Wise Ideas

Kindle This, Bezos!

Call me crazy, but I just can't picture myself cuddling up in bed or laying on a beach with a good Kindle in my hands.

Just in case you've missed Jeff Bezos's promotional appearances this week on The Today Show and The Daily Show among others -- which in the olden days (last week?) might have even been called a "book" tour -- Amazon has introduced its second generation electronic Kindle, also known among TV hosts apparently as the iPod for books.  (Why not iBook?  Let's not go there).

The dictionary definition of the word "kindle" is either 1)  to set fire to, or 2) to arouse or be aroused.  I'm still not sure whether Amazon intended to set fire to books and replace them with Kindle, or if it meant to arouse new interest in reading books with its handy-dandy techy tool. 

Regardless, what the release of Kindle 2 has done is again ignite the debate over whether the device will be the death of books.  In a good pros-and-cons explanation of what the Kindle does, and whether or not it poses a threat to that old copy of Gone With the Wind you've saved for your daughter, The NYTimes's David Pogue predicts books are here to stay because "nothing ever replaces anything."  Tell that to Columbia, Atlantic, Chess, Blue Note, and all those other old record makers (you know, LPs?!).  

But despite America's willingness these days to embrace all things high-speed and download-able, Bezos is still struggling with his pitch, hampered by a crazy-bizarre laugh and bald head that reminds the tech bloggers at the Chicago Tribune of Lex Luther.   

But Bezos is undeterred by the mainstream media critics, because the tech media seems to generally love Kindle.  "Kindle 2 Brings Books Closer to e-Nirvana" crows Wired.  Despite that kind of praise though, the death of the book may be greatly exaggerated.  "Are the improvements big enough for the Kindle 2 to spark an iPod effect, causing bookstores to shutter, forests to grow unchecked and the tomes on our shelves to disappear, replaced by plants and bobble-head dolls? Not any time soon," Wired says.

On the surface, the Kindle does seem kinda cool.  Page turning buttons, easy to read paperback book size display which you can even change the font on, a powerful built-in battery that Amazon says will last up to 5 days, and a bunch of other sexy features.  But it doesn't come free.  Kindle will set you back $360.  And each downloaded book - off Amazon of course - will cost you $9.99.  But lose the Kindle, and you lose your library -- reason enough many readers preferred to consume their books the old-fashioned way.

Whew!  You can almost hear the sighs of relief from everyone I'm surrounded by right now -- at the library, which happens to feature nearly as many titles as the Kindle can hold (1,500), BUT FOR FREE.  And you can take them to the beach, get sand in them, dog-ear the pages, and when you're done return them so someone else can do the same thing.  

Kindle that, Bezos. 

Scholastic Scolded for Getting Kids to Read

Both of my kids have bins in their rooms for junk toys.  Specifically, I'm talking about all the cheap toys they have collected from birthday party goodie bags, Happy Meals, and Scholastic Book Club orders.

This explains why I was not surprised to read this week that a consumer watchdog group is accusing Scholastic of using its book club programs to push cheezy toys on kids, like the bracelet (now broken) that came with the crappy Bratz Doll book (yes - I gave in to whining!).

Responding to complaints by a number of parents, a non-profit group called the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood launched an investigation and found that one third of the items offered in the Scholastic Lucky Club and Arrow Club fliers that kids bring home monthly were either not books, or books packaged with other items, primarily toys.  Anyone who has gone to a Scholastic Book Fair at their child's school (a fundraiser schools which earn points to buy books) knows this to be true. 

And,like moths to a flame - kids are drawn to the books with toys. 

Judy Newman, President of Scholastic, tells The NYTimes that doesn't mean that the kids aren't reading.  Although from my experience, I would argue the opposite. "Marketing in schools is a privilege and not a right," Susan Linn, director of the Campaign tells The Times, "Scholastic is abusing that privilege." 

