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Kaskey Kids Football Guys and Other Sports Action Figures are Fun Toys That Encourage Your Kids to Play Imaginatively

ECJ — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:34:30 +0000

Click here to see the full line of Kaskey Kids sports figures, such as Hockey Guys

Imaginative play is important for your kids’ mental and emotional development. It helps improve their intelligence, fosters psychological resilience, and teaches them to handle diverse circumstances.

There aren’t too many high-quality, inexpensive toys that can help expand your kids’ ability to play imaginatively, while at the same time being fun over the long-term. But that’s exactly what the sports figures from Kaskey Kids are able to do.

Not only can these creative playthings encourage your children to put their imagination into play, they also teach kids the fundamentals of team sports and how to think strategically. As a result, the Kaskey Kids Football Guys, Soccer Guys, Baseball Guys, and more have won awards and become a notable success story in the toy marketplace.

=> Click here to check out the award-winning Kaskey Kids Football Guys, Hockey Guys, and other team sports action figures, along with their “Bop Bags” and Go! Go! Sports Dolls. And, since you’re going through my site, enter code “CJ10″ during checkout to get 10% off your order!

You remember the toy soldiers you played with as a kid? That was a perfect example of the imagination at play as you made up elaborate scenarios and stories for your army of action figures.

Well, Kaskey Kids is just like that, except instead of soldiers the figures are athletes — baseball players, hockey players, football players, and soccer players. See the video below for an in-depth look at the fun kids can have with Kaskey Kids sports action figures available at Kaskeykids.com:

For kids in the age-range of 3 – 10 years old, the Kaskey Kids sports action figures can provide hours of fun, unstructured play — as well as giving you the opportunity to teach your son or daughter about a particular sport, the rules of the game, how a team works together on the field, and so on. They make excellent instructional play sets for your budding soccer player, hockey player, football player, or baseball player.

In addition to free-form play, there are also several different structured games that the Kaskey Kids company has created that enable you (or their siblings or friends) to play with their football guys, soccer guys, and other action figures along with them in ways that encourage strategic thinking and planning (see the Kaskey Kids site for more details). For parents and for kids, Kaskey Kids sports guys are a win-win toy!

Click to see all the styles of Kaskey Kids Football Guys

Kaskey Kids are the brainchild of Christy Kaskey, a mother of three who in 2002 was trying to find action figures that her sports-loving kids could play with.

She couldn’t find anything on the market that fit the bill — action figures other than soldiers or superheroes that her kids could play with while also focusing on the sports they enjoyed — so she created sports figures herself. The Kaskey Kids company was born; the first production run of the Football Guys sold out in a matter of weeks, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kaskey Kids Sports Figures are Award Winners

Since they became available, Kaskey Kids’ sports-figure toys have received many accolades from the toy industry, including the Gold Seal “Best Toy Award” from Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, the 2011 Brilliance Award from Brilliant Sky Toys & Books (in the imaginative play category), the 2007 Best Toy Award from Learning Express (for the Kaskey Kids Football Guys), a “Four Star Certified” rating from WTS Toy Review, a National Parenting Center “Seal of Approval” in 2011 for the Hockey Guys… and the list goes on.

Enthusiastic press reviews and articles have also appeared in national media — including, most recently, the Sports Illustrated for Kids 2011 “Gotta Get It Guide,” which is featured on the Kaskey Kids homepage. In the “Gotta Get It Guide,” the Kaskey Kids NHL Hockey Guys, Rangers Vs. Bruins, are recommended.

The Kaskey Kids Football Guys come in both “pro” football and college football versions (with teams such as Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas). The Hockey Guys come in both generic (blue versus yellow) and NHL figures. The Baseball Guys are classic red vs. blue action figures. Each team of sports figures comes with a field (for the football guys and soccer guys — and there are also soccer girls), a rink (for the hockey guys), and a diamond (for the baseball guys), along with referee figures and other equipment that enable your kid(s) to play with their action figures on a surface that matches the sport. The “outdoor” fields are made of sturdy felt — much more durable and satisfying to play with than a plastic sheet.

The Kaskey Kids sports figures are made of sturdy molded plastic and are in compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. They will stand up to years of play and are large enough for toddlers’ hands to easily grasp.

Customer (Parents’) reviews of Kaskey Kids Sports Guys

But what’s the bottom line? What do parents have to say about how well their kids like the Kaskey Kids Football Guys, Baseball Guys, Hockey Guys, Soccer Guys and other toys? Well, “5-star” reviews significantly outnumber any other rating for Kaskey Kids sports figures. Here are excerpts from online customer reviews of Kaskey Kids creative playthings:

Kids of all ages can play with Kaskey Kids action figures in whatever ways they like (photo of an actual Kaskey Kids fan)

“So many toys advertise ‘hours of fun.’ This one should, because it is probably the most played-with toy my boys, ages 5 and 7, have. We have the soccer guys, football guys, and baseball guys. My boys play with them alone or together and have done so for several years. This is one of our staple toys…”

“My nephew loves this [toy]. However, that being said, even without the [hockey rink] boards, he loved playing with the ice surface and players. He would re-enact Bruins games and do the play by play. As he grew, he wanted to have the side boards again and would often build them with blocks. He plays with this toy so often that I wanted to give him a chance to have a new one now that he is older. I love the fact that it is not an electronic [toy] but rather one that encourages his imagination… He is now 7 and had the first one since he was 3 or 4 years old.”

“My boys use the field and baseball figures to track the the plays their ‘teams’ make on a baseball pinball game. When used this way it brings the pinball game to life and adds the excitement of wondering what will happen next.”

“We’ve got three little boys, ages 8, 5, & 3, who love the hockey, soccer, football, and baseball guys. For little ones who like ‘guys,’ these toys really encourage imaginative play. For us, preferred over video games and movies. Very fun to watch.”

“My 8-yr-old son has had the Baseball Guys for a couple of years, along with the Football Guys. Great toys! Very well designed and durable. We love that one of the baseball teams is red (like our beloved Red Sox) and one blue (we pretend they are the Yankees). The scoreboard that is included is so cute, you can adjust the score and it stands up. Lots of imaginative fun with this toy! Perfect for our little baseball fan.”

“My 5-year-old son absolutely loved [the Baseball Guys]. Although he received many other gifts for his birthday, many of which had pretty high ‘wow’ factor, this was far and away his favorite. It won over Transformers, Star Wars figures, and Legos. I’m still somewhat incredulous, but clearly he loves it. One week later and he’s still happily playing and making up games. In addition, it’s helped him understand some of the elements of the game that were beyond him. He can position players and is starting to mimic the announcers he sees playing. He’s even put #11 at short, since Jimmy Rollins is his favorite player.”

About the only critical comments reviewers made about the Kaskey Kids toys was that the carrying cases used to store the sets could be a little bigger — the size made it a bit hard for small kids (say, 3 years old) to put away. Also, the play surface “fields” would sometimes tend to wrinkle, making it harder to stand the action figures up. (However, those reviewers might not have followed the instructions from Kaskey Kids, which is to store the playing surfaces rolled up, and, when the new games are first opened and taken out of the box, let them sit flat for awhile to let the creases flatten out. You can even iron the felt fields.)

Of course, Kaskey Kids sports figures not only encourage pretend play on the part of your kids, they’re also great for kids who have already developed a love of sports or an interest in a particular sport, such as football, hockey, or baseball. Some kids — even 3-year-olds — take to such things early. Just ask Christy Kaskey. (Yes, 3-year-olds can understand the concept of a “body check.”)

Click to see the Kaskey Kids Baseball Guys and accessories -- including field and scoreboard

And throughout the cold, short days and long nights of the winter months, letting your kids put their imagination to work with Football Guys or Soccer Guys will go a long way toward occupying their time when it’s hard for them to get outdoors and be active.

Further information on the benefits of imaginative or “pretend” play

Many studies have been performed on how kids develop both physically and mentally through play, as well as analyses of the types of play that foster healthy development. With regard to pretend play specifically, much scholarly research is available and you can find this research summarized online, such as this article on pretend play entitled The Role of Pretend Play in Children’s Cognitive Development.

The bottom line, as summarized in the relatively brief article linked to above, is that high-quality pretend play fosters “cognitive competence” in kids. A growing body of research suggests that pretend play, or imaginative play, plays an important role in cognitive, social, and academic development, that it may facilitate higher-level thinking and creativity, and that there is a clear link between pretend play and social and linguistic competence.

Studies also suggest that children who lack opportunities to play imaginatively experience a diminished capacity for problem solving and social interaction, as well as a decline in the ability to handle academic subjects such as math, literacy, and science. Complex skills and multidimensional abilities are most likely to be fully developed and thrive in an environment where high-quality pretend play is encouraged.

Kaskey Kids has also posted an article on their site written by Kara Bowman, an educator associated with the Museum Tour Catalog, entitled The Joys of Open-Ended Play.

You know, there’s a reason kids like to actively imagine things as they play: it’s turning them into better all-around human beings.

Sports action figures are just a part of the creative, sports-oriented toys Kaskey Kids offers

As mentioned above, Kaskey Kids also has “Bop Bags,” which are 40-inch tall Tackle Buddies and Checking Buddies that your little guys can knock around and have bounce back for more. Kaskey also has Mini Packs of action sports figures in different colors, so you can add new players and teams to your collection of Baseball Guys, Hockey Guys, or whatever teams you have. And they also have the Sports Girls dolls, which are 14-inch plush, soft cotton dolls — girls doing various sports and other activities, such as Basketball Doll Taye, Dancer Doll M. C., and Tennis Doll Gracie — a collection of 9 Sport Girls dolls in all.

