MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | 7 Staggering Stats ...

A couple of weeks ago the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (hereafter ?CFPB?) published the results of a study hoping to further clarify the happenings at the three national credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

These three companies maintain over 200,000,000 credit files each and countless pieces of our personal and financial information.

The numbers from the study are impressive, to say the least.

Monthly updates from 10,000 companies

Each month our creditors update the information for our active accounts.

These updates include balance changes, late payments, adding new accounts, and removing information deemed to be inaccurate.

Credit files contain over 1,300,000,000 accounts

Yes, that?s billion ? with a ?B.? The massive number of accounts includes auto loans, mortgages, credit card accounts, and student loans.

Of the 1.3 billion accounts, 58% are plastic

That?s right, some 754 million of the accounts on credit reports are credit cards.

The list of cards includes general use credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover) and retail store credit cards. Four percent of the accounts on credit reports are auto loans and seven percent are mortgages.

This makes sense because it?s very easy to have several credit cards, while it?s not as easy (or necessary) to have several mortgages or auto loans.

Disputes are dominated by collections

Consumers have the right to challenge the validity of the information on their credit reports.

In fact, in 2011, the credit bureaus received 8,000,000 consumer disputes, which challenged around 35,000,000 credit file entries and about 40% of those disputes were specific to debt in collections.

According to the CFPB, debt in collections is five times more likely to be disputed than a mortgage loan.?But these numbers don?t suggest that credit reports are loaded with errors or that collections are disproportionately incorrect.

According to the Consumer Data Industry Association (hereafter ?CDIA?), the trade association of the credit bureaus, some 30% of disputes are submitted by credit repair organizations where collections are a likely target.

We?re not claiming our credit reports

The CFPB?s study suggests that fewer than 20% of consumers ?obtain? copies of their credit report each year.

However, in my interviews with the CDIA, the percentage of free credit reports claimed via the only official source, annualcreditreport.com, is closer to 4%.

Regardless, the numbers are abysmal.

The 80/20 rule doesn?t apply

You?ve heard of the 80/20 rule, right? That rule, formally known as the Pareto Rule, means 80% of X comes from 20% of Y.

As a hypothetical example, ?80% of car accidents are caused by 20% of drivers.? The rule is meant to underscore that the majority of the volume of something is being caused by a small number of causes.

Well, when it comes to data on a credit report, the 80/20 doesn?t apply?and it?s not even close.

According to the CFPB?s study, 76% of the information contained in your credit files comes from 100 companies.

And, because there are over 10,000 companies providing data to the credit bureaus, the ?rule? would be the 76/1 rule, as 76% of credit data is being provided by only 1% of the companies that furnish data to the credit bureaus.

If that?s not impressive enough, 10 companies alone provide 57% of the account information and 72% is provided by 50 companies.

Most disputes require assistance from the original source

When a consumer submits a dispute to the credit bureaus, which happens ~8 million times each year, the credit bureaus are able to resolve 15% of them without involving the furnishing party (normally a lender or collection agency).

That means 85% of the time when you dispute an item with a credit bureau they?re passing your dispute on to the furnishing party asking them to take on the legally required burden of investigating your dispute.

John Ulzheimer?is the President of Consumer Education at?SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for?Mint.com, and a contributor for the?National Foundation for Credit Counseling.? He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. The opinions expressed in his articles are his and not of Mint.com or Intuit.?Follow John on Twitter.

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Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/credit/7-staggering-stats-about-credit-reports-1212/

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The Most Shocking Celeb Scandals of 2012

From Kate Middleton's topless photos to LiLo's troubles with the law, see what star travails surprised us the most this year

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/celebrity-scandals-2012/1-b-510695?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Acelebrity-scandals-2012-510695

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True Blue Marvel Fans Need Read Here

I know everyone gets tired of clicking on the newest Marvel RolePlay link and ending up disappointed. Why are you disappointed. There's quite a few reasons. Let me list them!
-The GM is illiterate
-The other players are illiterate
-1/2 of them are going by what they saw in the movies
-Most of them have never even flipped the page of a single Marvel Comic
-The RolePlay eventually dwindles down to 1-3 lines of dialogue every five minutes
-Nobody can stay committed
-The RolePlay dies before the first event

The list goes on.

