October 30th, 2008
As the weather gets colder, many of us start reaching for comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, hot chocolate with mini-marshmellows, and hot apple pie. If these sound good to you but you want to avoid adding any extra inches to your waistline, don’t miss Comfort Food Makeovers from the latest issue of Family Circle. This article offers up some healthier and lower-fat versions of traditional comfort foods, like using heart-healthy dark chocolate chips in that next batch of cookies or adding shredded carrots and zucchini to those burger patties.
There’s also simple and helpful little tips like switching to a multi-grain pasta for a healthier bowl of macaroni and cheese and swapping out the ground beef on burgers to leaner turkey. I can personally attest to that last tip, we’ve been eating turkey burgers in my family for awhile now and I don’t miss the beef in my burger at all.
If you’re looking for some healthier ways to prepare those comfort foods that your family just can’t live without, you should definitely give Comfort Food Makeovers a read. Just click on the image below for your free preview on Coverleaf.com.
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October 29th, 2008
Have you ever given a PowerPoint presentation that fell flat on its face and left half your audience dozing? I know I have. Thankfully, help is on the way in the El Word column from the latest issue of ReadyMade. Ellen Lupton shares some sound advice for improving slideshow presentations that should keep your audience on the tip of their seats (or at least awake!).
There’s lots of simple, practical tips like if you’re using bullet points make sure not to put more than three bullets per slide, keep any branding and company logos subtle and unobtrusive, and go easy on the sounds and special effects.
Ellen also provides some alternative strategies and tools for presenting information beyond the traditional PowerPoint or Keynote presentation software, such as using a desktop publishing program like InDesign or Quark, or an online service like Flickr, or maybe even resorting to that old-school method of printing out your information on paper.
Whatever your presentation tool of choice, there’s some sound advice in Feature Presentation. Click on the image below for a free preview.
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October 28th, 2008
The lastest issue of Weekly Reader Family has a fun feature all about pumpkins. In We Pick Pumpkins in Fall you and your children will learn how to make pumpkin mini-muffins, read some pumpkin poems and jokes, and find out about pumpkin books and online resources where you can do things like carve a virtual jack-o-lantern. There are also some cool pumpkin facts such as pumpkins can weigh from a few ounces to over 500 pounds!
Kids will like the colorful photos of the different stages and bright colors of pumpkins, from the green seedlings, to the yellow flowers, to the orange fruit. Just click on the image below to read a free preview of We Pick Pumpkins in Fall on Coverleaf.com.
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October 24th, 2008
Would you like to make a break from the traditional menu this Thanksgiving? The latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens has an article just for you. This Thanksgiving, try (a little) something new features a dozen recipes that are based on traditional Thanksgiving fare, but update the classic recipes in some new and adventurous ways.
Instead of that tired cranberry relish, how about a fresh citrus and cranberry salad? Or maybe spice up your sweet potatoes with thyme-roasted apples and onions? If you’re wanting to experiment with some new takes on the traditional thanksgiving dishes, this article will give you some great ideas. Just click on the image below to read it for free on Coverleaf.com.
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October 23rd, 2008
Jim Sinegal is the CEO and co-founder of Costco and he likes to remain involved in the details Costco’s sprawling business. He answers his own phone, sends his own faxes, and enjoys talking to employees and customers. In the latest issue of Fast Company, Jeff Chu and Kate Rockwood interview Sinegal on a wide range of topics, from health care to politics to why he likes to keep such a hands-on presence in the retail giant’s business.
Even in these trying economic times, Costco has remained profitable and continues to grow. In their 25th year, Costco is now America’s fourth largest retailer and has seen revenues grow by 70% in the last five years. This August Costco saw their same-store revenues grow by 9%.
Sinegal is frank about his opinions of Wall St. analysts and those who criticize Costco for the perception that they pay more attention to workers than shareholders. Sinegal chastises the analysts over unrealistic expectations and points out they’re in it for the long haul, “We’re trying to build a company that’s going to be here 50 and 60 years from now.”
