Work + Money

Move over, Hello Kitty, there's a new destination for the cutest and coolest customers in town. The Barbie Cafe, which opened in one of the busiest shopping districts in Taipei on Wednesday, is filled with classic and modern Barbie memorabilia, features a delicious-looking menu, and takes people where the prim-and-proper "American Girl" franchise fears to tread. "We picked Taiwan because theme restaurants are very popular and successful here," Iggy Yip, a senior manager at Mattel's Greater China division, told the Telegraph. "We are very confident that the Barbie Cafe can promote our brand image."

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Residents of Vassar, Michigan, welcomed home two of their own on Sunday, when Army Reserve soldiers Master Sargeant (Msg.) Tim Larrison and Specialist (Spc.) Katelyn Larrison ended their yearlong deployment in Afghanistan. The father-daughter team was  surprised by a crowd of well-wishers who had spent most of the morning awaiting their arrival.

Soldier Adjusts to Life at Home After Afghanistan

"I was so excited to see her [Katelyn's] reaction," Shannon Larrison—Katelyn's mom and Tim's wife—told WNEM-TV. "She immediately started shaking and tears came down her eyes, it was the best."

Related: What Does the Military's New Women-in-Combat Policy Mean?

"Oh man, a lot of people, it was very exciting, it's nice to be welcomed home," Spc. Katelyn Larrison, 19, told a local news crew.

"Just seeing the support and the flags, it was bigger than I imagined," her dad said.

This wasn't the first time he's returned home from war; Msg. Tim Larrison finished a year in Afghanistan in September 201

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The U.S. economy may be on the mend, but that hasn't stopped it from influencing a generation in an unexpected way: For the first time ever, an annual survey of college freshman has found that first-year students are more focused on their job prospects than their party plans.

According to the "2012 Freshman Norms report," conducted by UCLA's Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) each year since 1966, only 33 percent of college freshman reported drinking beer in 2012, down from 35.4 percent in 2011 and far lower than the 73.7 percent who were knocking back drinks in 1982, when many of their own parents were in college.

Related: 1 in 2 New Graduates are Jobless or Underemployed

Alcohol industry experts said that they're happy about the change.

"While we recognize there is more work to be done to eliminate underage drinking, today we have a record number of college freshmen who are making the right choices about drinking," Joe McClain, president of the Beer Institute, said in a

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K. Aleisha Fetters, SELF magazine

You know one of the best places to land a job is online. But, hello, talk about being a needle in a haystack! Here, ways you can stand out among the e-masses.

PIMP YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE

You'll increase your chances of a recruiter contacting you tenfold if you post links to industry news along with personal insights on your page at least once a week, according to Nicole Williams, LinkedIn's career expert. And while you're at it, beef up your experience section. Profiles that list more than one position snag more page views. Highlight your personal achievements with about five bullet points of info under each gig.

See more: The Flat-Abs-Fast Secret

BE EASILY SEARCHABLE

Parrot words or phrases from the job post in your résumé and cover letter, says Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder.com's HR vice prez. Recruiters often weed through hundreds of applications by typing keywords from the job description (such as "experienced in HTML") into a search e

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By Marlisse Cepeda

Though some servicemen and women may be thousands of miles away, there's plenty you can do from right where you are to show you're thankful for their brave efforts. Sure, you can donate money to any of the worthy military organizations, but many of the foundations that follow offer more direct ways to give back to those who fight for our country. Read through to find your favorite way to help. Photo by Thinkstock.

1. Send books and more.
There's nothing better than a good read, right? Service members think so, too, despite their limited downtime. After signing up with Books for Soldiers, you'll be able to see soldiers' requests via forums for books, comic books, DVDs and magazines. If you own one of the sought-after items or want to pick it up for a soldier, just send it where the service member asks-the organization suggests using flat-rate boxes from the USPS. If you're interested in sending gifts to multiple soldiers at once, check out the foru

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