But if the Campaign For a Commercial-Free Childhood is so against the toys-that-come-with-books marketing concept -- why did it not make an issue over the books themselves. Because as any parent who's thumbed through a Scholastic Book brochure can tell you -- half the books are all about marketing.  Not toys - but TV! 

Nearly pushing the Harry Potters and the Junie B. Jones's off the Scholastic flier pages are the SpongeBob's and Hannah Montana's and JoBros and High School Musicals and all the other TV-show themed books that seem to cry "waste your money on me" to every child under the age of 12.  And while some parents might argue that "at least my kid is reading," I would say that the TV-themed books get looked at and tossed aside immediately because they are dull, boring, and poorly written.  These are books you CAN tell by their cover. 

But Nickelodeon, Disney, movie studios and toy makers like Mattel know a ripe audience when they see one.  Scholastic Book Clubs and Fairs are big business.  More than three-quarters of all U.S. teachers participate in the program, which as The Christian Science Monitor reports, breaks down to "more than 2.2 million US school children," earning Scholastic nearly $337 million last year alone.

But despite the toys and Spongebob books, I as a parent am willing to cut Scholastic a break.  It has spent the past 60 years selling reading by selling books, a model which Scholastic's Judy Newman says has become increasingly difficult in this media age.  "We’re losing kids’ interest (in reading). We have to keep them engaged,” Newman tells The Times. 

Scholastic Book Club is doing what it can to stay relevant.  And if it takes a SpongeBob book to get a reluctant reader to try the Geronimo Stilton series placed next to it....then Scholastic has my blessing.  Despite the crappy toys. 

The New Starbucks, Sans Coffee

There's a new hot hang-out spot in your neighborhood.  It doesn't sell mocha-chinos or pastries.  Nor does it have comfy overstuffed couches, modern tables or a home-y ambiance accompanied by trendy background music.   But it does have free wi-fi, computer access and more reading, listening and viewing materials than you could consume in a lifetime.

The new hippest spot in town is your local library, which is benefiting from a broken economy by drawing crowds it hasn't seen since - well - ever. 

During flush times, the library was the last spot you'd find the in-crowd, which chose instead to hang-out where it could drop $5 on a gingerbread latte while listening to old Joni Mitchell music on a compilation CD (available for $9.99 at the counter!). 

But lo and behold, Americans are rediscovering their libraries...which have the same bestsellers as Borders, except you can take them home for free if you're willing to wait a week or two.  They also have CDs, audio books, DVDs, newspapers and magazines and free Internet access for the price of a library card -- which, did I mention, is free. 

Because my son and I go to a nearby library nearly every day after school to do homework, I can anecdotally tell you that in the past three months, the crowd at our local library branch has more than doubled. 

But don't take my word for it. The Boston Globe recently called the library a "recession sanctuary," and quoted statistics from coast to coast proving its renewed popularity:

"Checkouts of books, CDs, and DVDs are up 15 percent at the main library in Modesto, Calif. In Boulder, Colo., circulation of job-hunting materials is up 14 percent. Usage of the Newark Public Library in New Jersey is up 17 percent. Library card requests have increased 27 percent in the last half of 2008 in San Francisco. The Boise Public Library reported a 61 percent increase in new library cards in 2008. In Brantley County, Georgia, library computer usage was up 26 percent in the last quarter."

"This is when the branches can shine as a community gathering place and at a time when people are seeking answers to life improvement," Boston Public Library President Amy Ryan tells The Globe. 

But what's ironic about the library's new shine is that the very thing that's making it more popular - the crummy economy - is also threatening its existence.

Countless library branches nationwide face reduced hours, services and even total closure as cities make deep budget cuts.  Google "library budget cuts" or read this Parade article from December, and you'll learn about countless communities where libraries have already suffered through a first round of budget cuts last year - and face even more drastic cuts this year.

