This Month's: Links, Tips, News and Fun Stuff       

Inside this edition:

Our Top 10 Lists

↓        ↓   

Consumer Corner:

In the Spotlight:
« Christmas »

Shopping:
« Useful Resources »

Favorite Links this month:

Stuff to Email Friends:

Websites  in  Pa:

more sites
on the route53 network:

This newsletter was created with one vision in mind, to help you find information with just a single click.
I personally visit each site before posting it. If you wish to show your support to help with the cost of creating and distributing,
I will accept contributions
via PayPal.
Thank You.

If ... you have a
business or product
you wish to promote?
Inquire re: Advertising !!!

You can shop online 24/7
You don't have to wait for stores to open to start shopping. When you shop online you have a choice of thousands of merchants from throughout the country. One way to look for a good price is to use comparison shopping sites
such as

Froogle.com
Pricegrabber.com
ShopZilla.com
ShopCartUSA.com

Also, read reviews from other consumers at Epinions. In some cases, if you buy from an out-of-state merchant you may be able to avoid paying sales tax.

For more advice,
check the Shopping Online Tips at
www.safeshopping.org

NASCAR News
The movie, called
" 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story"
will chronicle the life of
seven-time champion
Dale Earnhardt

who died in a last-lap crash at
the 2001 Daytona 500.
See it on ESPN Dec. 11th.

Other Links:
Nascar.com
Silly Season
ThatsRacin.com
Hendrick Tribute
2004 Fans Voice Awards

— a quote worth remembering —

"You may be only one person in the world,
but you may also be the world to one person."
— Author: Unknown

Welcome to the December edition of Ron's Newsletter.
                Why Christmas is special to you... depends on the customs and traditions that were handed down in your family. While Christmas is viewed as too commercial by most, those who keep their traditions alive renew the Joy that is associated with the birth of Christ each year. If you're looking for answers to frequently asked questions on the True Meaning of Christmas, see Christian Answers. To see how different countries say "Merry Christmas" — click on the drop down menu.
— have a great month! — now sit back, read, click and enjoy.

Comments invited.

C YA  nEXT mONTH,
  

«  Now, some stories in the news  »

New Digital Cameras... Each year, digital camera manufacturers release a lot of new models to prepare for the shopping season. CBS News Technologist Digital Dan Dubno has selected four of the most interesting new digital camera models and also talks about a hot new software package from Adobe that will help normal folks transform and archive their digital images. Read his article here.
Also see his I Want My HDTV! (high definition television)
DISH Network - Related Links:
DVR921 high definition satellite receiver
Compare all DISH Receivers | User Guides and Manuals | SIRIUS Music on DISH | Portable Satellite Radio Receiver | Program Guides | Remote Control Help
Dish Troubleshooting Guide | Locate a Dish Network Retailer

Low-Carb Diets May Hurt your Heart... Weight-conscious individuals continue to turn to low-carb regimens to trim waistlines, BUT according to nutritionists they're forgetting that not all carbohydrates are created equal. Millions of Americans who are faithful to low-carbohydrate diets to lose weight are "missing out" on fiber-rich foods essential to healthy hearts, experts warn. "By eating a low-carbohydrate diet, you are selecting out those foods that may be rich in healthy carbs," said Jeannie Moloo, a dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. For more related information, see these Nutrition Fact Sheets and Dietary Guidelines.

My Family Health Portrait... Knowing your family's medical history — can Save Your Life! Health care professionals have known for a long time that common diseases - heart disease, cancer, diabetes and even rare diseases can run in families. If one generation of a family has high blood pressure, it is not unusual for the next generation to have similarly high blood pressure. That knowledge often means power to predict and perhaps head off diseases prevalent in families before they appear.
— — — — —
To help catalog the information in a form, health experts have announced a FREE, Internet-based computer program called, "My Family Health Portrait." It can be downloaded for free and installed on your own computer. The tool will help you organize your family tree and help you identify common diseases that may run in your family. When you are finished, the tool will create and print out a graphical representation of your family's generations and the health disorders that may have moved from one generation to the next. The software can be downloaded at http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/.
— — — — —
A print version of "My Family Health Portrait" will be available at more than 3,600 medical offices nationwide. Print versions also can be obtained from the Federal Citizen Information Center by calling toll-free, 888-878-3256. read more.

