The economy is slumping. Many people think we're already in a recession. So I would suggest to you that replacing today's lunch or dinner with a free ice cream cone from Ben & Jerry's would be a good way to protect your hard-earned dollars in these difficult times.

They've also introduced a few new flavors to mark the day:

* Coconut Seven Layer Bar - What can we say, except we know you'll go coconuts for our latest and greatest flavor, based on the popular dessert: coconut ice cream with coconut & fudge flakes, walnuts & swirls of graham cracker & butterscotch. This is a treat solely for our Scoop Shop fans, as it is the only place in the world that you can get this flavor!

* Imagine Whirled Peace - Continuing in a long lineage of rock and roll flavors, we're honored to introduce Imagine Whirled Peace. John Lennon imagined a world without war, and asked us all to "Give Peace a Chance." We're proud to partner with Peace One Day to act globally and take one step closer to making our planet one of peace and love. Imagine Whirled Peace is a tongue-pleasing concoction of caramel and sweet cream ice creams mixed with fudge peace signs and toffee cookies.

* ONE Cheesecake Brownie - This top-testing new flavor is a decadent cheesecake ice cream with cheesecake brownie chunks. The amazing thing is the taste is only the half of it! We're partnering with ONE.org to "make poverty history." To find out all the campaign info, visit ONE.org/benjerry.

* Cake Batter - This flavor combination takes the cake! Yellow cake batter ice cream with a chocolate frosting swirl. The perfect flavor to help blow out Ben & Jerry's 30 candles!

I'm feeling a little like a shill for Ben & Jerry's right now, but I like ice cream. Go here to find your nearest Scoop Shop where you can get your free cone.