I've been trying since May to cut back on the number of items I put in each issue, as people tend to run around the countryside in summer, rather than reading their email. Every month I write little notes to myself, "Keep this issue short!" And then I find more wonderful websites I just have to include, and I include them.

     So, okay, this one really is a little bit shorter and quite a bit lighter. I'm trying.

Janette

----Table of Contents----

1. PGA Professional Golf
2. Painting and Wallpapering Your House
3. Decorating with Faux Finishes and Stencils
4. Latest Scam
5. Correction
6. When Scientists Let Down Their Hair
7. Awarding the Ig Nobel Prizes
8. Seussville's Delights
9. Keeping Cool with the Ring of Fire
10. Recipe: Shrikand, an Indian Dessert

1. PGA PROFESSIONAL GOLF

     They've got golf tips, golf instruction articles, an "ask the pro" section, and a golf school. Plus they guarantee to cure your slice. What more could anyone ask?

http://pgaprofessional.com/

2. PAINTING AND WALLPAPERING YOUR HOUSE

without getting killed. This website is strong on the "not getting killed" part - they must know something we don't, like statistics.

http://paintingyourhouse.info/

     And while we're on the subject of painting, let me give once again the fascinating site that lets you see what your rooms would look like painted various colors:

http://glidden.com/home/index.jsp

     And here's a free course in WALLPAPERING, which includes basics, plus "insider tips and tricks that the professionals use."

http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/17453/seminar

3. DECORATING WITH FAUX FINISHES AND STENCILS

     The HGTV website teaches you to do amazing things with your walls, such as: giving a faux metal appearance, as with a metallic Art Deco wall; giving the appearance of a Renaissance fresco; or giving an ultra-suede feel.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_stamp_stencil_rooms/0,1792,HGTV_3503,00.html

     Please note in HGTV's lefthand margin much more about decorating other aspects of your home, such as fireplaces and lighting. HGTV works closely with decorators, giving you the benefit of their advice.

     If you're looking for specialized faux equipment, try a site brought to my attention by Ginny Soderberg. FAUX LIKE A PRO sells special equipment for faux painting and "recipe cards" which tell you exactly how to achieve a certain faux finish. Plus they have a monthly newsletter.

http://www.fauxlikeapro.com/

     And here's another source, which has 750 stencils in its online catalog:

http://www.walltowallstencils.com/

4. LATEST SCAM

     This one's a really nasty telephone scam. The scammers say that they're from your local Clerk of the Court's office and ask why you failed to respond to a jury summons. This naturally throws us law-abiding citizens into a tizz, as a judge may issue a bench warrant for your arrest if you ignore a jury summons.

     "I'm sure this can be straightened out," says the scammer. "Just provide us with your name, social security number, and other identifying data." And our law-abiding citizen supplies all the necessary information for an identity theft.

     It may of course dawn upon a person afterwards that the Clerk of the Court already has this information. If you do realize you've been scammed, for whatever reason, QUICKLY notify any credit card companies whose numbers you may have revealed. Also notify the three major credit reporting agencies through the website of the Federal Trade Commission:

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

     This wonderfully helpful website will walk you through the steps of PREVENTING AN IDENTITY THEFT or show you how to deal with one that has already taken place.

5. CORRECTION

     In the last newsletter, I told you how easy the Celestia program was to install and uninstall. Well, it still is easy to install and uninstall, but I didn't give the right instructions for uninstalling it. To uninstall a program, you need to go into your computer's Start menu, click on Control Panel, then click on Add or Remove Programs. Right-click on the program you want removed, and then ask for it to be removed.

     And if you haven't checked out Celestia, which maybe you would love and play with for hours, it is at

http://www.shatters.net/celestia/

6. WHEN SCIENTISTS LET DOWN THEIR HAIR

     When scientists let down their hair, they sometimes do it literally. The website for the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) has a "Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists (LFHCfS)." It is, specifically, "a club for scientists who have, or believe they have, luxuriant flowing hair." Einstein is listed as a Historical Honorary Member. His exact listing is "Physicist. Bon vivant. A bold experimentalist with hair." Another Historical Honorary Member is Oswaldo Cruz, described as "tireless worker for public health, reduction of disease, etc. Nice hair. Died 1917."

     There's lots more where this came from, and hair is not always figuratively on these people's minds, though it is literally, of course, unless they're bald. Find wads more improbable and unverifiable scientific research at

http://improbable.com/about

     Please note that these scientists' humor is sometimes not family safe.

7. AWARDING THE IG NOBEL PRIZES

     The Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) also offers the Ig Nobel Prize, awarded at an annual gala ceremony at Harvard's Sanders Theatre (yes, really), and presented by a real, live, sometimes bewildered, Nobel Prize winner. The Ig Nobel Prize for Agriculture was won by the author of "The Significance of Mr. Richard Buckley's Exploding Trousers." The Ig Nobel Prize for Literature was won by "The Internet entrepreneurs of Nigeria, for creating and then using e-mail to distribute a bold series of short stories, thus introducing millions of readers to a cast of rich characters -- General Sani Abacha, Mrs. Mariam Sanni Abacha, Barrister Jon A Mbeki Esq., and others -- each of whom requires just a small amount of expense money so as to obtain access to the great wealth to which they are entitled and which they would like to share with the kind person who assists them." And a well deserved prize it is.

     The most recent Ig Nobel prize was won on January 26, 2006, by Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki, the man responsible for "demystifying belly button lint."

     Find much more prizewinning improbable research, plus unnecessary and meaningless photos, at

http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-top.html

8. SEUSSVILLE'S DELIGHTS

     While you're enjoying the wackily improbable, take a look at this site for children and grownups who enjoy Dr. Seuss. Find a nursery section for tots, delightful games for children, and much more. A good site to explore with a child on your lap.

http://www.seussville.com/

9. KEEPING COOL WITH THE RING OF FIRE

     Ever wondered why people in hot countries eat spicy foods and those in cold countries do not? One theory is that people in hot countries like food that makes them break out in a sweat, thus cooling them off. When the British of Queen Victoria's day first encountered hundred-degree heat in the jungles of Africa and India, how did they respond?

     With hot tea.

     Which, according to this theory, saved their lives by making them sweat, thus preventing heat prostration. Boiling the water they drank also did away with a few billion bacteria. The success of the British Empire was therefore based upon hot tea.

     Whether you agree with this theory or not, and whether you like hot tea or not, you may enjoy this excellent website on INDIAN FOOD. India has a great cuisine that goes far beyond curries and is not necessarily even hot.

http://food.sify.com/

     And here's where you get the exotic spices in Indian food:

http://www.theepicentre.com/

     And here's the Ring of Fire, in case you decide to cool off by toasting your tastebuds:

http://www.ringoffire.net/

10. RECIPE: SHRIKAND, AN INDIAN DESSERT

     The recipe comes from a blog, Becks & Posh. The author says, "The flavour of this unusual dish really does stay with you for a while after eating. It is mesmerising." Her description is also special, as are the photos. I usually write out a recipe, but in fairness to you I send you to look at the original recipe and gorgeous photos at:

http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/2005/04/shrikand-aromatic-indian-dessert.html

     (I was tempted to do a blog awhile back, when it seemed I was the only person on the planet who WASN'T. I'm glad I never gave in to the temptation, because the best food blogs, such as the one above, now have exquisitely beautiful photos of the food. I could never equal them - and fortunately you and I don't have to. We can just sit back and enjoy their beauty.)

=====================

MISSED SOME ISSUES?

     Find back issues of Tour the Sites (formerly Tastebud Tango) at http://foodandfiction.com/Archives/index.html

=====================

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

=====================

© 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.