How many times have you heard a song on the radio, only to miss what the name of the song is?

If you haven’t heard of it yet, Shazam is an amazing piece of software for the iPhone or iPad where you can hold your phone or tablet up to the song that’s playing. A few seconds and *shazam*, it’ll tell you the name of the song, the artist, and even give you a link to buy it. It’s a great tool to have and to pull out at any time, especially when you’re getting on in years and forgetting stuff.

I’ve used Shazam countless times. It’s not perfect–the song has to be in Shazam’s database, which has almost every popular song imaginable, but is hit-or-miss on classical music. Still, I’ve found it to be hit more than miss. It’s a great tool to have and to pull out at any time, especially when you’re getting on in years and forgetting stuff.

There’s a special edition of Shazam where 20% of the purchase price will go to fighting the scourge of AIDS as part of the (PRODUCT) RED program. In honor of World AIDS Day (which was yesterday), Shazam will be selling (Shazam) RED all this week (until the 7th) at the reduced price of $1.99. And 100% of the proceeds for this week will be going to (PRODUCT) RED.

In addition, when people add a pledge of action to the (2015)QUILT, an online effort to bring the number of babies born with AIDS to zero, they’ll receive a choice of one of the six (RED) songs by The Killers for free as a thank you. and are invited to buy the other singles or the entire (RED) Christmas EP, with proceeds going to fight AIDS.

It’s a great tool to have and to pull out at any time, especially when you’re getting on in years and forgetting stuff.

Colleen, an intern working for Baking for Good, contacted me last month and told me about their online bakery, where they donate 15% of all purchases to one of over 200 charities that the buyer chooses.

Now of course, being a consummate professional blogger, I asked Colleen if she could send a sample for me to review. For professional purposes, of course. The fact that I have an insatiable sweet tooth and love, love, love cookies and sweets had nothing to do with it. Really, it didn’t.

Colleen and Emily (the founder of the company) were sweet enough (had to throw in the pun somewhere) to send me a box. It arrived in a few days from FedEx with this sticker on the outside:

This was a good sign, and showed me that the company really pays attention to detail. Rather than risk a box of baked goods getting stored in a stifling hot or freezing cold warehouse for days, they sent it via this “perishable shipment” service.

I opened the box and inside was a simple brown cake box with a thin bi-colored string tied around it, the kind of string I remember from my childhood from going to the bakery with Mom and picking up a nice cake and a box of cookies. It also had a really nice note from Emily and Colleen.

I opened the box and found two bags.

One was a bag of something called chocolate-chip brownies.

The chocolate chip brownie was something I’ve never seen before. It was a regular brownie that was gooey and chocolatey like a brownie should be, with delicious chunks of chocolate within. But to top it off (literally) fully baked into the top of the brownie was chocolate chip cookie dough.

Now I’ve had my share of brownies in my day, so I do not say this lightly, but these brownies were among the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. They were so rich that I had to run to the fridge and pour myself a big glass of cold milk. It took a whole glass of milk to finish one of those amazing brownies.

The next was a bag of oatmeal raisin cookies.

These cookies, again, were incredible. They were wonderfully moist and chewy, with just the right amount of crisp on the outside. Again, about as perfect an oatmeal cookie I’ve ever had, and I’ve had (and made) hundreds in my day. And no, I didn’t scarf down five of them just in the time I wrote this post. I really didn’t.

Now I’ve featured baked goods on the site before, but in general they’ve been mass-produced, pre-packaged cookies and brownies. Baking for Good, on the other hand, sells cookies and brownies that are truly freshly baked. Aside from the label on the FedEx box, if you look at the labels on the bags you’ll see what I mean:

Notice how there are no words ending in “-ite” or “-ace” or “-ized” or “-ated”.  These aren’t just as good as the cookies Mom made, these ARE the cookies Mom made.

If you look on their site, you’ll see they also have among the cutest sugar cookies I’ve ever seen. If you’re celebrating a birthday, I can’t think of a better treat than birthday sugar cookies. If you’re planning a baby shower, these baby shower cookies are adorable.

And the incredible thing about this company is not just that they send these freshly baked cookies nationwide, but that 15% of proceeds from every purchase goes to a charity you choose. There are about 200 to choose from on their site. Some are registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, while others are worthy “community fundraising” initiatives to help things like school groups, kids’ sports teams, families facing illlness, and so on. Long story short, you’ll definitely find a cause worth supporting.

The story of this company is pretty incredible too. The founder, Emily Dubner, graduated from Harvard and was a management consultant for a prestigious firm in New York. Then she did something that all of us who have worked in thankless jobs in New York have always wanted to do but most of us never had the guts: she left it all behind and decided to start a business of her own. She had a lifelong love of baking (like her, some of my fondest memories were making sugar cookies from scratch in the second grade), and she built this into the company today.

