Don’t get caught this spring without an umbrella! For the environmentally conscious, there are many affordable, eco-friendly umbrellas available to choose from. These umbrellas are non-toxic and composed of either recycled or renewable materials. So here are some great organic umbrellas for the rainy season.

1) Totes Eco ‘brella – An umbrella that keeps me dry on rainy days, is the Totes Eco ‘brella. Made of 70 percent recycled materials, which includes a canopy made out of recycled bottles, while the frame is made of recycled aluminum. Some of the its other features include stylish earth friendly bamboo handle and a waxed hemp strap. The Totes Eco ‘brella is an auto open, close umbrella, which is really convenient. It also comes has a recycled symbol displayed, which is allow you to promote being environmentally conscious.

However, one of the best things about this umbrella is the price. It costs only $21, which is very inexpensive. Plus, it comes in nine different colors, so you can be stylish and eco friendly at the same time. The Totes Eco ‘brella can be found online at totes-isotoner.com

2) Coby Eco Umbrella – The Coby Eco Umbrella is an automatic mini umbrella, that is made of recycled and sustainable materials. It is has a 100% recycled cover along with a bamboo handle and hemp strap. The Coby Eco Umbrella is also waterproofed, so you never have to worry about getting wet. It comes in a beautiful floral print, that is bright and cherry. For only $19.95, this umbrella is a great way to help preserve the earth! It can be purchase at crateandbarrel.com.

3) Target Eco Friendly Fabric Umbrella – Last but not least, there is Target’s Eco Friendly Fabric Umbrella. Made from 100% Recycled PET Plastic Bottles, it is a simple, easy to use umbrella. It shuts with easy to close fastener and has a handle made out of wood. Target’s Eco Friendly Fabric Umbrella offers great rain protection and comes in black. It cost $28.25 and can be found on at target.com.

From “Environment-Friendly Umbrellas Under $30″ published January 08, 2010 at Associated Content, Inc.

City life has its ups and downs, but when it comes to sledding, that’s a good thing. Below, we present our favorite spots to sled in the city. On certain snowy days, the Parks & Recreation Department will provide sleds and hot chocolate.

Manhattan
Many locals swear by the sledding at Central Park’s Pilgrim Hill (Fifth Ave at 72nd Street), but we prefer the less-crowded Riverside Park (at 103rd Street), which boasts great views of the Hudson and gives families more room to zoom. Grab whatever gear you’ll need at C&S Hardware (788 Amsterdam Ave at 98th St; 212-222-8720, csgroupny.com).Subway: 1 to 103rd St.

Brooklyn
Although Fort Greene Park has decent runs, the borough’s best sledding is in Park Slope, on the hill next to Prospect Park’s Tennis House, just off 9th Street and Prospect Park West. Subway: F to Seventh Ave.

Queens
Thrill-seekers have been known to sneak up Forest Park’s “Suicide Hill” despite the Parks Department’s efforts to stop them. For a less dangerous but equally fun ride, head to the park’s Mary Whalen Playground (Park Lane South at 79th St). Nearby, Continental Hardware (102-01 Metropolitan Ave at 71st Ave, Forest Hills; 718-268-9077) sells all kinds of sleds and disks. Subway: E, F, V, R to 71st Ave–Forest Hills.

Staten Island
The inclines at Clove Lakes Park (Martling Ave at Slosson Ave) are so formidable that park staff stack bales of hay at the bottom to prevent kids from gliding into traffic. Doody Home Center (1677 Victory Blvd at Slosson Ave, 718-872-0099) is the sledding shop of choice, located just two blocks away. Travel: From the Staten Island Ferry, take the S60 bus to Victory Blvd.

Bronx
The top sledding spots in historic Crotona Park are at the north end (Fulton Ave  between Crotona Park North and 174th St). Subway: 2, 5 to E 180th St.

From “The dopest slopes for sledding in all of NYC” by Alysia Abbott, published in Time Out New York.