Traditionally, the people that have come to the rescue of libraries during tight fiscal times have been small, loyal and deep-pocketed "Friends" groups, as the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.  But even these best Friends are being stretched thin by this mother-of-all recessions. 

These days, libraries across the country have a whole new group of Friends re-acquainting themselves with these community treasures that in recent years have served mainly as quiet havens for long-time book lovers and families seeking weekend "Story Times." 

The old Starbucks crowd seems to have found a new hang-out.  And just in time.  Because as times get tougher, libraries are going to need all the new Friends they can get.

Mall-ed!

After months of depressing emptiness, a crowd finally showed up at my local mall yesterday - but not because of the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale. 

Unfortunately, that crowd turned into an unruly mob of hormonally-pumped teen girls, who ended up actually stampeding the shopping center in search of the star of the upcoming movie "Twilight."

"Twilight," for those of you without teenage girls in the house, is the mega-hit young adult book series about vampires, which is hitting the big screen on November 21st.   And ironically, in the midst of Monday's incident at Stonestown Galleria Mall in San Francisco, blood was drawn when the mass of girls crushed forward into the mall's closed doors, leaving several young ladies injured. 

The crowd of up to 3,000 young girls (and boys - who just go where the girls are), were waiting for 22-year old Robert Pattinson, who some of you might recognize because he played Cedric in the Harry Potter movie series.  However, Pattinson's appearance was canceled after the riot.

However, as any mother can tell you, teen girls don't give up that easy.  By nightfall, the crowd had diminished, but still curled around the block.  So, according to The Contra Costa Times, "the actor agreed to sign autographs for the first 500 customers who were in line that morning, but the scheduled question-and-answer session was canceled."

This morning, other than a bunch of Big Gulp cups and other trash left behind, there are no signs of the crowd at Stonestown Mall.  Which again, is unfortunate for the retailers at Stonestown Mall - who can only dream of such crowds turning up at their Veteran's Day sales today.

Panic Button

With all due respect to Gallup  - I don't know anybody out there right now who needs a poll to tell them how angry and alarmed Americans are right now about the state of the nation.  And if the two men competing for the Presidency actually need poll numbers to tell them what issues they should be addressing right now, then neither one of them deserves the job. 

Last night's presidential debate took place at a time when a record low 9-percent of Americans say they are pleased with the way things are going in the country.  Gallup politely calls this "deeply dissatisfied."  I call it "totally pissed off."

After getting an earful from readers, LATimes Marketbeat reporter Tom Petruno wrote a piece titled "Is now a good time to panic?" "If you're at the point where you aren't sure you can take any more of this, you have plenty of company. Worldwide," Petruno writes.  It seems Patruno's email has been filled with bitter responses from fed up readers, signaling "a new level of despair" according to Petruno. 

Finally, the nation's alarm - which has been simmering for months now - is bubbling up into the mainstream media through the mouths of people like Jim Cramer, CNBC's loudmouth host of "Mad Money." On a single day this week - the day the bottom dropped out of the Dow - Cramer appeared at both ends of the media spectrum to advise edgy Americans about what they should do with the little money they haven't already spent.

First, on the Today Show as millions of viewers were watching the Dow plummet, Cramer advised that “whatever money you may need for the next five years, please take it out of the stock market, right now, this week. I do not believe that you should risk those assets in the stock market right now.”

Cramer's advise reverberated through the mainstream media for the next 12 hours, finally landing him on The Colbert Report that evening where he admitted that he felt "like throwing up when the market went down 800 points today."  "The Western Financial World is over," he declared.  And although he didn't repeat his "get out of the market now" statement from earlier in the day, he did advise that people might want to invest in Campbell's, Kraft and Kellogg.  Comfort foods.  It seems Cramer's been reading my blog....

Say what you will about Jim Cramer as a TV host -- but his panicky anger mirrors what's going on in households across the country.  Questioners in last night's debate were polite but adamant in pressing the candidates on specifics regarding how they intend to get us out of this mess.  

