Keeping our furry companions save on Halloween

Sometimes the temptation to dress up an adorable cat or dog for Halloween is almost irresistible.

However, after reading the piece in this link, you'll want to think twice about how to celebrate Halloween with your pets:

http://www.helium.com/items/1217824-safe-halloween-for-pets

Owner of Injured Racehorse Does the Right Thing

It's a sadly familiar story. Owner purchases racehorse. Horse does well at the track. While still young, the horse breaks down at the track.

When a horse suffers a catastrophic injury, the owner is usually faced with some terrible choices. Here's the story of one who definitely took the high road:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1117571/owner_tries_all_options_to_help_injured.html?cat=14

Childhood Urinary Tract Infections Might Signal More Serious Condition

If you've had your pre-schooler to the doctor several times in the last year with urinary tract infections (UTIs), you're probably both concerned and tired from coping with a cranky child.

Repeat UTIs can be warning signals for a much more serious urinary tract condition that's common in young children. Read about it here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1120207/when_your_childs_urinary_tract_infection.html?cat=70

Sinusitis: What causes it?

Whether you have just a couple of horribly painful episodes a year or seem to always have a clogged head, you've probably wondered what is causing your sinusitis. There are actually two types of this condition, and each has different causes.

Here's the low-down on what's making you miserable:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1108428/causes_of_acute_and_chronic_sinusitis.html?page=2&cat=70

What you need to know about anaphylactic shock

School is back in session, and sports are underway. If someone in your family has allergies to specific foods, stings, or other substances, you need to know what anaphylactic shock is and what to do if someone you're with suffers from it.

You'd be surprised, for example, to know how many foods are prepared using peanut oil, which can be fatal to some.

Check out this link:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1070360/anaphylaxis_can_be_life_threatening.html?cat=70

Ten Ways to Save on Eating Out

Are you tired of feeling guilty for even planning to have one restaurant meal a week? Fed up when suddenly there's nothing on the menu less than $14.95 at your favorite family restaurant? Then try these tips:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1022542/10_ways_to_save_money_eating_out.html?page=2&cat=22

Practicing the Art of Strategic Shopping

You've read the grocery inserts in the local newspaper. You've used coupons. You even planned five dinners last week.

But your family's food expenditures are still way too painful for your income.

Read about a new way to think about buying food:

http://www.helium.com/items/1171120-how-to-save-money-on-food

How Americans Got Labor Day

We associate it as a day of blessed rest from work, to enjoy picnics and barbecues, to mark the end of summer, and sometimes the day before school starts.

But where exactly did we get Labor Day?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/987282/how_americans_got_labor_day.html?page=2&cat=74

Honoring a Champion: Genuine Risk

At 31, she was the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner.

She was one of only three fillies to take on the boys at the Derby and ultimately leave them in the dust.

Genuine Risk died on Monday, August 18, 2008, at the farm in Upperville, Virginia, where she was much loved and admired during her retirement.

She led the life that all horses deserve. Her owners looked out for her and guarded her privacy as she aged. This year, she was not available for fans to greet during the Hunt Country Stable Tour on Memorial Day weekend.

From time to time, those of us who loved her sent her goody baskets through a local vendor.

Apparently, "Genny" ate a hearty breakfast on Monday, then was put out in her paddock, where she passed away. She will be sadly missed by thousands.

Sleep tight, Sweetie. You showed the boys.

How to pick the right distance education program

They're everywhere these days: in the newspaper, on TV, on the radio and in endless e-mails. You can find a distance learning program for almost any subject on the Internet.

How do you figure out which one is best suited for you? Try this link:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/944081/how_to_choose_the_right_distance_education.html?cat=4

Easy tips to spend $100 less next week

School is about to start, which means a ton of stuff to buy. Two months from now, you'll see the results on your credit card.

Almost everybody would like to spend $100 less next week than normal. Here's how:

http://www.helium.com/items/1141734-how-to-save-100-next-week

Debtors complaint: we can't afford to file for bankruptcy

It's certainly ironic. But it's also true: thousands of Americans in debt up to their eyeballs consider filing for bankruptcy each year. However, a change in the bankruptcy law has made this unaffordable to many of them:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/924163/filing_bankruptcy_now_too_expensive.html?cat=17

Saying Goodbye to Prof. Randy Pausch

Although we all knew he probably couldn't live much longer, Randy Pausch's death on Friday, July 25, 2008, from the complications of pancreative cancer was a shock.

Pausch had last posted on his cancer update page on June 26. He noted that due to poor results from recent chemotherapy, he was considering abandoning further attempts and would look at immunotherapy as an alternative. The ensuing month's silence was a little unnerving for those who checked his site daily for updates.

On July 24, a poster who identified himself as a friend of the Virginia professor wrote that Pausch's health had further declined, that he was no longer able to post, and that he was enrolled in hospice care.

The next morning, the news services announced that Randy Pausch, 47, had just died in his Chesapeake, Virginia home. He leaves behind a young wife and three small children.

Randy Pausch touched millions of us far beyond the "Last Lecture" he delivered at Carnegie Mellon University in September of 2007. He's the guy we actually "knew" even though we had never met him, and his loss is huge.

While writing that you envy someone who knows he's terminally ill is a bit odd, many of us did just that. We envied him that he knew he had a short time to live and was able to squeeze the most out of every hour. We also wistfully noted that unlike so many terminal patients, who have to slave at their 8-to-5 jobs until they literally drop, Randy Pausch was able to spend his remaining time after diagnosis doing what were the most important things in this world to him: spending time with his family, testifying on behalf of finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, donning a pro football jersey for a practice session, and just plain making the world a better place.

Medical review casts doubt of value of breast self-exams

We all did them routinely in the hope that we might save our own lives someday.

But do breast self-exams for women have any value? A new review suggests they might not and that they might actually cause unnecessary biopsies:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/898757/review_nixes_value_of_regular_breast.html?cat=70

Is it Time to Dump Your Doctor?

No question about it: the health care system in the United States is either broken or cracking rapidly. If you have a condition requiring you see a physician regularly, you might be becoming more and more frustrated with each visit. Read how to determine when it's time to dump your doctor:

http://www.disaboom.com/Living/livingforward/dump-your-doctor.aspx