As with all the Kaskey Kids creative playthings, the Bop Bags and Sports Girls dolls are well-made and very reasonably priced.

There’s a big difference in how a kid is thinking, imagining, and interacting when he’s playing with something such as a Nintendo 3DS or with a truly 3-dimensional toy like the Kaskey Kids sports action guys.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a Nintendo 3DS… But your kid is not developing or expanding his imaginative powers in the same way when he’s pushing the controller of a video game as he is when he’s playing with a tactile, colorful, reality-based toy like the Kaskey Kids action figures — when he’s setting them up, imagining the plays the teams are running, doing the play-by-play like an announcer, and learning actual sports strategies. Plus he can play along with his siblings and/or friends and expand the scenarios and action even more.

Give Kaskey Kids Football Guys, Soccer Guys, Hockey Guys, and other creative toys strong consideration for your young athletes-to-be (or whatever they want to imagine themselves being). It’s hard to find a toy these days that offers so many positive benefits at such a reasonable price. Plus offers your kids fun and satisfaction over the long term.

A More Inspiring Gift — a Charitable Gift from Gifts In Action

ECJ — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:11:51 +0000

Click to see the many benefits of giving a charitable gift from Gifts In Action

Maybe you’ve been racking your brain trying to come up with the ideal gift from someone who seems to have it all. Well, now you can give a unique gift that will help someone who doesn’t have that much — and simultaneously warm the heart and even inspire that person who doesn’t really need much in the way of material possessions. A charitable gift from Gifts In Action changes lives and spreads a message of hope, empowerment, and greater community.

And — perfect for you, the procrastinator — you can still get it to your recipient in time for Christmas!

=> Click here to get details about how Gifts In Action works and choose the charity gift that appeals to you (and your recipient) and fits your budget <=

Gifts In Action is a charity gift-giving organization based in the UK. The Gifts In Action program is the brainchild of ActionAid, a non-profit organization that has been working since 1972 to end poverty and injustice in the world. Now with programs in 40 countries, ActionAid — and Gifts In Action — attack the problem of poverty at the root, providing programs that help people become self-sustaining and financially independent. It’s not just charity — it’s creative assistance that makes a long-term difference to endemic problems and changes the lives of those it helps.

How Gifts In Action Works

You give the gift of supporting a project somewhere in the world in the name of someone else. The person in whose name you give the gift receives a personalized card from you — either a paper card that you can have sent to them (or have it sent to you to give to them personally), or an e-Card that Gifts In Action will email directly to your gift recipient. They will receive the details of how the gift you’ve given in their name is helping someone in the world address problems experienced by their family, their community, or their country.

Do you know someone who is passionate about education? Give a gift in their name that helps ActionAid train volunteer teachers to teach rural students in Cambodia — thus spreading the benefits of education and economic advancement. Similarly, a gift to Gifts In Action of £20 will provide school books for a child in Haiti for an entire year.

You simply choose which gift program appeals to you and match it to the donation amount that fits your budget

Do you know an environmentalist? Maybe they would like a gift of helping rural Vietnamese children plant 400 trees — teaching the kids about the value of preserving the environment, while simultaneously helping them rid themselves of disease problems caused by mosquitoes and flies.

Do you know someone who extols the virtues of entrepreneurship and financial independence? Maybe that person would appreciate the gift of helping to support a chicken-breeding program in Malawi. A donation of only £10 helps rural women buy broods of chicks. The eggs the chickens produce helps feed their families and can be sold at local markets to support themselves financially.

There are many categories of gifts from Gifts In Action — projects and initiatives that should interest just about any gift recipient you have — from energy-saving stoves for women in Uganda to river ambulances for people without access to good roads in Bangladesh. All of the charity gifts from Gifts In Action are reasonably priced and are used efficiently on long-term projects that can help entire communities.

And right now, you can get £1 off when you buy two or more Gifts In Action and use voucher code GIAAFF on the checkout page. When you use this voucher, Bluefrog Ltd. (the corporate partner of Gifts In Action), will pay £1 (one British pound) of your gift for you. Just choose two or more gifts and enter code GIAAFF on the checkout page.

If you use the e-Card option on the Gifts In Action site, you can still get the gift to your recipient in time for Christmas (sorry, but the deadline for paper cards to arrive by Christmas has passed). Do something good for your fellow human beings around the world, please and inspire your gift recipient, feel better that you’re making a difference, and meet the Christmas deadline… What could be better? It’s a win-win-win-win.

I imagine your gift recipient will never have received a gift quite like the one you give them from Gifts In Action. See the video below to get up close and personal about what they do:

Are You Inspired By John’s Win on Biggest Loser to Realize Your Own “Losing” Goals?

ECJ — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:01:55 +0000

Click here for help to DIY

Nearly 8 million viewers tuned in last night to see who would win Biggest Loser, Season 12. It had come down to three guys — Ramon Madeiros, Antone Davis, and John Rhode. Between the three of them, they had lost a total of 576 pounds. John Rhode, a determined, focused contestant, crushed the final weigh-in, having lost an impressive 220 pounds, and took the title and the $250,000 prize. (Along the way, he had also set the record for the contestant to lose 100 pounds in the shortest time.)

But Antone Davis and Ramon Madeiros acquitted themselves well, too, so there was really no “loser.” (Anna Kournikova, one of the trainers, said Ramon was “Hot”!)

Actually, all the men on Season 12 “Battle of the Ages” achieved remarkable success with their fitness, health, and weight-loss goals. Vinny Hickerson came within 3 pounds of winning the “At Home” contest for previously eliminated contestants (he had started out weighing 426 pounds), and looked totally transformed, sporting an air of fitness and confidence, as did Patrick Ferrari.

61-year-old contestant Johnny Forger, who last night could not stop doffing the straw boater he’s taken to wearing, looked great and said “I’m 66, I feel 40!”

And, lest we forget, Ramon had to win the marathon to come back and make the final three. It was a dramatic and, for the contestants, fulfilling season.

Even more remarkably, Dr. Rob Huizenga, the doctor for The Biggest Loser, reported that the fatty liver disease of the final three contestants had seen exceptional improvement — a reduction in the size of the liver of up to 2 inches was observed — and that two of them (John and Ramon) had beaten diabetes, a medically rare outcome that no drug (as Dr. Huizenga said) could bring about.

Here’s a video of the winning moment from the live Finale:

If You’re Feeling Inspired, the Biggest Loser’s Club Can Help You Reach Your Own Weight-Loss and Fitness Goals

If you’ve been watching The Biggest Loser and have been inspired to pursue your own health and weight-loss goals, did you know that The Biggest Loser’s Club is available to help? The Biggest Loser’s Club is a comprehensive online weight-loss program that gives you access to the Biggest Loser diet and fitness approach used by the contestants on the show, which has been proven to work by many successful contestants. The program can be tailored to fit your personal goals and lifestyle.

As a member of The Biggest Loser’s Club, you’ll get help tackling the daily challenges of eating and exercise; access to thousands of Biggest Loser recipes, meal preparation tips, and exercise demo’s (which are also all available on your mobile device); goals tailored to fit your height and weight; and the chance to interact with a community of others and communicate with experts to support your weight-loss program.

You don’t have to be on the show to lose weight. If Vinny and Ramon can do it at home, so can you! All you have to do is get started…

Check some of the online “Success Stories” from The Biggest Loser’s Club here.

Right now, The Biggest Loser’s Club is offering a good deal to help you get started: join today at a special Introductory price and get 3 free books (The Biggest Loser Book, Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, and Biggest Loser Fitness Program)!

The Biggest Loser’s Club is run by Rodale, the publishing and media company that, for over 80 years, has been committed to helping people achieve better health, well-being, longevity, and fitness. (Among other things, Rodale started the organic gardening movement in America.)

If you’re overweight, there’s no time like the present to not only “save” your life but to dramatically improve it! If you’re inspired by the success stories you see on The Biggest Loser, take advantage of that inspiration to begin now to look better, feel better, and get more out of life.

Consider letting The Biggest Loser’s Club help you achieve your health, weight-loss, and fitness goals. Take a look at their site and program by clicking here.

One final observation… If you watched the show, you noticed the new confidence and satisfaction expressed by the successful contestants. They exuded well-being as they stood on the stage. Ramon in particular was a “new man” — happier, healthier, more vigorous, more sure of himself.

If you’re overweight, it is within your power to make the same transformation. If you’re not overweight, but there are things in your life that are troubling you, why not make the same type of effort that The Biggest Loser contestants make to change it, to transform it to something better?

After all, Ramon, John, Vinny, and the rest were ecstatic about achieving a goal that many take for granted — being at a healthy weight and not dealing with pressing health concerns. So, if you’re slim, why can’t you be just as happy as Antone, Jennifer, or Johnny? If you’re at a good weight, but not feeling great, the only difference between you and them is that they have a new-found appreciation for themselves and what they can accomplish. How they feel about themselves has been improved a thousand-fold.

And that’s the bottom line: to be happy, you must feel good about yourself.

Just do what it takes to start making that journey.

How to Decorate for the Holidays With Manly Christmas Decorations

ECJ — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:27:53 +0000

Most Christmas decorations are intended for children. Candy canes, nutcracker Christmas tree ornaments, inflatable snowmen… These spark the imagination of kids, but what about more manly decorations? Can you express your masculine side with some DIY Christmas decorations that celebrate the holiday spirit in ways that reflect your grown-up self?

