wish stars for $1 each to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This is the 10^th year Cold Stone Creamery has supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation and they have raised over $4 million to help change the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Everyone is encouraged to make a donation to ensure that the 10^th annual ice cream social is the most successful yet.

Cinderella 11pm Twitter Party

Mom Boost is hosting a Cinderella 11pm Twitter Party on Monday, September 12th at 6:30pm – 8:30pm EST!

Join the fun and learn some great tips and pointers that will be useful when selecting a local restaurant, how to choose a hotel and getting the best room at the hotel for your budget. Body, Brain, Heart and Soul – Conscious awareness about being aware of your choices, Curmudgeon – being able to be honest about how you feel and many more great conversation topics that you don’t want to miss! With the chance to win one of many Amazon gift codes and one grand prize winner will receive $1,000 gift certificate to a Forbes Travel 5 star hotel  that you can be used for accommodations, dining, spa and other events and services offered at the Mayflower Inn & Spa.
Party Details:
What: Cinderella 11pm Twitter Party
Date: Monday, September 12th
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm EST
Party Hashtag: #Cinderella11pm
Party Hosts: @MomBoost, @Soc_MediaJunkie, @SimplyStacieNet, @Cinderella11pm
Tweet Grid: Cinderella 11pm Twitter Party Tweet Grid
Party Prizes:
10 winners – (Ten) $75 Amazon.com e-gift cards
1 Grand Prize – (One) $1,000 – one thousand dollar gift certificate for the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut. (It is a Relais & Chateaux luxury boutique property, also is an AAA 5 diamond award winning hotel , and a Forbes Travel 5 star hotel award as well, which are the three most prestigious luxury travel industry awards that a hotel property can achieve.) Plan a nice trip for yourself or give as a gift this holiday season.

Eligibility: US & Canada

Please RSVP here! See you at the party!

Rutgers-Newark Forum Seeks Solutions to Looming U.S. Pension Crisis

Particularly, if they’re among the 84% of respondents to a National Institute on Retirement Security poll who said they were seriously concerned about having enough money to live a “middle-class retirement”.

Next to destructive climate change, the coming crisis in pension and health benefits has been cited as the greatest threat to our nation’s economic stability … historic changes are coming, whether we’re ready or not.
_________________________________

WHAT:  Public Forum:  “Has New Jersey Solved the Pension and Retirement Health Benefit Problem?”

WHEN:  Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

WHERE:  Rutgers’ Newark Campus in the Paul Robeson Campus Center (Multi-Purpose Room), 350 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Newark NJ 07102

SPONSORS:  Rutgers University School of Public Affairs & Administration and the Hall Institute of Public Policy-New Jersey
_________________________________

SPEAKERS:

* Susan Urahn, Managing Director, Pew Center on the States, The Pew Charitable Trusts

* Andrew P. Sidamon-Eristoff, Treasurer, State of New Jersey

* Dr. Ronnie Lowenstein, Director, Independent Budget Office for New York City

* Richard Raphael, Executive Managing Director, Fitch Ratings Agency

* Dr. P. Kelly Hatfield, Chair/CEO, Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC)

* Fred Beaver, Pension Services, Church Pension Group and former Director, NJ Division of Pensions and Health Benefits

* Dr. Richard F. Keevey, former Budget Director and Comptroller for the State of New Jersey and Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (currently Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, School of Public Affairs & Administration, Rutgers University-Newark)
_________________________________

HOW TO ATTEND:  Forum is FREE and open to the public. Registration required: to register, click here or see: http://tinyurl.com/4y9oejm. For additional information, email conference@hallnj.org or melar@andromeda.rutgers.edu.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: This past June, New Jersey passed landmark pension reform legislation. The forum will address two critical questions:

1) What was actually accomplished in the recent New Jersey pension reform legislation?

