The Sun

Hi All,

Since it has been so darn grey and rainy and drizzly and sticky and well, just plain gross outside recently I thought I'd post a sunshiny fun entry today.

Because if I'm not mistaken I see the sun and blue skies and nice big white clouds - woohoo!

Click on this link for photos of the sun from Google images. Aaaah - sun.

Click on this link for photos of briliant blue skies from Google images. Gorgeous skies.

Click on this link for photos of cumulus clouds from Google images. Flaky clouds!

And finally, click on this link for photos of kids playing outside in the sunshine!

Enjoy and lets hope this grey, dank weather leaves asap!

Stu

Shopping Malls and More! (Americana)

Hi All,

What can possibly be more American than 'baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie'? Click here for a link to that Chevrolet television commercial from 1975 - note that the link goes to Youtube.

Okay, so now, back to the question - what is more American than 'baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie'?

Shopping! It is the American way - heck, think of all the marketing and advertising and publicity for products that range from deodorant to cars to cookies to charcoal to well, you get the idea!

And it is not for nothing that we buy 'stuff'. Heck we need to eat don't we? And we need to have 'stuff' in our house - you can't live in a house with no furniture or pots and pans or beds or a television...

So, when you think of shopping you might think of Wal-Mart or Kohls, or Target or Sears or TJ Maxx or any other of the huge numbers of retail outlets. Click on any of the above mentioned links to go to that particular retailers' website.

So, this introduction has been a longer than usual one...click here for a link to MALLS. You can find malls by 'name', zipcode, state and more. The site also has links to the various malls that result when you do a search. Malls are also rated on the site. Hours of operation, telephone number and distance from a particular location is also listed.

Okay and for all of you mall afficionados, click on this link to Deadmalls.com

Besides for a gruesome name - couldn't they have used the name 'ExtinctMalls.com' instead - this is a neat site that has mall history, photographs and more about malls that don't exist anymore. Neat stuff and it took a huge amount of work and effort to make the site as comprehensive as it is!

If you click on the 'Links' page you'll find links about people who are against 'sprawl and against the mall in general'. Also on the page are 'mall indices and pages on malls in general'.

Click here for a Wikipedia list of defunct store chains - click here for a Wikipedia list of defunct department stores - neat stuff and a bit of Americana on the web!

Enjoy the malls and the sites and the shopping!
Regards,
Stu

What To Eat When You are in a Fast Food Restaurant

Hi All,

The summer might be over, but that doesn't mean we all should eat poorly. Health eating is a lifetime habit - sheesh, I sound like an advertisement. So it goes...at least this will be a healthy blog entry.

And while this is true - healthy eating should be a lifetime habit - it can be very, very hard to do when faced with the likes of McDonald's, Wendy's KFC, Taco Bell, Burger King and other fast-food restaurants.

So what is a hungry fellow or gal to do when he/she is in a fast food restaurant?

Click on this link and you'll get an article from Men's Health entitled 14 Best Fast Food Meals Under 500 Calories

This second link comes from Health.com and is a long article. Essentially the authors surveyed the nations 100 largest fast-food chains...for the results, click on this link.

Click on this link from WebMD to find the best bets from favorite food chains. The article is called, 'Fast Food That Won't Supersize You'.

Click on this link for the various menu options at many large fast food chains to see the number of calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbs and sodium content of the various items. Hamburgers, french fries, chicken, and more.

Finally, click on this link from a site called HelpGuide.org (A Trusted Non-Profit Resource - or so the website proclaims...) for an article entitled 'Healthy Fast Food - Tips For Making Healthier Fast Food Choices'. At the end of the article is a nicely organized list of ways that consumers can make healthier choices at fast food restaurants...good stuff.

And now you can make better decisions and eat healthier.

Enjoy the meals!
Stu

H is For...

Hi All,

Presenting...another in the continuing alphabetical exercise of blog posts...today we are up to the letter 'h'. What different organizations, companies, topics, lists and entries include the letter 'h'?

Today we have quite a variety of websites that begin with the letter "h"

Hotmail - excellent sit to open and retrieve email

Home Depot - great retailer of all things home goods - including plumbing, electrical, work working, gardening, lawn and garden, lighting, bathrooom, kitchen, flooring, tiling and more

Hulu - very comprehensive online video service

Hershey Park -

great website for all things 'Hershey Park' related. Info on rides, prices, admission, food,
Hertz - rental car disounts for your vacation or trip on this site

History Channel - watch history as it happens..actually there are great re-enactments of historical events on the site. Also has great documentaries and movies about various historical events.

HopStop - get door to door transit directions in the greater New York area. Coves, Subway, MTA, PATH, LIRR, MetroNorth for New York, Bronx, Queens and Manhattan. Can send directions by email or text message to a cell phone directly from the website.

Huffington Post - offers syndiacted columnists, blogs and news stories with moderated comments. Excellent source of analyzed and evaluated news by various columnists.

Enjoy the sites! Imagine - we are almost a 1/3 of the way through the alphabet! Woohoo! My blog dreams are coming true.

