http://creators.com/ Creators Syndicate is an international syndication company that represents cartoonists and columnists of the highest caliber. en Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:01:28 -0700 b8bf2557161cf37abe0a8f407eeba293 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/todays-green-minute/transmission-problems.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>It may be that renewable energy sources will become cheap enough to someday be the Golden Goose, but it seems apparent that squeezing electricity out of wind, solar, biomass, etc. isn't enough. There's also the pesky problem of transmission &mdash; getting the juice from the place where it's generated to the location where it's used.</p> <p>The U.S. Department of Energy has a target: generating ...<br> <br/>Updated: Mon Oct 06, 2008<br/><br/> 3d1aba566d5a1d28d8463bdaa5e4078d http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/decor-score/control-the-sound-in-your-home-with-fabric-layering.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Q: My husband and I looked at our new house on a weekend; we bought it on a Saturday and moved in on a weekend. Imagine our surprise on our first Monday morning in the house when the street that had always seemed so quiet turned out to be a major traffic lane &mdash; everyone was going to the nearby train station before 7 a.m. It's so noisy in the mornings that we are thinking of moving out of ...<br> <br/>Updated: Mon Oct 06, 2008<br/><br/> 2d1407a37562fe182df5d1d5967ae259 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/movie-reviews/anti-religion-fervor-in-religulous-is-over-the-top.html Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>She laughed.</p> <p>I had invited Cheryl Hall to the screening of &quot;Religulous&quot; to get a faith-based reaction to comedian Bill Maher's diatribe on the divine. Hall's credentials: longtime member of the United Methodist Women and faithful San Diego churchgoer whose husband teaches a weekly Bible study class.</p> <p>Surely, she would be offended at roasting religion as if it were a Holly ...<br> <br/>Updated: Mon Oct 06, 2008<br/><br/> 99a373854f16c366601af6a71ea2e27e http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/everyday-cheapskate/fannie-and-freddie-should-we-care.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Today's subject is complicated, if not boring. Because my mailbox has been inundated with questions regarding the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debacle, I will address the subject as I understand it in the simplest of terms. <p> There are four players:<br /> </p> <p>1) Fannie Mae (FNMA, which stands for Federal National Mortgage Association).<br /> </p> <p>2) Freddie Mac (FHLMC, or Federal Home Loan ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> ebe4f85fdba2dda04e7d2ac521bbfb79 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/horoscopes-by-holiday/horoscopes-by-holiday-2008-10-07.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Today's first quarter moon in Capricorn gets down to business. Granted, the pleasure-loving sun in Libra may incline us to waver over what remains unknown or undecided, but now is not the time to waffle or be hasty. The thoroughness and steadiness given our efforts will show up in the end product. Put your best foot forward.</p> <p>ARIES (March 21-April 19). If your productivity slows down or s ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 2f821737252b308fcf19686db815fc4d http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/annies-mailbox/annie-s-mailbox-r-2008-10-07.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Dear Annie: I've been dating &quot;Josh,&quot; a wonderful man, for just over a month. We were instant friends and started off our romance extremely slowly. We have a lot in common. He lives two hours away and sees me on weekends.</p> <p>This past weekend, Josh told me he is falling in love and wants me to move in with him. I have a 4-year-old daughter and don't want to rush things. I love him ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 0cdc6963af75fceb3fd730c3a93f2805 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/savage-truth-on-money/embrace-cobra-or-dodge-it.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Unemployment is rising, and with the economy slowing, it is likely many more will find themselves without income &mdash; and possibly without health insurance. That's where the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) comes in.</p> <p>Cobra ensures health insurance protection for those who lose jobs or find themselves suddenly without health insurance because of death or divorce. ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 24dcb7ac12fe7bb44603d016fa0581ff http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/trivia-bits-stan-newman/trivia-bits-october-7.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 We got to wondering recently whether the cities in New Jersey and California named Menlo Park have any connection, and where the name came from. Our research revealed that Menlo Park, Calif., came first, founded around 1854 by two brothers from the Irish village of Menlough. New Jersey's Menlo Park was established about 20 years later, and took its name from the Golden State town.<br /> <br /> H.B ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 905f7445b4f7bd281156c347e79658d6 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/hollywood-exclusive/cheadle-s-miles-davis-bio-pic-on-track-for-09-production-start-jonas-bros-add-teen-idol-touch-to-dav.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Forget reports of the demise of the long-talked-about Miles Davis film biography. Erin Davis tells us he's just finished reading the script for the feature that Don Cheadle plans to direct, with Cheadle himself starring as the mercurial music legend.</p> <p>&quot;It was great, a great script,&quot; Davis enthuses. &quot;They'll probably do some revisions on it and tighten it up, but maybe it ca ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 33d690e94b41ab253992d545a1bbbb01 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/succeeding-in-your-business/all-you-need-is-it-ain-t-love.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>&quot;Cliff, we love your column, and we would love to hear your reaction to the Wall Street shenanigans of the past several weeks. Do you have any special wisdom on how small businesses can survive the coming, almost certain, financial storm?