About Today: The Best (and Biggest) of 2011

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Today It's been fun, 2011, but with 2012 knocking on the door it is, in the words of the great Willy Wonka, time to say adieu, auf Wiedersehen, Gesundheit, farewell. Happy New Year from all of us at About.com, and see you next year! Biggest Stories of 2011 This felt like a particularly seismic year with an abundance of stories that rocked the course of history. From the tragic Japan earthquake to the death of one of the world's most notorious terrorists, these are the biggest stories that defined 2011. 100 Words and Phrases That Ticked You Off Year's Biggest Facebook Topics See More About:  top stories  gadhafi  bin laden Biggest Parenting Stories of 2011 The year's top parenting headlines run the gamut of the disturbing ("Mom Gives 8-Year-Old Daughter Botox") to the controversial ("Couple Raises Genderless Baby"). And you thought your family had issues... Most Addictive Websites of 2011 Top Google Searches in 2011 See More About:  parenting news  parents stress  family relationships Top 10 Movies of 2011 I didn't make it to the movie theater as much as I usually do this year, but not for lack of interest in 2011's cinematic offerings. I'm especially looking forward to seeing Drive at some point soon. Top 10 Action Movies of 2011 Top 10 Comedy Movies of 2011 Best Limited-Release Horror Movies of 2011 Best Documentaries of 2011 See More About:  extremely loud and incredibly close  warrior  harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 Year's Best Home Theater Products If you have some leftover cash from the holidays and are looking to upgrade your home-theater system in 2012, consider starting your shopping with these well-reviewed TVs, receivers, and Blu-ray players. Year's Best New Kitchen Gadgets Year's Best New Cars See More About:  home theater  audio  video Today Ads Silvester 2011 Movies 2011 Shoes 2011 Weihnachten 2011 Makeup 2011 Featured Articles Year's Best Books Year's Best TV Comedies Year's Best Political Cartoons Best Internet Security Suites Best & Worst Makeup Products Top Cloud Computing Providers   More from About.com Living with Depression By obtaining the correct medical intervention and learning better coping skills, you can not only live with depression, but live well. More> 9 Symptoms of Depression If you have experienced five or more of these symptoms within the same two week period, this could be indicative of an episode of depression. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Today newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com     Follow us on: Advertisement

About Today: Party Like It's 1999 in 2011

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Today The world's biggest annual party night falls on a Saturday this year, which is great since many of us will have two full days to relax and recover before heading back to work. Woo hoo! However you ring in the New Year this weekend, be safe, have fun, and here's to 2012! Throw a Classy New Year's Eve Party Want to add a touch of class to your luxurious New Year's Eve shindig? Our Guide to Entertaining recommends white roses, sparkling crystal, lobster tail, and Champagne cocktails. Plan a Blast from the Past Party Easy, Inexpensive Decorating Ideas New Year's Eve Celebrations Around the US See More About:  new year's parties  party planning strategies  new year's eve Top 100 Party Songs of All Time Of course, sometimes it's fun to go totally informal and blast a party-hearty playlist all night long that includes jams from Lionel Richie, Bee Gees, and--you guessed it--Prince. Top 10 Current Party Songs Top 10 Sing Along Songs See More About:  party songs  party music  black eyed peas Champagne and Wine Cocktail Recipes No matter which kind of New Year's Eve affair you'll be attending or hosting, these fizzy cocktails are sure to add some cheer to the festivities. Fun Cocktail Recipes Best Champagnes and Sparkling Wines See More About:  champagne cocktails  wine  cocktail recipes How to Avoid a Hangover To avoid starting the year feeling like you've been socked with a ton of bricks, you might want to take it easy on those cocktails--and drink lots of water. What Causes a Hangover How to Treat a Hangover Preggie Provence Mocktail Recipe See More About:  hangovers  health effects of alcohol  Today Ads New Years Eve Party Christmas Party Party Ideas Party Planning Cocktails for Party Featured Articles Eat to Live Longer Amplify Camera Batteries Potty Training Puppies Top 10 Comic Superheroes Caring for Disabled Parents Why You'll Love Vancouver   More from About.com Living with Depression By obtaining the correct medical intervention and learning better coping skills, you can not only live with depression, but live well. More> 9 Symptoms of Depression If you have experienced five or more of these symptoms within the same two week period, this could be indicative of an episode of depression. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Today newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com     Follow us on: Advertisement

