Employees could have a new reason to call in sick thanks to a study by researchers at Queensland University of Technology. According to their report, some printers emit dangerous chemicals that could make workers sick. During their testing, they found that 17 out of 62 printers were designated "high particle emitters" that were threatening to humans. Researchers compared the printer particles to cigarette smoke particles and concluded that when they're inhaled deep inside the lung, they can do the same amount of damage. "The results can range from respiratory irritation to more severe illness, such as cardiovascular problems or cancer," said Professor Lidia Morawska, author of the study.

So what can you do to help prevent employees from suffering? Morawska recommends operating printers in areas with as much ventilation as possible and as far away from employees' desks as your office space allows.

Are you trying to spread the word about your exciting new business venture, but don't have the funding to invest in a full-service marketing firm? Then check out this release from upstart PRNewsChannel, created by journalists with small-business owners in mind. With features like live customer chat and free over-the-phone support, PRNewsChannel sends out press releases via e-mail to a database of 450,000 reporters, editors, show bookers and producers. "There are many companies offering news distribution," says spokesperson Joe Vega. "But we've taken customer service to a new level. We're guiding companies each step of the way."

The site has 10 channels for news distribution, including Top Technology Publications, Radio Stations and Top 100 Newspapers. Each channel can be purchased for a different price. For example, you can subscribe to the U.S. Distribution Channel for $269.

In April, we told you about the growing trend of luxury spas catering to youngsters. Now, companies are launching cosmetic lines for young girls, too. Even more surprising--Disney just announced the launch of a body spray and fragrance targeting 4- to 11-year-old boys. Scents like Pirates of the Caribbean and Buzz Lightyear will retail between $9.95 and $19.95 and will target boys in Latin communities. Is this really a necessary product for a 'tween boy? According to the president of the Fragrance Foundation, it sure is. "The products will sell well. U.S. males are slower to get into the men's fragrance arena than European, Latin and South American men. There is an untapped market with huge potential," said Rochelle Bloom.

More proof that it's a trend with staying power: ACNielsen reported that sales of children's cologne and gift sets to Hispanic consumers increased by 7.3 percent in the food, drug and mass channels for the 52 weeks ending June 16. Perhaps the hottest place to market the Disney aromas is Miami, since the city accounted for more than half of the sales mentioned above.

French fries are so passé. At least that's what Burger King is hoping you'll say the next time you decide to "have it your way." That's because the fast-food chain is taking a chance on its own line of flat, rectangular-shaped chips in flavors like "Ketchup & Fries" and "Flame-Broiled Burger." Both varieties are fried, but trans-fat free. The snack will be sold in vending machines and test-marketed in Northeast Burger Kings to see if consumers will eat them up.

But Burger King executives say they aren't trying to be the next big thing in chips; they simply want to further market their brand. "We've got our own business objectives," said chief marketer Russ Klein. "You'll never see me interested in how Burger King Ketchup & Fries stacks up against Doritos in some Nielsen report."

Some critics say it's not the right move for Burger King, insisting it's a stretch for the brand. But, creating a "healthier" option compared to french fries could benefit the burger chain in the long run by proving it's not afraid to take a chance on something new.

According to the Discover Small Business Watch, small-business owners are looking at the economy more positively than they did last month. Entrepreneurs are reporting more confidence in their own economic conditions and taking note of fewer cash-flow issues as well. In fact, 41 percent of small-business owners said their economic conditions are improving, compared to 34 percent in June. However, the Small Business Watch did find that 39 percent of small-biz owners are still cautious about the economy as a whole.

The poll also found that three out of four small businesses said the summertime months brought an increase in business (33 percent) or at least stayed the same (43 percent).

Late-night paper-pushers and very-early-morning people can now get their fill of pancakes, bacon and eggs in the wee hours. During the largest company gathering to date, McDonald's strongly encouraged all of its 14,000 U.S. locations to open by 5 a.m., in hopes of rolling in $2.4 million in annual sales per location by 2009.

The three-day powwow emphasized the breakfast consumer, with head execs asking managers to treat the 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. shift with the same urgency as the lunchtime rush. McDonald's is trying to keep up as Americans begin waking up earlier to drive to work. The company also has plans to add healthy items, such as fruit and oatmeal, to its menu. And meet the fast-food, drive-through cappuccino. McDonald's is moving closer to serving lattes, mochas and cappuccinos at all of its locations after customers have said that it improves their perception of McDonald's overall.

And the burger chain isn't the only one that believes breakfast has enormous growth potential. Burger King launched a bargain breakfast menu earlier this year, and Starbucks is adding gourmet breakfast sandwiches to augment its beverage selections.--Joanne Yao

It's a new trend that's causing some debate among parents: Many moms and dads are experimenting with gift-free birthday parties for their children. Instead of watching extravagant gifts pile up at their child's party, they say they'd prefer to raise money for a charitable cause chosen by the child. This trend follows the latest move by brides and grooms to shun traditional wedding registries and instead ask wedding guests to donate to a chosen philanthropy.

Miss Manners, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily agree with the idea when it comes to children's birthday parties. "Do you really want the birthday child to grow up hating philanthropy because it's done him out of his birthday presents?" questions Judith Martin, also known as Miss Manners. Bill Doherty, a creator of Birthdays Without Pressure, says the trend's a great way to get children involved in the charity process at a young age. But he warns it could become a source of competition, too, when parents compare how much their children raise.