But, I am here to provide a literate RolePlay for the Marvel fans who crave adventure, romance, accuracy, complexity, lust, plot, and most of all literacy and detail. Too good to be true, you say? Ha! You poor dear. I'm sorry that you don't know me. Also - This RolePlay is solely X-Men. Its a FanFiction of the Decimation Arc (For those who know what that is) and it took me a while to type this all out, lol. With enough requests, I also have an Avengers plot that I'd like to put into action, but I'd like to try this first. Please take the time to read (: With at least 10 replies, I shall start up the RolePlay!

Picture this...

There's a place in the world called Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. It's in New York. But, it's not a Prep School like many think it to be. Xavier's Academy is home to hundreds of young mutants from all over North America and other continents as well. The place is owned and run by renowned Professor, Charles Xavier. He's the Head Master. But he's not the only adult there. Ororo Munroe was his intended successor. Then you have Doctor Jean Summers and her husband, Scott Summers. Then there was Logan. There were several others as well, some who were Professors, some were just tenants and X-Men, and some worked as Aides to the Professors or around the Academy. Among them were Katherine Pryde, Bobby Drake, Peter Rasputin, Warren Worthington III, Henry McCoy, Remy LeBeau, Lorna Dane, Anna Marie, Kurt Wagner, Laura Kinney, Thriinaendor*, Esteban del Rosario*, Melina del Rosario*, and a young Jubilation Lee. Now, you may be asking yourself "You mentioned some of them being X-Men...What the holy hell is that?" Well. The X-Men is a special ops team of mutants directed by Professor Xavier who's mission is to maintain the peace between mutants and humans while keeping them safe. No, they aren't the type of Superhero team to step in and stop a bank robbery. Unless maybe the criminal is mutant. They try their best to help humans see mutants in a different, better light.

Then...you have their counterpart: The Brotherhood of Mutants. The group was originally nothing short of terrorists. They were mutants who wanted to do nothing more than spend their time subjugating humans to the will of mutants, attempting to forcibly awaken human X-Genes, or simply killing humans. They were formed by Eric Lensherr and soon grew over time in numbers. Among them now are Wanda Maximoff and her twin brother Pietro Maximoff - Also known as The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. They are both the children of Eric Lensherr, the half-siblings of Lorna Dane. Then there's John Allerdyce - They call him Pyro. He's a former student of the Xavier Institute and also Bobby's best friend. But insanely jealous of his friend. You can't forget Callisto, James Madrox, Roger Quark, Cain Marko, Mystique, Frederick Dukes, Mortimer Toynbee, Jason Wyngarde, Angelo Unuscione, Lani Ubana, Telford Porter, and Peter Quinn. As time went on, the Brotherhood seemed to focus a lot more on political movements, attempting to take down and sometimes even succeeding in 'taking care of' anti-mutant figureheads. Their members are all mutants who are either victims of anti-mutant abuse suffered at the hands of humans or mutants who just don't like humans because they view mutants as better in every way. Peace is not an option to them. Humans must go by one way or another.

For the past few years things have been the same as always: Life goes on at the Xavier Estate with about twenty new students every few months, the X-Men take care of business, the Brotherhood try their best to make life hell for the humans, the X-Men thwart many of their plans. It's a vicious circle. The year is now 2012. And so much has changed.