About Today: Best Music of 2011

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Today I just made my first New Year's resolution: catch up on all the excellent music I missed in 2011. There's a lot of it! For what it's worth, three of my favorites are Radiohead's somewhat underrated The King of Limbs, Mastodon's mighty The Hunter, and Ellen Allien's typically hot Dust Remixes. Best Rock Albums of 2011 Household names dominate this year's picks for the best rock releases, including Jane's Addiction, R.E.M., and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Our Guide to Rock Music's list isn't without some controversy, however: Limp Bizkit, anyone? Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2011 Best Classic Rock Albums of 2011 Punk Rock Music Year in Review See More About:  best rock 2011  r.e.m.  wilco Best Country Albums of 2011 The biggest name in country does not appear among our Guide to Country Music's picks for the genre's best albums of the year. Settle down, though, Taylor Swift Nation, and remember that Speak Now was released late last year. Best Country Songs of 2011 Best Folk Albums of 2011 Best Christian Songs of 2011 See More About:  thompson square  best country music of 2011  best country albums Best Rap Albums of 2011 Our Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop says this year's top rap album sounds like "a tall glass of Swedish lemonade." Not sure what that means, but either way Shabazz Palace's Black Up just skyrocketed to the top of my to-download list. Top 10 Mixtapes of 2011 Best R&B Albums of 2011 See More About:  best albums 2011  best rap albums  shabazz palaces Best Indie Music Albums of 2011 Another possible name for this list of the top-50 indie and alternative albums: "50 Albums to Make You Feel Old Because You've Probably Only Heard of a Few of the These Bands." Best Blues Albums of 2011 Best Latin Music Albums of 2011 Best World Music Albums of 2011 See More About:  albums of the year  toro y moi  destroyer Today Ads Free Music Music Videos Music DJ Christmas Music New Music Featured Articles Year's Most Memorable Pop Lyrics Year's Dumbest Criminals New Exotic Cars in 2012 New Roller Coasters in 2012 Top 10 New Recording Artists of 2011 Best Xbox 360 Games   More from About.com Living with Depression By obtaining the correct medical intervention and learning better coping skills, you can not only live with depression, but live well. More> 9 Symptoms of Depression If you have experienced five or more of these symptoms within the same two week period, this could be indicative of an episode of depression. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Today newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com     Follow us on: Advertisement

About Today: Fun Facts and Bizarre Traditions

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Today You're not going to learn something new today: you're going to learn a bunch of new and totally random things, such as how many cells are in the human body, how clear glass is colored, and what the heck "smoking the fool" has to do with the oldest running folk tradition in Britain. Fun (and Bizarre) Facts About Chemistry Fake a deep knowledge about chemistry at your next social gathering by quoting these weird and random facts, such as adding salt to a glass of water actually makes the liquid level go down, and copper and gold are the only two non-silvery metals on the planet. Can You Die from Drinking Water? Can You Taste Without Saliva? See More About:  chemistry facts  science trivia  element facts 20 Fun Facts About Owls I've always fostered a mild fascination with our fine feathered friends, particularly after being blown away by 2001's brilliant documentary Winged Migration. 25 Fun Facts About Hummingbirds 20 Fun Facts About Wild Turkeys See More About:  owls  bird trivia  How Antique Glass is Colored Learn about the elements and processes necessary to add brilliant shades of blues, greens, and reds to clear glass. Do You Know How: Insects Attract Mates? Cells Reproduce and What They Contain? See More About:  stueben glass  lead glass  glass values The Haxey Hood, Britain's Oldest (Weirdest?) Folk Traditiion Every year for the last 700 years, the men of two small English villages have held an annual battle for possession of a ladies hood: the Haxey Hood. What's it like? Picture a rugby scrum on steroids. More Weird UK Folk Traditions Weird Travel Experiences Around the World Today Ads Facts Fun Food Facts Facts for Kids Facts About Diabetes Amazing Body Facts Featured Articles Pilates for Back Pain The Art of Tea Tasting 2012 Travel Predictions Win Super Bowl Tickets Perfect Your Presentations How to Build Your Savings   More from About.com Living with Depression By obtaining the correct medical intervention and learning better coping skills, you can not only live with depression, but live well. More> 9 Symptoms of Depression If you have experienced five or more of these symptoms within the same two week period, this could be indicative of an episode of depression. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Today newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com     Follow us on: Advertisement