The Internet has ignited the greatest explosion of creativity in the history of the world! And you and I get to be part of it!

     You'll find a great example in Lulu.com, reviewed in the first item below, but many of the other sites I list, such as the one on herbs, are creative offerings that wouldn't have been available without the Internet. And a large percentage of these offerings are free.

Perfect For You.

     The Internet also offers much scientifically based, expert advice on diet and exercise. Some of it will not appeal, but some will. Because it is perfect for you.

     I mentioned some weight-loss items in the previous issue, and I'm continuing to offer more sites with free, scientifically based advice.

     Janette

1. LULU.COM

     Lulu allows authors to self-publish their books free of charge! Print-on-demand publishers usually charge hundreds of dollars of setup fees for self-published books. Lulu's website says, "Lulu is fast, easy and free. Publish and sell easily within minutes. No set-up fees. No minimum order. Keep control of the rights. Set your own price. Each product is printed as it is ordered. No excess inventory."

     And Lulu doesn't limit itself to books. It also publishes "music, video, software, calendars, photos and artwork." And now Lulu has a radio! It will be fun to see what its creative creators come up with next.

     Now, I must say that Lulu doesn't give the kind of technical backup you'd get from a print-on-demand publisher that charges. They do have a forum, though, and if it's as good as, say, Firefox's forum, you're still in pretty good shape.

     If you'd like to learn more about Lulu's virtues and faults, put into the Google search box: about Lulu.com. The first item listed will be Lulu itself, and after that various people's experience with it.

http://www.lulu.com

2. PEOPLE WHO SHARE YOUR INTERESTS

     Want to meet people who share your interests? Try MEET UP. Whether you're interested in dalmatians or stock market investing, in scrapbooking, homemaking, bicycling, or studying Japanese, you may find other people in your area interested in the same things. In which case you can use this site to "meet up" with them. (And let me add that this would be a good place for single people to find other singles with the same interests.)

     It's a great site, but, frankly, it is NOT a website for children. You'll see why when you get there.

http://www.meetup.com/

3. A FITNESS LIBRARY

     This excellent site doesn't merely have fitness information. It has a "fitness library" filled with information. If you're aiming to get in shape or stay in shape, do give it a try.

http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/

4. EXERCISE CALORIE CHARTS

     The American Heart Association has some good material on calories used by exercise. There's more on the site than appears at first glance.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=756

5. ALL TOGETHER NOW: QUIT SMOKING

     A Quitnet member says, "I have two friends quitting with me. Add QuitNet to that, and it's myself and hundreds up against the Nicodemon!" Quitnet gives you tips from counselors . . . and lots of company (when I was there, 974 other people were also on the site).

http://quitnet.com/

6. TV AND MOVIE LISTINGS

     If you thought all the TV and movie listings came in the Sunday paper, has the Internet got news for you!

     Zap2it has U.S. TV listings, movie listings, DVDs, reviews, and gossip. Put in your zip code to find what movies are playing in your area at what times.

http://www.zap2it.com/

     If you're not in the U.S., go to

http://www.searchenginecolossus.com/

and put in the name of your country and "TV listings" or "TV and movie listings." And you'll probably get landed with a bunch! I accidentally landed in the Google TV/movie directory for the UK and was almost overwhelmed.

     If you're interested in movie reviews or celeb gossip, and if you don't mind being swamped, click below for the Google directory for U.S. TV and movie reviews. I wandered into it, planning to stay fifteen minutes. Wandered out two hours later, glassy eyed but deeply impressed at what's out there.

http://www.google.com/Top/Arts/Television/Schedule_and_Programming/

     In fact, it's good to remember that Google Directories are entirely different from what you get when you "google" something. A Google directory lists established (not fly-by-night) websites in hundreds of areas. So the next time you're researching something online, try putting "Google directory ." Fill in the topic you're researching, and if there's a directory on it, you'll get a lapful of high-quality sites.

7. AWARD-WINNING FUN SITE FOR KIDS

     They say, "Funology.com is where you can allow your kids to SAFELY use the Internet. We offer online activities and offline activities. You can find instructions for kids' games, recipes, craft projects, We offer fun, creative projects and activities to stop the "Mom, I'm bored" syndrome! Let your kids have fun on the Web!"

     And, once again, a good way to check out this or any other website is to put into Google's search box "about " naming the site. The first item will be the site itself, but after that you get what others say about it. In the case of Funology.com, they say very nice things indeed.

http://www.funology.com/

8. PARENTAL CONTROLS ON GAME CONSOLES

     If your child got a Sony PlayStation 3 or a Nintendo Wii for Christmas, or if you have a Microsoft Xbox 360, be sure to read the following article. It seems that these game consoles have parental controls that have been kept secret from - who else? - the parents!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122201278.html

9. PROTECT THE CHILDREN IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

     Lisa Danahy, my child development consultant, says, "I want to share a web site with you that is a good idea for everyone to visit. It is www.familywatchdog.us When you visit this site you can enter your address and a map will pop up with a small icon of a house where you live. Surrounding your house you will see red, blue, and green dots covering your entire neighborhood. When you click on one of these dots, a picture of a person will appear with an address and the description of the crime he or she has committed. This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted."