As I surf through the site, the one thing that strikes me (similar to the other excellent entrepreneurial business I reviewed back in August, Spoonful of Comfort) is how brilliantly simple and creative the products are. When I look through the famous cookie retail sites, the sites just seem to impersonal and the products pedestrian and cookie-cutter (no pun intended). I’ll be honest, the cookies on those mass-market are not that special either.

Last December I was at my local CVS and I looked at the box of Christmas cookies they were selling. I kid you not, in small letters on the back it said “Made in China”. To me, this was one of the saddest things I’ve seen. Have profits become so important that companies here off-shore something as American as baking cookies? And I shudder to think what preservatives those cookies are filled with and what kind of journey they had to get to my CVS. No thank you, I’ll take these cookies, which were created and baked within these shores and sent express to your door. And yes, they have Christmas cookies which are ten thousand times better than anything you’ll find in a supermarket or drug store.

With Baking for Good, the site is beautiful and really conveys the spirit of what this young company is about. I actually had fun surfing through and looking at all the sugar cookie designs, the fall cookies, and the different flavors of cookies. And being from New York myself, I love their New York Bakery section (especially their I Love New York cookies!) I love the attention to detail too, from the eco-friendly packaging to the simple yet elegant labels on their cookie bags. And the fact that they offer gluten free cookies is another bonus.

This is the kind of company that I love to highlight most on this site. With this country in such economic straits, I think the future belongs to young entrepreneurs who follow their passion and create high-quality things that people need and want and love, not to those big nameless corporations who give you the cheap quality merchandise at cheaper prices. The fact that this company also gives to charity makes it tops in my book.

I fully plan on ordering again. I think my next purchase is going to be these Panda Cookies that donates not only to your cause but to the National Zoo as well!

Williams-Sonoma always has some great mixes and kits. Here’s one that makes a great gift.

Their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix comes in a reusable glass jar and already has everything you need to make delicious chewy oatmeal cookies. All you need to do is add butter and eggs and you’ll end up with three dozen cookies.

The presentation is like artwork itself. Each of the ingredients is beautifully layered. It’s a gift that’s clever, pretty, and useful, all at the same time.

20% will be donated to Share Our Strength to help that organization’s goal to end childhood hunger in America.

Okay, perhaps not the most appealing title to a post in the world, but it got your attention didn’t it?

Sephora is selling a limited edition bottle of Justin Bieber Someday Eau de Parfum Spray. This is a perfume that’s been getting rave reviews on sites like Macys and Amazon, raving about its Mandarin, Juicy Pear, Wild Berries, Jasmine, Creamy Florals, Vanilla, and Soft Musks. Hard to say if it’s because the young ladies using it really like the scent, or if it’s because they really like JBiebZ. In either case, it’s a nice gift to the Bieber fanatic in your life. The stylish bottle comes with a crystal-encrusted heart charm that can be kept after the perfume is gone.

There’s also a Hair Mist, a larger bottle of perfume, and even a Rollerball version for those days when you can’t have enough essence of Bieber about you.

All kidding aside, Justin Bieber is donating proceeds of the perfume to Pencils of Promise and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, among others. It’s great to see young celebrities keeping their heads on straight and doing good for the world.

And yes, I realize the irony that my last post had the phrase “StinkyKids” in it. Purely coincidence, I assure you

If you haven’t heard of PopCap games, you’ve no doubt heard of some of its creations. Back in 2000, they released their first game, a little game called Bejeweled. I have a feeling that if you take all the hours that mankind has spent trying to align those little jewels, it’d add up to a couple millenia.

In the 21st century, PopCap is back at it. On a recent transcontinental airplane flight I was thrilled that my Continental flight had TV–until I found out that they have the audacity to charge for it! (This is why I switched to JetBlue years ago). Out of principle, I refused to pay. But what to do for those five hours? My girlfriend Lisa knew exactly what to do. She pulled out her ASUS Transformer and started to play the Android version of Plants vs. Zombies. The five hours flew by like nothing–and yes, Lisa saved the world’s brains several times from those pesky Zombies (she’s since finished all the levels). The whole ride I watched, mesmerized at her dexterity–and super jealous that I had never purchased it for my iPhone.

Anyway, after years and years of dispossessing the world of all its productive time, PopCap is giving something back to the world in a big way. From now until July 12, PopCap is running auctions that will benefit the Starlight Foundation, a terrific charity that provides entertainment, education and family activities for seriously ill children in the United States and their families, and Special Effect, a similar charity based in the UK.

If you’re a fan of PopCap games, you will LOVE these auctions. There are sketches by PopCap artists of artwork used in designing the games (who wouldn’t want an original sketch of a moustached zombie gracing their living room). There are all sorts of drawings, prints, and other artwork up for grabs from PopCap’s most popular games, including the Plants vs. Zombies diorama pictured here.

Some of the items are just plain bizarre, like the hilarious, albeit somewhat creepy Peashooter costume, which fans of the game will readily recognize (peas not included). Another fantastic item is this personalized sketch, where a PopCap artist will draw whatever sketch you like, whether it’s you as a Plants vs. Zombie zombie (or plant), or you as a Peggle character, or a new undiscovered Bejeweled jewel.