Flashback

Professor Charles Xavier and his wife, Moira Xavier passed away in the year 2005. His funeral was one of the largest that the world had seen. Mutants and humans from all over came out of the woodwork to pay their respects to the man and his wife. It was no secret that he had touched so many lives. Even his brother Cain showed up - He didn't even have a temper that day. Eric Lensherr had shown up, of course. Only to pay respect to Charles - He never liked Moira and always thought that if it hadn't been for her, he and Charles would be on the same side of 'The War'. A statue was erected at the front in his honor and Ororo took over as Head Mistress. Some of the X-Men and Professors left. Others remained. Jean had died back in 2000, the Phoenix dying along with her. Esteban and Melina del Rosario were killed in 2011 on a mission with a vigilante/mercenary mutant group. Many had children. Most of them were attending college. A lot of them had just above average intelligence; They did have the benefit of being raised in a place of learning, after all. Ororo had a daughter that was now grown, having married her long time love, T'Challa - Among the others with children were Remy LeBeau who had a child as a result of a one-night-stand with Professor Delgado - Afterwards, the two got married. Scott raised a child as well, trying his best to make up for Jean's absence in the child's life. Logan never had any children, but he did have his own progeny. A young girl that he had raised since she was twelve. Lorna Dane married her long time crush, Alexander Summers and they had a child. Anna Marie and Bobby Drake got married and had a child - But they moved away from the Xavier Institute and left the country in an attempt to lead a normal life. Jubilation Lee and Peter Rasputin ended up having a child together a few years before getting married and they stuck around to raise their offspring. Kurt wanted a child...But he feared that the child would come out looking like his family - Demonic. He feared the worst for the child and remained single for some time. But he eventually married his long time love, Wanda Maximoff. And they had a son. Katherine Pryde and Warren Worthington ended up having a child - But their child was younger than the others. Even Doctor McCoy decided to leave behind a legacy before his death, having married his long time love, Mystique, helping her to raise her other child as well.

The Brotherhood? Well - A lot of things happened there that lead to the events of now. Just like the X-Men, their members had children. As in accordance with their disposition, they only had children with mutant partners. So it was very rare for a human child to turn up. John Allerdyce's first child was a human - He remembered that Doctor Grey had once said that the X-Gene was most often awakened during times of intense emotion, stress, or trauma. He was a twisted young man who secretly tortured and abused his child in an attempt to awaken their X-Gene. Needless to say, he did. The child had the ability to inflict pain without touching anyone. But from the abuse, her mind was twisted. She killed her father and in her insanity, she committed suicide. Wanda also had a child. He ran away at a young age to live at the Xavier Institute with his cousin who was the child of Pietro and Callisto, raised by his father. Eric was upset that not a single one of his grandchildren shared his vision, hoping that the group he founded would one day be under their control. Mystique had even left his side to be with Hank, taking their son with her after she told him that she was tired of living life fighting all the time. She saw that the mutant x human relations were steady and said she wouldn't live in the dark anymore. With the loss of his grandchildren, child, and love, Eric remained solitary for years. He spoke to no-one. Not his kids and not his dearest of friends. There was arguing that rose up within the Brotherhood and the group split in two. The two separate groups often clashed - One group lead by Angelo was determined to exterminate the humans. The other was lead by Wanda and Pietro. They were moreso for subjugating humans and enslaving them if they couldn't turn them. Over the years, stress and tension rose...Until it was almost too much.

And then...