2) What pension challenges are facing other state governments now and in the future?
_________________________________

The forum features a heavyweight assemblage of fiscal experts who will assess the impact of New Jersey’s recent pension reform legislation on:

- state and local government budgeting
- employees and labor relations
- retirement and health systems
- credit ratings for the state and its jurisdictions

… as well as long range impact on the U.S. economy.

Guest Post: Tips to Avoid Drowning in Deals

by

Andrea Woroch

Tough financial times call for smarter shopping measures. For some of us this means going to extremes and cutting up credit cards. For others, it just means clipping coupons and unplugging appliances.

No matter what your money-saving solution, merchants are catching on to these smart shopping tactics. Stores are constantly developing their own methods to make sure we keep buying. Many times, this comes in the form of a sale that looks great on the surface, but actually ends up saving next to nothing.

In fact, recent studies suggest that plenty of shoppers are overwhelmed with the flood of daily deals they receive. With so many special offers flying around, here are eight tips to help you avoid drowning in deals.

1. Unsubscribe from Newsletters
Signing up for email newsletters from favorite merchants will keep you informed about their special offers. However, these mailings are still promotional materials intended to make you spend money. If you find yourself exasperated by the breadth of deals and discounts, try following stores on Facebook and Twitter. You still get access to promotions, but they're not always being waved in your face. Instead, you can access the information only when you want to see it.

2. Set a Time to Review Deals
The urgency to get a bargain before time runs out can be a distraction. When you find yourself getting sidetracked checking each offer as it comes in, set aside a time where you can review them all at once. Sure, you might miss the occasional Groupon, but at the end of the day it's cash that's still in your pocket. Reviewing deals all at the same time lets you think out purchases more clearly, compare offers side by side, and prioritize those that best meet your needs.

3. Technology is Your Friend
Your smartphone is a surprising savings tool. Some apps like GasBuddy can help you track down the lowest gas prices, no matter where you are. TheCoupon Sherpa mobile app lets you locate and scan coupons directly from your phone. Using your cell in this way allows you to find special offers specific to your shopping needs.

4. Weigh Credit Card Options
Cashiers frequently encourage you to open a store credit card, promising healthy savings if you do. While there may be a good initial offer or incentive, like a regular discount on all purchases, this is another tactic to keep you spending. It's best to just have one of these cards specifically for expenses like gas and food. You'll have to spend on those needs either way, so you might as well get a discount. At NerdWallet.com, they have a comparison of the top 18 store credit cards to help you make an informed decision.

5. Track Your Deals
Ah, the agony of a missed expiration date for a voucher. It gets in your head and makes you regret dollars down the drain. To avoid getting mixed up and missing deadlines, keep a calendar of when offers expire. This helps you track the good ones and keep an eye on how your spending matches up with your budget. You can even do it digitally at CityPockets.com. They organize all the deals you've already purchased, send you expiration reminders, and even allow you to sell unused deals.

6. Eating Out is a Trap
Restaurants are filled with drink specials and dollar menus to encourage buying. While a double cheeseburger and fries from McDonald's costs just over $2, the nutritional value is low and you'll soon be hungry again. It's surprising how much you can save buying groceries and making meals at home, instead of eating fast food. If your culinary muse has failed to inspire you, AllRecipes.com has plenty of Quick and Easy Recipes to consider.

7. Use Coupon Sites
Despite the sufferings of deal-of-the-day sites, coupon sites continue to grow, making it a good thing for shoppers. Sites like CouponSherpa.com have coupons organized by product category and retailer name, so finding a good discount is easy. The best part is, their services are offered for free; credit card information and personal details aren't required. The savings are there at your leisure with no strings attached.

8. Price Comparisons
Seeing a deal with numbers like 50-percent off can lead to an itchy mouse-clicking finger. Resist the urge to act now and shop around a little instead. Often, similar retailers are aware of their competitors' deals and will offer something comparable. Also, try to shop at stores with low-price guarantees. This way, if you find a better deal after you buy, you can still get reimbursed for the difference.