Spider-Man 2 on DVD ... The comic book-inspired blockbuster "Spider-Man 2" came out on DVD on Nov. 30 in a two-disc set with about 10 hours of extra features. It ranks as the third highest-grossing movie of the year, behind "Shrek 2" at No. 1 and "The Passion of the Christ" at No. 2. A separate collectible set containing the "Spider-Man 2" widescreen DVD is also available which includes a postcard collection of movie artwork, a 25-page comic book artists' portfolio, and a reprint of the Marvel comic book, "The Amazing Spider-Man" 50, titled "Spider-Man No More," on which the movie was partially based.

Annual Armpit Festival ... For the third year in a row, Battle Mountain, Nevada has turned the pungent press it received in a December 2001 Washington Post Magazine into a tourism success. Originally designated the "Armpit of America", the town now draws attention to its negative moniker with its annual Armpit Festival. Sponsored by Old Spice, it features such events as wet T-shirt and armpit beauty contests, boxing matches and bed races. read more. If you go, look for Terry & Kathy.

The Bible is... the world's all-time best selling book. The Bible claims to be "the word of God." It records the interaction of God with historical people and nations. It reveals the meaning of life and the responsibility of human beings to their Creator. The Bible is actually a collection of books, some long, some short. The Bible's two major sections are the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament has...39 books. The New Testament has...27 books. If you're interested in reading God's Story from Creation to Resurrection, go here.
Related Links:
WebBible Encyclopedia | Fun facts about the Bible

Portable (MP3) music players... are sure to be popular gifts this holiday season. These little handheld jukeboxes allow users to listen to near CD-quality music wherever they are. And unlike portable CD players, your musical selection isn't limited by the number of CDs you can carry. Read the article by Larry Magid to learn more.

Glow-In-Dark Underwear... As if a plain old thong wasn't enough to accentuate what isn't covered, a Rice University MBA student has shed some neon light on the skin with a glow-in-the-dark version. The thongs have lightweight, water-resistant batteries that, when fully charged, illuminate the straps for two hours in various neon colors. In a recent on-site test, they were a big hit, women liked the product. The thong will be available for $49.95 by December 18, and plans for expansion include luminescent bras and bikinis. Take a look at their latest product lines for YOUR next unique look. Last minute shoppers, order your thong today at www.glothong.com

Sony has slowly trickled out details on the PlayStation 3... over the past year by confirming that the console will use the high-powered "Cell" processor, jointly developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM--and Sony's next-generation Blu-ray DVD technology. The company has yet to set a release date or price, nor to confirm details such as expected multimedia capabilities, but it is expected to go to market in late 2005 at the earliest. Read more at The PlayStation Reporter.
Related Links: Game Finder | Upcoming Games
Top 5 Playstation 2 Picks | Video Game Holiday Buying Guide
The Network Adaptor for PlayStation2 opens yet another dimension to the entertainment experience: online gameplay.
Related Links:
What's a Network Adaptor? | Network Adaptor Wizard | Troubleshooting Network Adaptor FAQ