It was two years ago, between the dates of December 21st and 23rd 2010, when all of the scions returned to Xavier's Institute - At least the ones who hadn't been there. Some had finished college. Some had dropped out. Some didn't even go to college and just had their own agenda. But their parents were getting old and it was time for them to retire. It was time for the kids to take over. The new Head Mistress took the reigns that very New Year. Everything was steady as far as the relations between humans and mutants. Until IT happened. A group calling themselves The Pure Ones had found where Eric was hiding out the rest of his days, having locked onto his location after spotting him at Charles' funeral only a few years prior. They had invested a good amount of time to deciding how he should be killed. Finally, they decided that he was old. In his eighties, nearly. He had given up on life and was as depressed as they came. He wouldn't put up a fight. Taking that risk...they approached. He did wrestle within himself, debating whether he'd fight back or not. By the time he decided he wasn't going to go out like a bitch, an arrow was already driven through his skull; His reflexes just weren't what they once were. But that wasn't the end. In the dead of the night on August 26th, 2012, they mounted Eric and two other mutants onto giant wooden crosses and set them up outside the gates of Xavier's Institute with REPENT written in blood across their foreheads and bible verses across their torsos. Wanda saw it on the news and rushed with her brother to the scene of the crime with the intention of killing each and every human in sight, but was stopped and captured by the X-Men who took her beyond the gates and insisted that they act rationally. Wanda had all but lost her mind at that point and lost it even further to see her child smiling and hanging out with the students as though nothing was wrong. Her grip on reality was all but lost at that point. Wanda was an exceptionally powerful mutant who could even manipulate reality - And that's what she did. She created her own perfect world: Mutants ruled over humans and her family was whole. The X-Men were even close friends of her. Members of the Brotherhood now, even. But there was Logan and his progeny. They knew better. Thanks to Tarot's mutation, they were able to realize what was going on. They went to Wanda and begged of her to make the world right. After hours of an intense conversation, they got Wanda to see just what she was doing. To see the light. See what she was doing wasn't natural. She cursed her father for giving her such a state of mind and decided that the world would just be better off without mutants. But such a big warp right after another wasn't bound to go well. Everything seemed to go back to normal...Nobody remembered what had happened. Hell. They didn't even know it had happened. But there was something wrong. Mutants all across the globe had lost their mutations. They were humans now. Again, for some. Wanda died during the warp. Among those with lost mutations was Quicksilver, Polaris, Beast, Rogue, Iceman, Northstar, Dazzler, Storm, Toad. Many more. The world once held hundreds of thousands of mutants. But now? There were only 201 mutants left. At least recorded, anyways.

It's now September 13th, 2012.

So much has happened after mutants across the globe were depowered. Many humans rejoiced - Some (ex)mutants began searching for a way to regain their mutations while others took it as a blessing in disguise and have been integrating themselves into a normal human life. The remaining mutants? They were hunted. All across the globe, the hunt to find the rest of the mutants began. Religious extremists took 'The Great Purge' as a sign from God and sought to finish his work, joining The Pure Ones. Another group formed as well, calling themselves The Sapien League. They weren't religious fanatics, but simply humans who didn't want mutants around. As a result, mutants from all across the globe reacted in a few ways. Some immediately fled to Xavier's for shelter. Others went into hiding. Others...They did what Magneto would love of them to do. They fought back and took as many human lives as they could. Senator Robert Kelly of Massachusetts approached the U.S. Senate began to push for a bill: Mutant Affairs Control Act that would require mutants to disclose their identities and powers to the government, and work for the government while being labeled as Weapons of Mass Destruction among other things that clearly violated every bit of privacy that they had. It wasn't the first time he had tried for it - The first couple of times, it had been rejected as unconstitutional. But now, with mutant attacks growing more vicious, he has high hopes that it will go through. Even if the bill was rejected again, he was secretly working on Project: Wideawake - A covert operation where mutant-hunting Sentinel robots were being created.

Our story will begin with the first day of school. Barely two weeks after M-Day. All of the remaining mutants who aren't out terrorizing humans and doling out vigilante justice or hiding have arrived at Xavier's Institute and are beginning to settle in. There's to be a meeting to discuss the issues at hand. From there? The IC will decide...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/YWr6MBYJDnc/viewtopic.php

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larajhonson: 3-Step Parenting: Holiday Cheer / Last Minute Gifts ...

It's a wet nasty day here in the Hudson Valley, but that's not going to bring me down.? After a quick run in the rain, I'm ready to deliver for you.? Now that the?holidays are here we often get busier than ever.? Running from school event to school event, The infamous work party to friends parties, to shopping and getting our nails, hair done to look?our best for?those we love.?(ok, not me)??With?all this madness,?don't let the holidays pass you by without remembering the reason you decided to start a family.??Allow yourself to go back to the roots of your relationship.? Spending time with loved ones,?visiting family and friends that you have not seen in awhile,?partaking in special fun activities with your children to?carrying on traditions or starting new ones. Whatever your cup of cheer is just do it with your family.??