     When I tried it, they didn't have a map with my street, but the colored dots did come up, and I was able to click on them and see photos and addresses of the convicted criminals in my area. Disquieting but good to know!

http://www.familywatchdog.us/Default.asp

10. HERBS FOR USE AND BEAUTY

     I think there is a time in a person's life for lush flower gardens, and a time for the tight discipline of an Elizabethan knot garden with old-fashioned herbs. Appearances aside, many of us are afflicted with garden deer, who eat most everything - except herbs! Whatever your reasons, January is the month to bury yourself in gardening books and catalogs . . . and websites.

     The Internet has much practical advice on growing herbs, but it took me awhile to find a site that explored the beauties that are also to be found in a herb garden. I finally located the one below, SUPERB HERBS, done by a woman who loves herbs and everything about them. If you explore this absolutely excellent site, you will see that hundreds of hours of labor have gone into it. Please don't take it for granted. This site is a beautiful labor of love.

http://www.superbherbs.net/design5.htm

     (Herbs, like vegetables, require sun, but if you have shade AND deer, they won't eat columbines, daffodils, foxgloves, or hellebores, all of which do fine in mostly shade. Leaves of the last two are poisonous, and the deer know it!)

11. IF YOU DO YOUR OWN TAX RETURNS, THIS IS IMPORTANT

     And even if your tax returns are done by a professional, it wouldn't hurt to read this article, as some last-minute changes in the U.S. tax code may have been missed by tax return preparers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002406.html

12. TELL A RELATIVE OR FRIEND

     If you think a relative or friend would find some of these items helpful, please do forward to them the e-mail you clicked on to get this newsletter.

     Or tell them to simply put tourthesites.com into their computer's address box.

http://tourthesites.com/

13. WAL-MART IS ONTO A GOOD THING

     You've probably heard that Wal-Mart is offering more than 300 generic drugs for $4 per 30-day prescription. Every U.S. state except North Dakota is participating.

     This is, of course, causing deep pain to Wal-Mart's rivals. Target says it will do whatever Wal-Mart does. Walgreens, after what must have been an interesting morning in its PR department, came up with this gem: "Wal-Mart's limited price promotion is in response to the increasing number of seniors choosing Walgreens for their pharmacy needs. Therefore Walgreens will not match Wal-Mart's promotion."

     Learn what drugs Wal-Mart offers at:

Walmart.com/catalog/

     And, before you go to Wal-Mart to shop for any item at all, you may want to visit the page below, where Wal-Mart describes the FREE SAMPLES it is currently giving away.

http://walmart.triaddigital.com/Free-Samples.aspx

     If you are outside the U.S., see what Wal-Mart offers you at

http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=14

14. ROASTED CITRUS TURKEY BREAST +

     These are not the pathetic recipes you see on some low-fat sites. These are Roasted Citrus Turkey Breast, Banana Pecan Loaf, and suchlike. These are good.

http://www.low-fat-recipes.com/

     And if you found "I Love You, Dr. Weigle" an inspiration, you'll find more inspiration in the Entree section of this LOW-FAT RECIPE site. If you haven't yet read about my love affair with Dr. Weigle, click below to find my article page. At the top of the page are some inspirational articles you will enjoy if you haven't already read them. To find "Dr. Weigle, I Love You," scroll down, past the Inspirational section, to Food and Health and Dr. Weigle.

http://delightfulfood.com/FreeEzines/index.html

15. RECIPE: DELUXE GROUND TURKEY MEATLOAF

     This recipe transforms ordinary ground turkey into a delicious dish. If I ever invite Dr. Weigle over for dinner, I'll fix this. He'll love it.

1-1/2 (or 2) lbs. ground turkey
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon (or other) mustard

DIRECTIONS

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground turkey, bread crumbs, onion, egg, and milk. Season with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and rosemary. In a separate bowl, blend together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and mustard. Pour evenly over the top of the loaf.

     Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until juices run clear when pricked with a knife.

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MISSED SOME ISSUES?

     Have I got a solution for you! Now that we are using a frame for each issue, you can just look over to your left and find all the back issues nicely set out. Simply click on the ones you missed. That means too that if your e-mail service provider gets sticky and decides that Tour the Sites is spam (it is NOT spam), you can foil it and find the newsletter at this address.

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WARNING!

     If your e-mail box sometimes gets full, you are in danger of falling off the subscription list of Tour the Sites. Not because I want to lose you, but because, if your box is full when I send out a newsletter, you are automatically kicked off the list. I don't like that policy, but I don't have any say. If you change your e-mail address or get a new kind of spam filter, you may also fall off. So do keep an eye on your newsletters, which should arrive around the first and fifteenth of each month. If you haven't gotten one for a month, let me know and I'll be happy to put you back on the mailing list. Because I'd really hate to lose you.

Janette
Newsletter@tourthesites.com

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© Copyright 2006 Janette G. Blackwell. All rights reserved. You may copy and use portions of this newsletter for noncommercial, personal use only. You may forward a copy to someone else as long as the copyright notice is included. Any other use of the materials in this newsletter without prior written permission is prohibited.