Last meal cooked: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole with an apple tart.

Twenty-two years after appearing on the big screen, and one year after the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers, the film character Gordon Gekko continues to resonate on Wall Street.

The “strip and flip” corporate raider played by Michael Douglas will make his comeback in Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2,” which began filming in New York this week. The sequel is set in 2008 during the run-up to the financial meltdown with Gekko emerging from two decades behind bars.

Stone is bringing back the character famous for his “greed is good” mantra at a time when other titans of Wall Street have fallen from grace and the excesses of the financial industry have come under fire from the White House and an angry public.

Stone called it “a quintessentially American story.”

“Seeing how he manages to survive in this new shark tank 22 years later is a fascinating and challenging proposition,” Stone told Variety. “So much has changed. Not just Gordon Gekko. The world, too.”

Excerpted from “Gordon Gekko character still resonates on Wall St” by Basil Katz, published September 15, 2009 at Reuters.

A homeless man rummaging through garbage on a seedy Brooklyn block made a grisly discovery on Sunday – human bones packed into two suitcases inside large plastic bags.

The vagrant freaked out when he found the bags amid rubbish and overgrown weeds along Walworth St. in Clinton Hill about 10:30 a.m. yesterday, police and a witness said.

“Call the cops! There’s a chopped-up person in the bags!” the man screamed, according to Stanley Grzywacz, 63, a mechanic at a factory across the street who was outside at the time.

“It was a foot with a Timberland shoe and sock,” he said. “I couldn’t see much skin. It was just bone.”

From “Body parts in bags found in Brooklyn” by Joe Jackson and John Lauinger, published August 31, 2009 at New York Daily News.

As of June 24, 2009, there are 34,680 homeless individuals in New York City.

From NYC Department of Homeless Services.

“Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”

– Victor LeBeau, Retail Analyst Post WWII

New York City residents discard more than 65 million hangers every year.

Many dry cleaners are glad to accept metal hangers for reuse, and some have special containers for hanger drop-off. Of the approximately 75 million hangers used by dry cleaners each year, up to 10 percent are returned to dry cleaners.

If you do not bring wire hangers back to your dry cleaner, make sure to recycle them in your blue-labeled bin, along with other small metal items, beverage cartons, bottles, cans, and foil.

From The City of New York

• People who feel the highest personal obligation to not litter are also people who feel a strong sense of identity with their communities, frequent recreational areas, have self-esteem and place special value on a sense of accomplishment, warm relationships, and a sense of belonging.
• People who don’t litter are not necessarily going to pick up other people’s litter. While a good education seems to have a positive effect on individual littering and recycling habits, those with the highest levels of education are not as likely to pick up other people’s litter.
• Younger people litter more, particularly when in groups.
• Littering tends to be less in areas where community recycling is available. The correlation between littering and recycling may be attributed to public education associated with recycling which in turn has increased awareness of litter and a need to properly dispose of it.
• The presence or absence of trash receptacles is not a major factor in littering.
• Education is seen as an essential component of any litter prevention partnership. Education is needed to motivate the participants, including people in the judicial system, law enforcement, county and municipal departments, private industry and the public.

From Urban Litter Partnership, 1998

The weekend snowstorm is gone, but it left icy roads and sidewalks in its wake. And don’t think the wintry weather is over.

A storm with bitter cold air and snow is expected to hit the Tri-State area by the end of the week, bringing overnight wind chills that are expected to hit below zero.

Frigid temperatures will arrive on Wednesday and will last through the weekend. The wind chill factor is expected to make it feel below zero at times.

The National Weather Service says temperatures will dip to 5 to 10 degrees Wednesday night, and there will be a chance of snow showers in portions of the Tri-State area after midnight. Highs on Thursday are expected to be around 20 degrees, before dropping Thursday night to around zero with wind chills as low as 15 below. Forecasters say highs on Friday will only be around 10 to 15 degrees with partly cloudy skies.

From 1010 WINS