The current round of auctions will last until Thursday, June 28, and then a third and final round will last until Tuesday, July 12. If like me you have someone in your life who’s a Plants vs. Zombies (or Peggle, or Bejeweled) fan, this is your chance to get truly one-of-a-kind artwork that helps a great cause.

You know that new fad where people buy toasters that burn an extra bit of the toast to make an image (see this Yankees logo toaster to see what I mean).

Well, the Grain Foods Foundation has put up a very, very cool Web site called The Bread Art Project. In it, you can use all kinds of artistic tools to design your own piece of bread and have it become part of their “art gallery”, complete with beautiful virtual frame!

Created in 2009 to help increase awareness of the growing hunger problem in America, last year the Bread Art Project raised more than $50,000 for Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that help children get the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives.

For each piece of “bread art” you create, the Grain Foods Foundation will donate $1 to Share Our Strength. Browse around the galleries and you’ll see the fun creations of artists who came before you, as well as read important facts about hunger.

Seems that baked goods are making a comeback. Maybe it’s because we need more comfort food during uncertain economic times, but it seems that everywhere you turn there’s a cupcake or a huge cookie there to make you smile.

Some of the best baked cupcakes, brownies, cookies, muffins, and cakes I’ve had in my life weren’t out of a slick professional bakery. They were from a little neighborhood bake sale. As delicious as those slick new boutique bakeries in the big City are, sometimes they’re missing a little ingredient that those little fingers baking for their softball team or band or local charity: TLC.

Share Our Strength is an organization based out of Washington whose goal is to eradicate childhood hunger in the U.S. They’ve done something clever. They’ve reached out to volunteers around the country, but instead of going door to door and asking for money, they’re telling them to open a bake sale in their community. It’s called the Great American Bake Sale.

If you to go their Bake Sale Finder, chances are you’ll find one near you. And if you don’t, just go to their Bake Sale Home Page and you’ll find all kinds of information on how you can start your own.

They’ve recruited professional chef Sandra Lee (no relation to Sara Lee…or Duncan Hines for that matter) to be their spokesperson. Sandra even wrote a cookbook called the Bake Sale Cookbook where 25% of proceeds will support Great American Bake Sale.

During good times, it’s easy to give to those who are less fortunate. But it’s during tough times that it’s not so easy–and when those less fortunate people need help most of all. Start this tax year off right by making a generous donation to help Share our Strength feed hungry children in our own backyard, and support those who are giving of their time and ovens to help.

On Monday night (March 28) from 8-9 PM, NBC is going to air “All Together Now – A Celebration of Service”. This was an event that took place on March 21 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The TV broadcast will feature performances by Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Cee Lo Green, Reba McEntire, Sam Moore, Brad Paisley, Kid Rock, Darius Rucker and Carrie Underwood.

The evening honors President George H. W. Bush for his commitment to promoting volunteerism and service in the United States. In attendance was all four living ex-presidents: President and Mrs. George W. Bush, President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton. President Obama is scheduled to appear via a pre-recorded video.

It’s a fitting tribute for President H.W. Bush, to whom President Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom back in February. After volunteering for service days after the attack on Pearl Harbor (becoming the youngest Naval aviator ever as of that date), his plane was shot down, killing his two fellow crew members. Even after this horrific experience, he went back and flew combat missions and trained soliders until the end of the war. After a successful business career, he went back to public service, serving in Congress, the CIA, the State Department, and of course as vice-president and president.

The history books will judge the job he ultimately did as president. He certainly went through his highs and his lows in foreign policy and domestic policy, like all Presidents before him and after him. But in my mind, one of the most important things (and sadly, one of the least mentioned) was his call on others in the country to volunteer service. Today is a different world than it used to be. It seems that we as a people are becoming more and more selfish. “Community Service” is something which high school kids do to get colleges to look favorably upon their applications. Or it’s something that people convicted of crimes do when they don’t want to go to jail. Whatever happened to just doing good because it’s the right thing to do? Whatever happened to The Golden Rule (and no, I don’t mean “he who has all the gold makes all the rules”!)

President Bush wasn’t unique in his generation. So many of the members of “the Greatest Generation” gave so much of themselves so that we can enjoy the freedom and blessings of their sacrifice.  Hopefully this program will serve not just as a quaint reminder of a time that is long past, but as a reminder to all of us that we are at our strongest only when we help those who are weak.

In the last post, we highlighted the Flight 93 Memorial Campaign.

Another new item is a one-of-a-kind rose bush which you can purchase and grow in your yard. This is a rose variety that has been bred uniquely for this purpose, even registered at the American Rose Society as “Wilflt93″ / The 9/11 Flight 93 Rose”.

Several nurseries offer the rose for sale, and $5 from every sale will go to the Flight 93 Memorial.

Wherever in the country you grow it, it can serve as a living memorial to those brave men and women who lost their live ten years ago.