 As a nationally recognized media source, Andrea Woroch has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today Show, FOX & Friends, MSNBC, ShopSmart Magazine, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. To view recent interviews or for more savings tips visit AndreaWoroch.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

WITI Summit Keynotes from Google, Applied Materials and Xerox

WITI (Women in Technology International), the leading global trade association for professional, tech-savvy women, returns to Silicon Valley October 2-4, 2011, for the Annual Women Powering Technology Summit at the DoubleTree by Hilton® Hotel in San Jose, California. The 3-day Summit will feature keynote presentations from Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Google; Mary Humiston, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Applied Materials, Inc.; and Sophie Vandebroek, Ph.D., CTO and President, Xerox Innovation Group, Xerox Corporation.

The Women Powering Technology Summit will showcase some of the most influential and revered women leaders in technology, representing a cross section of industries, during the jam-packed schedule of events. In addition to the keynote presentations, WITI will host special speaking engagements, panel discussions and Executive Roundtables with leading executives from Adobe, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Applied Materials, BMC Software, Carnegie Mellon University- Silicon Valley, Cisco, The Coca-Cola Company, eBay, EMC, Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, LLP; Hewlett- Packard, IBM, Intel, PayPal, Qualcomm, Thomson Reuters, and many others.

 

WITI is honored to present special engagements with Alicia Abella, Ph.D., Executive Director, Innovative Services Research, AT&T Labs; Sandy Carter, VP, Software Business Partners, IBM, and author of "Get Bold!;” LeAnn Erickson, Director, "Top Secret Rosies”; Cindy Gallop, CEO, IfWeRanTheWorld; Jocelyn Goldfein, Director of Engineering, Facebook; Sharon Kan Co-founder and General Manager, Tikatok.com, Barnes & Noble; Diane Pozefsky, Ph.D., Research Professor, Department of Computer Science, UNC; Julie Schoenfeld, CEO PerfectMarket; Lauren States, Vice President CTO Cloud Computing and Growth Initiatives, IBM Corporate Strategy; Lynda Weinman, co-founder and executive chair of lynda.com, Kathrin Winkler, Chief Sustainability Officer, EMC.

“WITI’s Annual Women Powering Technology Summit showcases leading women who are influencing the direction of technology and business. Attending companies, CIOs, executive women and other leaders in technology converge to collaborate on solutions to technology and business challenges and advance their understanding of emerging platforms and best business practices. WITI leaders are committed to transforming the way companies think about hiring and advancing women,” says Carolyn Leighton, Founder/Chairwoman of WITI.

WITI Women Powering Technology Summit Highlights:

o   Keynote presentations, panel discussions and new WITIStyle Storytelling talks

·       Keynote presentations from Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Google; Mary Humiston, Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Applied Materials, and Sophie Vandebroek, Ph.D., CTO and President, Xerox Innovation Group, Xerox. Speaking engagements and panel discussions will feature executives from Adobe, AMD, Applied Materials, BMC Software, Carnegie Mellon University- SV, Cisco, The Coca-Cola Company, eBay, EMC, Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, LLP; HP, IBM, Illuminate Ventures, Intel, Lynda.com, Meebo, PayPal, Pencil You In, Qualcomm, Thomson Reuters, and many others. Topics will include discussions on Social and Mobile enterprise, Location-based services and technologies, Cloud computing and Sustainability, Start-Up Success and Global Expansion, Career and Personal Development, Mutual Mentoring and the great need for inspiring interest in careers in science and technology among young women.

o   Founder’s Reception 

·      The first evening event on the Opening Night of the Women Powering Technology Summit, October 2, features welcoming words from WITI Founder Carolyn Leighton and offers an intimate, networking environment for attendees to meet Summit speakers, VIP guests and attendees.

