Real Housewives of Atlanta's Phaedra Parks isn't the biggest celeb interested in the mortuary arts: Angelina Jolie once harbored dreams of opening her own funeral home.
On an interview with 60 Minutes' Bob Simon that aired Sunday, the Oscar-winning actress, 36, looked back on her earlier, famously wilder days, and confided that she once considered becoming a funeral director.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. retailers racked up a record $52.4 billion in sales over the Thanksgiving weekend, a 16.4 percent jump from a year ago, as early hours and attractive promotions brought out more shoppers, an industry trade group said on Sunday.
Among the early winners after the traditional start of the holiday shopping season was Best Buy Co Inc, a reversal from 2010 when the electronics retailer's erroneous bet on 3D televisions led to a disappointing season.
Best Buy drew in shoppers by being one of the companies that opened its stores at midnight Thanksgiving night, and unlike in 2010, it focused more on having lower prices for big TVs and other popular items.
Dirty dishes don't have to monopolize your time.
With holiday feasts come the inevitable dirty pots and pans marred with baked-on remnants of your favorite preparations. While they do ultimately need to come off, you don't have to spend your precious holiday minutes (or hours!) forcing them to do so-if you have the following five tips for easy cleaning.
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have broken their Twitter silence in the spirit of the holiday season.
The estranged celebrity power-couple -- who announced their split after six years of marriage earlier this month, amid rumors of infidelity on Kutcher's part -- both reignited their social-media presence in recent days, to reflect on the Thanksgiving holiday.
As we inch towards the official onslaught of the holiday shopping season (it is Black Friday tomorrow) it could be a shopper's paradise this year with deals and discounts abound, particularly if you're on the hunt for a tablet computer.
To that end and in case you haven't heard, Research In Motion (RIM) has massively discounted its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet device around the world, reportedly for a limited time (until Dec. 1st in Canada). And while you'd think that would rankle retailers that have stocked up on inventory when a product is first introduced, the Globe And Mail finds electronics retailer Best Buy Canada regrets nothing.
"This week, RIM slashed C$300 from the price of most PlayBook models in North America ahead of U.S. Thanksgiving and the Christmas shopping season. The move should boost sales at the expense of RIM's operating margins."
But will it?
Researchers are always studying personal satisfaction. Last week, we looked at how money — spent on others — can contribute to personal happiness.
Today, we're looking at research that studied income levels and happiness. Can money buy us happiness? Apparently yes. And the magic number is $75,000.
Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and economist Angus Deaton examined data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and found that household happiness increased as household income increased — up until that income hit $75,000. Beyond $75,000, "emotional well-being flat-lined," Newser reported on the findings.
The heavily tattooed Mr. Dinnison wears a $5,000 crucifix and proudly calls himself a Cub—"cashed-up bogan." ("Bogan" is Australian slang for a blue-collar worker.)MANDURAH, Australia — One of the fastest-growing costs in the global mining industry are workers like James Dinnison: the 25-year-old high-school dropout from Western Australia makes $200,000 a year running drills in underground mines to extract gold and other minerals.
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - For a mere $100, Nell Benton has found herself not just a job, but sole ownership in a restaurant that would seem to be a perfect fit.
It's not often a viable neighborhood restaurant is sold for $100 and Benton said she feels fortunate to be chosen to run the socially conscious cafe on Milwaukee's near south side.
Founder Michael Diedrick chose Benton, 35, an out-of-work chef, to take over the National Cafe and Takeaway, an eclectic establishment and anchor for a neighborhood in transition.
Diedrick, 40, started the cafe three years ago with the goal of bettering the neighborhood and introducing Milwaukee to sustainable concepts typically found in restaurants in larger cities. It was valued at about $50,000.
The Spanish nicknamed the eggplant "the apple of love" - it does keep the heart healthy, so there may be something to that saying. Eggplant - also called aubergine - contains anthocyanins and phenolic compounds, which protect your body from free radicals that cause aging. As well, the fibre in eggplant lowers cholesterol by preventing its absorption in the intestines.
Another great thing about eggplant is that because it is so fibrous, it works like a sponge, soaking up any flavours it is combined with. Because of its texture, eggplant makes a great substitute for meat in many recipes.
No offense, repair guys, but we don't always trust your fuzzy math. So we asked three Ms. Fix-Its how a sister can avoid getting suckered.
THE #1 CAR-REPAIR RIP-OFF: engine work.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says that auto shops - one of the 10 most complained-about industries last year - routinely charge customers for replacing engine parts they never even touched!BEAT THE SWINDLE: Tell your mechanic that you want to see any parts they remove and replace. "That way, they have to come clean about exactly what they did under your hood," says Bogi Lateiner, owner of 180 Degrees Automotive in Phoenix. And visit repairpal.com, where you can find the reasonable price range for many common fixes at shops in your city.
Oprah Winfrey's posh Chicago apartment is yours for $15K a month.
