Best Ways to Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey

Hi All,

In light of the catastrophic events that have occurred and are occurring in Texas over the last 5 days this blog post is appropriate and timely.

Most of us have seen the pictures and the video of the hurricane flooding and aftermath.  And you might want to help the victims of the hurricane.  How can you help you ask?  Simple: by giving to charities that are in a position to help!

The charity watchdog site BBB Wise Giving Alliance can help you decide which charities are legitimate and which are frauds.   Other charity watchdog sites include Charity Navigator and Charity Watch. Click the links to go to the respective websites.

National charities that some of these watchdog sites recommend include American Red Cross, Americares, Direct Relief and Humane Society of the United States. 

Local grops that these watchdog sites recommend include Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Harvey's Heroes/San Antonio Humane Society, Food Bank of Corpus Christi, Houston Humane Society and Houston SPCA.

Finally, for a more local take on how to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, click on this link from ABC7.  The link has a video and an article with contact information for donating.

Regards and I hope you find this post helpful!

Regards,
Stu

The American Red Cross

Hi All,

In light of what is happening in Houston and in Texas, I thought a blog entry talking about the American Red Cross would be useful, helpful, interesting and appropriate.

Visitors to the ARC site can donate by giving money in various amounts. The minimum donation is $10.  Users are able to specify where the money gets spent. For example, you can choose disaster relief, where the money is needed to go the most, your local red cross, home fires and Hurricane Harvey.

Visitors to the ARC can also donate blood. Click the link to find blood drives by zip code.

Users of the ARC site can also volunteer their time. Click this link for more information. 

Finally the site has a helpful Get Help section where you can learn about disaster relief/recovery, how to reconnect after a disaster, learn about post-emergency recovery and more.   

Also, at the bottom of the page users can sign up for ARC (American Red Cross) news.  By submitting your email address users will be informed of disaster alerts, preparedness tips and ways to get involved with the ARC.


Click on this page for FAQ's (frequently asked questions) about a variety of Red Cross related topics like Donating Blood, Financial Donations, Getting Assistance and Reconnecting Families.

Regards,
Stu

Waze - Mapping the Future

Hi All,

Over the weekend I took a trip.  To New Jersey. And while I took a route that I've taken several times before, I still got myself hellishly, horribly, time-lost, no maps of the area with me, lost.  Ugh. And while I did stop at a gas station (thanks Lukoil!!!) for great directions that got be back to where I was supposed to be, it felt awful being that lost.

So....lesson one.  Bring maps. Duh. You would think I would have learned that.  Okay, correction...we had maps in the car. Just not of the place in New Jersey that we were going. 

Lesson two - maybe we should use Waze?  So, as I've said before: 'What is Waze you ask?'  And as I've said before, 'Great question'.

Basically Waze is an app that gives the user the best route, every day, with real-time help from other drivers.  More specifically it is the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app.  Users can join other drivers in the area who share real-time traffic and road information.  The result is that saves everyone time and gas money on their daily commute.

Interested users can download the app on Google Play and at the Apple App store.

If, by chance, you need assistance with the app, you can click here for the Waze Help Center. 
If you want to learn more about Waze, click on this link for the 'About Us' page on the site. 

Enjoy the links and the site and the app.  (And hopefully you won't get lost! And, in the process you might even save time and money!)

Regards,
Stu

Word of the Day From Merriam-Webster

Hi All,

Watch your words!  And mind your definitions!

All joking aside I just came across a very interesting and painlessly educational website from Merriam-Webster (the reputable source for dictionaries that you've probably used in the past)


This link takes you to the Word-of-the-Day (WOTD) part of the website. 

Readers can sign up for the WOTD by clicking on this link. When You sign up, you'll learn a new word every day because a new word will be delivered via email to your inbox!  How cool is that?

When you get a WOTD you will find a definition of the word at the top of the email.  In addition Merriam-Webster provides you with several examples of how the word is used in modern conversation or in current/relevant sentence. 

