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Perseid meteor shower expected to peak early Thursday morning

Stargazers Dennis Mammana August has become one of my favorite months for several reasons. For one thing, the Milky Way appears to arch beautifully overhead after dark. Another thing: I get to watch one of the two best meteor showers of the year as it reaches its peak this month. I’m referring, of course, to the famous Perseid meteor shower. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had a Perseid display without interference from bright moonlight, so I’m especially looking forward to this one. The Perseid shower occurs each August when the Earth slams into dusty debris ...

House of the week-Tealwood

The Tealwood proves that exceptional home design doesn’t require an oversized footprint. Designed for small lots while maximizing every square foot, this attractive one-story house plan measures just 47 feet by 50 feet, making it an excellent choice for homeowners seeking an efficient primary residence, a comfortable vacation house, or a low-maintenance retirement home. Its compact, nearly square footprint also reduces unnecessary exterior wall area, contributing to improved energy efficiency and helping lower heating and cooling costs throughout the year. A welcoming covered ...

German genealogy guides ‘essentially’ helpful

Roots & Branches By James Beidler Less than two years ago, well-known German genealogy researcher Andrea Bentschneider launched the German Genealogy Collective with the goal of matching up people with German-speaking ancestry to the presentations, virtual get-togethers and resources that might help them solve their family history brick walls. She recently has been promoting her series of what she calls “German Genealogy Essentials Research Guides,” including several about the massive Germany-based website Compgen.de, which has a number of features that are helping to those ...

Tea and porcelain team up in Chinese tea dust glaze wares

Antiques & Collecting Terry and Kim Kovel The richly colored glazes of Chinese porcelains have enthralled collectors and inspired artists for hundreds of years. They are often given descriptive names, like the dark red “sang de boeuf” or “oxblood”; the famous peachbloom that inspired the late Victorian craze for two-tone pink glass; or the speckled olive shade called tea dust. Tea dust glaze was first used in the Tang dynasty (618-906). It may not be a coincidence that Chinese “tea culture” emerged in the same era, although tea plants had been cultivated in China and the ...

Open grocery bags with ease

Hints from Heloise Dear Heloise: Plastic bags are so hard to open at grocery stores, and I don’t like licking my fingers to open bags either. What I do is use water from where they spray the produce, then open the bags. It works every time! –– Pamela W., via email Dear Heloise: A woman recently asked how often bath towels should be laundered, as her husband didn’t think that once a week was often enough. At the end of your reply, you indicated that the husband should grab a fresh towel and put the other one in the laundry basket. A much better solution would be for the ...

Daily Briefing

Nation Illinois Funeral home stored bodies improperly CHICAGO — Authorities have found over 50 bodies improperly stored at a Chicago funeral home. The remains were discovered Thursday in various states of decomposition at South Chicago Chapel. Illinois state officials have suspended ...