Regards,

Stu

Choose My Plate

Hi All,

The old food pyramid from the US Government is no more. It has been replaced by a new campaign entitled, 'Choose My Plate'. Click here for a link to the US Department of Agriculture site that is the home to this new campaign: ChooseMyPlate.gov.

So, what does the new site offer users and readers? Simple, the new site is a way to get people to eat more healthy. Shaped like a plate, the various sections have topics related to food - for example there are links to fruits, grains, vegetables, protein and dairy. Click on each of the words to find out about each food group in the food plate.

Along the way, on the side of the main Food page is a section entitled, "I Want To...". Some topics on this part of the page include 'Eat healthy on a budget', 'Look Up a Food', 'Learn about Food Groups', 'Get a Personalized Plan', and 'Learn healthy eating tips', 'Get Weight Loss Information', Plan a Healthy Menu', 'Analyze My Diet', 'Ask a Question' among other topics. Again, click on any of the links above to get more information about that particular topic.

On the other side of the main page you'll find links to the basics of eating healthy and more targeted information for more specific audiences like the general population, pregnant women, preschoolders, kids and more.

There is also a topics entitled 'Link of the Day' and interactive tools toward the bottom of the web page. Finally, if you click on this link, you'll learn about the various food groups.

Here's to a healthy, new you!

Regards,
Stu

Coupon Websites

Hi All,

Just a quickie blog post today - but I think it might cover one of the most popular topics around currently. I'm talking about coupons and couponing.

The internet is a vast resource for this type of activity. There are dozens and dozens of websites that offer up coupons and advice on saving money.

Some issues to consider when signing up for coupon websites:
1. Try to make sure that they are legitimate. Consider sending the owners an email. If the site has a bulletin board or blog, follow it for a few days or a week to make sure the site isn't just trying to poach your email address.

2. Don't give out personal information like phone number or address. Likewise, don't include a social security number or a credit card number. That is just way too much information to give out to a coupon website.

3. You might want to consider creating a separate email account for when you sign in to the various coupon websites so that the emails are separated from your regular email.

Now, on to the coupon sites.

Coupons.com - possibly the mother of all coupon sites....Similar to the other sites listed below - Coupons.com has a comprehensive list of topics on the left side of the screen. For example, there are automotive coupons, beverage, flowers and gifts, foods, health care, household, entertainment, office supplies, personal care, pet care, restaurants and more topics for coupons. One different with Coupons.com is that you can see the coupons on the first page - you just click on the coupon you are interested in and then scroll down to the next page of coupons. When you are finished you need to click on the print icon and you will be prompted to download the Coupon Printer installer. Essentially this downloads software to your computer to download the software...fyi, you only have to do the download once.

CouponMom.com
CouponMom is a well organized coupon site that has been seen on the Today Show, CNN, and Oprah's television show. The site has categories like grocery deals, drugstore deals, restaurant deals, online coupons, free samples, and a blog. Don't miss this site!

CouponCabin.com
Site has links to coupons by vendor or store name and by coupon type (food, clothing, category, printable, online coupons, etc...) The thing that I never understood about these various coupons sites is that they have categories that encompass two categories. For example, when a user goes on to these sites, they are, by definition, looking for printable coupons. In addition,all of these coupons are online - so why do these sites have these two categories? Beats me - but the real interesting thing about these sites are the coupons themselves.

Users can download software the first time they visit the site and then they'll be able to print out the various coupons that they check off on the site. Pretty simple and easy to do - even the download is fairly easy. Users can search the site using the search box at the top right side of the homepage. There is also a section on 'Extreme Couponing Made Easy' - click here for that link.

Enjoy and hopefully the sites will save you time and money!

Regards,
Stu

I'm so Confused - Words That are Easy To Mix Up

Hi All,

There are over 250,000 words in the English language. Bet ya didn't know that!!! Click here for a link that talks about the number of words in the English language.

Since there are so many darn words, we can mix a lot of them up. Click here for About.com link that discusses confusing words!

Click here for some commonly misused, misspoken and misspelled words.

And just to confuse matters, there are other terms that describe variously missued words in English. For instance homonyms are words the same as another in sound and spelling but different in meaning.Click here for a list of homonyms!

Homophones are words pronounced the same as another but different in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not. Click here for a list of homophones!

Antonyms are words opposite in meaning to another. Click here for a list of antonyms - it is a very comprehensive list!

Synonyms are words having the same or nearly the same meaning as another. Click her for a list of synonyms. http://www.carlscorner.us.com/Synonyms/Synonymlist1.pdf

Let me confuse you even more...click on this link for a list of the 100 Most Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English. Fun stuff, eh? Okay, and now click on this link for the 100 Mos Misspelled Words in English.

To remedy all of this confusion and mispelling and mispronciating, you might want to use these next few links! Enjoy the site and have some fun with your newly found cache of sites!

Dictionary.com - a great online dictionary
Thesaurus.com - a great dictionary of synonyms and antonyms

Regards,
stu

New Thread For Topics!

Hi All,

I've had some time to think about the blog and possible topics...

Have I got topics planned for you!

Regular readers might remember that I started a thread of posts entitled, 'A is for...', 'B is for...', etc? Well, now I'm going to do the same thing - but a bit different.