Yes — and here you can find out how to decorate for Christmas in a more duded-up way. Kids getting excited about jingle bells and elves is fine, but you’re a man now. Maybe you’re living on your own for the first time in a house or apartment. Or maybe you have a wife and kids but would like to decorate your man cave in a way that evokes some caveman Yuletide spirit.

Most men seem to think they’re somewhat apart from the holiday atmosphere; most men don’t think about decorating for Christmas, how to decorate a Christmas tree, etc. But where’s the fun in that? Why leave it to the kids?

Click for a Scotch Pine Christmas Tree from Cabela's

Express your masculine side with a Christmas tree and other holiday decorations that celebrate the season your way. It’s a time to enjoy, after all. Just because guys light their farts on fire and snort beer out their noses when they laugh doesn’t automatically mean they don’t want to decorate for Christmas. When you do your own Christmas thing, at the very least you’ll impress your friends. You might even help free their inner bad elf.

As far as how to decorate a Christmas tree, one way to start is with a Christmas Tree from Cabela’s. They have several different kinds (bet you didn’t know you could buy Christmas trees on the Internet). And a tree skirt from Bass Pro Shops that features wild game. (And you can personalize it with up to 10 letters — choose your holiday message carefully.)

Guys are just as susceptible to the Christmas spirit as anyone (see Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story). But they don’t necessarily want to hang plush heart ornaments on the fir tree they chopped down in the woods with their Fiskars axe, or place votive candles on the mantelpiece surrounded by porcelain angels holding a banner.

But hey, you got the spirit: you like the idea of Kris Kringle traversing the world with his bag of Krispy Kremes for all the good boys and girls (including you — because aren’t you good, mostly?). You enjoy the taste of spiked eggnog and the idea of a Christmas Star that was probably a supernova that occurred around 4 BC. You think snow is sorta cool. And you like those oil-drum-sized cans of flavored popcorn.

So, how do you decorate for the holidays, guy? Without going all Marth-Stew? Yet still managing to express your DIY Christmas decorating creativity? Below are festive suggestions for decking your halls with a tree, ornaments, lights, mood-enhancers, food, and more…

Christmas Tree Decorating Solutions

Click to get the C-3PO Holiday Ornament from Entertainment Earth

Nothing wrong with having a conifer in your living room that you killed yourself or bought at a tree lot from a grizzled guy wearing a stained beanie (or got from Cabela’s above). But with regard to decorating a Christmas tree, what kind of ornaments should you hang on it?

Star Wars ornaments. At right, you can see a C-3PO holiday ornament that’s also a snowglobe. Shake it and it’ll remind you of school closure days on Hoth. You can get the Star Wars C-3PO Ornament from Entertainment Earth. And click here to get a Chewbacca Snowglobe Christmas Ornament to match.

And that’s not all Entertainment Earth offers for decorating a Christmas Tree with masculine style. You can’t get any more manly than John Wayne, so check out a pair of John Wayne Western Christmas Tree Ornaments — two 4.5-inch tall, beautifully-detailed resin ornaments of John Wayne in all his gun-totin’ glory. Try those on for size.

Betty Boop Biker Ornament

Or how about Betty Boop on a motorcycle? In her regular guise, Betty Boop is known for her saucy sexiness. But a biker Boop in an abbreviated elf outfit is definitely a girl you would not take home to your mom. Celebrate that cheeky spirit and deck your halls at the same time. (Any ornament that depicts a scantily-clad female who is not an angel is in your Christmas-decorating ballpark.)

But Christmas tree decorating ideas don’t have to be limited to science fiction, gun-slingin’, and sex. There’s also guy-centric tech, hardware, and food — subjects that bold, smart, hungry men have pursued for centuries.

Recycled Motherboard Ornaments from ThinkGeek

In that vein, check out what ThinkGeek, that bastion of products celebrating intellectual prowess, has for Christmas: Recycled Motherboard Christmas Tree Ornaments. These are cleverly-carved ornaments made out of printed circuit boards. Who says electronics can’t be green? Evergreen, that is, so hang this set of 3 electrical-engineer-approved ornaments on your pine. They come in a handsome gift box, just in case you want to get several sets to enlighten your more traditional-decoration type buddies.

Another Appropriate Guy Technology: Airplanes

Tin Airplane Ornament

Besides computers, motorcycles, and women, guys also like airplanes. And so to continue your virile Christmas decorating theme, you’ll want flying machines represented on your holiday tree. Here’s the perfect aviation element: a tin airplane ornament from Alexander Taron, maker of traditional tin toys. You can find this airplane ornament at Wayfair, and Wayfair also offers an Alexander Taron tin car ornament — also appropriate to hang from your branches. They’re both retro and hip.

Nothing Says “Holiday Spirit” Like Bacon

Sparkling Bacon Christmas Ornament from ThinkGeek

Even more than high-tech gadgets, food is an appropriate idea for decorating a Christmas tree. But what kind of food? There’s one clear choice: bacon. Of course you’ve got to include bacon on your list of Christmas tree decorating ideas. Nothing says “Have a manly Christmas” more than hanging a rasher of cured pork slices from the branches of your holiday conifer.

But actual bacon is messy to string and will spoil in a few days (trust me). Not to worry, ThinkGeek has you covered there, too, with their Sparkling Bacon Ornament. Get several. Don’t eat them, though, they’re made of space-age plastic. Who needs candy canes? You’ve got bacon!

There’s more to this idea of DIY Christmas decorations, though, than just buying pre-made ornaments that are already purposed for the Yuletide season. No, you also want to venture outside the box a bit when it comes to exploring holiday decor ideas in an XY-chromosome sorta way.

DIY Ornaments

For example, Christmas ornaments imitate icicles hanging from evergreen trees in the wild (or growing in rows on Christmas tree farms in northern Vermont), and they also copy the brightness of candles that used to be placed on trees in the days of yore before OSHA and Underwriters Laboratories took all the uncertainty out of life. In other words, ornaments need to be bright and shiny. So, what else besides glass ornaments is bright and shiny but also masculine enough to adorn your tree? Hex nuts.

But not just any hex nuts. Marine-grade hex nuts. The kind you use on sailboats. Why? Because it’s cool. And, after Christmas, you can use them on your boat, or wherever. West Marine is a good place to get bulk hex nuts. Half-inch diameter nuts would be a good size. Click here to go to West Marine and order a bulk pack of hex nuts — a pack of 50, ½-inch diameter nuts in gleaming 18-8 stainless steel goes for about $20.

Bronze hex nuts for your tree

But you want a combination of colors on your tree (silver hex nuts alone would be boring), so get some bronze nuts to go with them. Bronze hex nuts are also cool. West Marine has a pack of 50 ½-inch bronze galvanized hex nuts for $10.

Now you’ve got your hex nuts. You’ll need a way to hang them from the branches. Use twine, not string. String is wimpy, twine is manly. (Alternatively, you could use wire twist-ties). Twine is also kind of rough and natural-looking. It’ll look masculine holding the nuts on your tree. Get a couple of rolls of jute twine from Gardener’s Supply Company. (Twine will come in handy around the house, too.) Tying the loops on your nuts will give you something to do while you’re watching football.

Your tree will look great with your Star Wars, John Wayne, and motherboard ornaments, and hex nuts in two colors. For a star on top — well, just use a regular Christmas star. You can find a nice plain silver star tree topper here.

Yoda Tree Topper

Or you can continue your Star Wars theme with a Yoda tree topper from ThinkGeek (pictured at right). That will get you some comments, I guarantee. May Noel be with you.

I won’t go into how the Force ties into the energy of life that we celebrate at Christmas (which actually used to be the ancient pagan Winter Solstice holiday) but I will note that this Yoda tree topper will plug into your tree lights and glows green. A good color for a manly Christmas. Heck, it might even be bright enough to illuminate your whole apartment or man cave.

Light up Christmas with Non-Cutesy Lights

Click for manly light choices at Cabela's

Which brings us to lights. You’ll probably want some. Guys like electricity. From touching a 9-volt battery with one’s tongue to running the Large Hadron Collider, guys appreciate what electromagnetism can do. It can certainly make your Christmas tree look more festive. Are there male-oriented Christmas tree lights that will fit your Christmas decoration theme? Of course. Where else would you get them but Cabela’s?

Cabela’s has guy-themed light strings that consist of coach lanterns, utility lights, Coleman-Lantern-style lights, and wire birdhouses. To the left is the Cabela’s Lantern light, which looks festive but not foofy. Each strand of lights includes 10 lights. Get several strings of one style or blend 3 or more styles to cover your whole tree. These are Christmas lights you’ll want to pass down to your kids. Click here to see several choices of Christmas tree light sets at Cabela’s.

Actual Tree Too Fussy for You? Try Iron

Some guys don’t want to mess with a live Christmas tree. Especially when it comes to apartment decorating ideas, a tree with needles, branches, and stuff might be a lot of trouble to schlep inside and set up. Or maybe space is at a premium in your man cave. Or maybe you just don’t want to fool around with ornaments. So what’s the alternative? Get a a Christmas tree made of iron.

Iron Christmas Tree with Lights

What could be manlier than an iron Christmas tree? And we’re not talking some lacy concoction of wires. We’re talking wrought iron. Such as the Medium Christmas Tree with Lights from Capitol Supply (pictured at left). Even the source of this tree is manly — the US military buys hardware from Capitol Supply. This tree is approximately 42 inches of metal Yuletide cheer with an integrated light system. Nothing to fuss with. Just set it up and plug it in.

