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Freshman Fifteen: The College Student Tool Box Published on 14/05/2008

When it comes time to preparing your freshman for college, the list may seem endless - from towels and dishes to furniture and clothes. And you may find yourself returning to the store for items that slipped your mind. Something that may have slipped your mind altogether is a college toolbox. Your budding adult may not be the handiest of the group, but a basic tool kit will come in handy for...

Taste of Chicago: A Popular Food Festival Published on 13/05/2008

In 1980, a group of restaurateurs approached the Mayor of Chicago with the idea of a food festival on the Fourth of July. It was the birth of Taste of Chicago. Confidence was high that the one-day event could attract 75,000 people. Instead, the event drew nearly 250,000 attendees and forever changed the way Chicago celebrates the Fourth of July. Due to the overwhelming response from the...

"Must - Haves" for the Outdoor Enthusiast Published on 13/05/2008

Hunters, campers and outdoor enthusiasts appreciate equipment and tools that help them enjoy the outdoors more fully. Whether its fishing, hunting, or hiking, the following equipment can make great gift ideas that your outdoor enthusiast will look forward to using on the next outing. A cast iron roaster and griddle is ideal for preparing wild game and one-pan meals. For instance, the Cabela...

Avoid Camping Conundrums: Advice for Beginning Campers Published on 13/05/2008

If you're new to camping, it's is a fun way to get away from it all, but it's advisable to do your homework before heading out into the great outdoors to ensure a safe and enjoyable time for all. One of the most tempting things to do after purchasing your tenting gear is to try it out for the first time at the campground. Many a first-timer camper has fumbled for hours trying to set up a...

Around The World In Three Tobaccos Published on 13/05/2008

Many of us live, and think, as if "nature" and "culture" were separate things, kept apart by a porous but clear boundary. In fact, it's usually hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. (Think of the ways most of us encounter nature - we visit "forest preserves" created, and bounded, by an act of local government.) For a farther-reaching example, you could hardly do better than to...

Mathematics: A Beautiful Evolution Published on 09/05/2008

Most of the mathematical concepts we encounter every day - numbers, addition, subtraction - seem so basic, so hard to avoid in discussing reality on even the most basic level, that it's hard to imagine someone having to sit down and invent them. Who was the first person to look at two rocks and think, "Two more and I've got four?" The very idea almost seems absurd. But mathematics is, in...

Cigar-Loving Heroes Of Television Published on 06/05/2008

It's tough being a TV character. Whether you're a crime-solving supersleuth or a wacky next door neighbor, the pressures are intense - villains that refuse to be caught, friends who don't share your enthusiasm for celebrating Festivus. When cigar-smoking had ceased, for a while, to be trendy - during the long lean years before the 1990s-era "cigar boom," cigar smoking enjoyed an abrupt, and...

Four Famous Fictional Cigar Smokers Published on 06/05/2008

Cigar smoking enjoyed an abrupt, and steep, spike in popularity during the 1990s, after years of decline. Cigar bars and shops sprang up even in midsize towns and cities, while profits experienced heady growth. But during all the years between the industry's heyday and this 1990s revival, these fictional cigar smokers from stage, screen and literature never stopped puffing away. James Bond ...

Hydroponics Company's Fruits of Labor Come in Red and Green Published on 06/05/2008

In southern Ontario, Great Northern Hydroponics, a 50-acre tomato greenhouse, is producing more than just delicious tomatoes. The $20 million facility is leading the greenhouse industry by identifying and investing in innovative technology that benefits the environment with the construction of a Tri-Generation Energy Facility. With the advent of this technology, Great Northern's energy...

The Safety Knife - Don't Go to Work Without It Published on 27/04/2008

The reasoning is simple: If employees have access to a good, useable tool, they will use it, preventing potential injury and product damage. In all facets of today's workplace, the safety knife is making its presence - and use - known. Consider, emergency rescue personnel using a seat belt cuter to remove an injured child from a wrecked vehicle, or bakers opening bags of flour effortlessly...