Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Celebrating New Year's Eve In Times Square

How many times have you watched the New Year's Eve ball drop? How much do you know about it's history or the area of Times Square where this annual rite takes place? You'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about this famous celebration when you visit the Times Square Alliance's New Year's Eve page.

This fabulous site includes an event schedule, historical information, a frequently asked questions section, and more. You can even send someone a virtual greeting card wishing them a Happy New Year, directly from the site. This year, before you watch the ball drop, log on to the Times Square Alliance's New Year's Eve page.

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Have You Thought About Your New Year's Resolutions Yet?

What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you want to get out of debt, eat right or quit smoking? You'll find information on achieving these resolutions and others at Popular New Year's Resolutions on FirstGov.gov.

Visit this helpful site, courtesy of Uncle Sam, and make 2007 the year you actually accomplish all those things you promise yourself you will!

Good luck!

What's On The Menu For Your New Year's Eve Party?

Need a hand preparing that New Year's Eve bash? Looking for exciting recipes to please the most discriminating palate? Look no further than New Years at Fabulous Foods, for great entertaining and recipe ideas.

Brought to you by the folks at Fabulous Foods, this site features tips and ideas on how to give holiday parties, a list of food traditions from around the world, crowd pleasing recipes and more. If you're stumped for party ideas or simply seeking new ways to spice up your menu this is the site for you!

Is Exercise On Your To-Do List For 2007?

If getting more exercise is one of your New Year's resolutions you'll want to head on over to Exercise for Older Adults, a website from The National Institute of Health designed to help seniors who are interested in physical fitness.

This U.S. government sponsored site covers practically everything you should be concerned with when contemplating a fitness program. You'll find advice on how to exercise safely, information on the benefits of starting a physical fitness program--even examples of different types of exercises to try, and more!

Remember to always check with your doctor before starting a fitness program!

How To Create a To-Do List Online

With all the things you have to do during the busy holiday season you probably rely on one if not more to-do lists. Do you ever misplace them and wish there were an easier way to keep track of everything you have to get done? There is, and it's available on the web through several innovative sites.

Sites like Remember The Milk and Ta-da Lists are examples of places online that will allow you to easily create, manage, share and even store your to-do lists directly on the web. Here's how simple it is with Ta-da Lists for example:

1. Log onto Ta-da Lists and click on Sign up for FREE,
   
2. At the sign up page input the information they ask for like your username, full name, password, etc. Then click Create my account.
3. Log in with your password.
   
4. Click on Create a new list. You're done!

No more paper and pen, no more misplaced lists--no more hassles. Your to-do lists have graduated to the Internet age!

How To Track Santa Online

Here's a great activity you can do together with your grandkids this holiday season: Track Santa Clause online! Did you know there's actually a website that will let you follow Santa's journey from the North Pole?

The great folks over at NORAD Tracks Santa 2006 use various Santa Cams to take pictures and video of Santa and his reindeer as they make their trip around the world. Then they post these images on the web for everyone to see! The fun-filled site also includes activities like a Santa Puzzle, a countdown to Christmas, a coloring book and more.

Your grandchildren will love this site--and so will you!

Feliz Navidad and Over 350 More Ways To Say, "Merry Christmas"

Want yet another way to irritate the Scrooges in your midst but delight just about everyone else? Learn how to say Merry Christmas in over 350 Languages. This handy site, courtesy of FLW Inc., will show you how to spread holiday cheer in everything from Acholi to Zulu.

Visit this site and then, when you send those holiday e-mails to your friends and relatives from other parts of the world surprise them by wishing them a Merry Christmas in their native language!

Is It Safe?

If you're a security conscious web surfer you probably already take care of your end by keeping anti-virus software up to date, and not giving out private information to just anyone. But, do you ever wonder about the sites that you visit? Is there a way you can determine how safe they are to surf? Yes, by using a tool like McAfee's SiteAdvisor.

McAfee's SiteAdvisor is a service that rates websites for common safety issues like spam, viruses and other nasty things you might encounter online. There's a free version and a paid version which offers additional features.

Assuming you want to try out the free version, there are two ways you can do it:

1. You can add the the software to you browser. Go to www.siteadvisor.com and click on Download SiteAdvisor now. Follow the download instructions they provide. Once downloaded it will automatically alert you to a site's rating through a button on your browser toolbar--the button will change colors depending on safety results. When you use one of the major search engines, like Google, SiteAdvisor will even display color coded safety ratings right next to the individual search results so you have that important information before you click on a link.
   
2. If you prefer not to download it, you can still use this service by going to the homepage, and typing in the address of a website you'd like to check up on, in the box that says, Look up a site report. Next, click go and you'll be able to read the safety report for that website online.

Next time you're at a site and wondering, "Is it safe?" run it by SiteAdvisor and see what they have to say about it!

