Tour the Sites with Janette, 6-1-06
Hello, dear friend!
Welcome to TOUR THE SITES, where we cruise from site to site, uncovering the "hidden treasures" of the Internet. In each issue Janette Blackwell takes you to unusual and unusually good websites, so that you can enjoy their wisdom, generous help, entertainment, and delicious food. These sites are family safe as well.
TOUR THE SITES comes out around the first and fifteenth of each month - so if you haven't gotten one for a month, you may have accidentally fallen off the list. Do contact Janette at Newsletter@tourthesites.com if this happens to you. (And if by sad chance you don't want to learn about these treasures, just scroll down to the end of the newsletter and click on "Unsubscribe.")
COME TREASURE HUNTING WITH US!
We're still treasure hunting on the Internet, still finding shining gems for your pleasure, but the name of the newsletter has changed from Tastebud Tango to the more descriptive TOUR THE SITES. Its return address is now "newsletter@tourthesites.com."
And, while we're making changes, we're going to change the way you get Tour the Sites. Mike Hodapp, who manages the mailing list, says that probably only 2,000 of my 5,000 subscribers actually get the newsletter, because spam control devices increasingly class all newsletters as spam, even though this one absolutely is NOT. Even my husband couldn't get this newsletter recently - until he went into the controls of his Hotmail setup and made several changes.
So, with the next issue, we'll just send an e-mail saying that you can read the newsletter by clicking on a link on the e-mail. The actual newsletter will be posted on my website. I think these e-mails will have a much better chance of making it through to you.
Janette
----Table of Contents----
1. Danger!
2. Comical Gifts
3. The Latest Scam E-Mails
4. Save on Gasoline
5. Gas Buddy
6. Families on the Go
7. Going to the Beach?
8. RV Information
9. Memories
10. Creating Rich, Black Soil
11. The World's Third Greatest Cuisine
12. Recipe: Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes
1. DANGER!
I was just poking around the United Media comics site, described below, clicked on "Store," and suddenly got a popup ad about "free ring tones." My Site Advisor button went from green to red. WHICH MEANS DANGER! I immediately clicked the "back" arrow and went back to the main page, and the button went back to green. Clicked on "Store" a second time and got the genuine United Media store, with nothing about free ring tones. The Site Advisor light stayed green. (And if you got the impression that "free ring tones" can be bad news, you're absolutely right. Any time you see an expensive banner or pop-up ad for something that's free, like ring tones or emoticons, there's likely to be hackers hiding somewhere in the underbrush, ready to make you their next victim.)
Site Advisor has saved my bacon several times in the short time I've had it. And, fortunately for all of us, Site Advisor is free and easy to download. Once you have it, a button on your computer screen tells you whether a website is safe (green light) or dangerous (red light). Site Advisor really shines when you do a Google search, because all the sites will come back with green checks or red danger signs. Hold your cursor over the danger sign to find out why a site is dangerous. It might be a nest of really nasty spyware, or it might just be a lot of spam. (One explanation said, "94 spammy e-mails per week.")
I've been researching an e-book on "Internet Predators" that will come out in the fall, and it will feature Site Advisor, along with other safety advice. But when I find something as helpful as Site Advisor, it would be criminal for me to wait until fall to tell you. (Since I downloaded it, its name has been changed to McAfee Site Advisor, which means it's now got a corporate sponsor. I'm delighted - it's the best in its field and deserves a sponsor!)
Learn more about McAfee Site Advisor by clicking below . . . it is not only free, it is easy to install if you have Windows 98 or above. Its site keeps talking about "Site Advisor for Firefox," but, if you look carefully, you'll see they also have it for Internet Explorer, which they call "IE." So check it out. Please!
http://www.siteadvisor.com/download/ff_learnmore.html
2. COMICAL GIFTS
This site may show you an ideal Father's Day gift, if Dad has a favorite comic strip. Or a gift for Little Brother, Big Sister, or a friend on his or her birthday. Some people outgrow the comics, and some don't. I learned to read by asking the grownups what Dagwood and Blondie were saying, and I've been reading them ever since.
King Features seems to have the most comic strips. Click on "Store" at the top of the page, select the item you want (T-shirt, coffee cup), ask to have, say, Hagar or Beetle Bailey put on, and there you are.
http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/orange/about.htm
Another comic site is United Media, below. WATCH OUT WHEN YOU CLICK ON "STORE" - you may get a pop-up ad. I did on three separate occasions, and then each time I got the store itself the second time I tried. If you do get a popup, DO NOT CLICK "X" TO GET RID OF THE AD. Sometimes hitting "X" is programmed by a hacker to mean "yes," and you'll wind up being billed for something you didn't want - or, in this case, you're likely to wind up with hidden spyware attached to your computer. Instead of clicking the X, hit your back arrow to go back to the main page. Then, if you're feeling courageous, click "Store" again and you should get the real store, which is okay. (Those dirty hackers hide anywhere they think kids will come, including a comics site. Which is why you AND your kids need Site Advisor. If they're old enough to use a computer, they're old enough to understand Site Advisor.)