Alicia Keys... has taken todays' R&B to a whole new level. The stunning, bi-racial diva has established herself as one of the hottest musical artists around. She has sold more than 14 million CDs. She seemingly came out of nowhere in the summer of 2001, storming up the charts with her sultry voice and braids in tow but she is no pre-fab diva. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, Alicia was raised alone by her mother in a tough NY City neighborhood called Hell’s Kitchen. She's been studying music since age five and began writing songs at age fourteen. While growing up, Keys was trained in classical music and was already writing pop songs when Columbia Records signed her to a contract at 16. That same year, she graduated from a performing arts high school, and was awarded a scholarship at Columbia University. It was there, she changed her last name from Cook to Keys. She dropped out of college to focus on music, but soon felt Columbia Records wasn’t giving her the artistic freedom she needed. Her next stop was a meeting with music producer Clive Davis. Davis bought out her contract with Columbia and immediately signed the 18-year-old singer. The following year, in June 2001, she took the music world by storm with her debut album, "Songs in A Minor." It debuted at # 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart, thanks to the hit single, "Fallin" and went on to net five Grammy awards. Her second album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys" was released in 2003. Now, she's adding "author" to her growing list of accomplishments. Her new book, "Tears for Water," is a combination of poems and lyrics inspired by her life experiences. The 23-year-old is one to listen to-- or should I say, one to watch. read more.
Related Links: Video - 'If I Ain't Got You"   ( source: CBS News )
MTV Bio | VH1 Bio | Ask Men Bio | Alicia Keys Lyrics

Monk returns... to TV in January, but without his personal nurse. USA Network announced actress Bitty Schram will not continue with the cast when it returns in January for the shows' 4th season. "Monk," which stars Tony Shalhoub as an obsessive-compulsive private eye, is removing Schram's character, Monk's personal nurse, as the show has decided to go in a different creative direction with some of its characters. — boo-ha

Christmas Trivia — did you know?

The average household wraps 30 Christmas gifts each year.
Americans buy 37.1 million real Christmas trees each year.
Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday in 1836.
29 percent of Americans say the Christmas holidays are more stressful than enjoyable.
The earliest known mention of a Christmas tree in the U.S, is in the diary of a German who settled in Pa.
X is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ, (Xristos), so writing "Xmas" is the same as "C-mas."
Ten percent of American households leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus.
More than three billion Christmas cards are sent annually.
More diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time (31 percent) than during any other holiday.
During the Christmas season, more than 1.76 billion candy canes will be made.
According to Finnish folklore, When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko.
Christmas Eve in Japan is a good day to eat fried chicken and strawberry shortcake.
Yuletide-named towns in the U.S. include Santa Claus, located in Arizona and Indiana, Noel in Missouri, and Christmas in both Arizona and Florida.
The tradition of Christmas lights dates back to when Christians were persecuted for saying Mass. A simple candle in the window meant that Mass would be celebrated there that night.
Results of a 3-year Christmas study by the Center for Lifestyle Management says, an average of 10 hours are spent the last week of December arguing and bickering with family members about holiday-related activities and only 9 minutes are spent by the average parent playing with their children on Christmas morning.

    J-O-K-E  of  the  M-O-N-T-H

Upon entering the little country store, the stranger noticed a sign saying — DANGER!  BEWARE OF DOG! — posted on the glass door.

Inside he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.

He asked the store manager, "Is THAT the dog folks are supposed to beware of?"

"Yep, that's him," he replied.

The stranger couldn't help but be amused. "That certainly doesn't look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"

"Because", the owner replied, "before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."

Find the best sites fast!
Browse the Internet with our web site directory. Quick access to over 1000 hand-picked * useful links, categorized to save you time. Experience the Ultimate Road to the Internet on ... www.route53.com

« Computer Tips: »

Save that email ... If you have important emails that you need to keep safe or archive, save the email body as a plain text file by:
-» Open the message in OE.
-» In menu, Select File | Save As.
-» Select a location in the Save in drop-down menu.
-» Locate & open folder to Save in.
-» Select Text Files (*.txt ) from the file type drop-down menu.
-» Give your file a name.
-» Click Save.

Time for a Quiz:
What do these people have in common ?

Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, Robert DeNiro, Celine Dion, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Jerry Seinfeld, Mark Twain, Dick Van Dyke, Oprah Winfrey and Kermit the Frog?

click here for answer

They're all Left-Handed.
For unique products designed for the left hand, see the Left Hand Zone

(to hide the answer, click it again)

a Quote by W.C Fields:
"If the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body, then left-handed people must be the only ones in their right minds."