Photo: rubloff.com
Oprah Winfrey’s 4,607-square-foot Chicago co-op apartment in a 1913 Beaux Arts building is now available to rent for $15,000 a month. What exactly does $15,000 in rent fetch these days on Lake Shore Drive? Views of Lake Michigan, from the library and master bedroom, for one thing.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Homicide detectives have re-opened their investigation of Natalie Wood's death nearly 30 years after the actress drowned in the waters off Southern California in one of Hollywood's most enduring mysteries.
The renewed look at Wood's Nov. 29, 1981, death was prompted by new information detectives received about the case, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Thursday.
No additional details were provided, but a detective planned to hold a news conference Friday, and anyone with information about the case was being asked to contact sheriff's officials.
Wood, a three-time Oscar nominee famous for roles in "West Side Story," ''Rebel Without a Cause" and other Hollywood hits, was 43 when she died. She and Wagner, star of the TV series "Hart to Hart," were twice married, first in 1957 before divorcing six years later. They remarried in 1972.
"Winterizing" might sound like a costly and intimidating process, but it's far cheaper and easier than the alternative: undergoing a wintry emergency nightmare because your home was not properly prepared. With a weekend's worth of work, just about anyone can take the steps necessary to keep their home protected from Old Man Winter. The following is a checklist for what homeowners ought to be doing when prepping for the cold season. Stick to it, and you're sure to have a warmer and more relaxed winter experience (scraping and digging out your car notwithstanding).
[See 10 Smart Ways to Improve Your Budget.]
Reverse ceiling fan rotation. One incredibly useful tip for better setting up your home for winter is to reverse the rotation of your fans. During the summer, a counter-clockwise fan motion results in cooler air being pushed down into the home, as a result of the way the blades are angled. During the winter, you can switch this up so that warmer air is channeled downward instead. This puts otherwise stagnant fans to some good use.
Small spaces are trendy. In New York, they’re also a necessary reality.Remember this 90-square-foot apartment?
In 2005, Eric Schneider, a third-grade teacher, bought the largest space he could afford in Manhattan: a 450-square-foot studio apartment.
It was twice the size of the apartment he lived in while teaching in Japan.
"It was basically an open rectangular space," Schneider told Fair Companies. "There wasn't much to it, there was just a couple of old closets, an old corner kitchen and that was it.”
Architects Michael Chen and Kari Anderson of Normal Projects reconfigured Schneider’s tiny home into an origami-like space, in which four distinct living spaces — a bedroom, an office and library, a guest bedroom and a living room — and countless other configurations all tuck into an oversized blue cabinet.
Watch Chen’s tour of the inspiring tiny space, dubbed the “Unfolding Apartment,” below.
Jennifer Lopez: June 15, 2011. KCSPresse/Splash News
Julianne Hough: October 12, 2011. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images North America
Jennifer Lopez, 42, showed off her toned gams in a short, white version of the dress in Paris on June 15. She matched it with movie star-cool sunglasses, a snakeskin clutch, white pumps, and, of course, some of that J.Lo bling in the form of H. Stern jewels.
Julianne Hough, 23, wore the same design in black for a screening of her flick "Footloose" in NYC on October 12. She also donned black heels and a black clutch.
The shape of this creation is chic, no matter the color or styling. However, as far as I'm concerned, Jenny from the Block rocks it better in this case, thanks mostly to the perfectly snug fit. The white hot hue of the garment, which highlights her signature glow, as well as the sparkling accessories are simply icing on the cake. And with that, I say Jennifer's the winner. Do you agree?
You sit facing the interviewer, feeling like things are moving along nicely when all of a sudden the interview takes a drastic turn for the worse. What just happened? You may have hit one of the interviewer’s pet peeves, one of those things that automatically triggers a negative response.Here are seven of the most common peeves provided by experienced interviewers, along with some tips on how to avoid them:
1. Smells: Too Much of a Good Smell Can Be Bad
Pat Riley, author of Secrets of Breaking into Pharmaceutical Sales, has a pet peeve story to relate: "Preparing for an interview is not like preparing for a date. I had one interview with a woman who doused herself with perfume (the same perfume my ex-girlfriend used to wear) right before stepping into the small interview booth. The perfume was overpowering and brought back bad memories."
Being put on hold can be a frustrating experience, but probably the worst sort of phone rage happens when a telemarketing phone call interrupts a family dinner or other important task.While some people might respond to these calls with anger and frustration, we think there is a much cuter, more laughable way to deal with these annoying interruptions. Give your baby the phone.
This British tot holds down a conversation with a man who’s seemingly unaware at first that the person he’s pitching is still in diapers.
He’s not too impressed once he catches on, however, and baby and parent can’t stop giggling at the fun they’ve had with the telemarketer. See the cuteness for yourself in the video below.