If you courageously click on United Media's store a second time and get the genuine store, you'll find the same deal as King Features, only different comics. United Media also offers to "have any Get Fuzzy strip from the last 90 days printed on mugs, tees and prints."
http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/index.html
3. THE LATEST SCAM E-MAILS
They think of new ones all the time, each one more tempting than the last. They want you to click on something, so they can persuade you to give your credit card numbers for a fake purchase. Or, these days, they may instead attach a keylogger to your computer that will log your bank account and credit card numbers. I get a bunch of scam e-mails, and here's two of the most diabolic: the first one says, "Did you want this check or a money order? Please confirm your address for check delivery." And the other says, "You have received an animated postcard." If you click on either one, you will get scammed or get a keylogger.
Oh . . . here's a third. It says, "Thank you for your registration. You are qualified to get cash." And, if you click to get that nonexistent cash, you'll wish you hadn't.
The only safe policy is to delete uninvited e-mails without clicking on anything. They cannot harm you so long as you delete without clicking.
4. SAVE ON GASOLINE
Apparently we're in for a bad summer with gas prices. Here are some sites that can help. The E-WISDOM site lists credit cards that give you 5% cash back with gasoline purchases, and sometimes with other purchases as well. They will help you apply for one of these cards online.
http://www.e-wisdom.com/cc/gas.html?g
Or, hold it a minute! If you go to E-Wisdom's main credit card page, they'll help you decide WHICH CREDIT CARDS ARE BEST for you in general, including all sorts of rebate and reward programs that I certainly didn't know about. This is an amazing site! Find it all here:
http://www.e-wisdom.com/credit_cards/
Okay, now we'll go back to gasoline, although it seems a bit tame after all that excitement with the E-Wisdom credit card page. My little heart's still thumping.
The FUEL REWARDS program gives you free gas with grocery purchases at certain stores, such as Kroger and Raley's. Find that information here:
http://69.36.69.82/grocery.asp
And the U.S. GOVERNMENT has something to say, under "fueleconomy.gov." Lowering gas prices doesn't happen to be something the government does well, though I sense that it WISHES it could, this being an election year. It is good at putting up websites, however. To prove this, go to the one below and check out its nifty gas saving hints. You can also get the latest information about alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml
The site also helps you find local gas prices. But, I can send you immediately to the site they give eventually:
5. GAS BUDDY
Gasbuddy.com gives both Americans and Canadians the prices at their local gas stations, so they can fuel up at the lowest available price:
http://gasbuddy.com/gb_index.aspx
Gas Buddy also has a "message forum" where you can complain about anything fuel related and some things not. You also have a chance to win $250 worth of free fuel!
6. FAMILIES ON THE GO
These next two sites tell you how to have fun on a vacation with kids. Neither agrees with Robert Benchley, who said, "There are two classes of travel: first class and with children."
The FAMILY TRAVEL GUIDES offer a wealth of information on travel safety and health, with special hints for traveling with different age groups. They have guidelines from the U.S. State Department for families going abroad.
http://www.familytravelguides.com/tips.html
If you want resorts that cater to families and ideas for a family vacation trip, the MAIN TOUR site shines. They list many adventure parks, sports venues, and entertainment locales suited to families. You may have thought of some of these, but others are likely to come as a pleasant surprise.
http://www.maintour.com/
7. GOING TO THE BEACH?
These free TIDE TABLES FOR THE U.S., will come handy.
http://www.freetidetables.com/index.php
You may also want to build a SAND CASTLE. Find here castling techniques and even contests!
http://www.sandcastlecentral.com/
Or you may want to GO FLY A KITE in those ocean breezes. This "kite zoo" not only tells you how to create wondrous things, it supplies "historical, anecdotal, allegorical or aeronautical snippets of information" and "hotlinks to online photos and constructional plans." A great site for kids to explore!
http://www.kites.org/zoo/
8. RV INFORMATION
These helpful souls aim to be "the best online independent public service information resource for RVers, with well over a thousand pages of non-commercial RV-related information, and online help for all types of RVing questions."
http://www.rversonline.org/
9. MEMORIES
My high school class, the Corvallis, Montana, class of '56, lost a beloved classmate last year, and this year we've posted our memories of her on my Nostalgia page, under "Memories of Our Loved Ones." (And let me add that you do not have to be a relative or friend of mine to set up a memorial to one of your loved ones on that page. Write me at Newsletter@tourthesites.com and we'll work it out.)