I'll let all the pundits, polls and people at their kitchen tables decide if they thought those questions were answered last night.  But WaPost media critic Tom Shales (and let's face it, these debates are all about media and image) may have put it best this morning when he wrote "the debate had the aura of an almost meaningless ritual being conducted in a soundproof room while outside, panic and calamity were spreading like giant cracks in the earth."

Or, as Steven Colbert said at the close of his show the other night:  "Everything's gonna be OK, except it's not."

Bring on the mac n 'cheese and mushroom soup.  We're in for a long, ugly ride.

A Godsend for Reluctant Readers

My 11-year old son is a lot of things:  an athlete, an artist, a musician, a jokster, a builder, an inventor, and a caring person.  However, he is not - despite my best efforts - a reader.

I have chronicled this conundrum for quite some time now, as you can read in my former blog called The Kitchen Think. "I have been known to jokingly say that I don't care if my son reads porn, as long as he reads,"  I wrote back in 2006 when my son was in 3rd grade.  At that time, the only thing I could get him to read for any extended period of time (longer than 20 minutes) were comics...whether they be a series like Bone or even an Indiana Jones "graphic novel" (as comics are now euphemistically marketed).

My son is now in 5th grade, and although he has expanded his literary horizons somewhat and can read at or above grade level, he still is a reluctant reader.  But I have hopes that Scholastic Books will succeed at turning the page on this issue for my son with the release of a book aimed right at boys (and girls) just like him. 

It's a 10-book historical mystery series called "The 39 Clues."  The first book in the series, "A Maze of Bones," was released last month.  Scholastic, the American publisher of the Harry Potter books, is hoping to maintain its grip on young readers by using a popular author among the 8 to 12 year old set - Rick Riordan, author of the popular Percy Jackson series - to write the first book.  And although Riordan has outlined the story arc of the next nine "Clue" novels, an all-star line-up of tween writers will be penning those books. 

According to the NYTimes,"Scholastic is publishing ("The 39 Clues") on an aggressive timetable, with plans to release one book every two to three months."   But it's not just the aggressive schedule and the use of Riordan that's making this a sensation among readers and non-readers alike.  Scholastic is luring kids like my son in, by turning "The 39 Clues" into a game that makes use of two things all kids love - trading cards and the Internet.

"An online game will allow readers to search for the 39 clues themselves, while solving puzzles and playing mini-games that will be refreshed daily," writes The Times.  The website also includes blogs from the main characters in the books, maps, treasure hunts, videos and all sorts of other extras which make both history and geography come alive for readers. 

Each book also comes with six collectible cards which can be used either in the online game, or traded among friends who are also reading the series.  Incidentally, players/readers can also win cash and prizes.  Bribing kids to read....now why didn't I think of that?!

David Levithan, the executive editorial director of multimedia publishing at Scholastic, tells Publisher's Weekly that "we really wanted to be groundbreaking with this,” meaning a cross-media project. “To be the first out there, to use everything we had."  What better audience to start with than the generation who doesn't really see a difference between reading a book - and reading a book online.

A multi-media marketing blitz is also underway, using not only traditional advertising like TV ads and author appearances on The Today Show, but also mysterious postings about the number 39 on places like MySpace, YouTube and Yahoo.  BTW - Steven Spielberg has already bought the rights to the series, and is looking to direct the first one himself according to ComingSoon.net.

Scholastic isn't the only publisher who's busy trying to rescue readers from the clutches of the Internet.  The NYTimes ran a front page story yesterday which reported that "increasingly, authors, teachers, librarians and publishers are embracing this fast-paced, image-laden world (of online video games) in the hope that the games will draw children to reading."

And I must say, as a mother of a reluctant reader - this couldn't have come at a better time.  My son is even rushing to finish his current book -- so he can launch himself into the world of "The 39 Clues." 

It's no mystery why he's bought into the marketing of the series.  But will it cure his aversion to reading?  That's the mystery I'm looking forward to seeing solved.

