For this we give thanks

The first Thanksgiving in the New World was celebrated in mid-October 1621, nearly a year after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Much later, George Washington was the first of many US presidents to formally proclaim a day of thanks. The following prayer was offered in 1789, in appreciation of the hard-earned independence...

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Dear daughter, let me give you some career advice ...

My daughter, a high school junior, wants to be a teacher. That doesn’t sit well with my husband, who worries about the state of education and the job outlook. He and I regularly debate whether we should encourage her to pursue this interest, or strongly steer her in another direction.Today, coaching our kids about career paths is complicated. Many of my reporter and editor...

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Former foster children give thanks for Casa Valentina

Every holiday season for the last six years, Lynn Hausmann hosts a Thanksgiving gathering for Casa Valentina, the residential and life skills program for youth aging out of foster care.It’s what you do, she says, for the people you love.“It’s simple — we are family,” says Hausmann, a member of the organization’s board of directors. “This is about opening your heart and home.”...

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Eric Stonestreet Wasn’t Drunk, He Swears

We realize there’s only so much time one can spend in a day watching new trailers, viral video clips, and shaky cell phone footage of people arguing on live television. This is why every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention. Today:RELATED: What Happens When You Sing ‘All Night Long’ All Night...

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Our gridlocked grid

New York and New Jersey should direct their gripes at the right targets: Don’t blame the utilities — think Solyndra.Utilities do what policymakers and regulators tell them to do, which in recent years has been to spend money and time on making electric grids greener, rather than harder to break and easier to restore. A tougher, more resilient grid doesn’t...

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Growing middle class feeds spirits business in Latin America

Diageo executive Randy Millian is proud of the fact that eight out of every 12 times someone pours a standard or premium whiskey in the Latin American and Caribbean region, they’re drinking one of his company’s brands.That kind of dominance is why the spirits giant is bullish on its future in Latin America, which recently has been the fastest growing region for Diageo worldwide....

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In humbler times for state House Republicans, Will Weatherford sets a more moderate tone

TALLAHASSEE -- Few state institutions bear a more distinct imprint of recent Republican hegemony than the Florida House of Representatives.It launched the political career of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who served as its speaker four years ago. Its members have passed some of the most conservative bills in the nation. And since 2006, it has nurtured the career of Will Weatherford...

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Intel CEO Paul Otellini to retire in surprise move

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Intel CEO Paul Otellini dropped a bombshell on the company’s board of directors last week, telling them in private that he plans to retire from the world’s largest maker of microprocessors in May. Otellini‘s move comes at a time when Intel faces a shaky economy and a mobile gadget craze that is eating away at demand for its PC chips...

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The Situation Sues Vodka Company for Millions

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino is suing Devotion Spirits for millions of dollars for what he claims to be a breach of contract in court filings obtained by ET.In the documents, The Situation claims that his endorsement deal with the company called for an increase of ownership stake from 8 percent to 10 percent after one year. The papers claim that Devotion failed to pay him the 2 percent increase,...

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And then there were four

The candidate field for next year’s mayoral election just got a little smaller.What’s that?You didn’t know there was a candidate field for next year’s mayoral election — or, for that matter, that Mayor Bloomberg’s 12-year City Hall tenure expires at the end of 2013?Well, that’s understandable.You probably have a life.So you probably also didn’t notice that...

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