Finally, there is a section in the email titled 'Did you know?'  This gives the readers context of the WOTD and gives even more background and information for the word.

WOTD is a great way to increase your vocabulary in a non-stressful, educational and informal manner.  Its great stuff!

Enjoy the site and the new words you'll learn!

Regards,
Stu 

FinancesOnline.org

Hi All,

Its all about the green today - as in money.  As in finance and investing. Sure many of us have seen Yahoo! Finance, Google Finance, MSN Money, Marketwatch and Bloomberg.  Those are mainstream news sources for finance and money and investing so most folks are aware of them.

But have you seen FinancesOnline.org?  I didn't think so.

The site quickly reviews finance sites with a quick description of the site, the topics covered on the site a section titled 'What Makes This Site Unique?' and another section titled 'What We Like Most About the Site'.  Links to the discussed site are included!

The site also has sections on financial guides, a library  and a glossary to boot so users won't ever get confused about terminology! 

Short, sweet and to the point, Financesonline.org is a don't miss page to visit next time you're on the web.  Enjoy the site and keep learning and reading!

Regards,
Stu

All About the Eclipse

Hi All,

Eclipse Day 2017 has arrived.  Lots of links follow on the '411' on everything eclipse related.  Enjoy!

NASA - Eclipse 101 - Eye Safety

New York Times -  Eclipse Path Across the USA

NASA - Solar Eclipse 2017

NASA - Live Stream of the Eclipse 

Eclipse 2017 - Science/Background 

NASA - How Eclipses Work? 

NASA - Eclipse Misconceptions  

NASA - Eclipse History 

Space.com - Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where and How to See It Safely 

Wikipedia - Solar Eclipse 2017 

Enjoy the links!

Regards,
Stu

Nature Soundmap - Hear The World Like Never Before!

Hi All,

While answering reference questions for patrons I come across lots of interesting sites.  My 'internet' travels take me far, far away sometimes.  And with that I get to see sites that I like to discuss on the blog...Nature Soundmap.com is one such site!

What is Nature Soundmap.com you ask?  As usual, great questions and the answer is..." group of professional nature recordists from around the globe have collaborated to develop Nature Soundmap. 
The site is an enjoyable and interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our planet"

Click here for the main map to listen to various sounds on the site. Users can manually move the map over to any part of the world- then just click on one of the pushpins and you'll be able to listen to recordings of that particular animal.

Viewers can help support the site - if interested - by clicking on this link. 

Click here for the Nature SoundMap blog - you'll learn more about the site and Wild Ambience - which developed the website.

For a direct link to Wild Ambience, click on this link.

Enjoy the animal and nature and forest sounds!

Regards,
Stu

50 Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things

Hi All,

The Family Handyman is a do-it-yourself, home repair, tips magazine that is published monthly.  We have a subscription to it at the Farmingdale Public Library. 

And it is a winner.  The magazine publishes articles on a huge variety of topics - including plumbing, electrical, cleaning, organizing, carpentry, drywall, sheetrock, painting, tiling, masonry, becoming a smart homeowner, storage/organization, tools and more - monthly. 

However, the magazine has an accompanying website - which can be visited by clicking here - that has even more information for consumers. 

One of the goofy articles - but by no means unhelpful - they published recently was titled '50 Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things'. Users can view the article as either an article or in a list format. Take your pick! Three of my favorites ideas were the three ring binders, foam ball hand protector and the mattress sling. Oh, okay...I also thought the power cord coilers, accessorizing your lawn mower and the wrench caddy were great suggestions as well.

The site itself has a sort of table of contents on the homepage. Options on the TOC include:
How to Repair, Rooms, Outdoors, Smart Homeowner, Stuff We Love, Do It Yourself Insider, DIY University and Get DIY Tips to Your Inbox.

Hopefully you'll find the site as useful as I do!

Regards,
Stu

Library Sites of Interest

Hi All,

Prepare for an extended library plug in today's post!