Sarah Palin: The VP Pick that Keeps on Giving.....

This, as the description written above states, is a blog "that sifts through the cultural, social and lifestyle issues and trends that affect your and your family."  It is also a blog that, because of my gracious host Mom-Wise, focuses a lot on the moms of today and how they perceive and impact the world of marketing, branding, advertising and the media in general.

It is not a blog about politics - a subject which I attempt to steer clear of, that is unless a story screams for a mom/marketing perspective.

That noise you're hearing this morning is the Sarah Palin story screaming its lungs out.

What started out last Friday as an obvious strategic political move by GOP presidential candidate John McCain, has turned into an octopus of a story that millions of American families are discussing this morning - but not in the "apple pie" way the McCain campaign had probably intended. 

The "narrative" the GOP was seeking to promote was all about how a plucky, smart, conservative, young-ish, pro-family mother of five had risen through the ranks of the PTA to become Alaska's "reformer" Governor.  Whether it was vetting-gone-horribly-wrong or some bizarre republican experiment to push the limits of Rush Limbaugh's loyalty, the narrative has turned into one of family dysfunction and possible misuse of power, teen pregnancy, drunk driving, and a renewed debate over family/career balance for today's working mothers.

"It’s the Mommy Wars: Special Campaign Edition," says The NYTimes this morning.  "But this time the battle lines are drawn inside out, with social conservatives, usually staunch advocates for stay-at-home motherhood, mostly defending her, while some others, including plenty of working mothers, worry that she is taking on too much."  That sentiment is echoed in articles and on blogs to numerous to link to this morning.

Unfortunately, as we learned from the greatly reviled Mommy Wars I, this is a debate with no right or wrong side.  Just lots of angry women on both sides, tired of having to defend the choices they've made in life.

And speaking of choice - the teen pregnancy twist brings up several interesting discussions that will take this issue well beyond Juno.  As Washington insider and WaPost On Faith writer Sally Quinn put it, "this may be a hard one for the Republican conservative family-values crowd to swallow." 

However,  evangelicals are spinning like they've never spun before.  "It doesn't matter if it's a conservative, liberal, or an apolitical family—these things happen," Chuck Donovan, executive vice president for the Family Research Council tells U.S. News and World Report.  Somehow, I just can't imagine the far-right would have the same reaction if - say - one of Barak and Michelle Obama's daughters came home with the same news. (Obama, himself the product of a teenaged mother - has chosen to stay above the fray by saying its a private family matter)

While Hurricane Gustav may have temporarily taken the wind out of the sails of the opening day of the Republican National Convention, Hurricane Bristol, as the story involving Palin's 17-year old pregnant daughter is being called, put all the attention right back in the GOP's lap.  The Republican National Convention, like all political conventions, is all about branding and marketing your candidates.  And you can bet there's some major damage control going on behind the scenes this morning in Minneapolis.

It brings a whole new meaning to Labor Day, doesn't it.

Barbara Walters: Mythbuster!

Newswoman-turned-Interviewer extraordinaire Barbara Walters is at the other end of the questions these days, as she launches a no-holes-barred press tour promoting her new memoir, "Audition."

An Oprah appearance Tuesday, a one-hour TV special last night on ABC, an extended interview on NPR's Morning Edition, guest hosting Good Morning America last week, and continuing on with a publicity blitz that probably includes a newspaper profile, local radio interview and a bookstore near you in the coming weeks.  It's a daunting schedule for anyone, much less a 78-year old. 

But the indefatigable Walters will no doubt be gracious, polite and totally entertaining throughout, all while looking absolutely fabulous.  There is no doubt as to why she has been a successful woman in a sea of men for some fifty years now, and has earned a spot next to Cronkite, Huntley and  Brinkley as a TV news legend.  Walter's writes that another legend, ABC's Harry Reasoner, made her life absolutely miserable as she was "making history" as the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program....proof that breaking the glass ceiling can cut you up pretty badly.