I learned a lot from this fascinating interview — for instance did you know Costco has burgeoning online businesses selling coffins and wedding floral arrangement packages?
Click on the image below to read Thinking Outside the Big Box for free on Coverleaf.com.
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October 21st, 2008
Planning a scuba diving trip to Puerto Rico? If so, you should definitely read the latest Top Ten Dives article from the November issue of Scuba Diving magazine. This monthly feature highlights the best destinations, dives, and deals around the world and this time Puerto Rico is the chosen spot for a scuba diving adventure. From Mona Island to Cayo Raton, and with skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced, this article lists ten Puerto Rico dives you won’t want to miss. There’s also a “Pre-Dive Check” section of useful local tips, “Taking the Plunge” gives travel advice for those heading out to Puerto Rico, and there are maps and pictures to get you primed for the trip.
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Just click on the image above to read Top Ten Dives - Puerto Rico for free on Coverleaf.com.
October 20th, 2008
It’s always nice to save a few bucks, and Triple Play from the November issue of Family Circle demonstrates a easy way to stretch your dinner dollar. This article shows how you can get more for your money–and reduce prep time–when you take one turkey and create three delicious and simple dinners. The recipes sound great in this regular monthly section from Family Circle on money-saving meals. Just click on the image below to read Triple Play for free on Coverleaf.com.
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October 16th, 2008
If you like a good pie as much as I do, you’ll love the collection of recipes in the latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens. They solicited pie recipes from their readers and picked the best of the lot to feature in American Pie. There’s a ton of great-sounding recipes, not to mention the scrumptious photos, and the whole package has me reaching for my rolling pin. From traditional pies like Sweet Potato to recipes that add a new wrinkle to an old favorite, like Rosemary Apple or Maple Nut, to the downright whimsical Snickerdoodle pie, there’s a recipe here for everyone.
Preheat your oven and click on the image below to read a free preview of American Pie on Coverleaf.com.
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October 15th, 2008
A case study in the current issue of Inc. highlights how GeneralSports Venue (GSV) handled a PR crisis, when shortly after licensing the “AstroTurf” name and rebranding their entire artificial turf product line with the well-known brand, news came out that some older AstroTurf fields contained high amounts of lead. In Anatomy of a Business Decision, we get to follow the steps that GSV CEO Jon Pritchett took to respond to the issues, which seemed like a looming PR crisis for his small company. After licensing and rebranding with the AstroTurf moniker, GSV was making serious gains in the artificial turf business, and then the news stories hit about high lead levels in a 10-year-old AstroTurf field in Newark, and the whole business seemed in jeopardy.
It’s fascinating to read how Pritchett and his fellow executives handled the crisis — they were not at fault for the problematic fields, but by having taken on the brand name of the company that was, there was serious risk to their business. After several days of intense meetings Pritchett decided to face the crisis head-on and scheduled a press conference with scientists to explain the situation and downplay the risks. While not everyone agreed with the plan that might draw even more attention to the potential problems with AstroTurf, in the end Pritchett’s decision seems to have been the correct one. Immediately after their press conference, news stories about the problems with AstroTurf were more forgiving, and GVS’s business has continued to grow.
You can read the case study for free on Coverleaf.com, just click on the image below for your free preview.
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October 14th, 2008
Kim Krause uses dramatic techniques in his studio to reveal traces of his artistic process over time. Not many painters would douse their work with paint thinner at the end of the day, but Krause does this to purposely eliminate some, but not all, of what was accomplished on canvas during his last session. By using agents like paint thinner and techniques like scarping his paintings with a drywall knife, Krause’s art work shows the stages of his painting in a unique and interesting way.
You may be surprised to learn that these techniques are not new at all, and that it was a common practice of the earliest oil painters to use solvents to attempt to remove all traces of brush work. The Artist’s Magazine has a feature this month on Krause and the techniques he uses to reveal his artistic processes called Time Turning. You can read the article for free on Coverleaf.com, and preview The Artist’s Magazine and a host of other digital editions of popular magazines on the new Coverleaf service. Just click on the image below to explore this article on Coverleaf.
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