curated news for friends & family ™ 
curated news for friends & family ™ 
Bananas: Bananas release high levels of ethylene gas, so store them alone on the counter. Once they're ripe, move bananas to the fridge for a couple of days until you're ready to eat them. Buy bananas that are still a litt... read more
What are the main ELEMENTS OF A STORY?
Setting;
Character;
Plot;
Conflict;
Theme;
Point-of-view;
Tone;
Style;
Elements of a Story... read more
If you're anything like us here at Breed Advisor, we simply can't imagine life without our four-legged family members. That's why we were horrified to learn that approximately 2 million canines are dognapped each year.... read more
I had no idea. Good to know. See bartender-uses-fake-receipt-save-women-hit-creep If you ever feel uncomfortable a... read more
VARIOUS WRITERS' RULES Write a draft. Then let it rest. -- Stephen King;Read a lot. -- King;Never use a long word when a short one will do. -- George Orwell;Never use the passive voice when you can use the active v... read more
If you're looking to get away from it all, here is some hopefully useful information. If you're primarily English-speaking (maybe looking to move permanently), here's a list of countries (whose primary language is NOT E... read more
Question authority, including the authority that told you to question authority. -- Sixth grade girl Go to wakingtimes.com/5-reasons-belief-authority-dangerous-superstition/... read more
Don't get it right, get it written! -- Lee Child
... read more
It's not the most original observation you'll read this week, but it's one of the most important: the news lies to you by omission. Shocked? I thought not. But let's really interrogate what this means. Go to How... read more
People read fiction seeking clarity. One of the worst things a writer can do is to create confusion. I'm referring to the payoff at the end of the book. People also read fiction for something better than reality, or at least be... read more
Louis L'Amour once said he could write while sitting in the middle of the freeway. That didn't impress me at the time, but now it does.Not one, but two dogs threw up behind me as I wrote. Was that a commentary on my wr... read more
Does your whole house smell like dog urine? If so, you've come to the right place! If a dog hasn't been trained correctly or is suffering from a health problem, it's likely that it won't be able to control itself in th... read more
A cousin just installed a 16kW generator to power the whole house. It goes on and off automatically, triggered by power failure and restoration, and runs on natural gas. See video here. It costs about $4K plus installation. Vari... read more
Pop culture today is obsessed with the battle between good and evil. Traditional folktales never were. What changed? Go to the-good-guy-bad-guy-myth... read more
Good site showing who to trust (or not) when it comes to self-publishing: self-publishing-service-reviews... read more
Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, the world's oldest prime minister, has offered the world's youngest, Finland's Sanna Marin, some words of wisdom as she takes on her new role: Ask "old people" for their advice.... read more
This guy makes it look easy: youtu.be/5rYPRMm8Arw... read more
The Hobo Traveler tells it like it is: don't rent a car, some cultures dishonest, police dangerous. See youtu.be/GNBfZ6oX73w What Countries Give You The Most Respect, The Least? ... read more
Stay loose, keep moving, stay true to yourself... always. This is pretty good advice, too, though.... read more
I realized halfway through the task of draining the toilet that I didn't know how. I'd never done it before. I've drained the tank plenty of times, but not the toilet bowl itself. It all started after I had to use a ... read more
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R. A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized,... read more
Great idea! ... around the world, people are using a system of exchange that requires something everyone is, for the most part, given equally, every day: Time. here (prepare for so many popups, they'll cover the entire screen):... read more
Parenting Tip #426: When taking out recycling/trash, check its contents. I almost threw out our daughter's purse and wallet! #parentingtips... read more
If your brakes ever go out, just shift into Park. Better to ruin the transmission than to die! You're welcome!.Don't ask. :)... read more
Publishers and writing gurus preach that writers need followers. The problem is that emotionally-stable people don't want followers, they want friends, compatriots, people who listen, not followers. Especially zombie followers.... read more
... (or friendly, even) once in a while instead of "cool." As my brother-in-law says, "Jus' sayin'."... read more
A writer's narrative perspective (their "voice," or, how they come across to their reader) must be: This is me talking to you. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not: This is me 100 years ago speaking in a "c... read more
... like my father always said. Apparently, there's more than just a physical benefit. ... read more
Good guidelines. The snippet below is the most useful part: Lessons in the Art of Living Psychology Today. In DBT dialectical behavior therapy, the skill is encapsulated in a mnemonic device known as... ... read more
Click below for more info:fija.org FIJA works to inform potential jurors...of their traditional, legal authority to refuse to enforce unjust lawsthat they cannot be required to check their consciences at the courthous... read more
Good article for writers.
Writing a novel and building a house are pretty similar when you think about it. For instance, most builders or homeowners spend a lot of time dreaming...
Your Novel Blueprint WritersDigest.com
... read more
"Instead of joining one more group, walking on more march, giving to one more money bomb, sending one more breathless email about how important this issue is, do me a favor, go to the mirror and say to yourself... I (state your name) will take personal responsibility for my thoughts, relationships, assets and path in my life. I will stop push... read more
If you're ever unlawfully detained, this might be good to know:
from the rear - escape from zip ties
in front - escape... read more
To anyone teaching or raising kids, of any age, here's some advice recently (2011) dished out at a high school speech about 11 things they did not learn in school. He talked about how feel-good, politically correct teaching has... read more
Click below: dont-take-potassium-iodide-unlessHere's a website all about nuclear energy, courtesy of my brother: all things nuclear/... read more
Anis Shivani: New Rules For Writers: Ignore Publicity, Shun Crowds, Refuse Recognition And More."These "rules" totally go against... read more
The holidays are nearly upon us and the souring economy is on everyones minds. Considering the economic climate we need to be much more cautious about our shopping and be on the lookout for scams. Sneakiest shopping scams... read more
We are addicted to chemicals: bleach, ammonia, window cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, drain cleaner, shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, fabric softener, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, body creams, shave gel, dish soap, antibact... read more
To anonymize your browsing, use one of these "anonymizer" sites and-or programs:SitesAnonymouse.org... read more
Q: I had some problems with this program. I fixed the POP and SMTP server designations, and it works now. However, I've lost my contacts - the folder is blank. The funny thing is, when I type some letters in the "to" box, names c... read more
copied from helpdesk.ilstu.edu/kb/index.phtml?kbid 1326 By default, when you launch Outlook it opens to your Inbox. You can create a shortcut to Outlook so it opens to your calendar instead. To force Outlook to open your calenda... read more
If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can turn on Sync Library to access your music library and music that you've downloaded from Apple Music on all of your devices.... read more
To recreate/fix your Outlook 2003 profile, do the following:Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, Mail click on Show Profiles Add a new profile give it any NEW name you want click OK Add your same o... read more
Well, it's happened again, luckily for only the second time in my career. A customer called me to their house, only to not be home or pretend to not be home when I got there. People, if you change your mind, just call and cance... read more
QUESTION: I started getting notices that my mailbox is over its limit. I have archived items over 90 days. What else can I do to stop these messages?Isn't this pretty much the same as archiving to my hard drive?I us... read more
You're asking me?! Actually, here's some advice: People need to be listened to -- preferably agreed with -- more than anything else. If you could do one thing for someone that would be it. Controlling a bad habit can be ... read more
Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. Easy ... read more
