Beauty and The Beads

Now that the freezing temps and snow have arrived in the Chicagoland area, the early feelings of cabin fever begin making its way into our everyday lives. A few joy filled days of sledding with the kids and some light shoveling of the driveway tend to be quickly outlived and before we know it, we cant wait for spring to show its face again. Like most Chicagolanders, you will likely try to make the most out of this winter by either engaging in more fun winter activities or by taking a trip to places of warmer climates.

If the first option sounds too cold for you, then youre likely the type of person to fall into the latter group and fly away to your favorite destination. Whats that?...

While the wars outcome hardly hinged on this battle, it was nonetheless a significant loss for the Confederates.

The Cow Army in Fort Meade was supplying cattle for food to the Confederate troops, said Priscilla Perry, executive director of the Fort Meade Chamber of Commerce. This battle halted that, forcing the Confederates to look elsewhere for cattle.

Participants will stage a re-enactment of the battle Saturday and Sunday at the Fort Meade Outdoor Recreation Complex, along the Peace River. The event is part of the communitys third annual three-day heritage festival, which includes homemade crafts, entertainment, living history exhibits and a folk music festival. Representatives...

If you ever thought the presidents State of the Union address was kind of like a made-for-tv movie youre not far off. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution requires the Commander and Chief from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union. But of course the Constitution says nothing about television or even speaking for that matter. That part can be credited to contemporary times.

For a good chunk of our nations history, the State of the Union was simply a letter delivered from the Executive Office to Congress. This happened as recently  as 1981 with Jimmy Carter.

Though the concept of giving it as a speech is nothing new. George Washington...

 More Images »  At Dior, lush, full skirts harkened back to 1947, although some were transparent.Photograph by: PASCAL LE SEGRETAIN ?GETTY IMAGES, The Gazette

He has created sets featuring a merry-go-round of giant pearls and bows, an underwater fantasyland and a starry night at Place Vendôme, all inside the Grand Palais. But haute couture soared to new heights at the Paris shows for spring and summer this week as Chanel maestro Karl Lagerfeld constructed a 250-seat aircraft with a 50-metre runway and fluffy clouds projected overhead on which to present an all-blue collection. And the clothes were wearable: boat-necked suits, day dresses with dropped waists, subtly embroidered...

But Pakistan’s civilian leadership is standing firm behind its decision to allow the commerce ministry to engage with India on normalisation of bilateral trade relations, and the eventual granting of the most favoured nation (MFN) status.

“There is absolutely no question of backtracking on the cabinet’s approval of trade normalisation with India,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Saturday. “I want to completely dismiss any indication that there’s any retraction on what we said.”

Earlier on Friday, an unnamed Indian government official alleged that Islamabad was “backtracking” on the issue in the face of domestic...

Colorful Future for These Golden Valley Pets

Photographer Melissa Miroslavich helped to create a new, colorful calendar that includes the Animal Humane Societys annual report, adoptive success stories and photos of adopted pets.

You might think your small dog is safe in a fenced backyard. You might be wrong.

RV Wakefield, an owner of Tri-County Trackers, an organization that looks for lost people and pets, said coyotes can sometimes jump a fenced area, grab a pet and jump back over.

If youve got deer in an area, there will be coyotes, Wakefield said.

Wildlife sightings increase as more rural areas take on urban characteristics theres more food for wildlife because of trash cans and pets. Deer and coyotes will eat corn, apples and vegetables.

Were going into their areas. With more food, there are more coyotes and they can raise more young, Wakefield said. What we think of as garbage, they...

UK shoppers are embracing technology, and at a faster pace than many other countries, a survey of global shopping habits by KPMG has suggested.

Seventy-seven per cent of British shoppers prefer to buy goods like CDs, DVDs, books and video games online – compared with 65% globally.

But when it comes to mobile banking, consumers in the UK are more reluctant than those in other parts of the world.

KPMG surveyed 9,600 consumers aged between 16 and 65, across 31 countries.

When buying goods or services, the majority of customers (both in the UK and globally) now said that they look at social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and online review sites.

Downloading...

With summer in full swing many Australians will be looking for a getaway to enjoy the warm weather.

More pets travel advice:
HOTELS FOR DOGS
BARKING MAD
MORE PETS GO ON HOLIDAYS

HOME ALONE

Taking a cat or dog on holiday can offer the chance to spend some quality time with that beloved pet but being away from home can cause the animals some stress. Some pet owners need to consider if their pet will be better boarding in a kennel or under the care of a friend or relative.

For pet owners who do take their four legged friend on holiday there are many things to consider in the interest of the pets health and well being.

Dr Jo Righetti has top 10 tips...

PHOENIX, AZ, Jan 09, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
PetSmart Charities was named a partner in the National Animal
Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC). Established as a 501 (c)6
organization in 2006, NARSC is an outgrowth of the unprecedented
disaster season of 2005, when major storms — most notably Hurricane
Katrina — impacted more people and their companion animals than any
other time in the history of the United States.

In the years since Katrina, this working coalition of animal rescue
organizations have come together to indentify, prioritize, and find
collaborative solutions to major human-animal emergency issues.
Member...