We all know that eating healthy is important for good health. Well, on occasion, I'm going to pepper blog posts with topics on fruits and vegetables. For example, one post might be titled, 'B is for Bananas', or another post might be titled, 'R is for Raspberries'...the topic of each post will be the health benefits of each fruit or vegetable, a bit of history of the fruit, and other fun filled facts about the fruit for vegetable in question.

So, today, we are going to talk about apples. Of course apples - how could I not. The whole original sin issue rears its head when we talk about apples along with applesauce recipes, the many different variants of apples and links to apple picking and apple orchards on Long Island.

Forthwith - to apples we go!

So, why are apples so healthy? Click on this link for the healthy benefits of apples - courtesy of About.com.

Think you know about all the different varieties of apples? Click on this link and I suspect you'll find a few varieties that you haven't heard of before!

Click on this link for the Wikipedia entry on apples which discusses the history, health aspects and more about apples.

Yum, yum...now click on this link for some darn good apple recipes. I'm thinking apple pie, apple cobbler, apple sauce...I am so hungry now! Again, link is from About.com - recipes section. Click on this other link to find some more apple recipes from Allrecipes.com.

And remember, apple picking with kids can be a hoot - click on this link to find local orchards on Long Island where you can pick your own apples. Link is from Long Island.com fruit stands section.

Enjoy! Hope you like the format of the entry - because I have 25 more fruits and 26 more vegetables to talk about! I wonder what vegetable begins with the letter 'z'?

Stu

Fall Fun on Long Island

Hi All,

I don't know about you, but it seems like the seasons have subtly changed over the last week or so. Ever since we've experienced Hurricane Irene the weather has been different than before...it is much less tropical and while we still seem to have rain, it just doesn't seem to be the deluge type of rain and weather we had.

And that is all for the better - oh, how tired we are of rain and storms and flooding and wind...maybe we can enjoy a calm, storm free September!

That all being said...it is time for some fall fun on Long Island! There are so many things to do on Long Island at this time of year! Click on this link for a quick overview of local Long Island things to do.

The link comes from About.com and some of my favorite would be the apple picking option or the hiking through Long Island landscapes.

Long Island has many different ways to spend time - click on this link from the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission website. On the left side of the screen you'll see links to Sports Events, Winter Festivals and Events, Spring Festivals and Events, Summer Festivals and Events, and Fall Festivals and Events - good stuff that's for sure.

You can also get a free travel guide by clicking on the link below these four choices on the page...additionally you can book your trip and make car rental reservations on the site as well. Finally there is a calendar on the homepage that will allow you to look for various festivals on a specific day...

Other options on the site include links to hotels and lodging, finding maps and getting transportation and there is a link to photos and videos.

Enjoy the site and enjoy the time off!
Regards,
Stu

G is For...

Hi All,

We are getting there....some time ago I started a series of blog posts in the same vein as Sue Grafton's series Kinsey Millhone wherein she titled each book 'A is for Alibi', 'B is for Burglar', 'C is for Corpse'....Click here for the link to the Kinsey Millhone series.

I'm doing the same think but with websites and links that I think blog readers might find useful and/or interesting.

Today we are up to the letter 'G'. Forthwith some neat sites that start with the letter 'G'. Enjoy!!!

Google - organizing the world's information - great search tool to find 'stuff'.

Gmail - email via Google - quick, easy and fast

Google Docs - Google's version of the Microsoft Office suite of software

Gawker - open bulletin boards and forums where users write the comments

Games - free games on a wide, huge and big number of topics! Word games, action games, puzzles and much, much more.

Guardian - UK newspaper - different viewpoints on world issues and current events since it is from the UK

Getty Images - photos, pictures and more from a huge repository

Gizmodo - info on technology, games, websites, software, hardware and much more...great stuff if you are a technology lover!

Enjoy the sites!
Stu

The Old Farmer's Almanack

Hi All,

Neat, fun, interesting reference alert!

I suspect that you've heard of the 'Old Farmer's Almanack', right? Well, if you haven't, the book is a staple reference book in virtually all public libraries in the United States.

Yes, the Farmingdale Public Library has a copy for you. Just visit the library and come to the reference desk. The call number for the Old Farmer's Almanac is RR528.1 O. We own the 2011 edition which is the most current copy.

Here is a quick summary of the OFA (Old Farmer's Almanack) for those who aren't familiar with the book: The book is a paperback and printed on paper that is similar in texture to a newspaper.

OFA covers topics as varied as weather, gardening, the calendar, facts about the Moon, the Sun and Astronomy. In addition the material has cooking and recipe hints and advice. Finally, there are sections on home hints, astrology and birding/fishing.

The book is filled with homespun advice and thoughts and has a 'country-ish' theme running through the various articles and tables and charts. It is well worth looking at when you are in the library.

However, when you are not in the library you can still get your Old Farmer's Almanack fix by visiting their website at Almanac.com. Click on the link that follows this sentence to go to the website for the Old Farmer's Almanack: http://www.almanac.com/

Enjoy this time tested, nostalgic website - and don't forget to use the information that is in the book - it is great stuff.

Regards,

Stu