Will there be anyone left to count the billionaires?

Hopping on October's layoff train, Forbes began its third round of massive cuts by laying off staff at its sales and marketing departments yesterday morning. The company laid off more staff today in its Atlanta and London bureaus as well as in its design and production departments in New York.

Remaining employees are anticipating a rumored editorial massacre by Wednesday afternoon.

Yesterday's cuts went almost unnoticed by editorial employees since the marketing and sales departments live in the Forbes Magazine building, which is located two streets away from the Forbes.com building in Manhattan. However, talk of the hush-hush layoffs circulated through the Blogosphere by noon, and by late afternoon, Steve Forbes sent an internal memo, acknowledging the cuts, and further pouring salt on trembling employees' wounds by implying that due to the company's inability to sell ads, the winning and innovative method of dealing with the recession is to lay off staff.

Two months ago, I moved into a new apartment and needed to cut the fat in my spending. Where did I trim first? The landline.

I know, I know, after discussing the benefits of the landline in a post earlier this year, one would think I'd never do away with it. Maybe I'll reconsider later on, but for now, saving an extra $30 a month is worth it.

Where I am NOT saving, I discovered, is in my cellphone use. My monthly bill skyrocketed as soon as I got rid of the landline since I now use it to conduct interviews and of course, there's the occasional one-hour wait for customer service to handle whatever gadget, credit card or travel-related problem I am having that week. Please note that I have a BlackBerry and so I also pay for Internet use.

My roommate chose a pre-paid phone plan since she's only staying in the U.S. for half a year and when I found out she was paying $50 for her unlimited calling, texting and data monthly plan, I got jealous.

"There must be a catch," I thought. "How could a pre-paid service be cheaper than a monthly, contract-based service? I thought I was getting a deal!"

So when the opportunity arrived, I did some research and discovered some shocking information.

Thank goodness artist Michelle Vaughan has a soft spot for pirates. Otherwise, how else would New Yorkers and tourists alike rediscover the magic of the South Street Seaport, hidden beneath glitzy shops and overpriced restaurants?

From now until Oct. 18, history buffs, pirate enthusiasts and NYC addicts can treat themselves to Vaughan's FREE Sea Warriors art exhibit, which depicts 11 historical pirates -- including Queen Teuta and Sir Francis Drake -- painted on wood panels.

If that tharrr does nay be makin' ye jump fer joy, you can now stick one of Vaughan's pirate designs on your wall, thanks to her collaboration with dVider, a modern design studio specializing in wall decals.

The world is facing a water crisis ... but try to get Americans concerned.

The world we live in faces an imminent water crisis, with countries including China and India, parts of Central and Eastern Europe and the majority of Africa and the Middle East experiencing significant water shortage. (I lost count of how many times I had to wash my body out of a communal basin using a pitcher and a tea kettle when visiting my grandmother in rural Crimea (Ukraine), and how often I "showered" under string-thin water pressure when traveling to Israel.)

And yet Americans continue to waste water by not minding their leaky faucets, leaving their sprinklers on longer than necessary, and changing their pool water with every fallen bug.

As pointed out in the World Water Vision Report, "[The water] crisis is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs. It is a crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people -- and the environment -- suffer badly."

Make love, not porn, because if you live in the Ukraine, you'll get fined and sent to jail. Tuesday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a bill into law, making the possession of pornography a criminal offense in the country.

I first heard of the report while watching the Russian news network last night and my immediate reaction was: "WTF?" Thinking the announcement couldn't possibly be true and must have been Russia's unfunny way of mocking my birth country, I hopped onto the Internets, only to find --10 seconds later -- reports of the aforementioned law.

"But what constitutes 'pornography' in the Ukraine?" I wondered. And the only definition I could find was one claimed by XBizNewswire to have been featured in the 2003 legislation, which states, "Pornography is vulgar, candid, cynical, obscene depiction of sexual acts, pursuing no other goal, the explicit demonstration of genitals, unethical elements of the sexual act, sexual perversions, realistic sketches that do not meet moral criteria and offend honor and dignity of the human by inciting low instincts." Hmmm. Not at all subjective.

