Tired of nutrition claims on the front of food packages or store shelf signs that are hard to decipher because of non-specific statements or symbols (for instance, indicating the food is “natural”, “low-fat” or “a good source of fiber”) or misleading information (for instance, foods that are labeled “zero trans fat”, but still contain up to .5 grams of trans fat per serving)? The Food and Drug Administration is asking you to help them improve this kind of confusing and deceptive nutrition information by telling them what you’d change or keep about front-of-package and store shelf labels, plus how you notice and use them.

To submit your suggestions: Log onto regulations.gov, click “submit a comment”, enter FDA-2010-N-0210 in the “enter keyword or ID” search box, press “search”, then scroll down and select “submit a comment”. Or mail your comments to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305) Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD, 20852. Suggestions must be emailed or postmarked no later than July 28, 2010.

Tip: See what other folks have already suggested! Log onto regulations.gov, enter FDA-2010-N-0210 in the “enter keyword or ID” search box and press “search”.

[photo: colros]

Struggle to find fun activities to do during the summer that don’t break the bank? Not anymore! Here are dozens of fun summer freebies (or close to it) to keep your whole family entertained:

Enjoy fun activities!

* Go bowling: Over 600 bowling centers across the country are offering kids two free games a day all summer long. Want to join in on the fun? You can get a family pass for a one-time charge of $24.95, which covers two games per person per day for up to four adults for the whole summer. Find participating bowling centers near you, plus their age, time, date and other restrictions at kidsbowlfree.com.

* Attend museum exhibits: If you call or check the website of your favorite children, art, history and museums, you’ll find that most set aside one weekday to offer free admission to visitors. But, what if your schedule only allows for a weekend visit? You’re in luck! Target has partnered with 120 museums to provide free and reduced admission on certain Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (find dates and locations at target.com/arts) and Bank of America cardholders get free entry to over 100 museums during the first weekend of every month (find locations at promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums).

* Laugh at puppet shows: Or enjoy live animal demonstrations, join a sing-along, enter photo contests, learn to dance or participate in any of the other dozens of free activities offered by public libraries this June, July and August. Find a schedule of events on your library’s website at publiclibraries.com. But, don’t limit yourself by heading only to your nearest branch—check out what other libraries within driving distance are also offering. Each one hosts different events—and you don’t need a library card to attend. Bonus: Many libraries also let you “borrow” complimentary one-time passes to zoos, museums, sporting events and/or art performances.

* Find more free happenings: Type in your zip code and the word “free” at zvents.com and you’ll instantly get a list of no-cost activities—like concerts, fairs and guided nature hikes—going on in your area.

* Snag amusement park coupons: Get discounts for 10% to 30% off ticket prices at retailmenot.com/coupons/amusementpark.

Go on a trip!

* Get a behind-the-scenes peek: At factorytoursusa.com, you can choose from over 500 tours of factories—which show you how to make everything from ice cream and hand-blown glass to teddy bears and robots—as well as sports stadiums and television and movie studios. Most tours are free; some may charge a nominal fee.

* Pick peaches: Or see how Alpaca fiber is turned into yarn or learn the secrets to growing award-winning tomatoes by visiting local farms that host free tours, which you can find at localharvest.org.

* Take a scenic drive: Get photos and directions for driving routes near you that boast beautiful nature scenery or take you by fun roadside attractions at byways.org and weather.com/activities/driving/scenicdrives.

* Feed the kids for free: All that traveling can make kids hungry! Luckily, where ever you go, you’re probably near one of the over 5,300 restaurants offer kid’s meals on the house. Find out the dates, times and locations where you can get complimentary food at mykidseatfree.com.

Learn something new!

* Master the outdoors: Participating Bass Pro Shops across the country are offering basic instruction for burgeoning outdoor enthusiasts through July 11 on weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Workshops include instruction in hiking, camping, fishing, bird watching, archery, outdoor-themed children’s crafts and—most important of all—s’mores-making! Store activities and times will vary; check your local Bass Pro Shops’ schedule at  basspro.com/summercamp.

* Make a movie: Apple computer stores give kids 8-12 valuable hands-on experience as they learn how to use Mac computers to make a movie, compose a song, assemble a photobook and create presentations. Registration is free; class times and dates at your local Apple store can be found at apple.com/retail/youth.

* Channel your inner artist: Michael’s craft stores workshops teach kids all sorts of useful crafts projects—such as how to make corsages, decorate T-shirts and create hand-made greeting cards. Instruction is free; you may have to purchase supplies for some classes. Get schedules, times, locations and supply requirements at theknackkids.com/EventView.aspx.

* Build a planter: Kids ages 5-12 get free instruction and materials to make wooden projects—such as planters, games and bird feeders—at Lowes every Saturday between 10 am and 11 am and at Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month between 9 am and noon. For a schedule of projects planned for the summer at Lowes, head to lowesbuildandgrow.com and for Home Depot, head to homedepot.com/kidsworkshop.

* Find the Big Dipper: At skymaps.com, you can print out clear, easy-to-read maps of constellations that you can pinpoint in the night sky this summer.

Get lost in a story!

* Earn free books for reading: Kids 12 and under who read eight books this summer will receive a free book from Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com/summerreading) and those who read 10 books get a free book from Borders (borders.com). Simply pick up a worksheet at your local Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores, write in the books your kids have read, then bring it in to your local store when the kids finish their last book.

* Listen to stories read aloud: Pottery Barn Kids (potterybarnkids.com) hosts a live story-time every Tuesday 11 am to 11:30 am. Kids who attend five story-times receive a free gift. You can also find live book reading at your local bookstores—simply ask them for their story-time schedule.