o   Top Secret Rosies

·      Documentary film screening and Interactive Discussion with Director LeAnn Erickson will launch the WITI Summit on Sunday October 2, 2011. Top Secret Rosies tells the story of a group of female mathematicians who, in 1942, helped win a war and usher in the modern computer age.

o   WITI Founder’s Reception

·      The first evening event on the Opening Night of the Women Powering Technology Summit, October 2, features welcoming words from WITI Founder Carolyn Leighton and offers a business-casual networking environment popular with WITI Summit attendees.

o   The 16th Annual WITI Hall of Fame Awards

·      Honoring key women innovators from science and technology on Monday, October 3rd. This year’s honorees are: Alicia Abella, Ph.D.; Ms. Evelyn Berezin; Diane Pozefsky, Ph.D.; Sophie Vandebroek, Ph.D.; and Ms. Lynda Weinman.

o   The World Cafe

·      Led by Anne Adams, Ph.D., the 2011 World Café will engage participants in roundtable Creative Exchange discussions, forming Mastermind teams to strategize best solutions for solving complex business challenges and hot button issues.

o   WITI NextGen

·      This young women’s micro conference on Monday, October 3rd, is designed to encourage young women and girls to consider careers in Science and Technology. Leading women in Technology will teach, mentor and share with students through speaking engagements, mentoring panels, workshops and round table discussions highlighting how these women of note chose their path while reinforcing the importance of demonstrated leadership. The day will feature an opportunity to have lunch with distinguished members of the WITI Board of Advisors and Directors as well as WITI Hall of Fame Honorees.

o   WITI Executive Roundtables

·      This event, on October 4, will launch a series of WITI-hosted Executive Roundtables designed to create dialog between industry executives to gain a better understanding of the steps required to facilitate more women accepting Board Room and Executive level leadership positions.

o   The Women in Technology Foundation Executive Auction and VIP Reception

Provides an opportunity to network with top executives from a broad cross section of industries, who will be offering one to one meetings to the highest bidder.  A fun event and exciting culmination of 3 days of life changing experiences at the WITI Women Powering Technology Summit! The Executive Auction is the WITI Foundation’s annual fundraiser and closes the Annual WITI Summit on the evening of October 4, 2011. Participating executives include: Alan Boehme, Director, Enterprise Architecture, The Coca-Cola Company; Tim Campos, CIO, Facebook; Laura Chambers, Senior Director, Paypal Mobile, PayPal; Elinor MacKinnon, SVP & CIO, Blue Shield; Brad Peterson, CIO, Charles Schwab; Tama Ruiz VP Information Systems, GEICO; Randall Spratt, EVP/CIO, McKesson Corp; Ed Steinike, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, The Coca-Cola Company; Hugh Westermeyer, SVP Technology, Charles Schwab

WITI Women Powering Technology Summit Speakers and Panelists:

Alicia Abella, Ph.D., Executive Director, Innovative Services Research, AT&T Labs

Anne Adams, Ph.D., President, ACS

Tiffani Bell, Founder, Pencil You In

Dr. Cheemin Bo-Linn, Chief Executive Officer, Peritus Partners

Sandy Carter, VP, Software Business Partners, IBM and author of "Get Bold!"

Laura Chambers, Senior Director, PayPal Mobile, PayPal

      Angie Chang, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0

Amanda Coolong, Co-Founder TechZulu (WITI Summit MC)

Sheigh Crabtree, VP Audience Development, PerfectMarket

Kathy Curtis, Senior Manager of Global Relocation, Cisco

Deborah B. Davy, Senior Counsel, Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, LLP

Mona DeFrawi, Founder & CEO, Equidity, Inc.

LeAnn Erickson, Director, "Top Secret Rosies”

Cindy Gallop, CEO, IfWeRanTheWorld

      Karen Garcia, IS&T Chief of Staff, BMC Software, Inc.