Wondering Where That Package Is? Ask A Search Engine

Add this to the list of all the things that are wonderful about search engines: They can help you track your packages too! That's right--did you know that many of the popular search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Windows Live have made it a lot easier to track packages on the web?

Typically, it works like this:

• Type in the package tracking number or the name of the carrier followed by the tracking number in the blank entry box of the search engine.
  
• Then click on the search button.
• A link to the tracking information will appear at the top of the page of search results.
  

This is particularly handy if you're tracking packages from several different carriers-- give it a try this holiday season!

Save With Online Coupons

If you love to clip coupons before you go shopping at the local grocery store or shopping mall, you're the type that likes a good bargain. Is there a way to clip coupons before you go shopping online as well? Actually, there is and you won't even need scissors--you just have to visit an online coupon site. Here are a couple of the more popular ones worth checking out:

• DealCatcher.com features dozens of discounts from several online merchants.
  
• CouponMountain.com's offers attractive discounts and promotions from a variety of online retailers including Dell.com.
  
• CurrentCodes.com doesn't list deals or sales but is instead a directory of coupon codes you can use for savings at participating online merchants.

There are other sites out there worth checking out but these are a good start. Happy bargain hunting!

4 E-mail Security Tips You Should Know About

We rely on e-mail so much these days that we tend to take it for granted. What we should never take for granted, however, is e-mail security. With that in mind, here are 4 quick tips to help keep you out of trouble:

1. Make sure you have a good anti-virus/firewall program installed on your computer and keep it up to date. Never forget that e-mail is vulnerable to viruses and other online hazards. In today's digital world internet security software is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
   
2. Never click on a suspicious e-mail attachment. In fact, you should be wary of all attachments. Sometimes they carry viruses or other malicious programs that your anti-virus software might miss. And if you receive an unexpected e-mail attachment from your friend, do the smart thing and call her to make sure she really sent it!
   
3. Be wary of e-mails that ask for financial information, tell you there's a problem with your account, or use other similar tactics to try to get you to divulge sensitive information about yourself--they're usually scams designed to steal your money and/or personal information--don't fall for these tricks!
4. DO NOT CALL THE PHONE NUMBER OR CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THOSE E-MAILS! If you receive an email from a bank or financial institution and you want to phone them to see if it's legitimate, don't use the number provided in the e-mail--it might just be another trick. Instead get the number out of the phone book or visit the bank in person to inquire about the e-mail!

Remember, there are no 100% guarantees in the online world, but following these tips and exercising good common sense just might help you avoid e-mail's darker side.

How Many Of Your Relatives Came Through Ellis Island?

Between 1892 and 1954, Ellis Island was the first stop for millions of immigrants seeking a better life in the new country. Chances are many of your relatives came to The United States through this historic landmark. Now you can conduct a free search for their names among the Ellis Island/Port of New York Records at Ellisisland.org.

The website of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Ellisisland.org includes a whopping 25 million records for you to sift through. When you sign up for a free registration you'll gain access to passenger records and be allowed to view images of original ship manifests. The site also offers a wealth of historical information about Ellis Island, including a timeline and archival photographs. There's even a Genealogy Learning Center complete with free forms for recording your family history!

Whether you're interested in serious genealogical research or just looking to pique your curiosity, Ellisisland.org will grab your fancy!

How To Remember Those Important Dates With A Little Help From The Web

Ever forget an important anniversary or a best friend's birthday? How much fun was it coming up with excuses? You can put those days behind you now that you're surfing the web. On the web, you can have e-mail reminders sent to you so you never have to come up with excuses again!

You have several options if you're looking to receive e-mail reminders. Many web based e-mail accounts like those offered by Yahoo! and MSN typically offer a calendar feature which allows users to send e-mail reminders to themselves, days and even weeks in advance of an important event. Or, you could try one of the many popular web services that exist for the sole purpose of reminding you by e-mail, like Memotome.com.

Whatever your choice, remembering important events will get a whole lot easier--just don't forget to use an e-mail reminder!

How To Find The Catalog You Misplaced - On The Web!

Don't you hate when this happens: Just when you're ready to sit down and look through your favorite mail-order catalog, you can't remember where you put it. Now what? You could turn the house upside down or call the retailer and ask for a new one but thankfully there's a better and faster way--you might be able to find it on Google Catalogs.

Google Catalogs, another great service brought to you by Google, takes catalogs supplied by retailers and then scans and indexes them, making it easy for consumers like you to find and read them online. You can browse catalogs by category--everything from Apparel & Accessories to Toys & Hobbies--or title by clicking Advanced Catalog Search from the Google Catalogs Homepage.

Next time you misplace your favorite catalog, don't panic--try searching for it on Google Catalogs instead!

You'll Admire Him For Being So Don To Earth

Stop what you're doing right this minute and head on over to Donald Crowdis's Blog, Don To Earth--you've just gotta read it! That's what you'll be telling your family and friends after you've had a chance to read a couple of Don's posts--they're that good!