* Watch animated books online: Younger children can read along on the screen while enjoying fun stories and poems brought to life through colorful animation. Choose from four of the most popular Aesop’s Fables—including The Tortoise and the Hare and The Fox and His Shadow—at us.penguingroup.com and original stories and poems from mightybook.com.

Cool off at a movie!

* Attend free morning matinees: Do your kids clamor for Kung Fu Panda, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Karate Kid and other children’s film favorites? Regal Cinemas offer free seating on a first-come, first-serve basis during its weekly morning matinee series (find theatres and showtimes at regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestival.aspx). And, for just $1 per person, the Summer Movie Camp at participating AMC Theatres offers a different kids’ movie at 10 a.m. every Tuesday from June 15 through August 10 (find theatres at amcentertainment.com/smc) and Cinemark offers 10 weekly children’s movies for $5 at participating theatres when purchased in advance and $1 per movie when purchased on the day of the show (find theatres and showtimes at cinemark.com/summermovieclubhouse).

* Get discounts on blockbusters: The price of tickets to see new releases has been going up, but you can score major discounts that bring the price back down. Simply purchase tickets through AAA, Costco and other large associations who buy them in bulk and then pass the savings on to you. Get tickets through Entertainment (entertainment.com), which charges $15 to $45 for books of half-price coupons for movies. Or join a free movie club, which is offered by many theatres as an incentive to customers and rewards you with points toward complimentary tickets and other discounts every time you see a movie.

* Check your membership benefits: Certain groups—like alumni groups and trade organizations—credit card companies, credit unions and other companies and associations offer free and discounted movie tickets just for being a member.

Have a blast indoors on rainy days!

* Watch live butterflies: The butterfly webcam at National Museum of History (amnh.org) shows live images of colorful Monarchs, Swallowtails and Malachites all day long.

* Find out where your food comes from: For milk, log onto whereismymilkfrom.com. For fruits and vegetables, log onto harvestmark.com and leopold.iastate.edu.

* Color and draw online: At crayola.com, your kids can play games, color any of the over 1,000 printable coloring pages and choose from the hundreds of craft projects, including making certificates and holiday cards.

* Take virtual tours: Explore the White House (whitehousemuseum.org), see how Jelly Belly jelly beans are made (jellybelly.com) or take a virtual walk on the moon’s surface (moon.arounder.com).

[photo: Lin Pernille Photography]

Not 100% sure what the symbols printed on labels in clothing mean? One mix-up can spell disaster for a much-loved garment. Easy solution: Log onto textileaffairs.com from Clorox, where you’ll find clear explanations of each symbol so you’ll know which need to be washed in cold water, dry cleaned or laundered separately.

[photo: kittenishkitten]

At duimap.org, you can use a convenient map to find out where the most DUI traffic accidents occur in your area. That way, you can sidestep the danger by planning a new route or keep an extra eye out when you’re on a road that’s notorious for having drunk drivers.

[photo: rodeworks]

Notice a charge on your credit card bill that you didn’t authorize? If so, you’re not alone—the Better Business Bureau reports that mystery charges are on the rise as a result of companies using underhanded tricks to get you to sign up for services you don’t need—for instance, when you activate a new credit card, sign up for a “free” trial service, check (or don’t uncheck) a box when you purchase an item online or cash a fake rebate check, says Matthew Smith, president of Complaints.com. To avoid being on the hook for these charges, you need to act fast! First, call your credit card company. In most cases, you can ask them to dispute the first charge—after that, they assume you saw the charge on previous bills and ignored it. Some will also allow you block all future charges from that company from going through. Next, find out who’s charging your card by doing an online search for the name listed on your bill. Call the company and tell them you’re canceling their services, then ask for either a letter or email confirming the cancellation.

Think you have a password that’s really hard to crack? You may not want to use it more than once. Turns out, some websites have “back doors” that allow unscrupulous people who work for the website to see your username and password. And, some of these folks are plugging that information into other websites—like banks, Paypal accounts and Facebook—to see if they work there, too. The safe solution: Use a different password for each of your online accounts.

[photo: CarbonNYC]

Whether you’re flying off to your dream vacation or visiting your aunt just a car ride away, finding a drugstore, restaurant, wi-fi connection and other necessities within seconds is easy. For…
* Drugstores, restaurants, hair salons, banks and other businesses… Try mashspots.com, which lists all nearby options on a Google map, pinpointing exactly where they are and how to get there.
* Free wi-fi… Log onto we-fi.com or jiwire.com to find the closest cafes, libraries, hotels and other businesses that offer a complimentary connection.
* Fun events… At eventful.com and zvents.com, you can learn about music, arts and crafts, plays, festivals and other free and low-cost activities that are taking place during your visit.

[photo: Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL]

According to a recent study in the journal PLoS ONE, we end up throwing away an astonishing 40% of the food from our fridge and cabinets, usually because they expire before we eat them. Luckily, there’s an easy way to make use of all your food before it goes bad: Log onto supercook.com and simply type in the ingredients you have in your kitchen. You’ll be given hundreds of links to easy recipes for soups, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts that use all those items so they don’t go to waste.

[photo: carolyn.will]

Want to learn tips to improve your workout, business, parenting or organizational skills? At webinarboxoffice.com, you can scroll through a calendar of upcoming webinars—live online video classes—on these and other topics taught by experts to find the ones you like. Then click the link to join in on the date and time it begins. Many of free, some request a nominal fee.

[photo: Andrew Currie]

This kitchen staple costs just a couple of dollars a bottle, yet does everything from remove carpet stains and polish brass to unclog showerheads and make old towels feel new again. Find out the dozens of other ways vinegar can replace pricey household cleaners and keep old items working like new at versatilevinegar.org.