Decorative Large Gold Tree

If you want something a little classier, a little more high-end, then check this handsome Gold Decorative Christmas Tree from Homelement (38 inches tall). This tree is made of wrought-iron metal loops in a complex design. This would be a good Christmas decor idea for a simple tree to put up in your man cave — looks cool, it’s made of metal, and harmonizes with your advanced entertainment technology and Jack Daniels neon clock. It even comes with a star. “Metal” does not imply “crude.” That’s it pictured to the right. Nothing could be simpler than this tree when it comes to holiday apartment decorating ideas, too.

If you want additional tree options, check Overstock. They have a ton of Christmas trees available, both synthetic and live. At their site, search for “Christmas trees” to see dozens of choices. Plus, they carry hundreds of Xmas accessories for low prices that may further inspire your DIY Christmas decor ideas.

And right now, you can get $10 off $100+ orders with free shipping at Overstock.

Can You Put Lights on a Metal Tree? Yes. When You Shop at an Auto Parts Store

Risk Racing Magnetic Light Mine for your Christmas Tree

What could be a more dude thing to do than shopping for holiday decorations at an auto parts store? Nothing. So, explore JC Whitney, the premier automotive online store, when it comes to accessorizing your live or metal tree. You actually can put lights on your wrought-iron tree. All you need are a few Magnetic Light Mines from Risk Racing. These little illumination units are about the size of a golf ball and have 12 rare-earth magnets that enable you to position the powerful LED light to point in any direction. Get a few and simply stick them to your tree. Rotate the lights to provide whatever illumination effects you like. If you’re using them with a live tree, stick them down in the branches. They’re a cool design.

And as long as we’re shopping at JC Whitney, here’s something else you can add to your Christmas decoration ideas: floor mats.

Green Bay Packers floor mats to use as a tree skirt

Maybe you don’t want to use the tree skirt from Bass Pro Shops (described above) around the base of your tree, particularly your metal tree. But you still want something down there besides bare floor. So here’s the solution: Green Bay Packers Floor Mats from JC Whitney. Just get a couple of sets of these and circle them around the base your tree. NFL logo floor mats are a pretty masculine Christmas decor idea. Of course, if you want another team’s logo, get that. You can specify the team on the JC Whitney NFL FANMAT page when you order. I thought Green Bay’s “G” would be appropriate because, if your girlfriend or someone asks you what it means, you can tell them it stands for “Grinch.” And when it’s not Christmas you can put the mats in your car.

Or, tree-wise, you could go in another direction entirely. Maybe you want a bit more nostalgia in your Christmas decorating ambience, while maintaining a grown-up sensibility — some cuteness combined with humor. If so, here’s another option that fits the bill perfectly: the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

Click to get the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Remember the Peanuts Christmas TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas? (How many times have you seen it?) Remember the bedraggled tree Charlie Brown tries to decorate with a single ornament and it falls over and he says, “I’ve killed it!” Now you can have that tree for yourself. Those thoughtful folks at Sears made it a reality. And you should get Vince Guaraldi’s classic Charlie Brown Christmas album and play it while sitting and sipping spiked eggnog and looking at your nostalgic, goofy Christmas tree.

A Christmas Tree is an Important Part of Your Christmas Decor Theme, but Not the Only Part

You’ll want to have some other Christmas decor items placed strategically around your place to help reinforce the holiday spirit. But still in keeping with the theme of intrepid dude-ness.

Click here for the Sega Toys Homestar Pro star projector from Gizmine

First… when you want to set that “O Holy Night” vibe at some point (and trust me, you will), there is nothing like amazing technology to do it. What you’ll want to do is turn your apartment or home into a stunning nighttime scene with the Sega Toys Homestar Pro.

Imagine it’s night. You turn out the room lights, maybe leave your Christmas tree lights on, and then you illuminate the room with a projection of 10,000 stars. Now that’s some holy juju. And it will set just the right Christmasy mood to impress that special someone. You can get the Sega Toys Homestar Pro from Gizmine (I like the black unit myself). Worth every penny — this is not a toy but a pro-grade planetarium star projector. This will amp up your magical holiday ambience a thousand-fold.

And if you can’t quite see going for the pro model (though I can’t see why you wouldn’t), not to worry, Gizmine has you covered there, too, because you can both enhance your Star Wars Christmas theme and put on a stunning starry-night display with the Homestar R2-D2 Home Planetarium (<– click to get it), which is under $100 at Gizmine.

See the video below to get an idea of what the Sega Toys Homestar Pro can do:

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care

You might not have a chimney (most apartment-dwellers don’t — and no, a bong doesn’t count), but you should still put Christmas stockings up. How else is Santa supposed to reward your ass? And don’t limit yourself to just one. You can put several stockings up and hope that your friends/family get the hint and stuff some items in there. Or you can put one up for your girlfriend. Or put up 5 or so for yourself and fill ‘em with things you like just to be diggin’ the bounty. Whatever, hang that shit up. But make sure you use gentlemanly stockings…

Camo Christmas Stocking from Cabela's

Like this camo stocking from Cabela’s. Nothing says “manly Christmas” like a camouflage Christmas stocking. It implies that you’re Mr. Outdoor Wilderness Guy (and maybe you are). Just don’t hang it on your live Christmas tree or Santa might not see it. You can get a Camo Personalized Christmas Stocking from Cabela’s and have it personalized with your name. And it’s good quality — 100% of customer reviewers at Cabela’s would recommend a Camo Stocking to a friend.

Toronto Maple Leafs Christmas Stocking

When it comes to manly Christmas decoration items, you can’t go wrong with sports, any sports. Of course, sports fans have many choices when it comes to Christmas stockings that celebrate their favorite team. For example, how about this Toronto Maple Leafs Snowman Stocking. Why the Maple Leafs? Why not? They could use a little love at this time of year because they’re not doing great and they’re the NHL team with the longest Stanley Cup drought. Yet they are in Canada, where winter lives (and Christmas is all about celebrating winter), and they are hockey players, which automatically makes them tough, just like you.

San Francisco 49ers Fiber Optic Christmas Stocking

Of course, you can find many team stockings at FansEdge, from NFL to NBA to MLB to MLS. Some even have fiber optic lights! (Any product that includes the words “fiber optic” in its description is cool.) Such as the San Francisco 49ers Fiber Optic Mascot Christmas Stocking (pictured at left).

Maybe you’re not into pro sports that much, however — maybe you’re more into college teams.

Michigan Wolverines Christmas Stocking

Still a rabid supporter of your college Alma mater? Then celebrate them during the Yuletide season. For example, how about a Michigan Wolverines Christmas Stocking, from Overstock? Why the Wolverines? Because the wolverine is the most badass animal in North America (sort of the New World version of the honey badger). If you didn’t graduate from Michigan, well, you can pick another team. Search for college team stockings at both FansEdge and Overstock to find enough options to cover your entire room. Add some holiday “cheering!”

Click here to go to the FansEdge Holiday Decor page and see hundreds of sports-related Christmas accessories for your home.

And from now until December 31, 2011, get 10% off any purchase of $100 or more at FansEdge using coupon code FEDECMBR.

Additional Dude-Appropriate Christmas Decor Ideas

You’ll want to set some additional things about your place to further evoke a cool, manly Christmas look.

Stained Glass Santa Head from Wind & Weather

Like what? Like a rather serious-looking Santa portrait made out of stained glass. You can set him on a table, shelf, or windowsill and the head is illuminated to emanate some business-like Christmas authority. This stained glass Santa Head is from Wind & Weather.

19" Cowboy Santa from Overstock

On the other hand, a cowboy Santa isn’t bad either. Especially one toting a Christmas-light lariat. You can get the Western Cowboy Santa from Overstock. The figure is 19 inches tall, so he’s not a shy, retiring Santa hombre — he’ll go well with your John Wayne ornaments.

Rotating Robot Santa Claus in his Rocket Ship

Or, instead of the frontier cowboy Kris Kringle, you could go with a more science-fictiony robot Santa. In a space ship. Playing music. You can get the 10-inch Retro Santa Claus Robot Rotating Figure (in his red rocket ship) from Newegg. Santa in a rocket, playing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” — who needs reindeer?

Multi-hued "Dripping Icicle" Tube from Newegg

Remaining in a somewhat high-tech mode, how about a multi-hued, 36-inch long, LED-lighted “Dripping Icicle” Christmas Decoration? You could hang this tube from your ceiling, put it in a window — anywhere you want to add some glowing Christmas hues like a giant sparkling icicle. The Lighted Dripping Icicle Tube Christmas Decoration comes from Newegg (one of the best places to shop for everything your high-tech Christmas heart desires).

The illustration at right shows an individual, multi-hued tube on the left, plus a suggestion of how to use them — hanging from the ceiling of a high-rise building. You could do the same at home if your ceilings are high enough — the tubes come in a number of other colors, too. You can search for them on Newegg. Or hang just one of them in your man cave.

There are other accent pieces that will round out your Christmas vibe, particularly when you’re going to be entertaining friends at your place — or a special lady. You can do a lot to create a festive air without being wussy. For example, I mentioned above that you probably won’t want to put out votive candles. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use candles at all. Candles are proven technology — they’ve been around for 2,000 years. And candlelight can really set the mood on a cold, wintry evening. You simply want to have a manly candle. And that means BIG.