&quot;</p> <p>This is a column of practical advice for business owners, and I generally try to avoid political and &quot;macroeconomic&quot; topics. It's ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 569fc674ddb7190be2670159b14b833d http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/marilynn-preston-energy-express/self-care-101-the-hits-and-myths-of-a-healthy-lifestyle.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Here's a question: How do you know what you know about the basic rules of good health?</p> <p>If two minutes pass and you're still scratching your head, you probably have some gaps in your understanding of fitness, wellness, digestion and longevity. Perhaps you were in shop class. That's fine. But it's time to catch up.</p> <p>On the bumpy road to a healthier, happier lifestyle, intellectual la ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 18936bcb0e1688a20f739910ee5a6418 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/peter-mckay/politics-as-usual.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>We're now smack dab in the middle of one of the most aggravating and stressful periods we're going to experience for a while. I'm not talking about the financial crisis, or the gas crisis or even a midlife crisis. No, I'm talking about the fall election campaign.</p> <p>I'm not going to say here how I'm going to vote, because the minute I do, at least half of you out there will instantly decide ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> aba701979b24ab4ee41c689035f08d34 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/lucky-dog-poker/poker-rookie-asks-when-to-give-up-on-a-bluff.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Bluffing in a home game and playing at an automated poker table in a casino are on readers' minds this week.</p> <p>Q: I am new to poker, so please tell me if there's a good way to get out of a bluff if you think your opponent holds a good hand, or should you stick to your bluff for the entire hand no matter what? &mdash; Dan F. in Los Angeles.</p> <p>A: Bluffing is an important &mdash; and fun ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> f335be46a3a36c7756463c497128e69b http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/sustainable-living/recession-is-not-all-gloom-and-doom.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Is it possible that Americans might be poorer but happier in times of recession than in times of plenty?</p> <p>The National Opinion Research Council at the University of Chicago tries to quantify how happy Americans are with a yearly poll. Since 1950, the number of Americans responding that they were &quot;very happy&quot; has steadily declined. Between 1970 and 1994 it dropped 5 full points, ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 47c605fdd6512ecf7828f10c76683053 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/home-zone/genuine-grace-accompanies-thos-moser.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>For those looking for authentic, old-fashioned craftsmanship, look to Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers. Founded in 1972 in Maine, the company's mission is to build furniture that celebrates the natural beauty of wood. They offer a simple, unadorned, graceful line that is crafted for a long, useful life.</p> <p>The latest is David Moser's Pasadena collection that not only looks delicate, shapely and fe ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 78958fa72c77cff34438b681bacbe7c5 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/wine-talk/there-are-rewards-for-bordeaux-bargain-hunters.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>It is accepted wisdom that the chateaux of Bordeaux have priced themselves out of the mainstream of American wine consumption. Without a doubt the &quot;collectibles&quot; have become prohibitively expensive.</p> <p>Wines such as Chateau Cheval Blanc, for example. I dropped in on Cheval Blanc recently, on my way to the Jurade de Saint-Emilion, which was celebrating its 60th renewal with its tra ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> d6a79c0e43e2204c3e276ef2a294f07e http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/designer-homes/the-don-402-46.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>The Don (402-46) is a small, three-bedroom, two-bath home with a number of features that create a sense of spaciousness disproportionate to its size. Its 1,502-square-foot floor plan is rich in contemporary amenities.</p> <p>On entering, to your right is a bright and spacious living room. It has a high, vaulted ceiling and bay windows that expand the space, filling the entire front-facing wall ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 69f8f7aa3786953124d2233194cfb353 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/in-fashion/depression-dressing.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>Don't let them get you down. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping ... someone said on T-shirts and cocktail napkins scattered throughout consumer land over the past few years. And, yes, it does seem to be true that Americans are indeed avid consumers &mdash; we want our shopping fix whether we have a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars in our &quot;it&quot; handbags. At least that ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> a902f0302e701fa90265fc6361502e35 http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/auto-word/old-reliable-toyota-corolla-hits-40.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>The Toyota Corolla is the car a father recommends to offspring and in-laws. &quot;It's dependable and fuel-efficient&quot; are among the selling points he will use.</p> <p>It's also dutiful and dull, but these days, how can anybody argue with 27 mpg around town and 35 on the highway using 87 octane?</p> <p>The Corolla nameplate has been on the road for 40 years in the United States. The new 200 ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/> 695434a407346b3cd4a3fca06dbd532d http://creators.com/lifestylefeatures/bulletin-board/youtube-acts-as-favorable-marketing-tool-for-any-business.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 <p>YouTube, the popular video-sharing site, can help businesses reach their marketing goals. No matter what the company size, effective online videos may be posted on YouTube to reach a large viewership.</p> <p>Michael Miller wrote the book, &quot;YouTube 4 You,&quot; when he saw the demand for video sharing. He focused one segment on how businesses could use the site to reach a greater audience. ...<br> <br/>Updated: Tue Oct 07, 2008<br/><br/>