It’s your birthday, of course you’re supposed to get presents! While your friends and family may have you covered in terms of gifts, there are a number of restaurants and retailers who offer some pretty terrific birthday deals to help you celebrate your special day. Browse through our list of retailers, restaurants, and entertainment centers to find where you can get free birthday stuff. As if you didn’t have reason enough to celebrate! Almost all of these deals require you to sign-up for their email list or birthday club before your birthday, so make sure you plan ahead if you want to take advantage of these free birthday coupons and discounts. It’s a good idea to call ahead to confirm that your specific store participates and that the offer hasn’t changed. Have you noticed a birthday freebie we missed? Let us know in the comments below! Besides a big slice of birthday cake, there is nothing sweeter than free food on the anniversary of your birth. Find out if your favorite eatery is on this list of restaurants that offer free birthday gifts to guests.

Some gifts don’t always come packaged with a bow. Many retailers understand that some birthday gifts can take the form of an exclusive discount or perk offered to patrons celebrating a birthday. Browse through this list of retailers who offer birthday freebies to loyal customers. Whether it’s a trip to an arcade, seeing a movie, or catching a rising star at a local comedy club, sometimes you want to celebrate your birthday with a fun night out on the town. Check out this list of entertainment hot spots that offer birthday freebies and plan something fun! Get the scoop on even more freebies with our lists for kids, moms, dads, and more in the slideshow below:YOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollectionsShirt Reporting from Beijing — In the sweltering heat of summer, when the refreshing breezes desert the city, Hu Lianqun absent-mindedly reaches for a solution: He rolls up his shirt to expose his belly, often fanning himself with the garment to create his own air conditioning.

From the countryside to sophisticated urban centers such as Beijing, men of all ages, social standing and stomach sizes resort to a public display of skin, a hot-weather fashion faux pas that's the Chinese equivalent of knee-high black socks with shorts. They're known as bang ye, or "exposing grandfathers"(despite their age range). In the hottest weather, bang ye seem to be everywhere, striding among the tall buildings in Beijing's business district, playing chess in parks, holding children's hands at the zoo and negotiating crowded alleyways. There are precious few washboard abs among the lot. Still, many fail to notice that they're drawing smirks from fashion-conscious passersby. Most just don't care. "I don't know, it just feels cooler," says Hu, perched on a park bench on a sultry weekday morning, the temperatures already into the 90s, the humidity soaring. "Look, you just shake your shirt to create a breeze. I don't see anyone laughing at me." In the sports attire section of a nearby department store, Qi Tong scoffs at such reasoning.

"It lowers Beijing's standing as an international city," the 21-year-old says. "I go without a shirt sometimes at home, but never in public. If my dad reaches for his shirt when I'm out with him, I threaten to go home. Wolf Dog For Sale MiamiIt's just too embarrassing." Outdoor Furniture Palmdale CaSays a shopper in the men's suits section: "I'd never do it. Hot Dog Steamer For Sale UsedIn recent years, China has shown a keen awareness of its public image. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing's Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee railed against such bad manners as spitting, cursing, cutting in line, urinating in public, sleeping on park benches and loudly slurping food. During this summer's World Expo, the mayor of Shanghai has urged residents to stop running red lights and strolling the streets in pajamas, a popular summer attire.

But male belly-baring has proved a tough habit to beat. Years ago, men often did the full Monty with their shirts, taking them off completely, as a way to beat the heat, prompting fashionistas to put their foot down. In 2002, one Beijing newspaper even sponsored a campaign to drive home the point that going shirtless was gauche. Each day, the Beijing Youth Daily ran candid pictures of shirtless men, often with bellies bulging, in an effort to shame offenders into compliance. But as on the catwalks of Paris, style evolves. In Beijing, it soon morphed into the rolled-up-shirt look. Some go even further to beat the heat, rolling up their pants legs. Many defend the practice, insisting that history is also on their side: During the Cultural Revolution, when good manners were condemned as bourgeois, it was considered a compliment to be called a dalaocu, or "a rough old guy." Chinese men haven't looked to their leaders for guidance on proper etiquette. Mao Tse-tung often scratched himself in public, and Deng Xiaoping, a notorious spitter, often kept a spittoon nearby when meeting with world leaders.