There's really not a lot we don't already know about Walters career path.  And even after the first few days of her book tour, there's probably not a lot we don't know about the juicier tidbits from her memoir:  her affair back in the 70's with a married man, who also happened to be a ground-breaking African-American senator from Massachusetts...her friendship with the controversial Roy Cohn...what really went down with Starr Jones on The View...her emotional struggles regarding her mentally impaired sister.

Undoubtedly a good read, especially with Mother's Day just around the corner.

But it wasn't the sensational revelations, or even the deep emotional disclosures Walters is talking about this week that caught my attention.  It was a statement she made to the SFChronicle that may have seemed like a throw-away answer to reporter David Weigand, but actually speaks volumns to women today, whether they be 78 or 28. 

"It's not that I want people to see the wounds, but I thought, let them see there's a whole person here," Walters says.  "Not just for my sake, but because I think none of us have it all and I think it's important to know that when you're struggling for yourself."

It's been my experience that many of the outspoken feminists who crashed through the workplace barriers of the 60's and 70's did so repeating the mantra that "you can have it all."  And for awhile, as I entered the male-dominated workplace of TV newsrooms in the early 80's....I believed it, too.

I exhausted and mentally beat myself up for at least a decade trying to "have it all," before I realized that "having it all" was a feminist myth.  There is no magic formula for balance and happiness in life.  For the first time in my adult life, I relaxed a bit, and embraced the theory that you can have a great job and you can have a great relationship -- but that you can't have both at the same time. 

Thank goodness this was all before I met my husband and had kids...because I can't even imagine how psychotic I'd be if I still believed that I could "have it all."  Something, somewhere along the line, has to give.  Choices and sacrifices need to be made, before they are made for you. 

As Walters admits in her book, her career was booming when her daughter went through her traumatic teen years.  "I was not there for Jackie," Walters says when talking about her now 38-year old daughter.  "I had no idea what her life was like, I had no idea that she was on drugs, I had no idea that she was staying out all night, and I didn't know what to do about it, or how to cope." 

Everything turned out OK, as you can read in her book or listen in any interview Walters has given in recent days.  But, as a number of reviewers and even Walters says, those dark days with her daughter comprise the most revealing chapter in the book --- and represent Walters's mythbusting "you can't have it all" moment.

And I for one, am pleased that she's sharing it now, so that any woman out there who still believes you can "have it all" can hear the truth from someone who serves as a role model to three generations of women.

You've come along way, baby.  Thanks for sharing your story.

Quarter Million Dollar Baby

There are certain things I don't like to think about too much because they make be too angry, frightened or anxious. Like what the $3 trillion we've spent in Iraq could have otherwise been spent on.  Or the calorie and fat count in my favorite Mexican meal.  Or what my daughter will be like when she's 16.

Another of the things I don't like to think about too often is how much it's costing us to raise our two kids.  But a lot of people have been discussing this recently, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture came out with its annual "Expenditures on Children by Families" report.  And what it found out is that on average, each American child is costing $204,060 to house, clothe, feed, transport, entertain and educate until age 18.  In urban areas, that number jumps to upwards of a quarter-million.  And unlike buying in bulk, the second, third or fourth child doesn't make it much cheaper (read "Three Kids - You Showoffs" from this weekend's WaPost.).

This does NOT include his or her college education, or even the money you squirrel away saving for a college education.  Nor does it address the fact that many kids continue to live at home past age 18. 

Back in 1960 when the Ag Department first started this survey, the cost was $25,229.  And while the increase from then to now seems dramatic, TIME Magazine points out it's about even with the cost of inflation. 