Who doesn't love libraries?  Indeed, check out this survey and see how much people really like their library! And check out this survey about library love!

So without further ado, check out this  article from MentalFloss.com titled '24 Library-Centric Sites We Love'.  The article might be somewhat old, but library love never is!

Three of the more interesting links in the article are:
1. 'Love the Liberry',
2. Librarian's Guide to Etiquette 
3. Books and Other Geekery

Enjoy the links - and remember, there are 21 other sites to visit! :)
Oh, and check out (get it) the best library of them all!

Regards,
Stu

Scams and Frauds Information From the Government

Hi All,

I'm back again with another blog entry - courtesy of the United States Government. This time I'll discuss a part of the government website (USA.gov) that deals with Scams and Frauds.

The Scams and Frauds section of the site helps consumers learn how to protect themselves and respond to scams and frauds that can occur.  There are a lot of links on the page - pay special attention to the following:

Telephone Scams

Financial Fraud

IRS Imposter Scams

Charity Scams  

Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams

Pyramid Schemes 

Tax-Related Identity Theft

Census Related Fraud

An important part of the website deals with how to identify and report scams and frauds.  Click on this link to find more information on these topics. 

Some very useful parts of this page include information on Common Types of Fraud, Most Popular Scams and How to Report Frauds and Scams. 

The page also has information on Identity Theft and Online Safety.  Both of which deserve of a whole blog entry of their own since they are so prevalent and important to understand.

As a matter of fact, look for a future blog entry or two on just these two topics!

Enjoy the links and hopefully the information is helpful to you!

Regards,
Stu

State Lottery Results From USA.gov

Hi All,

Did you know that you can find state lottery results on the internet?  Yep - you can. And what's interesting is that you can find the information on USA.gov - a completely legitimate government website.  Pretty cool stuff. Click here for the link. 

Users can use a drop-down menu to find a particular states lottery results.  Users can find links to Winning Numbers, How to Redeem Your Prize?, Winners Stories, Events and Promotions, Lottery News and Drawing Results. 

Users can find links to Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto and Cash4Life on the site as well.  There are links to Instant Scratch-Off Games and Video Gaming as well. 

Finally there is a link explaining how to play these lottery games responsibly.  Click on this link to go to that part of the site. 

Enjoy the sites and the links.

Regards,
Stu

 

The Eclipse is Coming, The Eclipse is Coming!

Hi All,

The eclipse is coming, the eclipse is coming.  Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you probably know that there is a total solar eclipse coming on Monday, August 21st!

The last time there was a total solar eclipse was in 1991 - over 25 years ago.
NASA has a great eclipse site  for adults and for kids!  Click here for the site. 
And the site has links to Events and Activities and Resources all related to the eclipse.  Click the prior links to go to that subject. 

CNN Travel created a funnish site called the 'Slacker's Guide to the 2017 Solar Eclipse'.  For complete coverage of the eclipse users can visit the formal CNN Eclipse website.  Viewers can also watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast on August 21st!

Click on this link that will tell you the best place(s) to see the 2017 eclipse! 

So when you are watching the eclipse you'll need a set of eclipse glasses.  Click here to learn more. 
And here.
And here.  

TimeandDate.com  has a map of the solar eclipse on this site.

For those of you who are awed at the rarity of the eclipse, visit this Washington Post site for an article titled 'Here's every total solar eclipse happening in your lifetime. Is this year your best chance?'

Finally, click here to learn a bit more about the history of the eclipse and much, much more.

Enjoy the sites and the links and the eclipse.

Regards,
Stu

Eight Tips to Protect Taxpayers from Identity Theft

Hi All,

Long-time readers know that I have a 'thing' for identity theft and how to prevent identity theft. I think its pretty important for people to know about.  And I get to write about it every so often on this blog. Especially when a new article appears that it crisp, concise, and well well-written.  The fact that the article comes from a very reputable source is an added bonus! 

