The U.S. Marines and their infamous Toys for Tots programs is a mainstay of our holiday season. This year the organization had a bit of a difficult go at meeting their goals. The solution, they say, is cash contributions. Well, it turns out you can donate cash without actually spending any cash of your own. You just need to take some of your time to send free e-cards on Month2Month.com. The website will make a cash contribution to Toys for Tots.

Here's where to get the month2month free eCards. And, here is the press release. Better late than never, and I’m usually late.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Bill Grein
Marine Toys for Tots
V: 703-640-9433
F: 703-640-0917
wjgrein@toysfortots.org
http://www.toysfortots.org

Steven Marcus
Month2Month.com
V: 914-933-2638
F: 501-325-9147
smarcus@month2month.com
http://www.month2month.com

Marines Toys for Tots Needs Last Minute Help
Quantico, VA. December 21, 2007 / PR Newswire – The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is making a nationwide last minute appeal for more toys. Since time is critical as they go into their toy distribution phase this weekend the Foundation is encouraging people to make cash contributions because it allows them to purchase the toys they need to fill in gaps and match the remaining needs.

One novel way to get cash immediately into the hands of the Marines is to send lots of holiday eCards to everyone you know. Month2Month.com, a free eCard website has agreed to contribute up to $50,000 when their cards are sent and received.
Bill Grein, Vice President for Marines Toys for Tots, said: “Cash contributions are critical for us at this time because we can purchase the toys we need and can place them where they are needed most at the last minute. It will help us close a gap in many areas where the economy, toy recalls and even bad weather have caused us to come short of our goals so far. We urge everyone to take advantage of this wonderful offer from Month2Month.”

John Aslanian, CEO of Month2Month.com said: “We are expecting to have 1 million cards sent in the next few days that could result in a contribution of up to $50,000. We know that for some the economy might be putting a crimp in their generosity. But what this can do is to save them the cost of buying cards and the postage. We are asking everyone to send these cards, even if they already sent other cards, to help make this a merry Christmas and happy holiday for many more needy children.”

Month2Month.com cards are all produced by top-notch artists working in a loft studio just outside of New York City. The cards show great care in design and detail and often take weeks or months to complete. They are all professionally animated often requiring hundreds of frames to get the motion to look smooth and flowing. Month2Month.com is a privately held online greeting company founded in 2005. The site offers free high quality online greeting cards and can be found at http://www.month2month.com.
This year marks the 60th anniversary for the Toys for Tots tradition of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. In 2006, Toys for Tots delivered more than 19.2 million toys to over 7.6 million children.

Yes, whale watching.

Northern Right Whale Spotted in Florida

The Northern Right Whales were named as such, because fishermen are said to have commented they were the “right” whale to hunt – since they were so slow, swim close to shore, and float once they are killed. Because they were indeed always so easy to hunt, they have become a rarity in the animal kingdom. There are thought to be only about 400 of this endangered species alive today.

Nonetheless, one was spotted today off Melbourne Beach’s coast. That’s on the Atlantic side of the state, for those of you not familiar with Florida.

Apparently, the whale is swimming south with the dolphins. The North Atlantic Right Whale spends summer, spring and autumn north of here, but heads to the waters around Florida in the winter to give birth.

Last week, two Northern Right Whales were spotted off a Volusia County beach.

For those of you who think living in Florida means warm, sunny days all the year long, think again. We do actually get winter down here. It does not last as long as it will up north, but we have our share of the chills down this way as well. There are absolutely days and nights I put on two pairs of socks and a sweater, and bundle up under a blanket with the heat on in the house.

In the Tampa area, we get the occasional frost warning and there are weeks in January when we will put on our sweaters and fire up room heaters. There is not usually cause to heat the entire house. When in lived up in Gainesville, though, it cold and stayed cold for a good long time. The most economical way to heat the house was to put the furnace on low and use room heaters just in the rooms where you were sleeping or watching TV. When I was pregnant, I hunkered down in bed with a space heater close by for days on end. North Florida can get cold!

Friends of ours had a gas “fireplace” they liked to use for the cold days. It looked nice and really warmed up the room. They had gas infrared heaters in other rooms, which I found fascinating, because before then I thought all stand-alone heaters were electric only. They used their ceiling fans to circulate the heat out to the other rooms. It kept things cozy.

I just got back from seeing The Water Horse. I did not get to go to this movie with my daughter, because her dad took her yesterday, but I did see it with my 6-year-old nephew.

I’ll start off my addressing whether or not I think this movie is appropriate for children. All of the actual content of the film is absolutely appropriate for a child of almost any age. There is no objectionable language (except for the use of the word “bloody” once or twice) and the only time we see drinking is when older men have a drink in a pub or while fishing, and when the housekeeper is kicking back with a drink and the radio during a thunderstorm. There is smoking depicted, but this is Scotland in 1942. Smoking was prevalent.

There are some scenes where a dog chases the Water Horse, who I will call Caruso from here on out. The action may be too intense for small children. I imagine my daughter would have been a little frightened. There is a scene where we see an elk that has been shot by a hunter. It is not gory, but a child is shown acting upset over the sight. We also see gunfire, as the military shoots at Caruso. That could upset small children.

The death of a parent is alluded to and although the references are subtle, most children will probably pick up on the theme. The subject is dealt with tastefully and you see a lot of growth in the characters through their reaction to the matter.

The story of the relationship between Caruso and the boy, Angus, is lovely. It is going to be easy for most any child to relate to the love and affection between these two. Caruso is given very human facial expressions and reactions, so he is a character you do indeed find yourself feeling drawn to and wanting to cheer for during the movie. This is one cute “monster”! The graphics are stunningly realistic and charming, all at the same time. That alone is worth the price of a ticket.

I would say that children ages six and over will come away breathless and starry-eyed.; Younger children may have some scenes they find frightening, but the images and the action are really not harrowing or negative.

As an adult, I loved it for its realistic portrayal of life during WWII and skillful cinematography.