Tall Bamboo Candle from Homelement

Here’s a candle that is not only big, it’s interesting, because it’s made out of bamboo — the 17-inch high 100% Bamboo Wood Candle from Homelement . It’s got a rough bark finish that will complement the rest of your robust Christmas decor. Plus it’ll probably burn for a month… plenty of time for several Christmas parties and dates. (You’ll enjoy your big candle and she’ll like it even more.)

Oliver Peppermint Stick Appetizer Plate for holiday serving

When you’re entertaining you’ll probably have some food, if only appetizers. Why serve them on your everyday dinner dishes? Pull out some holiday-themed serving plates. I’ve got one to recommend for you that is a little edgy, definitely artistic, and amusing — the Oliver Peppermint Stick Appetizer Plate from CB2. Oliver is apparently a little slow, or he just got done watching A Christmas Story and wanted to try that tongue-on-the-pole thing for himself. Serve your Christmas party appetizers on these plates and your guests will know that you’re both hip and sophisticated (not that there’s any doubt).

Click to get the Montana Trees Cushion from Occa-Home

Everything I’ve recommended for your Christmas decorating theme to this point has been hard (except for the live Christmas tree, which is a little bushy). Time to add contrast with something soft. Something you can use as an accent on your sofa. Something you can put your head on when you lie in front of the fire. Something your girlfriend will want to cuddle up with. Yet something masculine. Something like the Montana Trees Cushion from Occa-Home.

This cushion is a high-quality, large (about 20″ x 20″) wool and cotton pillow with a bold yet warm alpine tree motif. It’ll contribute to your festive winter mood. And it’s named after Montana, which is rugged. It comes from Occa-Home in the UK, one of the best online decorating stores. It’s not cheap, but it should last you for the rest of your life. (Endurance is a manly quality.) Besides, Occa-Home has a no-questions-asked 30 day return policy.

How to Set the Christmas Vibe at the Entrance to Your Domain: a Wreath

All the foregoing “how to decorate” ideas were for your interior — decorating the inside of your apartment or your man cave retreat. But how about setting the stage for Christmas cheer by visually greeting your visitors with an appropriate holiday symbol? To wit: a wreath. A Christmas wreath is a symbol of welcome and strength, two attributes you’d probably like to express. (Why do you think the Greek and Roman champions wore laurel wreaths?) In fact, a Christmas wreath is one of the oldest Christmas decorating traditions, dating back to the 1500s, well before the story of Santa Claus arrived on the scene. Get a wreath and hang it on your door or wall.

3-Herb Wreath

I recommend the 3-Herb Wreath from Bambeco. Bambeco is known for “green” products that combine sustainable design and modern technology, which means that they often have cool stuff that you won’t find in other stores. Such as their 3-Herb Wreath — a Christmas wreath made from organic bay leaves (bay laurel is what laurel wreaths are traditionally made of), organic rosemary and thyme. The herbs are woven in a circle and accented with red chili peppers. Can’t get a more manly wreath than one with chili peppers! Besides…red and green. Get it? This fragrant wreath is also practical — you can pluck the fresh herbs and peppers out of it and use them in cooking.

You can get a wrought-iron wreath hanger for your door from Art & Home — at their site, search for “wreath hanger” to see what’s currently available.

To Wrap Up Your Christmas Decorating Theme, Something Cool for the Kids: A Train Set

Click for the North Pole Central Electric Train Set from Bass Pro Shops

Christmas being what it is — a time of celebration, when family and friends gather — it’s likely that sooner or later you’ll have some kids show up. And when they do, you want to have something that will make their eyes light up. (Hex nuts are fine for you, but 5-year-old Timmy might not grasp their significance.)

Christmas is a time of reverence for many, of course, but for kids it’s mostly fun and even magical. And you can set that feeling alight with this final suggested decor item — the pièce de résistance of your holiday DIY decorating efforts: a North Pole Central Electric Train Set from Bass Pro Shops.

Remember when you had a train set when you were a kid? Did your parents set it up so it circled the Christmas tree? That’s what you should do. Set up the train to circle your live or metal tree. The 5-car set (engine, tender, gondola car, boxcar, caboose) comes with a 40″ x 80″ oval track. The boxcar plays 12 Christmas carols. There’s more to it — click the text link above or the photo to check it out. This is a cool electric train set. Of course, it would have to be, coming from Bass Pro Shops. They only sell stuff that works.

With this final touch to your manly Christmas decorating project, you might even make your own eyes light up. And isn’t that what Christmas is ultimately all about?

So You Want to Learn to Kayak

ECJ — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:38:01 +0000

So, you’ve been thinking that this is the year you want to learn how to kayak. You want to get out on the river, run some rapids, see some impressive scenery in ways that no one else gets to see it, learn how to surf waves and do other cool maneuvers. Or maybe you just want to explore some lakes with your friends and family. Or you could be wanting to head out to the ocean for some sea kayaking. Whatever your ambition with respect to kayaking, now’s an excellent time to get started. Especially because Groupon is offering this deal: a full-day kayaking lesson from Renaissance Adventure Guides. Get started kayaking for only $67.

Kayaking is a multi-faceted outdoor sport that offers something for just about anyone, but especially those who love water. Whether the water is moving or still — river, ocean, lake, canal — kayaking is an excellent way to enjoy the wet stuff and a fun way to play (not to mention travel).

Kayaking is for everyone, from those who want to float around a quiet pond to athletes who not only want to do acrobatic maneuvers on waves and other “hydraulics,” but run raging rivers and huck waterfalls (in other words, full-on adrenaline junkies). Kayaking is an activity that combines grace and strength, creativity and outdoor beauty, fun and adventure, solitude and camaraderie. The upcoming season promises to be epic, with plenty of runoff in streams and rivers, and good conditions well into the beginning of summer. I’ve been planning to do a post on how to get started in kayaking, and I found a great incentive today: Groupon’s current deal for a discounted full-day kayaking lesson from Renaissance Adventure Guides.

So, I’m calling this post: So You Want to Learn to Kayak, Part 1. Primarily, I wanted to get info about this deal out to those of you in Colorado (or those willing to travel to Colorado). Renaissance Adventure Guides is an excellent place to learn how to kayak and a full-day lesson for $67 is a great deal (the regular price is $129). The Groupon price includes all the equipment you’ll need, too.

No excuse not to get started now! Click here to take advantage of this deal while it lasts.

The day-long lesson from Renaissance Adventure Guides (your get your choice of Introduction to Kayaking, Fundamentals of Kayaking, River Kayaking, or Whitewater Kayaking) will take place in a location of your choosing, such as Boulder Reservoir, the Colorado River or, for a more “immersive” experience, a Whitewater Kayaking Adventure on the Roaring Fork River. See the Denver Groupon site for details. You can get up to 4, and you can buy it as a gift for up to 3 other people.

Kayaking is a fun sport, good exercise, and a unique way to access country you wouldn’t otherwise get to see.

Kayak playpark, Buena Vista, CO

Kayaking has a bit of a learning curve, which is why it’s good to begin by taking lessons from a professional, ACA-certified instructor, such as at Renaissance Adventure Guides. (ACA is the American Canoe Association.) Once you’ve got a taste for kayaking and have caught the “bug”, which can take anywhere from your first time on the water to a month or so to get the feel of it, you can find excellent kayaking gear to expand your adventures at Colorado Kayak Supply, the largest kayak and paddle-sport specialty store in the Rockies (they have kayaks, kayak accessories, clothing, footwear, transport and storage, books and DVDs, etc.). Colorado is one of the best places on earth for kayaking.

Which is convenient for those who can take advantage of this excellent Groupon deal now.

10 Days of T-Shirts: Day 10 – Bamboo T-Shirts from ONNO

ECJ — Thu, 19 May 2011 01:38:30 +0000

This series of posts has been in response to the imminent price increases in cotton clothing. If you had gotten one each of the T-shirts I’ve been reviewing over the past 10 days, you would now have 9 cool new T-shirts and you would have saved money. But if the price of wearing cotton goes up, who says you have to wear cotton? There are cool alternatives to cotton! For example, you could wear bamboo clothing instead. That’s where the final T-shirt in this series comes in: the Bamboo T-shirt from ONNO Textiles.

When it comes to a resource from which to make stuff, few things beat bamboo (hemp might give it a run for its money). Bamboo can be used to make many things, from virtually earthquake-proof houses to needles for turntables to bicycles. And bamboo can be used for T-shirts. A hell of a nice T-shirt can be made out of bamboo.

ONNO Textiles is an innovative company devoted to making clothing from “green” sources: organic bamboo, organic cotton, and hemp. The shirt I’m featuring today is their Bamboo T-shirt (pictured at left in charcoal blue), which is made from 70% viscose from organic bamboo and 30% organic cotton. (Viscose is a viscous organic liquid produced from a cellulose-based material, e.g. trees. Or bamboo.) Since it’s organic, that means this shirt is made without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified seed, and with less water. One cool thing about bamboo is that it will grow with rainwater as its only source of water (by contrast, cotton requires intensive irrigation to be grown commercially).

Bamboo has many impressive qualities: it will grow just about anywhere except Antarctica; it grows up to 3 feet a day; it is stronger than oak; it will grow without cultivation; it produces more oxygen than trees; it is insanely renewable.

But, you might be wondering, what are bamboo T-shirts like?