As my oldest is now 11 it really hits home to how fast the years are flying by.? I have loved them all and hope you do as well.
Happy Holidays
Todd

PS:? Looking for that last minute gift to give to a loved one.? If so then don't miss out on giving the gift that will give back day after day.? And to think it will cost you less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks.? SO STOP READING and click below for your copy of Three Step Parenting. located on the right hand side of the page.? Only $2.99 during the time of giving.

http://threestepparenting.blogspot.com/

Are you still reading, go now and enjoy your holidays that much more.

http://threestepparenting.blogspot.com/

Source: http://threestepparenting.blogspot.com/2012/12/holiday-cheer-last-minute-gifts.html

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Source: http://bdpykeok.posterous.com/3-step-parenting-holiday-cheer-last-minute-gi

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Source: http://larajhonson59.blogspot.com/2012/12/3-step-parenting-holiday-cheer-last.html

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90?s hegemony plans continue (Unqualified Offerings)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/272628440?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Christmas Staycation, Day I ? CowPuppy Ranch

This is my second staycation in as many months. A whole week to myself to do as I please. I don?t have a list yet, but I really should.

This morning was pouring rain, but I went out to pick up dog food and pet supplies, then stopped at the Farmer?s Market for fresh eggs, cheese, olive oil, and bread. I still needed milk for pancakes, so I had to stop at the grocery store. Being on vacation, I took my time. It was lunchtime when I arrived home, so I made a plate of bread, olive oil, cheese, and veggies to eat while sitting on the couch watching TV.

I spent the afternoon on Pintrest planning a wedding. No worries, it isn?t mine. It is Meine Schwester?s marital party. She isn?t engaged yet. Rocket Man has moved in and they are planning for an eventual day of bliss?including Rocket Man already picking out the bridal party?but we are all still waiting for the engagement part.

In the meantime, Meine Schwester is planning the party. She and I are not typical girls, so we?ve not taken the time to daydream about the day of the white dress before. That is where Pintrest and shared boards come in. We can search the Internet for fabulous ideas and pin them. That is what I did this afternoon.

While I?d been lounging on the couch, my friends from Portland, OR/Morocco were driving through snowstorms from Portland to get to SF. They didn?t arrive in time for dinner, but I took the train to SF for dinner anyways.

On the ride, I made arrangements to meet up with Hawaiian Lemur Girl for dinner at LuLu?s. I tried to invite more people, but it seems lots of people go to snowy places for the holidays. Who knew?

One of the antipasti had pasti in it. Gasp! Regardless, the beets, broccolini and squash were good. So was the margherita pizza.

From there, we went to the The View at the top of the Marriott to meet my friends from Portland.

I was happy to learn that my friends had actually slept somewhere in between last night and hadn?t actually drove from Portland today. That is a long drive.

After an evening of discussing cities and travel, they dropped me off at the train station and now I?m listening to two long-haired guys, one is an old-time hippie freak, the other works as a sys admin. The hippie keeps chickens, cats and dogs so he can eat them in an emergency after the Big One. The Sys Admin is just going to find someone with food and take theirs.

If any of you think you are going to get my food after the Big One, think again. I?ve told you that I?m prepared so that you will prepare. I?m not your mother and I?m not going to give you my food. Take care of yourself. My cat and dog are not dinner.

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Source: http://cowpuppyranch.com/2012/12/23/christmas-staycation-day-i/

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10 things you never knew about the North Pole

21 hrs.

Kaeli Conforti , Budget Travel

Say "North Pole" and most people think of Santa, but did you know that the region is a hotbed for international intrigue? Or that it has a special connection to the unicorn? Just in time for Christmas, here are 10 fun facts about the most mythical place on earth.