But what TIME also points out, is that some of the USDA's pricing estimates seem low.  For instance, child care.  The USDA puts the cost of child care for children ages 0 to 2 at around $1200 to $3000 per year depending on income.  "Yet the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, a network of more than 805 child care centers nationwide, estimates the bill at $4,388 to $14,647 a year. In urban areas like New York City, where daycare centers are few and overcrowded, parents hire nannies at an average of $31,000," reports TIME.

That'll definitely add to your annual kid bill. Or as TIME puts it, "the government figures are therefore hugely misleading, as any parent footing a child care bill can attest."

TIME's coverage of the USDA report was written by correspondent Pamela Paul, who also has written a new book called "Parenting Inc." (here's the NYTimes book review).  In it, Paul tells of how she was determined not to fill her house with all unnecessary kid items like diaper wipe warmers, thousand dollar ergonomic strollers or professional sleep or potty training.  Then she actually had a baby, and everything changed.  Paul became acutely aware of how aggressive marketing tactics are toward parents - particularly new parents who are exhausted, overwhelmed and thus easily swayed (you can hear her on NPR's Talk of the Nation).

Suddenly, you NEED a baby monitor even though your child is only feet away from you in the next room.  Been there.  If I knew then what I know now.....which is why I don't like to think about what it's costing us to raise our kids.  Thank goodness they don't come with price tags attached to their toes. 

So even though the Agriculture Department is putting a price on children - remember, they put a price on cows and corn, too.  That's why I prefer to put my parental blinders on and go with the theory that my kids are priceless - regardless of how much money we're spending on them.

(Calculate your costs of raising your kids at ABCNews.com.)

A Free-For-All

Free - as the old saying goes - is a very good price.

Lately, it seems that "free" is getting a lot more consideration as a marketing strategy.  And we're not just talking about the freebie food samples at the grocery store, which families can literally graze on in replace of a meal on any Saturday afternoon.

I first noticed this trend in free-for-alls on Tuesday, when Starbucks closed for its much publicized three-hour coffee break for barrista re-training and morale boosting.  In Starbuck's backyard, The Seattle Times reported that a number of local coffee competitors were offering free coffee to help fill the venti void. In Chicago, all 450 of region's Dunkin Donuts stores handed out free small lattes.  In fact, there was probably more free coffee served nationwide on Tuesday between 5:30pm and 8:30pm -- than at any other time in our nation's history.

But it doesn't just stop at the free cup a' joe.  If you go to a McDonald's this morning or tomorrow morning, you can score a free McSkillet Breakfast Burrito as part of a nationwide sampling event.  But in this case, there's a catch:  you have to buy a medium or large drink - which will run you about $1.33 if that drink happens to be coffee. 

According to Advertising Age, McDonald's isn't giving away free McSkillets because they're not selling well.  On the contrary, the company says it's pleased with the breakfast burritos performance.  "Ultimately we want to get our product in our customer's hands, and we're committed to doing that like never before," a company spokeswoman tells AdAge.

In fact -- McDonald's apparently is on the cutting edge of the freebie trend.  "Giveaways are beginning to be something of a habit for the Golden Arches," AdAge reports.  "In addition to 'Free Coffee Mondays' to introduce its premium roast coffee, and the chain also has been giving away vanilla lattes on that day in a few markets."

Free samplings are nothing new, especially in the food industry.  But in book publishing?  Harper Collins Publishing announced recently that it will be offering free electronic versions of best-sellers.  It seems  millions of readers have become accustomed to browsing through books online, thanks to Amazon.com's "Search Inside" feature.  As one book publisher tells MediaPost's Marketing Daily, "the strategy of giving content away is getting people to read more and buy more."

In fact, book publishers are finding themselves not only selling their product on Amazon, but competing with the online giant as well because of Kindle - the relatively new Amazon device and service that allows users to wirelessly download all kinds of content.  Thus, the HarperCollins entry into the land of freebies.

So - if one were so inclined - one could feed their body AND their mind all this week, and hardly have to spend a dime.  For those who know how to find the freebies, it looks like this won't be such a tough recession after all.