Send this Newsletter to a Friend!

How to Reinstall Windows
Over time, Windows loses stability. If you keep a computer for more than two years, at some point you're going to have to bite the bullet and reinstall Windows from scratch. There's a difference between a repair reinstall and a complete reinstall. Though a repair (also called a refresh) will let you keep your current settings, a complete reinstall will give you a truly fresh version of Windows. Repairs are fast and easy, but they don't fix anywhere near as many problems. More info at PC World

Did You Know? ... The agency in charge of administering Internet addresses has entered final negotiations for implementing two NEW top-level domains, .travel and .post

Do it yourself:
Upgrade, Repair and Speed Up
Your Computer
ComputerHelp.com offers a step by step computer training video which shows computer users how to solve the most common computer problems as well as how to upgrade and add different types of hardware and software. Does your computer crash and freeze every now and then? Learn how to understand and solve those annoying errors that show up on your computer. Imagine your friends or family calling YOU for help with their computer! For just $24.95, it's not only a good investment, but makes a great holiday gift. read more

see last month's Newsletter

Printing Web Pages ... How can you tell before you hit the print button how many pages the job will be? When I hit print, I never know how many pages there will be. I hate it when I expect 2 pages and get 10. (keep reading)

Previewing How Many Pages:
From your browser:
-» Select File
-» Print Preview
(You will notice at the top of page,
how many pages are involved.)
-» Click the Print Button
-» Now you can choose how many pages you would like to print in the Page Range section.

Printing Only Selections of Text:
If you only want a portion of text on a web page to print, you can:

-» Select the text (by highlighting
the text with your mouse)
-» Choose File
-» Choose Print
The Print dialogue box appears,
Then in the Page Range,
-» Choose Selection,
— BUT, Do Not Hit Apply.
-» Then click Print.

Ad-Aware SE
from Lavasoft
is the latest version of this free spyware-removal tool. The utility scans your system for the most common types of advertising spyware and safely removes offending software. It's an essential component of any Windows system. This latest version from Lavasoft features an improved interface and a new technology to identify new and unknown variants of known targets. The help manual has been overhauled too. If you treasure your privacy, you should definitely consider downloading Ad-Aware.
Important Ad-Aware SE may not function correctly if old versions are not removed prior to an upgrade or installing a new version. If you need help, see their support forums.

Worms, Viruses, Spam
Damage from worms and viruses can usually be prevented if you use anti-virus software. All the major brands, including McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro and Panda do a good job. The key to using anti-virus software is to make sure it's running and that it's up-to-date.

If you have an "always on" connection to the Net, then you should run firewall software. If you don't have a firewall built into your anti-virus program, you can download a free copy of ZoneAlarm (www.zonealarm.com).

Be careful about offers for anti-virus software that come via e-mail. Don't buy anything that's advertised via spam, even if it's a good deal. You never want to encourage spammers.

Spyware, which is installed automatically and without your permission by some programs and Web sites not only invades your privacy but slows down your computer. Free programs that eliminate spyware from your computer are
SpyBot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware.
Research programs at Download.com

Any computer that doesn't have all the latest Windows patches can also become infected just by being online. You can get them at windowsupdate.microsoft.com

====================
Bumper Sticker Sighting:
====================

Gun Control ...
means Using Both Hands.

====================
this just in:
====================

A Christmas Gift for Sports Fans
from the NBA
The NBA is giving fans Kobe vs. Shaq on Dec. 25th. The former Los Angeles Lakers teammates will face each other for the first time as opponents when O'Neal's Miami Heat face Bryant's Lakers at the Staples Center. It will be televised by ABC and is the highlight of the league's schedule. See the entire NBA schedule.

... AND ... did you know?
Raspberries are fresh again!
The band's first concert in 31 years, Eric Carmen and the Raspberries re-united on Nov. 26 at Cleveland's House of Blues.

If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

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