There's more to the North Pole than just snow and Santa. Ever since it was discovered by Robert E. Peary, Matthew Henson, and four Eskimo companions back in 1909, the North Pole has been a place of international intrigue???did you know several countries are now fighting over vast underground oil reserves in the Arctic Circle? You can go see for yourself with expedition voyages or even spend the night in a hotel made entirely of ice???try the IceHotel in Jukkasj?rvi, Sweden, or stay overnight at the Aurora Ice Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska, for a unique twist on the average igloo.?

Here, 10 more facts about the North Pole that may surprise you:

There are two North Poles
Unlike the South Pole, which lies over the continent of Antarctica, there is no land beneath the North Pole but more of a floating Arctic ice sheet that expands during colder months and shrinks to half its size in the summer. To complicate things even more, there are two different definitions of the North Pole. The first is the north magnetic pole, which is, quite literally, a magnetic phenomenon which changes daily depending on changes under the Earth's crust. Additionally, there is a north terrestrial pole, which is the fixed point that references the top of the Earth. Regardless of how you define the North Pole, global warming continues to be a problem here???as the polar ice caps melt, the sea levels rise, eliminating the land that polar bears and other wildlife depend on for survival.?

It's at the center of an international controversy right now
Did you know 30 percent of the world's untapped oil reserves are located in the Arctic Circle? The U.S. Geological Survey says that amount could actually be higher, since so much of the region has yet to be explored. Complicating matters is the fact that multiple countries lay claim to the Arctic Circle???Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark (via Greenland), and the United States (via Alaska). Each country is allowed to explore potential oil reserves within 200 miles of their coastlines, but in 2007, Russia used a mini-submarine to plant the country's flag on the floor of the Arctic Ocean in an attempt to claim the region and its natural resources, a move that was rejected by the U.N. as the countries continue to work toward a solution.?

The North Pole has seasons
Just like everywhere else on Earth, the temperature varies here depending on the time of year. The North Pole is warmest in July, if by warm you mean it's actually freezing???32 degrees. If that gives you the shivers, brace yourself. Temperatures in February drop to a bone-chilling 31 degrees below zero. The amount of light each day depends on the time of year, too. Alaska as well as Norway and the other Arctic Circle countries each face six months of broad daylight and six months of almost total darkness because of the angle at which this top portion of the Earth receives sunlight.?

More from Budget Travel:

Yet, it is not the coldest place in the world
It might come as a shock, but even with temperatures with a high of just 32 degrees, the North Pole is not the coldest place on Earth. The South Pole is (in winter temperatures average -76 degrees F). Unlike the North Pole, the South Pole sits on top of a thick sheet of ice, which in turn sits on top of a piece of land???Antarctica. At more than 9,000 feet above sea level, Antarctica is also the world's tallest continent. The North Pole, on the other hand, is made up of a thin Arctic ice sheet that sits barely a foot above sea level???a fact that allows the landscape to absorb heat from the surrounding Arctic Ocean.?

There is life up there
While the conditions may be considered too tough for most humans, there are native Inuit tribes living in northern Canada and Alaska. The outer reaches of the Arctic Circle are a great place to see polar bears in the wild. Keep an eye out for other Arctic dwellers like Orca, Humpback, and Beluga whales, the arctic fox, and Svalbard reindeer. This isn't the only place to see reindeer in the world; a reindeer herd in the U.K. inhabits the Cairngorm Mountains of northern Scotland. One animal you won't see in the North Pole is the penguin. They live in the South Pole. Several species of flying penguin-like birds called auks, guillemots, and puffins can be seen in the Arctic Circle, though.?