Although many men proclaim the health benefits of exposing their stomachs on hot days, one Eastern medicine practitioner says he doesn't want to be blamed for the practice. "Exposing one's belly has nothing to do with Chinese medicine's theory about maintaining a person's health," says Yan Zheng, who has been practicing Chinese medicine for more than 40 years. "People chose to expose their belly because they feel too hot in summer but feel embarrassed to take off their shirts completely." Cai Keqing says he doesn't worry about embarrassment. Taking a break from his retail sales job, the 24-year-old slouches on a park bench, shirt hiked up, and smokes a cigarette. He's heard all the arguments about skin-exposing men. "Right now, I couldn't care less about my public image," he says. " Tommy Yang in The Times' Beijing Bureau contributed to this report.This winter UW-L Athletics invites you to take a seat in the stands for a season of winter sports. Whether you enjoy Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving, Women’s Gymnastics, Wrestling or Indoor Track & Field, UW-L student-athletes love to hear fans in the stands!

Check out schedules for upcoming meets and games on the Athletics website and read on to learn about some fun athletics traditions. Men’s Basketball Mitten Toss During the Men’s Basketball game vs. UW-Eau Claire on Saturday, Jan. 19, all fans are encouraged to bring slightly used or new mittens to throw on the court during halftime. All mittens will be donated to Goodwill. Coaches vs. Cancer event at HuHot Mongolian Grill Join UW-L coaches in the fight against cancer. Head coaches from all UW-L teams will serve up hot dishes during a Coaches vs. Cancer event at HuHot Mongolian Grill in La Crosse from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29. Serving as guest grillers, they will be participating in HuHot’s Helping Hands fundraising program, which benefits the American Cancer Society. Ten percent of HuHot’s sales during the event, all grill tip bucket donations and all of proceeds from dining room activities, including silent auctions and random drawings, will go to Coaches vs. Cancer, an initiative uniting the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

This is a UW-L Athletics fundraising event in partnership with the Colleges Against Cancer student organization on campus. Special Olympics ‘Spread the Word to End the Word Day’ Special Olympics Spread the Word to End the Word Day in conjunction with UW-L Basketball will be Wednesday, Feb. 6. Local Special Olympians are invited to watch the Eagles vs. UW-Stout and participate in a number of game-day opportunities, including in-game promotions, Special Olympian halftime honors and a Special Olympian halftime lightening game. Information about the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign will be available throughout the event. This event is sponsored by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in partnership with the City of La Crosse Park & Recreation Department. What do wrestlers and gymnasts have in common? UW-L wrestlers and gymnastics student-athletes come together for a combined meet Feb. 8 in Mitchell Hall, “Beauty and the Beast.” The wrestling team will take on UW-Stevens Point and gymnastics team will compete with UW-Stout.

Don’t miss the fun at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 8, at Mitchell Hall Gymnasium. Music from “Beauty and the Beast” will play and wrestlers and gymnasts will wear costumes. Youth community members are encouraged to dress as beauties and beasts and participate in the best-dressed competition at the conclusion of the event. The event includes a meet and greet and poster signing with both gymnasts and wrestlers. Prior to the showdown, wrestlers and gymnasts will spend a day teaching each other a few tricks! At 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Wittich Hall teams will join forces to teach and learn. Wrestlers will teach gymnasts about wrestling and vice versa. Women’s Basketball Teddy Bear Toss Fans are encouraged to bring a new or gently used stuffed animal to throw onto the court during halftime of the Women’s Basketball game against UW-River Falls Wednesday, Feb. 13. All donations will go to Mayo Clinic Health System – La Crosse and Gundersen Lutheran Health System. The event is a partnership with the UW-L student organization, Volunteering Within.

Women’s Basketball Pink Zone Game UW-L Women’s Basketball will host a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone game Saturday, Feb. 16, to support the fight against breast cancer. During the second half of the game against UW-Superior, pink T-shirts will be distributed to the first 100 fans in attendance. All fans are encouraged to support the Eagles and breast cancer research by wearing pink attire to the game. Breast cancer survivors will be recognized at halftime. WBCA began the Pink Zone initiative in 2007. The late Kay Yow, former North Carolina State University head women’s basketball coach, served as the catalyst for the initiative after her third reoccurrence of breast cancer in 2006. UW-L’s event is a doubleheader with the Men’s Basketball game beginning at 3 p.m. and the women’s pink zone game at 5 p.m. Eagles All Access Radio Show Join your favorite teams for Eagles All Access, a weekly radio show sponsored by the L-Club and highlighting UW-L Athletics.