On a more cheerful note, a lady named Naomi has contributed a delightful memory of summer canning back in the thirties. You'll find it on the same Nostalgia page - scroll down to the 1930s section.
Find them both here:
http://foodandfiction.com/Nostalgia/index.html
10. CREATING RICH, BLACK SOIL
Curious about organic gardening? When I got into it around 1980 it was still considered a bit nutsky but was rapidly becoming mainstream. I was fired up by an article about CREATING fertile soil out of subsoil clay so poor that it wouldn't even grow weeds. I come from a Montana farming family but had never heard of such a thing. Every year my mother would wander the field next to our house, trying to find fertile soil for our garden. The field had clay soil that was not the greatest, and Mamma DESPISED it. Fate had dealt her a lousy hand fieldwise, she believed, and Daddy agreed. They both figured they had to play the hand they were dealt, year after year.
Well, using the article I read about creating fertile soil, I took garden soil that was Virginia red clay, mixed with blue-gray subsoil clay, mixed with rocks and broken bricks, and turned it into rich black earth where plants simply boomed along. And I had fun along the way. If you'd like to give organic gardening a try, here's a good place to begin:
http://www.the-organic-gardener.com/
And if creating fertile soil out of miserable soil appeals to you, it's not too late to start this year, as organic summer mulches are key to soil improvement. Wait until your soil has warmed up and your vegetables or flowers are an inch or more in height, then put a 2-inch layer of leaf mulch, straw mulch, or grass clipping mulch (whatever you can find in your area) around your little plants, leaving only their tops peering out. The mulch will keep down the weeds and gradually build up your soil. Herbicide-free grass clippings are great but turn an ugly color in the sun, and I like to top them with nice brown chopped leaf or bark mulch, which your local government may make available for free at its landfill site. Learn more about soil building from these articles:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/2003_June_July/Building_Fertile_Soil
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_soil_water_mulch/article/0,1785,HGTV_3634_1371515,00.html
11. THE WORLD'S THIRD-GREATEST CUISINE
Gourmets tend to think that the French and the Chinese cuisines are the two greatest in the world, but competition is keen for third place. Or, to be accurate, the world is full of countries that think they really belong in FIRST place, booting the French and Chinese right off their pedestals. The food of Italy gets nominated frequently and fervently, and I've also heard the food of Japan, Mexico, and India thus praised. The other day I saw Peruvian food nominated, with unusual modesty, for third place. But some of the most heartfelt tributes I've encountered were about Brazilian food. And now that coconut milk and cilantro are more commonly available, some of these dishes become possible with a little adaptation -- though let me add that there's nothing like REALLY FRESH fish to make a fish dish sing, and Brazil has a long coastline. Maria's versions of Brazilian dishes can be found here:
http://www.maria-brazil.org/fdind.htm
12. RECIPE: LEMON ANGEL FOOD CUPCAKES
This recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine and cleverly balances health and flavor. The frosting calls for 1/4 cup butter. That amounts to just 1/2 teaspoon butter per serving, and that little bit makes a big difference in the flavor. Cooking Light is good at these tradeoffs, and if you haven't been to their website, do give it a try:
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/
These cupcakes are ideal for a summer luncheon or tea party.
CUPCAKES:
1/2 c. cake flour (about 2 oz.)
3/4 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. egg whites (about 5 large eggs)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
LEMON FROSTING:
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Edible flowers such as pansies or rosebuds (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place 16 muffin cup liners in muffin cups. Set aside.
3. Lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl; repeat the procedure 2 times.
4. Beat egg whites and salt with a mixer at high speed until frothy (about 1 minute). Add cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, fold in after each addition. Stir in vanilla and rind.
5. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; let cool completely on a wire rack.
6. To prepare frosting, beat butter with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar; beat at low speed just until blended. Add milk and lemon juice; beat until fluffy. Add more lemon juice as needed to adjust the consistency. Spread 2 tablespoons of lemon frosting over each cupcake. Garnish with edible pansies and rosebuds if desired. Yield: 16 cupcakes. Serving size 1 cupcake.
Per serving: calories 144 (18% from fat); fat 2.9 g. (sat 1.8 g, mono 0.8, poly 0.1 g), protein 1.6g, carb 28.9g; fiber 0.1g; chol. 8mg.
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Janette Blackwell