Bamboo fabric makes T-shirts that are softer than any cotton T-shirt you’ve ever worn, yet are quite durable. They hold their shape wash after wash (ONNO pre-washes them to minimize shrinkage) — just toss them in the machine (or beat them on a rock), toss them in the dryer (or line dry), and put them back on.

People rave about the comfort of bamboo tees: light, airy, and soft. They wick better than cotton. They are about as soft as silk. Girls will want to touch you. Often. You think I’m kidding? Here’s what one online-reviewer said about ONNO bamboo T-shirts:

“Bamboo T-shirts are the greatest shirt I’ve ever worn. The material is silkier than cotton, they wick away sweat, stay cooler when it’s hot and warmer in colder weather. Aside from a slight shrinkage, I wear this shirt to work, to play and to bed. If the world all wore bamboo, we’d all be touching each other.”

Bottom line: you will like this T-shirt.

ONNO is known for the quality of its organic-cotton clothing and tote bags. They are a Better Business Bureau-accredited business. They purchase carbon offsets to reduce their carbon footprint. They are a member of the Organic Trade Association. And they are fanatical about using the best raw materials to make their clothing.

You should check out their organic cotton and hemp T-shirts as well.

Click for men's bamboo T-shirts at ONNO

Anyway, get yourself a short-sleeve or long-sleeve bamboo T-shirt from ONNO and judge for yourself. They come in 19 different colors — yes, 19 — and 7 different sizes. (For colors, click on the “Color Chart” button on their respective T-shirt pages.) You should be able to find one to fit your style. Or several. They’re priced at only $26, which is comparable to regular cotton T-shirts. The thing that is not comparable is that, as cotton clothing goes up in price, bamboo will stay about the same. Heh. Thus the point of this final post.

By the way, ONNO also offers wholesale pricing. If you want to buy a whole bunch of cotton shirts to put your logo on, or whatever, they can cover orders like that. They have wholesale info on their website.

That about wraps up 10 Days of T-Shirts. I hope you’ve found this series of posts helpful, and I hope you’ll enjoy wearing some hip new cotton (or bamboo) T-shirts. (Of course, I’ll be highlighting more superior T-shirts — and the companies that make them — as I discover them in the future, so this isn’t my last word on the topic.) One final note: remember that whenever you buy a product from any of the outstanding businesses recommended here over the past several days, not only are you getting top-of-the-line goods, you are voting with your dollars for high quality and excellent customer service. Not a bad thing to do with your consumer dollar.

If you have found something interesting or useful here on Best Stuff for Men, please consider making a donation, so others can benefit, too. Thanks!

Want to Help the Japanese Economy Recover? Shop at Rakuten

ECJ — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 05:22:28 +0000

You may be wondering how to help the people of Japan cope with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occurred March 11. You can do it by buying goods from Japanese companies online. This post tells you the best way to shop Japan via the Internet.

One idea for economic recovery that I have not seen mentioned is to shop directly with Japanese businesses online. Americans and others around the world have donated millions of dollars through various relief organizations, such as the Red Cross, and many others have traveled to Japan to volunteer their services. But, while donations of money satisfy the immediate need to get supplies to the people in the towns of the tsunami-ravaged Tohoku region, dollars can be infused into the Japanese economy long-term by shopping via the Internet from anywhere in the world at Rakuten.

Click to explore Rakuten's huge online mall

Many people outside Japan have not heard of Rakuten. It is an online shopping company. It is Japan’s equivalent of Amazon. The Japanese name “Rakuten Ichiba” translates to “Rakuten Shopping Mall,” which is exactly what it is — an aggregation of 33,000 Japanese shops and businesses. This huge online shopping site offers 60 million products. Rakuten is the second most visited site in Japan, with over 50 million registered users. In fact, this Internet shopping giant is the reason Amazon has not been able to make much headway into the Japanese market. It is estimated that one-third of households in Japan shop at Rakuten. And that says something: Japanese consumers, particularly online, are known for being finicky and demanding. Rakuten has met their needs to the point that it is now one of the top ten Internet companies in the world, and has an international presence. In addition to products, it also has its own extensive travel services site, which anyone in the world can use.

Rakuten is now actively expanding its shopping services in other markets throughout the world, including Europe and the United States. Amazon may be the largest online shopping company, but sheer size is no guarantee of quality (Microsoft sells more operating systems than any other company but no one thinks their OS is the best, and General Motors became the largest automaker in the world selling cars inferior to a number of other makes), so I would not be surprised if, in a few years, Rakuten has noticeably eroded Amazon’s market share. You can think of Rakuten as the Honda of online retailing.

What does that mean with respect to helping the Japanese economy weather the aftermath of the earthquake?

We know that the world’s economic fortunes are subject to ripple effects that transcend national boundaries. Mortgage foreclosures in the American mid-west affect the value of the Euro. The price of labor in China impacts how much Walmart pays its US workers. The Russian wheat harvest affects the price of food in Delhi and Des Moines. With respect to the world economy, Japan is a titan, boasting the third largest economy after the US and China. So any financial woes that Japan experiences as a result of the triple whammy of the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation contamination from damaged nuclear power plants will affect not only the Japanese people but people in the United States and around the world. (Already, it is projected that demand for the Prius will not be able to be met, since there are parts suppliers for the car in the affected region. And US beef exports to Japan may be hampered by damaged port facilities.) In other words, the domino effect from an economic slowdown in Japan coupled with the need to re-build infrastructure could affect your personal financial situation. So it behooves you to help your neighbor.

Thus, if you shop for Japanese goods, you can help not only Japanese businesses and consumers as they recover and re-build, but your own economy as well. The easiest (and most enjoyable) way to shop in Japan from outside Japan is Rakuten. Spend a few bucks there, get yourself some interesting, well-made Japanese products, and you’ll be helping float everyone’s boat. After all, just imagine what it would have meant to a local hardware or stationery store in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina if they had had a steady influx of customers… If they had experienced damage or hardship from the hurricane, sure, packets of freeze-dried food and blankets would have met their immediate physical needs, but long-term, it’s customers buying from businesses that sustain an economy, whether in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi or Ofunato, Japan.

You can find just about any kind of product at Rakuten, from books to ice cream to motorcycle parts. But why not get something interesting or unusual? How about:

Sake
Momotaro Jeans (maybe the best jeans in the world)
Japanese Sandals
Tea Sets
Samurai Clothes and Accessories
Edible Seaweed from Ofunato (the northeast region)

You can also try using the search field on the Rakuten homepage to search for city names in the northeast region, such as Sendai, Kamaishi, Miyako, and Kuji, in order to find stores in those cities from which to buy. Keep in mind that operations at those stores might be curtailed or slowed for awhile — but they will still appreciate the business!

Rakuten currently ships to over 50 countries (and the list is expanding) and their site has pages optimized for a number of countries, including the USA, Canada, China, France, and the UK. If you’re outside Japan, when you place an order you’ll usually be put in touch via email with the shop that sells the item to arrange a shipping method and cost. (Note that some shops offer special free international shipping promotions, or $1 international shipping.) There is a weight restriction on items shipped to the US via certain carriers, but many shops can arrange a shipping method to the US that gets around this limit.

When you first explore the site, you may wonder where to go and how to approach it, but anyone familiar with online shopping can quickly figure it out. Explore. In addition, they have a handy instructional page here.

Think of it as an adventure, man. As well as a good deed.

Here’s a testimonial from a customer in the US posted on the Rakuten site:

“I recently found Rakuten via Facebook, and boy I couldn’t be happier. As a person interested in Japanese culture, this website is great. I’ve found many things I had been looking for as well as new items that have caught my eye. The website is well laid out and very intuitive to navigate. And the search feature is one of the better ones I’ve encountered for a merchant website. And this is all from a website that isn’t set up for business in the USA. If the USA website is half as good, then it’ll be better than most merchants that I’ve purchased from. by Nick M – NJ, USA”

Hey, if Nick can do it, you can, too. And remember, you’ll be helping the cause. It all adds up.

If you have found something interesting or useful here on Best Stuff for Men, please consider making a donation, so others can benefit, too. Thanks!

Get Ready for Your Super Bowl Party, Part 2: Food

ECJ — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:54:44 +0000

Now that you’ve taken care of your party-ware, decorations, and equipment for your Super Bowl party (and if you haven’t, see my previous post on Super Bowl party supplies), it’s time to put the crowning touch on it: food.

The heart of any well-executed, successful gathering is the food. And though this is a party focused on a football game, the food you serve will be at least as memorable (if you do it right) as the big plays and the commercials.

Of course, this being a Super Bowl party and all, your main dish will probably be meat. What kind of meat is up to you, but you can’t go wrong by offering several options. The question then is: where to get it?

Now, it may seem a little odd that I’m recommending getting your Super Bowl party food online (after all, can’t you just go to the supermarket and pick up some ground beef?), especially if you’ve never ordered food online before, but it’s a sure path to scrumptiousness and the appreciation of your guests. Think about it. Most people are still not terribly accustomed to ordering food online. Therefore, the companies that have been successfully selling food online for awhile must be doing something very right. In other words, they have a superior product. That being the case, you can’t go wrong by patronizing the following online merchants.

