| Top Trends |
| GO FLY A KITE: |
| The Zilker Park Kite Festival, one of the country's oldest kite festivals, kicks off March 4 in Austin, Texas. For a fun feature on the carefree joy of kite flying, stake out a local park and interview some dedicated kite-flyers. Do any make their own kites? |
| For more info on this sport and a list of other kite festivals around the country, consult the American Kitefliers Association at www.aka.kite.org. National Kite Month starts March 31! |
| ST PATRICK'S DAY: |
| The world's first St. Patrick's Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military. The day has evolved since then to include all things Irish and quite a few add-ons such as green beer, plastic hats and "Kiss Me I'm Irish" buttons. Also, the month of March is Irish-American Heritage Month. Currently, there are 34.7 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. |
| Take a look at everything Irish in your town for the month, including any residents you have that are newly arrived from the Emerald Isle. (St. Pat's is March 17.) |
| CORPORATE RECRUITERS: |
| Now is the time of year when corporate recruiters begin arriving on campus to look for the "best and the brightest" who might make good candidates for their companies. For talented students, by the end of spring, there are numerous offers on the table. |
| Take a look at this process — including what recruiters are looking for — and also find out about minority and gender hiring trends. |
| COLLEGES: |
| Did your local colleges benefit last year from the recent increase in contributions to higher education? Contributions made during the 2005-2006 academic year increased 9.4 percent to $28 billion, according to data from the "Voluntary Support of Education, 2006" report released Feb. 21 by the Council for Aid to Education. For more info, go to http://www.cae.org. The full results of the survey along with a full analysis of the trends will be published in the spring of 2007. The report can be ordered by calling 212-217-0878. |
|
| RETIREMENT: |
| How many of your readers/viewers have been adequately planning for retirement? A recent Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive personal finance poll found that one in five of those surveyed — 22 percent — said they had not taken any steps to plan for retirement. |
| Talk with financial planners on retirement tips and profile the retirement plans of an age range of workers in your locality. |
| ODD JOBS: |
| Some teens skip fast-food or mall jobs and find more creative ways to make money, such as starting their own business or providing a specialized service. What teen-job placement efforts does your city or country have, and is there any help for teen entrepreneurs? |
| Call high schools and colleges to see if you can get a line on any young local entrepreneurs. |
| ELDERLY ENTERTAINMENT: |
| Are residents of local retirement communities finding new and unusual ways to amuse themselves beyond the typical bingo hour or sing-along? For example, some homes now offer tai-chi lessons. |
| Check out some local senior communities to see what kind of recreational pursuits occupy their golden years. |
| FINANCIAL RECORDS: |
| Experts on identity theft warn that during tax season it's important to ensure that tax-related documents used to prepare taxes are either appropriately stored or destroyed by shredding. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lost more than $1.1 billion in 2006 to criminals who stole their identities. Speak with local experts on ID theft and with financial planners about the need to secure documents. |
| Find victims of ID theft who had records stolen from the trash or file cabinets. For further information, see: www.IDconfidence.org. |
|
| Book of the Week |
| JEZEBEL'S TOMB |
 In 1883, a Jerusalem merchant claimed to have purchased from a Bedouin an unusual text found in a cave near the Dead Sea. He was on the verge of selling it to the British Museum for £1 million when he was denounced as a fraud.
Disgraced and destitute, he committed suicide. His artifact was lost to history. Generations later, the forgotten man holds the key to a Jerusalem bombing and a 2,000-year-old mystery. |
| Hilzenrath's archeological thriller is being published in installments on the Post's website twice a week. |
| Web Site of the Week |
| WWW.URBANDICTIONARY.COM |
 Though perhaps a bit edgy and not for younger reference users, if you want to keep up with the colloquialism check out the Urban Dictionary. Don't know who the Urban Amish are, what blogorrhea is, or if you have a wallet full of Kraft Singles? Urban Dictionary will tell you. Definitions, provided by site visitors, are often on the cutting edge of trendy slang. |
| http://www.urbandictionary.com/ |
| The Date Book |
| March 6, 1857 |
| (150 years ago), the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision which declared slaves property and not citizens; |
| March 6, 1836 |
| (171 years ago), the Alamo fell to attacking Mexican forces; |
| March 7, 1933 |
| (74 years ago) Monopoly, the popular board game, was invented; |
| March 9, 1959 |
| (47 years ago), the Barbie doll made its debut in stores; |
| March 11, 1918 |
| (89 years ago) the first case of "Spanish" influenza reported of what became a pandemic. |
|
