Online Features
Gift Ideas
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Secrets of building a great gift basket
Giving a great gift basket is like bestowing a buffet of gifts on your loved one, and when the well-put-together gift basket is opened, well, that's a magical moment. Beneath the pretty decorations lie enchanting mysteries that emerge one-by-one to the delight of the recipient. Here is some advice for putting together a ...
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Give a U.S. Savings Bond gift this holiday season
To celebrate the holiday season, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is proud to introduce a new set of savings bond certificates to mark the time-honored tradition of giving U.S. Savings Bonds as holiday gifts. The newly designed gift certificates feature historical and patriotic themes and can be given when digital sav...
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Give the gift of hearing this holiday season
Getting older doesn't necessarily mean looking and feeling older. Age 50 is the new 30, according to celebrities who crossed that threshold in recent years. And while the body can start to show signs of aging, it doesn't necessarily mean one has to suffer.
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Gifts that can help close the generation gap
Grandma gives Johnny wool socks. Susie delivers ear buds to Grandpa, who thinks an MP3 player is a character in a James Bond movie. When it comes to the gaps between generations, gift-giving can cast into stark relief the differences between age groups. But it is possible to find gifts that spring from common ground - an...
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Holiday shoppers flocking to online retailers [INFOGRAPHIC]
While American consumers continue to embrace the age-old traditions of the holidays -greeting cards, yuletide carols and presents for all - consumer shopping habits are showing a big shift. Internet sites are more popular than ever among shoppers.
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Giving the gift of living roses
Everyone loves to receive a bouquet of roses as a gift, but an even better gift is one that keeps on giving for years to come. Why not give a beautiful rose bush instead of a bouquet of flowers? Whether for birthdays, holidays, the birth of a baby, a house warming or even as a hostess gift, it's a wonderful show of appre...
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Five must-have tech gifts for the college bound
If you'll be buying for a college kid this summer, here are five tech gift ideas that can help make their college careers easier, more fun and more memorable.
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Great gifts to make this Father's Day one to remember
What do you get the man who's done everything for you - from spending sleepless nights changing dirty diapers to trading in his muscle car for a minivan - but asked nothing in return? This year, start paying dad back for all he's done by making Father's Day the best yet with these surefire gift ideas.
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Savings bonds: Give the gift of a bright future
They're the same bonds you remember getting as a child, but with a digital twist. U.S. Savings Bonds are making a comeback, just in time for the graduation and wedding gift-giving season.
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Gift ideas for the handyman
For some families, the local handyman never gets a call because the right man for the job is already at home ready to tackle do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Show him that his hard work around the house has not gone unnoticed. Whether it's for Father's Day, or any other occasion throughout the year, here are a few gift ide...
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Gift wrapping tips: Fashionable and functional ways to make packages extra special
The warm weather seasons are well stocked with special occasions. Whether you're saying best wishes at a friend's wedding or offering congratulations to a recent grad, it's easy to make your gift the brightest in the pile. Follow these simple tips to inspire your imagination and you'll create gift wrapping that's as spec...
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Birding gifts for the holidays
Birding gifts for the holidays Birdwatching is the fastest growing hobby in the United States, and is enjoyed by a variety of individuals. Kids enjoy seeing birds in their play spaces and learning about new animals, while gardeners enjoy attracting birds with their blooming flowers. Others may have a flair for identifyi...
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national news
Arizona jury foreman says believed Jodi Arias was abused

Jodi Arias listens as the verdict for sentencing is read for her first degree murder conviction at Maricopa County Superior Court in PhoenixBy David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - The foreman of an Arizona jury that deadlocked over whether Jodi Arias should be put to death for murdering her ex-boyfriend believes she was mentally abused, but said on Friday that had not been enough to excuse her crime. Arias, a former waitress from California, was found guilty this month of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He had been stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face. ...


Fri May 24 16:47:37 UTC 2013
Illinois House votes to allow residents to carry concealed guns

Evanston police officer holds a firearm that was turned in as part of an amnesty-based gun buyback program in Evanston, IllinoisBy Joanne von Alroth SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - The Illinois House of Representatives on Friday voted overwhelmingly to allow residents to carry concealed guns, taking the state one step closer to joining all others in allowing some form of carrying guns in public. Illinois is the only state in the nation to ban most people from carrying a concealed gun outside the home. Lawmakers acted on Friday after a federal appeals court in January struck down the ban, saying it violated the right to bear arms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. ...


Fri May 24 16:13:13 UTC 2013
Federal agency accepts Nevada hospital's plan to curb patient-dumping
By Ronnie Cohen (Reuters) - Federal authorities approved a Nevada hospital's proposal on Friday for correcting deficiencies that led to newly discharged psychiatric patients being bused out of state without adequate plans for continued care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also said it would conduct unannounced inspections of Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas to ensure that procedures are in place and working to prevent further instances of so-called patient dumping. ...
Fri May 24 19:59:12 UTC 2013
On Memorial Day, remembering friends, family with ‘a heavy but grateful heart’
From William Ray Fullmer: "My nephew, Sgt. Derek Tillman Roberts, spilled his blood on the sands of Iraq to extend the right to live free to the people of the Middle East. On June 14, 2007, Derek was killed by a roadside bomb in Kirkuk, placed by those too cowardly to face him on the [...]
Fri May 24 13:55:25 UTC 2013