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Thank you for picking up MyConnection. Look for your copy delivered free to your home from The Newnan Times-Herald each Wednesday. You’ll find entertainment and travel news, as well as upcoming events, easy-to-make recipes, and things that matter to you and your family.
Family Features
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his year, pop up some holiday fun by making clever — and delicious — popcorn treats. It’s easy to create edible décor, gifts for friends and neighbors, and munchable snacks for the whole family. You can find more creative holiday recipes on page 3.
Plain Popcorn
Gingersnap Popcorn Snack Mix ➤ Recipe on Page 3
Cover bottom of 3 to 4-quart pan with thin layer of vegetable oil. Place 3 kernels of popcorn in pan; cover with a loose lid that allows steam to escape, and heat. When kernels pop, pour in enough popcorn to cover bottom of pan, one kernel deep; cover pan and shake to evenly spread oil. Shake as popcorn continues to pop. When popping begins to slow to a
Popcorn Trio Yield: Varies
Cheesy Popcorn
Popcorn Trio - Plain, Caramel and Cheesy
few seconds apart, remove pan from stovetop. The heated oil will still pop remaining kernels. Sprinkle lightly with popcorn salt, if desired, and store in an airtight container.
Cheesy Popcorn Follow instructions for making Plain Popcorn. When you remove popcorn from heat, transfer popcorn to serving bowl. Pour butter over popcorn and
6 cups popped popcorn 1 tablespoon melted butter, optional 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast (found at health food stores) 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, optional
Caramel Popcorn 6 1/2 1 1 2 1/8 1/8
cups popped popcorn cup sugar tablespoon light or dark corn syrup tablespoon water tablespoons butter teaspoon salt teaspoon vanilla extract
toss. Sprinkle yeast and curry powder, if desired, over popcorn and toss to distribute evenly.
➤ SEe Pop UP, PAGE 3
i n s i de
m ur Pets fro Protect Yo azards Holiday H ➤
PAGE 6
Newcomers Welcome — If You Follow These Steps Introducing a new dog to your household and other dogs Many animal lovers who experience the joy of sharing their lives with a four-legged friend are spurred on to cement their success with a new addition to the household. Dog lovers often decide to take in another hound as a pal for their prized pooch while softhearted cat owners think that they can overcome the traditional battle of the species to introduce a canine companion. But whether it’s a cat or a dog, there are a number of basic rules to be observed when introducing another animal into a house that is already home to a treasured pet. Dog behaviorist Mike Mullan advises owners to follow a number of simple steps when bringing home another animal to ensure your household is a haven of peace and harmony as opposed to a fur-flying war zone. Bringing a dog into a home where one is already resident is a very delicate situation as the original incumbent views it as his or her territory. Mike warns: “There’s a good chance that it will attack the other dog, even if it’s of the opposite sex. “The best thing to do is, with an-
other person, walk the two dogs together with the two people between them. Then change it around so one dog is on the inside, then again so that both dogs are on the inside. The dogs must be on the lead but should be able to get near each other. “Feed them on opposite sides of a baby gate at the same time so there’s no jealousy over food and gradually bring the food bowls closer to the gate. Never leave them alone together if you’re going out. They need to be able to see each other but not be able to get at each other. “Introducing a puppy into a dogdominated household is somewhat easier,” he says. Mike adds: “You still have to be very careful but most dogs will nurture a puppy. A female dog will mother it very quickly while a male dog will guard and protect it. But be careful to have opposite sexes — never put two females or two male dogs together. And I recommend neutering in an ordinary household if you have two or more dogs.” In Mike’s extensive experience garnered during more than 50 years
working with the animals, it is possible for dogs and cats to become best friends - but this tricky relationship needs some management. He says: “It’s more difficult to bring a cat in where a dog is already dominant. Baby gates are a great tool here because the cat always needs an escape. Starve the dog for 36 hours before you bring the cat in and then it’ll be more interested in the food than the cat. “Put the cat in a cage in a room and have the dog on a lead. Feed them at opposite ends of the room and gradually move the food bowls closer together. Give the dog six or eight very small meals to correspond with the cat’s feeding. Afterwards make a fuss of your dog, take him out and play with him.” Mike says that by following this routine it should only take a few days before the animals get used to each other — but warns would-be owners to persevere with this pet program for a month before they leave the new friends alone together.
The Real Cost of that ‘Free App’ just Might be Your Privacy BRANDPOINT
The app world is booming and today there are more than 1 million mobile apps available for download through online stores run by companies like Apple and Google. Many apps are available free of charge and collect user data for advertising purposes, raising the question: What is the true cost of these "free" apps? "While there may be no monetary charge to download an app, it might mean you agree to let the app maker collect and use your personal information, like your email address, for marketing purposes," says Chris Babel, CEO for an online privacy solutions company. "Ideally, this data collection would be revealed in the app's privacy policy, but many apps don't have these policies. Even those that do have one often bury key disclosures and make them very difficult to find." Smartphones today collect and store a wealth of personal information because they're always "on," and typically go wherever their users go. Consumers store extensive contact information, calendar data, and personal videos and photos on these devices. Modern smartphones may also contain GPS technology capable of collecting precise data about the phone's movement and location in near real-time. "Personal data collection online has been happening for
years on traditional PCs," says Babel. "The difference today is that these 'computers' now sit in our pockets in the form of smartphones, and are capable of collecting more types of data, in greater quantities, than ever before. It's a far more complex ecosystem and it can be difficult for consumers to understand what's happening with their data. " Unwelcome data collection on smartphones can lead to unwanted and intrusive advertising, and increase the risk of data breaches as companies build everlarger databases of personal information profiling consumers. Before you click that next free download, Babel recommends taking these steps to protect your privacy: Look for a privacy policy In early 2012, the California Attorney General struck an agreement with all major app store operators stipulating that apps in their stores must contain privacy policies to comply with California law. An analysis of the top 50 Android and iOS mobile apps at the time, however, found only one in three had a privacy policy. Moreover, these apps that had policies typically did not optimize them for reading on smartphone's smaller screens and lacked clarity over
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