Classic Steakburger from Kansas City Steak Company

First, the meat. Here your go-to source is Kansas City Steak Company. Since 1932, they’ve been supplying top-quality meat, raised in the mid-west (as you’d expect from a company established in Kansas), to discerning carnivores throughout the nation. They’ve embraced the most modern distribution channels over the decades, so it’s only fitting that they’ve established a successful presence on the Internet. Their steaks are second to none (for example, their Wagyu Kobe Filet Mignon), but since this is a Super Bowl party and not the celebration of your company being bought by Google, you’ll probably want to go with their specialty steakburgers and hot dogs. You don’t have to be completely traditional, though. Kansas City Steak Company also offers chicken and turkey, ribs, and seafood. And when you’re done eating all that, they even provide gourmet desserts. (See compliments for Kansas City Steak Company from the knowledgeable guys at Chowhound.)

A side of smoked salmon from Mackenzie Limited

But as I said, you will score even more points with your guests by going with several meat options. And to expand your fare, rely on Mackenzie Limited. Their claim to fame is smoked salmon. I mean, really good smoked salmon, including smoked salmon from Scotland. In business since 1984, Mackenzie Limited has expanded its catalog over the years to include 350 of the best gourmet products available online. (In fact, you might want to add to your bucket list: “Eat every kind of food that Mackenzie Limited sells at least once.”) They offer lamb, beef, pork, caviar, duck, turkey, and chicken — even vegetarian entrées (should for some reason you wish to go in that direction for a party celebrating football’s most intensive gladitorial mayhem). They even have hors d’oeuvres — and for starters, you should definitely consider offering your guests some warm lobster spread and artichoke gruyere dip. They have desserts, too. For example, their Whoopie Pies – shaped like X’s and O’s – are perfect for a gridiron get-together.

If you’re a particular fan of hot dogs, you also might want to expand your links options with sausages, frankfurters, and knockwurst from Gourmet Food Store, such as the duck and pork sausage with figs (pictured at left). They have a variety of sausages made in the old-world European style, including kielbasa and Spanish chorizo. Get some good hot dog buns, a few condiments (from Gourmet Food Store — or see below for further condiment sources) and you’ll be set. To purchase hot dog buns in quantity and save, you can go to Food Service Direct. They have, for example, Mountain Farm whole grain hot dog buns. And if you need additional kitchen implements or hard-to-find food items, Food Service Direct has about 50,000 high-quality products from which to choose. Or try the gluten-free tapioca hot dog buns from ENER-G (from Buy.com in bulk).

If you want to go in a more premium direction — think surf-and-turf — you can add lobster to your steakburgers (or steak) by going to Lobsters-Online, a company located on Cape Cod that for over 35 years has been shipping lobsters and other seafood throughout the USA. They have expanded their offerings to include free-range, grass-fed beef from Montana, so you can take advantage of their lobster-tail-and-meat combos or their surf-and-turf feasts. Click here to see all their delicious offerings and to order (and to find out how to handle your live lobsters after they’re delivered).

Pommery Meaux Grain Mustard from Fairway Marketplace

Getting back to hors d’oeuvres and other things to complement your meal, I wanted to mention that Sur La Table, well-known by cooking aficionados for their extensive inventory of high-quality kitchen tools and equipment, also has food — quite a large selection of good things to eat.

And in that regard, if you’re in any way a cheese lover — and, when you have some crackers around, who isn’t? — you should check out their collection. They particularly feature cheeses from the Di Bruno Brothers company of Philadelphia and Academia Barilla in Italy. If you want some unusual, excellent cheese for your party, try the Di Bruno American Cheese Sampler. And for sandwich condiments and meat marinades, check out Sur La Table’s condiments section — blue cheese dijon mustard, cranberry horseradish sauce, and smoky apple barbecue sauce, among others.

Plus, if you need a charcoal starter, an indoor grill (could be raining or snowing that day, you know), a meat thermometer, or a grill pan, they’ve got that covered, as well.

A second excellent place to get all sorts of unusual appetizers and exotic foods online is Fairway Marketplace, New York City’s legendary market, whose slogan is “Like No Other Market.” Foodies in New York are devoted to Fairway Market, so you know they must have something on the ball. Click the previous text link to check their selection of food, coffee, condiments, sauces, and more. Or just click on the picture of the Pommery Meaux Grain Mustard above to get some for your burgers and brats (trust me, this is great mustard).

Another online store known for their comprehensive supply of cooking equipment is Cooking.com but again, you might not be aware that they carry a lot of tasty food items, too, such as: a 2-pound sampler of favorite igourmet cheeses, Australian Watercrackers, Paula Deen Hot Sauce and Marsh Mud Cookies, etc. And if you’re looking for some appetizing recipes, they have over 8,000 to browse, including football party appetizers.

Carnitas from MexGrocer

Click for a serving basket from Mex Grocer

Nowadays it’s hard to find a party anywhere in America that doesn’t include at least a bit of Mexican fare. I mean, how did we get along, appetizer-wise, before tortilla chips and guacamole? Tacos and burritos have become almost as popular as hamburgers. Salsa can be found on top of almost anything, and then there are refried beans and carnitas… If you want interesting Mexican food to spice up your Super Bowl shindig, check out MexGrocer, the popular and highly-rated site for anything and everything having to do with Mexican cuisine. They offer, for example, complete kits for preparing your own tamales. They have more brands of salsa than you can shake a piñata at (I like Herdez myself), as well as habanero sauces, many kinds of dried and canned peppers, and chorizo. They have sections devoted to gourmet foods and Mexican recipes. And, of course, all the hardware you need to cook the stuff. Oh, and dozens of types of tortilla (and other) chips. The site is easily navigated and the prices and customer service are good.

And if you want to get even more exotic in the food department with your appetizers and main dishes, go to La Tienda – authentic food and kitchen items from Spain: paella, serrano ham, bread, wine, cheese, olives, and more. Their site repays repeated exploration — you can feel yourself absorbing more worldliness as you wander through it (not to mention getting hungry). Even if you choose another direction than Spanish food for your Super Bowl bash, you’ll want to come back to La Tienda for a future event or just to try something for yourself. Once you do, you’ll likely be a customer for life.

Now for a bit different kind of service: if you’re in Green Bay Packers land (i.e., most of Wisconsin), and environs, you can order groceries from Peapod – everything from brats to pizza to pickles to beer to soda. They deliver within certain areas on the east coast, too. Click here to take advantage of food and related items delivered to your door, including fully cooked meals. Why go out and shop at various stores when you can order everything you want online – from meat to fresh vegetables — and have it brought over for a nominal fee? You can use the time you save to make final adjustments to your fantasy football team. Or to get creative in the kitchen. Or for sleeping. Once you experience the convenience of Peapod’s service, it becomes habit-forming. You’ll wonder why you ever wasted all that time driving and shopping. Go to their site now to see if they’re available in your area (and, for a limited time, get $10 off your first order using code PPAFF10). If you’re in Manhattan, you can get $15 off your first order using code NYCJ15. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, you can save $20 off your first order at Peapod.com using code AFFL20.

Another extensive online shopping service is offered by Ozbo. And not only do they have hundreds of thousands of products, including popular brands of prepared foods and other groceries, they discount everything, sometimes quite impressively. People are finding they can use Ozbo to get many of their most useful and perishable household items (such as diapers, pet supplies, batteries, and paper towels), save money, and have everything delivered right to their door. Party-wise, they have popular brands of chips, condiments, snacks, olives, pickles, etc., not to mention balloons and decorative napkins. Additionally, customers tend to rave about Ozbo’s customer service (they’re a Shopwiki approved store, for one thing). There’s a reason Ozbo has experienced explosive growth since its founding over 30 years ago — they do things right, now offering over 1,000,000 products on the Web, and prompt shipping. Use the search box below to find what you want at Ozbo.

Chocolate-covered mini-pretzels from Chocolate.com

You know, thinking about snacks and appetizers, I want to make a suggestion here for something that would most likely be a hit at your party: chocolate-covered pretzels. What could be better than a combination of two of the most popular snack foods ever? If you go with them, your party will become legendary. You can serve them before kickoff, during halftime, and for dessert. Some of your guests will gorge themselves and beg for more. They will be grateful. You will be known as a party-hosting god. Find over 150 types of chocolate-covered pretzels at Chocolate.com. Offer different versions, and you will become a legend among your friends.

Cookies from Dancing Deer Baking Co.

Speaking of dessert, have you thought about that? You can’t have an outstanding feast without including something sweet at the end. There are impressive dessert options available at the companies listed above. However, I want to mention two more… First: Dancing Deer Baking Co.. In particular, their cookies are excellent, though they also carry brownies and cakes, too. Cookies are easy to serve and everybody likes them (particularly from Dancing Deer).

And second, if you want to go all out in a decadent direction, Savorique will supply the pièce de résistance your party deserves. They have just about any sweet thing you can imagine, but their cheesecakes are a special, gourmet dessert treat. (And this treat will help soothe the feelings of football fans if their team loses. Though it might require more than one piece.)

I know I haven’t mentioned much about beverages until now. Obviously, you’re gonna want something to drink. You’ll probably have some ideas about that (and maybe have your guests simply BYOB) and you don’t necessarily need to find your soda, beer, and whatnot online, but there is one thing that you can get online that might be better than what you’ll find at your local supermarket: wine.

If you’re doing a more elegant and sophisticated Super Bowl party, then you’ll probably want to offer some wine (for example, to go with your Ribeye Steaks or Spanish ham). And the place to go for wine recommendations and good prices on top-flight vintages is Personal Wine. They have high-quality wine for as little as $15 a bottle (and you can add a personalized label, which might be fun for the party) and, if you’re not sure what to try, browse the recommendations and reviews by their expert staff. For example, to go with steak: ’04 Wings Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.

