Have You Heard? News Sites

Hi All,

News on the internet is free, readily available and covers every possible topic you can imagine.  There is a lot more news than just the Yahoo newsfeed or the Google newsfeed.  And while they are good for broad overviews of information there are other sites on the web that cater to other 'types' of news. 

Traditional news organizations were early to the 'news' game on the web.  Some of the more prominent news organizations that used the web to expand their presence include CNN, CBS News, ABCNews, Reuters, BBC News Online, MSNBC, FOXnews, USAToday, Time, Associated Press, the New York Times, and News.com.au.

Note that some of these news organizations cover different regions of the world - BBC, News.com.au in particular.  Also, some of the organizations are international in scope - Reuters, Associated Press and BBC in particular. 

Enjoy the links and the news!

Regards,
Stu

A Bakers Dozen of Civil War Books

Hi All,

It has been called the war that forged the United States into the country that it is today.  It is historic on a variety of fronts: in terms of the number of Americans killed, the length of the war, the political, social and economic changes it wrought and much, much more.

I'm talking about the United States Civil War from 1861-1865.  There are literally hundreds of websites dedicated to the varied facets of the war: battles, generals, President Lincoln, weaponry, soldiers, photographs and much, much, more.

So if you want to start to learn about the civil war, where should you start? Great question - and this blog post should at least get you started on your journey.  Folks have spent their whole lives studying this conflict - it is worth the time and effort to learn about this amazing period of American history.

So...click on these next few links to find top (best) books on the American civil war. Read on!

Top 12 Civil War Books Ever Written - Salon.com

Civil War Book List - New York Times, The Opinion Pages

Six Books on the Civil War - Smithsonian.com

50 Greatest Civil War Books - Civil War Memory

10 Best Novels About the US Civil War - Christian Science Monitor

Enjoy the links!  Happy reading.

Stu

Being More Productive

Hi All,

As longtime readers of this blog probably know by now I really, really like lists.  Shopping lists, to do lists, lists of books, lists of all kinds.!

I just came across this site on MSN Lifestyle.  The title of the webpage is 28 Productivity Hacks to Make Your Work Day Easier.  I was struck by the simplicity and intuitive advice in this slideshow.  Plus, many of these efficiency hacks are easy to implement and use regularly.

Take a look at the article by clicking here.  Who knows...even picking up 2 or 3 of these tricks will help you become more productive and more efficient!

Also...interested readers might want to click on any of the next 3 links to learn even more about becoming more productive in daily life and at work.  Enjoy the links and your new found efficiency.

5 Productivity Hacks That Will Change Your Life - Happier.com

10 Mini-Productivity Hacks to Ease Your Life - Lifehack.org


23 Best Productivity Hacks of the Year - Inc.com

Regards,
Stu

Free Tutorials

Hi All,

You might have heard the phrase 'If its free, its for me'.  Well that is a great philosophy to live by as long as you have a site like GCF LearnFree.org.

Let me explain.

GCFLearnFree.org helps learn all about computers.  Click this link to learn a bit more about them. Basically they have dozens of computer related tutorials - for free - available to users 24x7x365.  This is all about online education!!!

Click this link to learn how to use GCF. 

Got more questions? Click on this link for Help and Support.  

Here is a brief list of SOME of the free tutorials they offer!
Computer Basics, Mouse Tutorial, Typing Tutorial

Beyond Email, Email 101, Gmail,

Chrome, Firefox, Internet 101, Internet Explorer

OS X Basics, OS X Yosemite, OS X Mountain Lion, OS X Lion

Internet Safety, Internet Safety for Kids

Windows Basics, Windows 10, Windows, 8, Windows 7, Windows XP

Access 2003, Excel 2003, PowerPoint 2003, Excel 2007, Word 2007, Access 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Publisher 2010, Word 2010, Access 2013, Excel 2013, Excel Formulas, Excel Tips, Word Tips and much, much more....

If you are interested in learning about any or all (ambitious!) of the applications or software listed above you would be very well served to click on this link and visit GCF LearnFree.org!

Enjoy the journey and the learning!

Regards,
Stu

Free Financial Aid Resources

Hi All,

Check it out - its that time of year when college applications are due.  And once that happens, college acceptance letters should start rolling in. 

With that in mind students - and their parents - might be well served by visiting the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation website from the New York State government.  Click here to visit the site.

What does the site have you ask? Great question!  Three major sections will help students.  The first major section helps students prepare for college.  There is a section on your 'High School Plan' which will help you determine what to do year-by-year to prepare for college.  There is also a college fair calendar and a section on applying to college step-by-step.

Next is the 'How to Pay' for college.  22 NYS student financial programs are covered, federal financial aid is covered.  Sections on filling out and completing the FAFSA and TAP applications are listed as well.  There are also calculators, estimators and more on this section of the site.

Finally, the last section is called 'Repay' - paying off student loans.  Finally, readers of this blog entry can use this site to find FAFSA completion events in our area - click here to go to the site. 

Enjoy the site - and I hope the applying to college process is quick, painless and successful for you.

Regards,
Stu