tips

Is there a topic that can incite more debate than tipping?

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People have this misconception that if you're a guy, you probably don't cook.  Well in our house I do 90% of the cooking.  I'm kind of a Mr. Mom except I can't fold laundry to save my life.  So when Taste Of Home Cooking School comes to town, I pay attention and learn a few things.  Here's some things that have helped me in the kitchen that I learned at the traveling cooking school.

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Okay, I realize that 'Jaws' isn't a traditional Halloween movie choice but for suspense, acting and storytelling you cannot do better than Steven Spielberg's first major hit. Whenever I'm asked what my favorite movie is, 'Jaws' always comes to mind

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Even if you've never seen 'The Exorcist', I'm guessing you've heard of it.  Truly evil, it's worth another viewing this Halloween.  Make sure you watch the directors cut, with the lights out!

There are a lot of bad horror movies set in space ("Jason X", anyone?).  There is one reason that so many space horror movies were made, and that reason is "Alien".  Released in 1979, the movie tells the story of a commercial towing spaceship, called Nostromo. The ship is carrying its seven-member crew in back to Earth in stasis.  The ship's computer awakens the crew when it receives a transmission of unknown origin.  This sets off a horrifying chain of events and introduces us to a legendary monster.  The great cast is lead by Sigourney Weaver and the movie does a great job building suspense.  This is truly a classic that you should revisit.  It's also a good idea to check out the sequel "Aliens", which was directed by James Cameron.

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The most imaginative movie on my list is "Pan's Labyrinth", which is a times an amazing movie and at times a very brutal one.  It takes place during the waning days of the Spanish Civil War, and the war aspects of the film are as tough as any war movie.  Then there's the central figure and story, a beautiful young girl who uses her imagination to escape the horrors of her life.  The images this conjures up are very memorable.  But is it all just her imagination or is it something more?  "Pan's Labyrinth"  is definitely worth your time.

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I like a good ghost story with a little mystery and "The Others" is a nice recent addition to the genre.  I won't give away any of the surprises, but if you want a quietly paced story to watch in the dark this will do the trick!

I know that when someone mentions subtitles a lot of people get instantly turned off.  Who wants to read a movie, right?   However whenever I've watched a movie with subtitles it doesn't take long at all for me to forget I'm even reading dialog, especially if it's good.  That is the case with the movie '', which is a very disturbing Spanish film from 2007.  It tells the story of a television reporter and her cameraman who are filming the night shift at a Barcelona fire station for a documentary.  They respond to a call of an old woman trapped in her apartment.  They arrive, break down the door and all hell breaks loose.  This is very well done, filmed with shaky camera work to add an authentic look.  This is the movie that inspired the American remake called 'Quarantine'.  While 'Quarantine' isn't bad, nothing beats the original!

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'The Mothman Prophecies' isn't your typical horror movie, but I think it is a pretty effective thriller with some very creepy elements.  Richard Gere plays a reporter who loses his wife which starts a chain of odd events.  He is ultimately drawn to a small West Virginia town to investigate a series of odd events, including the appearance of a bizarre entities.  The film claims to be based on actual events that occurred between November 1966 and December 1967.  Enjoy, and please pay attention to your psychic visions!

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I was going to save this one for closer to Halloween, but there is a new prequel hitting the theaters this weekend that may tarnish the image of this franchise, if early reviews are any indication.  John Carpenter got his break directing the landmark horror film 'Halloween', but for my money his best movie and my favorite horror movie is 1982's 'The Thing'.  Forget the cliche' of a teen boys and girls getting chased by some evil killer.  This movie is just the opposite, in fact there are no teens and no female characters to be found.

Kurt Russell is the star of a talented ensemble cast that even includes Wilford Brimley dropping an 'F-bomb'!  They are all American scientists stationed in the middle of nowhere Antarctica who are stirred out of their normal routine by a nearby Norwegian camp hunting down a dog approaching the Americans.

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With the current state of the economy, there are more and more people looking for work.  Everyone at one time or another has been there, looking for their next job.

The key is to stay positive during the process and know that your next job is out there, you just have to keep your head up and continue to believe in yourself.  That can be easier said than done, so here are 5 ways that will hopefully help you do just that.

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