The River: (Premieres Feb 7)

This is another promising new show, with a 2-hour premiere on Tuesday, February 7th.

Dr. Emmet Cole is missing.

The beloved host of The Undiscovered Country, which brought the wonder and magic of the natural world into our homes for so many years, has disappeared in the wilds of the Amazon. Gone for six months now, and thought by many to be dead, his emergency beacon went off two weeks ago. Now Dr. Cole’s wife and frequent co-host of The Undiscovered Country, Tess, has begun the search for her husband. With the help of her son, Lincoln, and crew members Lena Landry, Emilio Valenzuela and his daughter Jahel, and Captain Kurt Brynildson, Tess is looking to be reunited with her husband and save the rest of his missing crew.

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-river/about-the-show

Beauty & Women

Here's a nice article about women, beauty -- and a look at how fashion and beauty have changed over the years...  

... some aspects of a woman are as sensual today as they were thousands of years ago.  What has changed is the way these alluring attributes are either concealed or revealed.  From ancient Greek statues to today's latest stars, see how "sexy" has evolved...

Read more here:
http://glo.msn.com/beauty/what-is-sexy-7604.gallery?photoId=70590#!stackState=0__%2Fbeauty%2Fwhat-is-sexy-7604.gallery

4-Wheel-Drive and All-Wheel-Drive Vehicles

With the snow storm hitting many parts of the U.S., many folks are talking about four-wheel and all-wheel drive cars.  Here's some info...

Four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive systems are becoming popular options not only for SUVs, but cars as well. All SUVs and pickup trucks offer 4WD or AWD systems, and even some compact cars, like the Mitsubishi Lancer and Toyota Matrix, offer available AWD systems. Oftentimes, more than one system is available for any given vehicle, leaving consumers puzzled.

With so many options to choose from, it's easy for drivers to get confused by a barrage of acronyms, each more meaningless than the last. For most shoppers, there are three basic options: Full-time 4WD, part-time 4WD, or AWD. Although each system has its own merits, one thing is certain--any 4WD system will make your vehicle less fuel efficient and more complicated to repair and maintain. In many situations, it'll also add quite a few dollars to your vehicle's purchase price. 


http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/your-ride-4wd-vs-awd-cga.htm

List of cars:
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/your-ride-4wd-vs-awd-cga1.htm

Hot Water Heater Settings

In the northeast US, we're in the middle of winter, so some folks are adjusting their hot water heater -- especially if this is used for heating the house.

• The difference between the high / low setting should be around 20-30 degrees apart for many systems.
• Increasing the spread slightly (5-10 degrees), and lowering the temperature of the min/max settings (try 5-10 degrees at a time) can save 5-10% of your heating bill.
• A common setting is 140/160, although 135/160 may be hot enough for some systems.  During the summer, 125/150 may be hot enough.
• Lower temperatures may make the heating / radiators quieter as they heat up.  They will also cause less mineral deposits, making the hot water tank/system last longer.
• During the winter, may need to adjust hotter if the hot water is used for heating.

Read more from this forum:

http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/98623/hi-lo-settings-for-oil-fired-boiler

Jan 2012 TV Premieres

We are in the midst of the January 2012 winter TV season premieres...  Here are some shows that we're keeping an eye on...  So set your DVRs:

• American Idol (Fox): Wed, January 18th.
• Touch (Fox): January 25th - Kieffer Sutherland

Other shows that have captured some of our attention:

• The Middle -- good stories that many families can relate to...
• Showtime's "House of Lies" & "Shameless" -- recently started new seasons

Recipe: Swedish Coffee

Want some nice, deep, rich-tasting coffee?  No coffee maker?  Or all of the above?  This recipe for Swedish Coffee can make "okay-to-good" coffee: "great" -- and make "great" coffee just a bit richer/less bitter.



Swedish Coffee Recipe

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup cold water, divided

1 cup regular grind coffee

6 cups boiling water

Directions:

1. Use a Graniteware (enamel) coffee pot.

2. Wash egg, break it into a smal bowl (reserving shell), and beat slightly.

3. Add 1/2 cup cold water, the 1 cup ground coffee, and the reserved (crushed) egg shell, and mix thoroughly.

4. Turn into coffee pot, pour on boiling water, and stir.

5. Place on front of range and boil for 3 minutes. (If not boiled, coffee is cloudy. If boiled too long, too much tannic acid is developed.)

6. Add remaining 1/2 cup cold water, which perfects clearing. (Cold water, which is heavier than hot, sinks to the bottom and carries the grounds with it.)

7. After coffee has settled, serve at once.

Read more here:
https://sites.google.com/site/juliarosechin/cooking  

Parenting: Achieving & Working Hard

One of our contacts, a sports psychologist and co-author of the "Who Will Win the Big Game?" book had a chance to interview Shannon Miller, the Gold Medal Olympic gymnast.  The interesting thing is that -- even at that high level -- she talks about:

• hard work
• focus (and getting into "the zone")
• mental toughness and not getting derailed
• performing "smart" (when you are not 100%)
• setting goals

http://whowillwinthebiggame.blogspot.com/2012/01/co-author-of-who-will-win-interviews.html