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Seasonal
Holiday entertaining made easy
The holidays are just around the corner, which means family and friends will soon get together at your home to celebrate. Whether you're hosting large or intimate gatherings, having a game plan in place well in advance of your event is essential. With a few simple steps, you can jumpstart holiday entertaining - and incre...
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Governments prep for another snowmageddon
While American drivers enjoyed a relatively mild winter last season, this time around the Farmers' Almanac is predicting a heavier than average snowfall for much of the country and adequate preparation for snow removal will be key to avoiding catastrophe.
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Tried-and-true come together with new in creative holiday traditions
Every holiday season is built upon family traditions of years past. Whether it's enjoying holiday baking with friends or shopping with loved ones for gifts, traditions define the season. While honoring the past, traditions also open us to the opportunity to create new family observances, along with some great memories.
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A holiday tech gift idea for your favorite TV watcher
If someone on your gift list this year loves to watch TV and wants to see all the top-rated shows for free - there's a gift out there that can grant them their wish and won't break the bank. It's a razor thin, indoor, high-tech HDTV antenna that pulls in all TV broadcast signals within 25 miles and makes them available i...
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Five easy ways to support the troops during the holidays
Supporting the troops is an important thing to do - but sometimes it's hard to figure out how to give your support. Here are five easy ways to thank those people who keep us safe every single day - even if you don't personally know someone serving. And it's the perfect time of year to do it. With the holidays coming up, ...
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Pondering presidential polls? How to decipher the data
When it comes to deciphering the data from polls, you may feel like you need an advanced degree in political science to really put the information in perspective. It's worth the effort, however, to understand what polls might really mean. If you're following the polls, keep these fundamental considerations in mind when e...
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How to help kids adjust to sleep schedule changes
Whether it's every year at daylight saving time, the start of the school year or holiday travel, you'll often be faced with the challenge of adjusting what time your child wakes up and goes to bed. But there's no reason to panic when sleep schedules change. With a few helpful tips, you can have your children back on a ro...
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Outdoor activities heat up as weather cools down
As the days grow shorter and Old Man Winter makes his appearance, many of us are tempted to bundle up and stay indoors. But don't let the changing weather keep you from nature's beauty and the potential of outdoor adventure.
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Quick tips for pulling together a holiday potluck
When your holiday-dinner guest list keeps growing year after year, it may be time to share the cooking. A potluck is a great way to share the load, and with just a little advance planning you can avoid ending up with 12 green bean casseroles on the dinner table.
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Holiday dining gets fresh flavor with new uses for seasonal ingredients
When the weather cools, do your cravings turn toward peppermint? Or perhaps the approaching holidays are priming your palate for pumpkin and gingerbread. Some flavors and ingredients just seem to go naturally with the season. While time-honored culinary traditions will always have a place in our seasonal celebrations, mi...
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By 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. ...
By 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. ...
By Elaine Porterfield MOUNT VERNON, Washington (Reuters) - A bridge collapse that sent cars and drivers plunging into the frigid Skagit River in Washington state, raising concerns about the safety of the nation's aging infrastructure, was caused when a truck crashed into at least one girder, officials said on Friday. The truck, after the accident, rumbled across the bridge safely before a portion of the structure collapsed, sending two vehicles and a mass of concrete and steel into the river on Thursday evening. Three people had to be rescued, officials said. ...