“Well, the weather outside is frightful, but inside it’s so delightful…” Isn’t that how the song goes? Temperatures are dropping and with the colder weather brings more chills to our lives. So why in the world would we want to talk about FREEZERS?

Recently, on Yahoo’s “Shine” site, I discovered a page dedicated to the multiple uses of freezers (besides freezing the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving). Some of these tips, you may find quite helpful, so I’ve gone ahead and listed them for you all to read.

1. Eliminate unpopped popcorn- we all hate the kernels at the bottom of the bag that don’t pop. To save these for later, place them in a freezer bag for later use.

2. Remove wax from candlesticks- this time of year, we all love to light our homes with the beautiful flames of candles, but what happens when the wax drips down onto your favorite metal candlesticks? If the sticks are made of purely one metal (not a mixture of two or more), place in the freezer. It will be easier to remove the wax once it freezes.

3. Extend candle life- approximately two hours before burning, place your candles in the freezer. This will increase their burn life.

4. Unstick photos- if two photos have become wet and stuck together, place in the freezer. Once frozen, take a butter knife and slide the two photographs apart.

5. Clean a pot- as it commonly happens, food often gets burned to the bottom of cooking pans if sitting on the burner for too long. For a decreased fight against the food, place the pan in the freezer and allow for a deep freeze. Once frozen, it will be much easier to chip the burnt food off.

6. Rid yourself of bad smells- if something in your house has an unpleasant odor, place that item in your freezer overnight. The smell will be gone in no time.

It’s the holiday event that every man looks forward to: the Victoria’s Secret Annual Runway Show. Airing tonight on CBS, millions of viewers, men and women alike, will tune in to watch this praised event. With so much press coverage during this Holiday season, it’s interesting to wonder how this company got started. So, with a little investigating, I’ve discovered the history of this famous company, and where it started it’s flight to fame:

-The company was started in 1977, by Roy Raymond- he was embarrassed to buy lingerie for his wife in large department stores.

-Original concept was designed to create an ease of shopping for men- all matching sets were sold together, with educated sales women assisting in the approximation for fit.

-Company was sold to The Limited in 1982.

-Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was started in 1995, a few years after VS became the top-selling lingerie store, topping $1 billion in sales.

-2007 brought on another sale of the company to both Sun Capital Partners and Bath & Body Works.

-Today, there are over 1,000 lingerie stores and 100 independent VS Beauty Stores in the US.

As we get wrapped up in today’s coverage of the lingerie company that has taken a solid lead against the competition, let us not forget the history behind these events, and the people and businesses that brought them to the top.

QUICK! Name an artist who was born in a “Small Town”; who was friends with “Jack and Diane”; and who loved living in “Pink Houses”. You got it. The legend of American music, John Mellencamp, celebrates his 59th birthday today.

People from all towns, all ages, and places in life can recognize the soulful music that ol’ Johnny Cougar brought to us. Whether he was playing one of his 22 “Top 40″ hits or being nominated for a Grammy, Mr. Mellencamp has made his mark in many lives.

Aside from the music, Mellencamp is one of the founding fathers of Farm Aid, an organization that brings awareness to the loss of family farms, and raises funds to keep those families with their farms- something that can be very treasured in Iowa. Farm Aid is celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary this year and is brought into awareness by concerts throughout the country. In 1993, Mellencamp and the rest of the Farm Aid supporting gang (including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Bryan Adams to name a few) even traveled to Ames, Iowa to play at Jack Trice Stadium.

John Cougar Mellencamp has sparked a fire in all of us. Supporting the Iowa culture through Farm Aid and providing us hours of quality songs are only the start of it. So “Happy Birthday” Mr. Mellencamp.

On this day, exactly 121 years ago, Thomas Edison showed the first motion picture on his newly invented Kinetoscope- a machine that would “do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear.” Coming from the Greek words “kineto” meaning “movement” and “scopos” meaning “to watch”, Edison and coworker, Fred Ott, put together the very first motion picture of Ott pretending to sneeze.

The “sneeze”, obtained through the Library of Congress’ YouTube page, is at the following address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wnOpDWSbyw

With so many movies out, it’s hard to imagine that it started out with a five second clip of a sneeze. The next time you experience Transformers on the big screen, or watch Harry Potter win the Quidditch game, think of Edison and the huge advances he has made for our kind.

It’s a fact- big time CEO’s of companies that fail still manage to rack up the big bucks when taking their permanent “leave of absence”, but it may be surprising just how much these unwanted leaders will collect.