Santa Claus is not the only legendary character in the North Pole
Did you know that the creature that inspired myths about unicorns comes from the North Pole? The narwhal, a small whale that lives in the chilly waters of the Arctic Circle, has a six-to-10-foot long tusk, a trait that earned it the nickname "unicorn of the sea." Back in the 16th century, they were often believed to possess magical powers that could be used to cure diseases. Demand was high, and legend has it that Queen Elizabeth I shelled out 10,000 pounds to get her hands on her very own narwhal tusk. Nowadays, narwhal populations are on the decline, due to hunting (Inuit peoples use the meat, tusks, and vitamin-C-rich skin in their everyday lives), climate change, and fishing for halibut, their main source of food.?

Santa's magical workshop isn't in the North Pole proper???but it is nearby
Shh! Don't tell the kids, but Santa's Workshop isn't really in the North Pole???it's in Finnish Lapland. You can visit Santa Claus Village in the Finnish town of Rovaniemi year round, send letters to and from his post office (they'll bear the official postmark of the Arctic Circle), and spend time exploring Santa Park, a series of Christmas-themed caves where you can meet jolly old St. Nick and his elves. You can even visit Santa's reindeer at the onsite Sirmakko Reindeer Family Farm. If Finnish Lapland seems a little out of reach, Santa also has a satellite workshop in the holiday-themed town of North Pole, Alaska where the streets have names like Kris Kringle, Mistletoe, Donner, and Blitzen.

If you would rather write to Santa than visit his workshops, the U.S. Postal Service will postmark letters from Santa Claus as long as they are received by December 10th each year. Simply mail your letters to North Pole Postmark Postmaster, 41-41 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99530 with "Santa, North Pole" marked as the return address. If time is of the essence, you can always email Santa??he'll answer it right away. On Christmas Eve, use the Santa Tracker North Pole Command Center app ($1.99) to keep an eye on Santa's progress.?

You can vacation there
While not exactly a budget destination, you can embark on your own Arctic adventure. Quark Expeditions offers a wide variety of cruising expeditions ranging from the Spitsbergen Explorer, an 11-day cruise around the Norwegian island (from $4,995 per person) to The Ultimate Arctic Adventure, which sails from Russia to the 90-degree north spot that represents the North Pole, visits Franz Josef Land, and tours the Arctic Ocean (from $23,995 per person). Go from June to mid-July to see the polar bears and walrus hunting in their own natural habitat, from mid-July to mid-August to see flowers and other arctic flora in bloom, or from mid-August to September as birds begin to migrate South.

There?are hot springs up there
If you are in the frigid Arctic Circle, you'll need to find a way to warm up.?Chena Hot Springs, located about an hour outside Fairbanks has a natural geothermal hot spring in a rock lake surrounded by nature. The hot springs are open from 7 a.m. to midnight, giving you plenty of time to soak and get a front row seat for the Aurora Borealis (best viewed between August and May). You can also stay at the Chena Hot Springs Resort ($65 a night to room in a Mongolia-style yurt, or stay in a room at the resort for from $189 a night). A number of hot springs can also be found in Norway's Svalbard Islands, in Iceland (the Landmannalaugar Hot Springs is well-known), and in Russia??? Scientific American profiled the hot springs in Oymyakon, Siberia, the coldest town on Earth.?

There is a North Pole marathon every year
The North Pole Marathon bills itself as the World's Coolest Marathon, and with an average wind chill temperature of 22 degrees below zero, they'd be right. It's happened every year since 2002???in 2011, 255 people from 38 nations around the world braved the conditions to compete in the 26.2-mile marathon race on top of a floating Arctic ice shelf. Competitors are transported to an international North Pole Camp on the polar ice shelf to start the race. And they layer up-thermal layers, windproof pants, gloves, two pairs of socks, and even goggles are necessary. The next North Pole Marathon takes place on April 9, 2013, and costs a pretty penny???about $15,561 for the entry fee that includes accommodations in Spitsbergen, Greenland, before and after the race, flights to and from the North Pole Camp, helicopter flights within the polar region, medals, and a commemorative DVD of the race. But the bragging rights are priceless.

More from Budget Travel:

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/itineraries/10-things-you-never-knew-about-north-pole-1C7657750

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