Jocelyn Goldfein, Director of Engineering, Facebook

Nicole Graebner, Senior Account Manager, Key Information Systems

Sharon Kan, Co-Founder and General Manager, Tikatok.com, Barnes & Noble

Mary Humiston, Senior VP, Global Human Resources, Applied Materials, Inc.

Sandy Jen, Co-Founder, Meebo

Margie Jones, U.S. Immigration Manager, Intel Corporation

Martha Lyons, Strategist & Senior Program Manager, HP Enterprise Services

Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Google

Cheree McAlpine, General Counsel, Wyse Technology

      Dina McKinney, Corporate Vice President, Bulldozer Cores Technology Group, AMD

Miriam McLemore, CIO, Market Facing Functions, The Coca-Cola Company

Joanne Moretti, VP Sales Excellence Global, Sales & Enterprise Marketing, HP

Donna Morris, SVP of Human Resources, Adobe Systems Incorporated

Jolie O'Dell, Tech journalist (WITI Hall of Fame MC)

Adrian Ott, Author, CEO & Founder, Exponential Edge, Inc.

Cindy Padnos, Founder & Managing Partner, Illuminate Ventures

Ana Gabriela Pinczuk, Vice President, Cisco Systems

Diane Pozefsky, Ph.D., Research Professor, Department of Computer Science, UNC

Sheryl Root, President, CEO RootAnalysis; Assoc. Professor CMU-SV, Stanford

Steven Rosenberg, Associate Director, Silicon Valley Campus

Scott Russell, Adjunct Professor; Managing Director, eCarnegie Tech

Julie Schoenfeld, CEO, PerfectMarket

Minal Shah, Senior Counsel, Immigration Practice, Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, LLP

Lauren States, VP & CTO Cloud Computing and Growth Initiatives, IBM

Joey Tamer, Consultant, Expert, JoeyTamer.com

Sophie Vandebroek, Ph.D., CTO and President, Xerox Innovation Group, Xerox

Lynda Weinman, co-founder and executive chair of lynda.com

Kathrin Winkler, Chief Sustainability Officer, EMC

Special group and non-profit rates are available to interested organizations.

To learn more about WITI and the Women Powering Technology Summit, please visit: http://www.witi.com/center/conferences/2011/summit/.

About WITI

 

WITI is the world's leading trade association for professional, tech-savvy women committed to using technology, resources and connections to advance women worldwide. With a global network of smart, talented women and a market reach exceeding 2 million, WITI has established powerful strategic alliances and programs to provide resources, and opportunities within a supportive environment of women committed to helping each other. WITI's mission is to empower women worldwide to achieve unimagined possibilities and transformations through technology, leadership and economic prosperity. For more information please visit http://witi.com

Special Thanks to Sponsoring and Supporting Companies:

WITI Hall of Fame Platinum Sponsors

Avnet, IBM, Thomson Reuters

WITI Summit Sponsor - Elite

Applied Materials – 1st Day Lunch Keynote

WITI Taste of Technology Sponsor

IBM

WITI Executive Auction Sponsor

Technisource

Supporting Patron Sponsors

Adobe, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Electronic Arts (EA), FICO, eBay PayPal

Exhibitors

Applied Materials, Inc. BMC Software, CA Technologies, The Coca-Cola Company, CV Jewelry Designs, eBay/PayPal, EMC, Express Scripts, GEICO, Gibney, Anthony & Flaherty, LLP; IBM, IRS, Luna Bar, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Safeway, Technisource, Texas Instruments, USAA

New Collector's Bills from Swagbucks

The folks over at Swagbucks have put a fun twist on their reward points - Collector's Bills! From now through September 6th you have a chance to win one of five Collector's Bills celebrating Labor Day. Each of the five is for a different amount and each one has a different image - you can keep track of your bills by looking in the "My Swag Bucks" area of your account, and if you get all five during the promotion, you'll get a 10 Swag Buck bonus instantly applied to your account, meaning you'll be even closer to getting the free stuff you love!