The Days Are Getting Longer

Did you feel worse than usual after partying all night on New Year’s Eve? Or, if you retired early, before midnight, maybe you’re beginning 2017 feeling extra rested? That’s because while you were celebrating – or sleeping – keepers of the Universal Coordinated Time added an extra second to the night.

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Starting the New Year Right

You survived New Year’s Eve… maybe just barely. Now you want something to cure the aftereffects of the good time you had. Getting out into the crisp winter air and running – even briskly walking – will circulate blood to your brain and your other body parts, mitigating your New Year’s hangover. Ha ha, just kidding. Could be you want a traditional remedy, one that does not require leaving your home, such as a Bloody Mary.

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Putting the Sparkle Into the New Year

Be careful opening that bubbly. That cork can leave the bottle at fifty miles-per-hour. Don’t start your new year by seeing – or not seeing – an ophthalmologist. A flying cork can cause eye wall rupture, glaucoma, retinal detachment, eye bleeding, dislocation of the lens and damage to the eye’s bone structure. To properly open sparkling wine, hold the cork with one hand and twist the bottle with the other. Not as exciting as a broken chandelier, but much less wine is spilled.

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Christ the Redeemer Needs Your Help

The economy in Brazil for many years was the shining beacon of the Americas. For a time it was the envy of some in the U.S. Now an ongoing recession is forcing the Catholic Church to ask for help with refurbishing the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro.

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Holiday Dinner Reviews

Did you enjoy your various Solstice-holiday meals? Gathering with relatives and friends and neighbors for good cheer and good food. Avoiding too much political discussions, we hope. We’ve compiled on-line reviews of Poppa and Gram’s family Christmas feast. How did your holiday repast compare?

Poppa and Gram’s Christmas Dinner  ★★★☆☆ (10 ratings)


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“It winds from Chicago to L.A.”

John Steinbeck called Route 66 “The Mother Road” in his book The Grapes of Wrath. The highway has come to symbolize the movement west by people looking for new beginnings. Bobby Troup composed his classic “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” while driving to Los Angeles in search of fame and fortune. A few years ago, I made the pilgrimage.

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