GET THEM FRESH! GET THEM HOT!
by Maria Giusto

While they last! Travel deals are what I'm talking about. Not since the '60's have I seen travel deals and accommodations that abound across the board as I have seen surface in this past month. They are crazy making deals, to be sure. I mean, really, Newark, New Jersey to Rome, including 6 nights hotel with continental breakfast for $499.00! New York to Paris or Frankfurt on Icelandair for $250.00! Los Angeles to Las Vegas for $50.00 and rooms going begging in any strip hotel for $49.00 a night! (Circus -Circus for less if you play your cards right - excuse the pun) The bargains out there makes one's mouth water, one's feet itch and wants to drive one to pack an overnighter, screw the baggage and inspections, and just go! Go! Go! Go anywhere! Come back home, take care of business and go again!

A STRIKE AT OUR HEART: CATCH 22
by Marie Villarreal

For being a peaceful people, we are in a dilemma, a catch 22, the damn if you do and the damned if you don't kind of dilemma.

THE NEWER GENERATION
by Charlie "Chuck" Odessa

When I was in my prime and raising my kids the world around me was different, or was it? My daughter and her husband have taken a long awaited, long deserved, one-month's vacation. We, my wife and I have taken over their house and their children until they return. Two weeks into being their proxies in all functions of their lives, including honoring their pre-planned social engagements have left us in awe.

WHERE IS MR. OR MS. RIGHT?
by Martin "Marty" Crenshaw

You can't wait for the next date, but _ well, you've been through all this before. Will Major Crush morph into Mr. or Ms. Right? Or is this just the latest in your history of heavy crushes? We are conducting an E-Mail quiz to find out.

ROOTS
by Alcamo "Al" Passagento

Putting down a few roots at the dinner table doesn't mean you live there, but adding root vegetables to a meal can make you want to linger a little longer. Root vegetables are high in fiber and flavor and are an excellent way to fill up without eating a lot of calories or fat.

FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
by Marie Villarreal

Even if your future plans don't include becoming the next Shakespeare or Hemingway, writing is one of the most valuable skills you'll ever learn. Throughout your school years, in college, and beyond, no matter what career you decide on, you'll need to be able to express yourself clearly. Here are five tips to help you become the best writer you can be.

HARRY POTTER, HARRY POTTER!
by Genviev Pannos

I would be remiss, in light of the movie debut on November 16, if I didn't write something in recognition of that great phenomenon. To date, over 100 million books have been sold @ an average of $15.00 per hard cover, (the paperback version seems to be way out into the future) which equals one and one half billion dollars, not to mention the 200 million dollar movie deal that was made with the author last year.

TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF AUTO REPAIR
- Repair Charges: Unlocking the Mystery
by Mac Meguire

Before you arrange to have any work performed, you should ask how the shop prices its work. Some shops charge a flat rate for labor on auto repairs while others charge on the basis of the actual time the technician worked on the repair. Either way, the cost of repairs, usually based on an independent or manufacturer's estimate of the time required to complete repairs, should be competitive from one shop to the other. A reputable shop will always publish their rates in full view of customers.

SEX AND OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SAY 'DUH'!
by Jericho Van Orman

Hold onto your hats folks, I've got some really big news for you. Some Georgia State University researchers have released a study, and the results are simply astounding. Get ready for this!

FOLDING THE FLAG
by Roy "Cliff" Evans

(SUBMITTED BY ONE OF OUR AVID READERS, who is also a tireless researcher. The following article comes from a retired Navy Chaplain who has requested that his name be withheld.)
Have you ever noticed on TV or at military funerals that the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the American flag 13 times? I've known how the 21 gun salute was determined (by adding the individual digits of 1776), but only recently did I learn why the flag is folded 13 times whenever it's lowered from its mast and 13 times its folded and handed to the closest next of kin at the military burial of a veteran.

RESEARCH: HISTORY N' ODDS
by Ha3ry Giusto

At the beginning of this last month, in preparation for my monthly feature, I sent the editor the following E-Mail:
Hi you all out there in gamin' land. I finally was able to get the mail off to you yesterday morning. Included in the text you'll find that article I told you about, it cracked me up. Also in it is a formula for the odds on the "pass" and "don't pass" lines. In previous articles we talked about those odds as odds but we didn't get into the formula on how those odds were formulated.

IDITAROD: THE LAST GREAT RACE
by Nathaniel "Nate" Yaekel

This winter, on the first day of March 2002, my travels will take me back to Anchorage, Alaska to watch the preparations and the kick-off of the Iditarod, a musher's race, which starts Saturday, March 2, 2002. I have either attended the race or watched it on television religiously for the last ten years and attending again this year will be a thrill for me.

IT'S ABOUT TIME
by Garrison "Garry" Minstone

I remember a time when we never had to change our clocks according to the seasons. I also remember the time when the temporary edict to change our clocks, in order to take full advantage of the changes in seasonal daylight, went into effect. I think we are long overdue to eliminate 'Daylight Savings Time'.