Can't get enough of the Big Apple? Thanks to the folks at the Tribeca Film Festival (who sponsored this promotion), Time Out New York offers you a free two-year subscription to its weekly magazine. So whether you're a tourist searching for top-notch entertainment and upscale restaurant ideas or a local explorer extraordinaire looking for recession-friendly weekend activities, don't pass up this opportunity and sign up fast!

According to Time Out's marketing department, this offer wasn't meant to be publicized (even though it's proudly displayed on their site, right above the "Subscribe now and save 90%" offer).

TONY is one of my favorite magazines as it offers a chance to experience New York City through the eyes of real New York connoisseurs. It has been my guide to free gallery events and mouthwatering cheap eats for more than 10 years. Naturally, as soon as I heard about this promotion, I signed up right away, and according to the site, my first magazine issue should arrive in about four weeks.

This is not a hoax or an accidental giveaway.

Domino's recently sent out a free-lunch offer to its loyal customers, promoting the pizza chain's new bread bowl pastas. On April 29, stop by participating Domino's locations between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and receive one free bread bowl pasta of your choice. (Carry-out only.)

I don't usually eat bread with my pastas for fear of a carbohydrate overload (and a possible heart attack); so if you're concerned about your carb intake, inquire whether you may try the pastas for free sans bread bowl, an option Domino's offers to paying customers.

You might not be famous for shooting cyborg assassins or leading a human resistance team against a world takeover by machines, but if your name is John Connor or Sarah Connor, you can get a Pizza Hut pizza on May 21 for free!

In honor of the release of Terminator Salvation, Pizza Hut is offering all individuals with the names of the famous mother-and-son robot battlers the Salvation special, a medium one-topping pizza. Make sure to bring your government-issued I.D. to claim your free pie.

In addition, Pizza Hut is sending one lucky Terminator fan (and a guest) to Hollywood to attend the world premier of Terminator Salvation, followed by an after-party and a behind-the-scenes tour of Warner Bros. Studios. Now through May 4, 2009, customers can sign up on www.pizzahut.com for a chance to win the grand prize.

Want to make $5,000 a month by working from home for approximately 10 hours a week?

Me too! And Scott Hunter, from Brooklyn, NY...err...Bluffton, OH...I mean Buenos Aires, Argentina, can show you how to realize your dream if you simply follow the directions on his blog.

Scott claims that his life changed as soon as he discovered the Google Cash Kit, which helped save him from astronomical debt and gave him the green light to quit his "boring" job as an account manager for a pipe manufacturing company. Heck, he even got married.

The Google Cash Kit he endorses is free, and for a teeny shipping fee of $1.97, we can put our feet up and wait for weekly $1,500 (and up) checks from Google Inc. to make their way into our mailboxes. And lest we think this is a scam (gasp)! Oh no! This works; it's different. Scott's argument? The numbers he's throwing at us are reasonable, compared with the $500,000 or $1,000,000 often promised in inheritance letters from Nigeria.

Does that still sound too good to be true? Perhaps, because it is. Not only is the company whose product you'd be purchasing in no way affiliated with Google, but Scott and his story are as real as the $5,000 check displayed on the site.

Let's dissect.

Can't shake off your Monday blues? Start your workday off with a free 12-ounce hot cup o' java from Seattle's Best Coffee. (Limit one per customer.)

But that's not all!

In honor of its 39th anniversary, from April 7-April 28, the coffee chain offers all 39-year-olds a free medium (16-ounce) cup of coffee per guest per day. Just show your proof-of-age ID and enjoy a complimentary brew. In addition, from April 10-12, you will receive a free medium cup of Anniversary Roast coffee with purchase of any pastry.

And from April 24-26, when you buy a 12-ounce or larger bag of coffee, you will receive a free medium "handmade" beverage of your choice.

Click here to find a participating Seattle's Best Coffee location near you.