After so much good food, some people will want coffee (particularly if it’s a cold day). The best choice here is Marley Coffee, a company run by Bob Marley’s son Rohan.

Though some might prefer tea. After all, it’s getting more popular and the health benefits are pretty significant. Who says a nice cup of green tea won’t complement the 12 ounces of beef you just consumed? It might add the crowning touch to your satiation. One of the best places to get tea, from Earl Gray to Rainforest Mate, is Mighty Leaf Tea.

On the other hand, maybe you just want to have a party focused almost exclusively on viewing the game — after all, that’s what everybody’s there for, right? Football. Some Super Bowl. You want to concentrate on watching two of the most successful NFL franchises in history knock each other’s heads off. Who has the bandwidth to eat much? But you’ll still want some nosh, if only to have something to do with your hands when you’re not throwing them up in the air at the bad calls. So: popcorn. That’s right, the snack that accompanies every quintessential American pastime. But not just any popcorn… you want popcorn made on your own popcorn machine from Stargate Cinema. Delicious and plentiful. Plus you can watch it pop. Your buddies will be impressed. Then, they’ll be even more impressed when it’s time to watch the game and you sit down on your Fortress Theater Seating chairs.

Popcorn, big overstuffed individual recliners, high-def TV, and the Super Bowl. What could possibly be better?

Now you’re ready for some football.

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Get Ready for Your Super Bowl Party, Part 1: Party Supplies and Accessories

ECJ — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:54:52 +0000

Click here to get a Super Bowl XLVI pennant

The biggest football day of the year is coming up and you’re planning on having a Super Bowl party, aren’t you? You know — whether it’s just a couple of your buds, a bag of chips and some brews, or you invite a crowd that fills every room of your house — football goes better with a bunch of friends. Following are ideas and resources for football-themed party supplies, decorations, and other stuff to help you host a Super Bowl party that you and your guests will enjoy. (Even if the game itself doesn’t live up to the hype.)

There are some good places online to get supplies for football game parties or a Super Bowl party specifically. I’ve combed the Internet to find the best deals and prices, plus suggestions for fun items you might want to include, from football-shaped serving trays to NFL Team gear to the right TV on which to watch the game…

First, you need some basic football party supplies — cups for beverages, plates for brats, pretzels, and burgers, bowls for chili, utensils to spear and scoop things, and napkins to save your couch from greasy fingerprints. How elaborate you get after those basics (table cloth, balloons, inflatable cooler?) is up to you (and is probably somewhat determined by whether you share your abode with a female). Where can you get Super-Bowl-themed eating equipment like that? Why, from BuyCostumes, of course.

For example, Super Bowl XLV plastic cups:

And a football-shaped serving tray:

Football-shaped serving tray

BuyCostumes is a lot more than just a costume store. Think of them as your one-stop event shop. They have everything you need to focus your Super Bowl party, to give it fun authenticity. Plus make it convenient: plastic silverware, paper plates — everything that can be thrown away (or recycled) afterwards, which is the American way. Or simply order a football party kit that’s pre-made. This year, you especially might want kits for the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the other hand, if you take environmental considerations into account, you can get biodegradable plates, utensils, and other stuff at BuyGreen (which is also the American way).

Galvanized Tub for drinks

Want another good place to shop for sports-themed and football-themed decorations and gear? Try Wayfair.

For example, get a Galvanized Drink Tub to fill up with ice and cold beverages:

And a personalized football bar sign with your name:

You can use Kaskey Kids football guys to decorate a cake...or whatever.

Another decoration option that you might not think of is to use the football guys action figures from Kaskey Kids to decorate a cake, or cupcakes, or just set them up for the kids to play with during the party, or put them out on your serving table. They’ll lend a fun, almost “throwback” atmosphere, however you use them — the nostalgia for when you were first learning about the game as a kid. And Kaskey Kids sports action figures are fun to play with the rest of the year, too. See my in-depth post on all the fun things you can do with Kaskey Kids sports action figures.

A place that has more party supplies than Charlie Sheen is Target. Go to their homepage, and search on “Super Bowl Party.” You’ll find a lot of essential stuff at good prices and often with free shipping.

And another cost-effective place to get your Super Bowl accouterments is Buy.com. For example, check their Super Bowl Tailgate Party Gift Basket and Green Bay Packers 60-oz. pitcher, among other things.

As you’re taking in the game, rooting for your favorite team, getting het up, fan gear helps. For example, wouldn’t it be supportive to have an Aaron Rodgers jersey?

Or a Pittsburgh Steelers hoodie?

Or any of a number of other pieces of gear? The place to get all this is FansEdge.com, the one-stop shop to get everything related to fandom.

Along, that is, with Fathead. How would you like to decorate you wall with a life-size graphic of Troy Polamalu? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Get that and many other exceptionally noticeable life-size sports guy emblems at Fathead.

The Right TV for Watching the Game

Of course, all the party supplies, delicious food, and fan gear will ultimately mean little if you don’t have a TV that lives up to the significance of the game. You can’t watch the game on a 19-inch cathode ray tube television. No, man, you need a good HDTV. And if you’re going to get one, you may as well get the best: the 54-inch Panasonic Viera TC-P54VT25 Plasma HDTV. On this, the Super Bowl will become a religious experience: Religious. Experience.

And here’s a heads-up: Only until February 5, 2011, Sears has all Samsung and Panasonic TVs on sale for up to $1,000 off, plus free shipping on TVs $749 and up.

Not this.

This

Play Football at Your Party with an Official NFL Game Ball

Official NFL Game Football -- what the pros use

And, too, before the party you’ll want to work up a bit of an appetite so, after you become terminally bored with the 7-hour pre-game show, you’ll feel like going out and throwing the ol’ pigskin around with the boys (or girls). For that, you’ll need a pigskin. Don’t skimp on this. Inspiration is not a factor to be trifled with. Get the official Wilson F1100 Leather NFL Game Football from Online Sports — the place to fulfill virtually any sports-related need you have.

NFL Tickets

When it comes to not skimping on things, you might be one of those guys who wants to skip the home Super Bowl party entirely. Instead, you’re the kind of guy who needs to be in the thick of things. You want to be there, at the venue, live. (Or even better, you want to throw your party in a luxury box at the stadium.) If that’s the kind of guy you are, you’ll need tickets. They’re still available. Get them from TicketNetwork, one of the premier places online to acquire great tickets to the best sports events, including Super Bowl XLV packages. If that’s the way you roll, check their website now.

And plan and book your trip to Dallas using Trip Advisor, probably the most trusted travel review and information site in the world. For good deals on flights and lodging, you can also check Easy Click Travel.

Are you ready for some football?

Not quite — you still have to get the food for your party.

MiiR Bottles Are Functional, Customizable, and Socially Beneficial

ECJ — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:41:21 +0000

Now you can get a high-quality water bottle that is both functional and cool. And it benefits other folks! Check out MiiR Bottles here. MiiR is a relatively new company that combines practicality, attractive aesthetics, and a social conscience. These are some of the best water bottles you will find — they work well, you can express yourself with their creative options, and you’re helping a good cause when you buy them.

First, the function: MiiR Bottles are, of course, BPA-free (see my previous post on healthy, BPA-free water bottles). They’re made of recyclable 18/8 stainless steel and are also phthalate-free and lead-free. Even the lids, which are made of #5 polypropylene, have no BPA. They come in 800 ml (27 oz.), 600 ml (20 oz.), and 400 ml (13.5 oz.) sizes. The mouth is a good diameter for drinking, pouring, and adding ice cubes. The bottles’ corners are rounded to eliminate bacteria buildup in the seam. They’re also dishwasher-safe.

Second, the aesthetics: MiiR Bottles currently come in 252 different configurations of color, cap-design, and cap-color, with more on the way. On top of that, you can customize your bottle with a huge selection of “skins” that add an artistic pattern or image to the exterior (which has an inlay panel to accommodate them). You can even design your own skin based on your personal photos or artwork (and, when you submit your design on the MiiR Community site, you’ll be eligible to win $200). The skins are easy to place and remove. And you get a coupon code for a free skin with every bottle you purchase.

Third, your purchase benefits others: MiiR’s special mission is to make sure that every person in the world has access to safe, clean drinking water. Currently, over 1 billion people throughout the world do not have healthy drinking water. Water-borne diseases are a significant killer of children — 4,500 a day. MiiR, along with charitywater.org, has set out to change that. For every bottle MiiR sells, one dollar goes to support projects to provide clean drinking water to those who need it. One dollar provides one person with good drinking water for a year. (See the video at the bottom of this post.)

Update on 9/8/11 — back-to-school deal: Get FREE shipping on orders of $20 or more using coupon code BACK2SCHOOL (ends 9/30/11.) Enter the code at checkout.

Imagine that: buy a cool water bottle and benefit someone significantly for a year. And when you buy any of the one4one design skins, 100% of the purchase goes to charitywater.org, which uses 100% of its donations to fund clean water projects.

Check MiiR’s website — it’s pretty extensive and creatively web-2.0-ish. All of the above is described more fully there. Read their blog to see info on current projects and success stories.

By the way, if you need some additional corroboration regarding their products… Backpacker Magazine chose MiiR Bottles as one of their recommended holiday gifts.

MiiR currently offers free shipping on orders over $40.

If you’d like to see additional water bottle options — such as for lightweight backpacking, or something larger for all-day use, or something collapsible, like the Platypus bottle — see my post on healthy, BPA-free water bottles.

MiiR // Digital Short 001 from MiiR on Vimeo.

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