You sit down in front of your laptop for a nice long brainstorming session only to have your battery die halfway through your project. Talk about annoying. Check out these 15 ways to extend the life of your laptop battery. Here are a couple ideas from the list to get you started:

• Defrag your hard drive regularly
• Dim your screen
• Cut down on programs running in the background

If you think bingo's strictly for senior citizens, think again. In Los Angeles, playing a game of Blackout is on the to-do list of hip, trendy Angelenos. And there's good reason why: The eight establishments mentioned here mix a friendly game of bingo with beer, music, cabaret and drag queens. Several of the bingo nights mentioned give their proceeds to charities, such as the one at Hamburger Mary's in Hollywood.

This is the perfect example of taking something old and making it new again. And besides, who doesn't love a game of bingo?

How important do you think honesty is in advertising campaigns? In the bottled water industry, it's becoming a must. According to Corporate Accountability International, PepsiCo Inc. will be including the words "public water source" on future bottles of Aquafina water as a concession to industry critics. In addition, Coca-Cola Co. says it also plans to start posting information online about the quality control tests it performs on Dasani water. Both Aquafina and Dasani are made from purified water sourced from public reservoirs, while waters like Danone's Evian and Nestle's Poland Spring are dubbed "spring waters" since they're shipped from areas with cleaner water.

So how will this new truth in advertising affect the growth of the bottled water industry? John Sicher of Beverage Digest said the issue's not likely to make a significant dent in the $15 billion industry. "Consumers have an affection for bottled water. It's not an issue of taste or health; it's about convenience," said Sicher.

A labor economist with The Conference Board says to expect less hiring this autumn. His findings are based on a drop in the board's help-wanted advertising index, which dipped one point in June. It now stands at 26, while last year, it was 32. Help-wanted advertising has declined in all nine U.S. regions over the past three months, with the largest declines occurring in the Pacific, East, South Central and Mountain regions.

Labor economist Ken Goldstein said businesses are being cautious about the near-term prospects for the economy and their own business, potentially causing a hiring slow-down in the next few months.

In an ideal world, employees wouldn't waste a second of their day on personal business. But let's be realistic. According to Salary.com's recent survey, U.S. workers waste about 20 percent of their working day surfing the internet and gossiping with co-workers. That percentage equates to about 1.7 hours out of an average 8.5 hour workday. So what exactly are employees doing during those 1.7 hours per day? Topping the list: personal internet use, followed by socializing with co-workers and taking care of personal business.

Could you, as an employer, actually be pushing employees in this direction? The survey says the most popular reason for employees wasting time could be partly your fault. About 18 percent of those surveyed blamed boredom and not having enough to do. Having too long of hours followed behind at 13.9 percent, with being underpaid rounding out the top three reasons.

But it's not all bad news. Believe it or not, the amount of wasted time has actually improved since 2005. Back then, workers reported wasting 2.09 hours of their day. "I think [the decline] is really a result of the economy and that there's more business, more work available and less time to sit around wondering what you are going to do with your day," said Bill Coleman, chief compensation officer at Salary.com.

When you're designing your company's next marketing campaign, why not take a look at YouTube first? That's what McDonald's did, and the results are paying off. Since McDonald's has started airing a commercial featured on YouTube created by two Chicago men rapping about chicken nuggets, they've already seen increased sales in their nugget meals. "The buzz that has been generated has been substantial," said Ken Ebo, McDonald's Corp.'s New York marketing director. "I've heard radio station DJs chatting about it. You can't pay for that."

Before McDonald's found it, the video was a YouTube hit with tens of thousands of viewers. The men who filmed the skit, also aspiring comedians, said they put the rap ditty together for the fun of it. Somehow, the YouTube video got forwarded to Ebo, and the rest is history. This commercial is a good example of the advertising world catching on to the advantages of viral marketing. It definitely saves in production costs, and it's more of a sure thing. Before using the video clip, McDonald's knew it was already a hit with the very audience they were hoping to target. It may not work for every business, but it's safe to say you haven't seen the last of amateur online videos breaking into the ad world.

Some food connoisseurs in Paris, London, Sydney and Beijing seem to think so. That's right, the new trend in dining is to enjoy your meal without being able to see it. According to this New York Times article, the idea is that by depriving one's sight, their other senses will be heightened. So how does this work? Some waiters wear night-vision goggles to lead customers to their seats, and at some of these restaurants, the wait-staff is actually blind. The first-ever pitch-black eatery, Blindekuh, meaning blind cow, opened in Zurich in 1999 with the sole purpose of creating jobs for the blind and handicapped.

The trend is already making its way to the U.S. on both coasts. In fact, it's being tried out at several Los Angeles and Greenwich Village restaurants. Not to worry, dishes requiring sharp utensils are eliminated from these eateries. And the server will usually guide diners with helpful hints as to what they're eating and how to eat it.

The Washington metro area has the highest percentage of female top-level executives in the U.S. According to a USA Today Snapshot with workplace figures provided by the Greater Washington Initiative, Washington DC narrowly beats out both San Francisco and New York in this category. The initiative also found that nearly 40 percent of full-time workers have called in sick to enjoy a nice summer day. Another interesting office fact: Workers who use wireless devices (about 61 percent) say cell phones, BlackBerrys and laptops allow them to spend more time with family and friends, and give them a greater sense of freedom.

For more office trivia, check out the rest of this USA Today Snapshot.