It may not look like much, just some grass on two sides of a river, but this Andreas Gursky photo has just set a record for the most expensive photograph ever sold.The photo, captured in 1999 titled "Rhein II", recently sold at a Christie's auction in New York City for more than $4.3 million.
"It spans over three metres in width and two metres in height, enwrapping the viewer in the sheer beauty of its scene," says the narrator of a Christie's video about the work. "He (Gursky) creates a dramatic and profound reflection on human existence and our relationship to nature on the cusp of the 21st century."
(Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Justin Theroux who? While introducing BFF Chelsea Handler at Glamour's Women of the Year Awards in New York, Jennifer Aniston confessed her feelings for the smack-talking, vodka-swilling comedian.
"I rarely comment on my personal life but I am here to tell you that I'm madly in love. And I'm madly in love with the one and only Chelsea Handler," Aniston told the crowd at the Carnegie Hall, flaunting cleavage and leg in a black va-va-voom Versace dress.
"It's really hard not to admire a dynamic, brash and ridiculously hilarious woman who has assembled such a large and rabid fan base -- and she's drunk half the time!" declared Aniston, getting huge laughs from the audience.
She continued, gushingly: "Chelsea Handler is not only one of the funniest and the brightest and the sexiest women on the planet. She is inspiring a generation of women to be bold and daring and express exactly what is on their minds, whatever that may be."
Our Canadian tax system has 4 steps; each time you jump to a new level, the taxes on each additional dollar earned increase. This tax rate on your last dollar earned is called your 'marginal tax rate' but your 'effective tax rate' is the average of them all. (For you trivia folks, the average tax rate paid by Canadians is 25%.) If you can reduce your taxable income to keep from moving up into that next bracket, then you can save on your overall tax bill.
How can you lower your taxable income?
- RRSP Contributions
Now Mary Claire Orenic, a 50-year-old woman from California, has been named America's happiest woman.
USA Today and well-being improvement firm Healthways teamed up to find the woman who best embodied the characteristics that contribute to high well-being in the Baby Boom generation.
Mary Claire Orenic fit the happiness description, scoring a very high rating on the Healthways Well-Being Index for midlife women. Living in Manhattan Beach, California, she has a well-paying full-time job with plenty of flexibility, a healthy marriage, one child, a healthy, athletic lifestyle and group of 10 friends she can rely on.
Fiver Brown loves living in Sausalito, California. But with the average price of a home costing an intimidating $2.2 million, Brown just couldn’t afford to buy in the San Francisco Bay-area city — on land.Instead, the musician bought himself a floating home. His converted WWII lifeboat, complete with galley kitchen, loft bed and walk-in closet, is docked in one of Sausalito’s historic houseboat communities.
The views are spectacular, even if the square footage is minimal. Brown’s floating home boasts just 481 square feet, and provides him an affordable lifestyle.
It’s so lovely that Brown even wrote a song about it.
Watch the video by Fair Companies below.
Watch as Barnes and co-anchor Sophie Lui realize that their co-worker was the winner of the drawing, call him on live television and then try to act like they're not a little jealous that the guy delivering daily reports on the Canucks just won his choice of a $2.5 million country estate or $2 million in cash.
ORONTO - Colgate-Palmolive is recalling a battery-operated electric toothbrush after receiving reports the devices exploded in the hands of some users.
In a blog post dated last March, one Montreal man reported that while he was using his Motion Electric Toothbrush, the batteries blew out of the base of the toothbrush handle, flying across the room.
Health Canada says there have been nine reports of explosions with the toothbrush in Canada, though none has resulted in long-term injuries.
The department is advising consumers who have this brand of electric toothbrush to stop using the device, which is no longer licensed for sale in Canada.
The company isn't making the Motion Electric model anymore, but there may still be some Motion Electric Toothbrushes in stores until the recall is completed.
BANGKOK - World stock markets began to claw back some lost ground Wednesday, following a wave of selling sparked by fears that Greece might reject an austerity plan and default on its massive debts.
Oil bounced to near $93 a barrel, while the dollar fell against the euro and the yen.
Stocks have struggled since Monday, when Greece's prime minister unexpectedly announced he would call a national vote on an unpopular European plan that entails painful tax increases and drastic welfare cuts for his debt-ridden nation.
The following nine enormous homes started out with price tags that were even more enormous than they are now. All told, these properties have been reduced in price by more than $85 million.Why do these upscale properties linger on the market? When the lowest asking price out of these mansions is about $10 million, you’re already talking about a limited pool of potential buyers. Perhaps some of the properties are too specialized, as a few residences in this collection cater to pretty specific interests, reducing the number of potential buyers even further. Not every billionaire shopping for a home needs storage for several thousand wine bottles, say, or 56 acres of working ranch land and a 7,000-square-foot equestrian facility. Or perhaps, in the case of one Aspen-area mega-lodge, 16-and-a-half bathrooms is seen as excessive enough to be a turnoff.