A perfect example? BP’s ex-CEO Tony Hayward, who is now reaping the benefits of a negative image, perhaps forever, in many Americans’ lives. MSN Money reports on the bulge in his pocketbook. In the midst of chaos, as 5 billion barrels of crude was released into the ocean, British Petroleum was busy putting together a nice (or should we say VERY nice) severance package of $1.6 million, along with $930,000 a year in pension plans. Should BP have been putting forth all possible resources toward the gulf clean-up? That’s what Democratic Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts believed, as he wrote a letter to BP about the severance package.

Another look at it, from Jeff McCutcheon, an executive-compensation expert, says it’s just about the right amount. The importance lies in the fact of getting a new CEO position filled to lead the organization in a new direction. The sooner BP could get a severance package put together and Hayward shipped out, the better position the London company would be in for the aftermath.

Whatever the big dogs in Washington or the experts say, what do you think? Should these CEO’s be getting paid millions upon millions of dollars just for screwing up and getting pushed out? Or is this just the price that must be paid to keep moving in the right direction?

An invite from the Obama Administration welcomed thoughts from bank executives about the mortgage market and how large of a role the government should play. The answer from these execs? “Stay Big”. According to the group, a proactive economy stimulus would include a questionable amount of interaction with the government and the mortgage market, but the role should stay large within the $11 trillion market.

Bill Gross, managing director at Pomco, stated that stimulus was necessary within the housing market and automatic refinancing should be backed by Fannie Mae and Fannie Mac, giants within the mortgage market. If the refinancing occurred now, Americans would be given more money each month, due to the lowest mortgage rates in decades. This could possibly lift housing prices by at least 10% and help consumer spending by $50 billion to $60 billion. This stimulus would keep the economy moving faster than it would at it’s current situation.

With all this talk, it is uncertain as to what exact plan the administration will actually take, but one thing is for certain is that Fannie and Freddie are under extreme scrutiny by the Republicans, especially after the $400 billion cap was removed by the Obama administration for monetary help to these mortgage giants.

Whatever the future is for Fannie and Freddie, the general consensus remains that the government keep a constant role within the mortgage market.

Facebook. Farmville. Twitter. Heck! Even Solitaire, has created problems for businesses across the country and around the globe. Many have tried to prevent it, but with the growing popularity of these items, it’s safe to say that almost all of us are guilty at spending a bit too much of our work day playing these games and not much is being done to prevent it.

So what happens when our computer time is used against us? Check out this funny scenario at http://thechive.com/2010/08/10/girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-emails-entire-office-33-photos/ .

Maybe we’ll all think twice about our work-day computer use… or maybe we will watch this video, laugh, and un-pause our game of Minesweeper we’ve been dying to get back to.

Whether you’re currently attending college yourself, parenting a young adult through it, or have dealt with it in the past- everyone is familiar with higher education costs and the difficulties presented when trying to cover these high expenses.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Law Professor at the University of Tennessee, writes about the uncertainties of the future of high education. Within the article, the problem is laid out – more money is being borrowed to cover the costs of such high tuition, leading many to fall into bad credit situations.

Reynolds states that students borrow large amounts of money to enroll at higher education institutions with the expectation that this money will be paid off, due to a higher income earned by obtaining a degree. But is this really the case? And what’s in store for the future of higher education?

Check out the rest of the article at http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/Sunday_Reflections/Glenn-Harlan-Reynolds-Further-thoughts-on-the-college-tuition-bubble-100216064.html.

On Tuesday, August 3rd, Yantis & Associates hosted it’s 6th Annual Corn Feed for all clients, both financial and insurance-related. This year, we had an OUTSTANDING turn-out, with over 80 people in attendance. It was a great time, allowing much conversation, along with hamburgers, salads, drinks, watermelon, and of course, sweet corn!

Our Annual Corn Feed is something that Yantis prides itself on, as it provides an opportunity for more casual interaction with our clients. If you made it out, thanks for coming! If you weren’t able to attend, look for our invitation next year! We’d love to have your company.

With less than three weeks before classes at the University of Northern Iowa resume, those associated with the college are jumping head first into preparation for a new school year. There is a certain buzz about a college campus right before classes start, but it isn’t just the students and faculty. Citizens of the area can enjoy many of the amenities that are offered, specifically at the University Museum on University Avenue.

Although the display has been offered since the 1st of June, an interesting exhibit about board games of the world will be featured until August 21st. Learn about the history, fun facts, rules, and even try your hand at the games from six of the seven continents. Tickets are free.

Another great opportunity featured along the board game theme at the University Museum is the documentary showing of Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Circuit. This 80 minute, award-winning show follows four individuals on their road to the 2002 National Scrabble Championship in San Diego, California. Again, tickets are free and all that is needed is to call the museum to let them know you’ll be in attendance.

Lastly, a fun-filled evening of BINGO will be offered on August 12th from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. All ages are welcome and those wishing to attend must call the museum by August 10th to reserve.

So round up your family and friends and take hold of the fun events happening at the University Museum during the buzz of a new school year.