What article am I talking aout?  The IRS (reputable for sure!) published an article titled 'IRS Summertime Tax Tip 2017-16 on August 7th - just a few days ago. 

The article - which is mercifully brief but chock filled with information - discusses protection personal and financial records, reporting tax-related id theft (this is the IRS after all), using PIN number and special section that the IRS has to assist victims of identity theft.  Click here for that additional special section link!

Click on this link to find out how IRS Identity Theft Victim Assistance Works. 

Finally, I used this link to have e-News Subscriptions from the IRS emailed to me.  That's where I found these identity theft tips that I discussed in today's blog entry.  Subscribing is easy and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Enjoy the links and hopefully you'll never have to use them!

Regards,
Stu 

Hi all, 

A quickie post for today.  Would you like to know exactly how many days, months and years pass between two dates?  Yep - me too.   You could calculate it yourself manually by figuring out how many days are in each month and do a lot of addition. 

Or you could visit TimeandDate.com and let the computer do the hard work for you. 
Click here for a link to Time and Date.  

For example, if you want to know how many days have passed between July 8, 1949 and February 13, 1998, click on this link

And yes...this is a goofy link, but kind of fun to know about - especially at cocktail parties. 

Enjoy the calculations. 

Regards, 
Stu

The American Yawp

Hi All,

Earlier today I answered a reference question using a very, very helpful and interesting website.  It's called 'The American Yawp' and it is a 'free and online, collaboratively built American history textbook.  What does that mean you ask?

Simply put The American Yawp is a history book online and it was created by a bunch of authors - not just one or two - but dozens of authors.  

It is, in essence, a primary source reader on things related to American history. It uses the year 1877 as the dividing line on the site.  Note also that the text is written for college level history courses. Click this link to see a list of the editorial advisors for the American Yawp site.  Quite a list of distinguished scholars!

FYI a Yawp is a raucous nose - or the use of rough vigorous language - as explained at the bottom of the homepage on the site.  For more information about the site, click on this link - the About link on The American Yawp homepage. 

For each 'chapter' a narrative is provided.  Chapters are roughly 20-30 pages in length and at the end of each chapter is a list of recommended reading materials, notes and a list of Primary sources if the reader wants to read more about that particular topic.

Enjoy the site and reading about American history.

Regards,
Stu   

Bloggingheads.tv

Hi All,

Just came across an interesting site that I never heard of before.  Bloggingheads.tv.

What is Bloggingheads you ask?  Great question.  And here's the answer!  Blogginheads.tv was founded in 2005 as the first website devoted to split screen video dialogue about politics and ideas.  Its early mission statement was to " be in one sense an unusual expression of the Internet.  Almost all blogs have a dominant ideology and a fairly homogeneous comments section to match. We pride ourselves on having a diversity of views in our diavlogs and an accordingly diverse comments section, where thoughtful disagreement is expressed in civil terms. (OK, usually thoughtful, and usually civil.)”

So there you have it...video discussions on various political topics and on 'big topic' issues.  Click on this link to learn more about the background of Bloggingheads.tv. 

The Bloggingheads.tv homepage has links to various programs like: Culturally Determined, DMZ, Drezburt, Foreign Entanglements, Glenn Show, Global Dispatches, Rational Actors, Science Faction and the Wright Show.

Other informative links include a whole bunch of archived programs on various topics: 10th Anniversary, 5th Anniversary, Democracy in America, Free Will, Washington Squares, Pros and Conn, Values Added and The Score.

The format of the videos is basically two people talking on a split screen.  Videos are roughly anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour on the topic you chose.  Sometimes video quality is 'less than stellar' but you will get the idea that the blogging heads are talking about.

Its an interesting take on the 21st century of free speech.  People are talking and videoing on a whole wide variety of important topics!  Basically this is like talking on a stump in front of a crowd in the eighteenth or nineteenth century!

Enjoy the videos and the discussions and the wide variety of topics!

Regards,
Stu