Crowdis draws upon nearly all his 92 years on the planet as he waxes philosophical about life, death and the journey in between. His writing will move you, fascinate you--even teach you a thing or two--and never bore you. A unique perspective and an original voice in the blogosphere , Don To Earth is a must read!

Click Less To Read More

How many times has this happened to you? You're reading a news article online and you have to keep clicking next to get to all the pages. If the article is spread out over several pages, you'll be clicking next a lot. Frustrating, isn't it? Isn't there a way to read the entire article on one page so you don't have to click so much?

Yes, and you can do it with just one click!

Next time you're reading an article online look for a printer icon somewhere on the page. The icon will usually be accompanied by the words, print, print friendly, printable format or some similar variation. Click on this icon just once and the entire text of the article (minus photos and most ads) will appear on one page, meaning you can read more in less time and with fewer clicks!

Listen To Old Time Radio Online

If you're a senior surfer who's also a fan of vintage radio broadcasts, rejoice. Several Internet radio stations like, Yesterday USA Radio Networks, are broadcasting classic shows from the 30's, 40's and 50's for nostalgic old time radio lovers everywhere.

Yesterday USA Radio Networks broadcasts programs from the golden age of radio twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and allows you to listen anytime you want via the web! To tune in, simply stop by their site, click on one of the PLAY NOW FREE buttons and enjoy!

You'll feel like you've traveled back to another era!

Have You Ever Dropped By A Digital Newsstand?

Did you know that there's a quick and easy way for you to browse thousands of online newspapers from other states and even other countries? All you have to do is drop by a digital newsstand like The Internet Public Library's directory of online newspapers from around the world.

Whether you search it by region, country or alphabetically, by title, The Internet Public Library's digital newsstand is well organized and extremely easy to use. You'll find it's one of the better online newspaper indexes available on the web.

Try it out the next time you're curious about what's going on in the world!

How To Turn A Search Engine Into A Handy Dictionary

If you surf the web a lot, you're bound to come across an unfamiliar word or two. You could always look it up in that two-ton dictionary on your bookshelf, if you're so inclined--but thankfully there's an easier and faster way.

If you use either Google, Yahoo!Search, Ask or Windows Live Search all you have to do is type the word define in front of the word you want to look up in the search box. So, if you wanted to look up the word altruistic, for example you would type this:

define altruistic

The definition for the word altruistic will now appear at the top of the search results.Try it out next time you're not looking to impress anyone with your forearm strength!

Remembering Pearl Harbor Online

On Dec 7, 1941, The United States suffered a brazen and unprecedented attack when The Japanese launched an air raid on Pearl Harbor. Sixty-five years later the "date which will live in infamy" is even commemorated at many sites on the world wide web. Here are just a few worth checking out:

• The Naval Historical Center, an official U.S. Navy web site, offers a great historical overview page on the Pearl Harbor Raid complete with unforgettable images and links to additional resources like a Frequently Asked Questions section.
• At NationalGeographic.com you'll find Remembering Pearl Harbor, which includes a multimedia map, attack time line, and even an archive of survivors' stories among other highlights.
• The Miller Nichols Library Collection at The University of Missouri-Kansas City has a Pearl Harbor page featuring clips of radio newscasts as well as the full text and audio recording of Roosevelt's famous speech!
  

You'll Have A Wunnerful Time On The Web

If you're a fan of The Lawrence Welk Show you'll be happy to know there are places on the web where the champagne music still flows. Check out these sites you won't want to miss:

For a general overview as well as plenty of links to external sites, you'll want to read about The Lawrence Welk Show at the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.org. You'll learn all about the show's broadcast history, discover interesting facts and trivia you might not know about, see a list of the show's performers, and more.

There are several fan sites worth checking out too. Among the more popular ones are, Welknotes, which bills itself as, "The hottest group On the web for fans of everything Welk..." and The Lawrence Welk Internet Fan Club, which boasts that, "Welk stars are even members."

Although neither of these sites is affiliated with the Welk group, they represent an opportunity for fans of the show to talk with one another through email. Sounds like a wunnerful time!

How To Get The News Delivered To You By E-mail

If you've ever had to schlep down to your local newsstand in a blizzard just to get your morning paper, you can appreciate the value of having it delivered to your doorstep. If you read news online at a place like Google News, you can enjoy a similar convenience by having it delivered directly to your digital doorstop--your e-mail inbox. How? By signing up for a free service called Google Alerts. With Google Alerts, you can even customize the news you'd like to receive by e-mail. Here's how you do it:

• First go to Google Alerts.
• Under Create a Google Alert, input your search terms. If you want to track news on health for example, you could get as specific as you like by typing in heart health or even a particular disease or condition.
• Next to Type, select News.
• Next to How often, you can choose when you want to receive your e-mail news alerts by selecting one of three choices: once a day, as-it-happens, or once a week.
• Finally, enter your e-mail and click on Create Alert--you're done!

To activate your account, just click the link in the verification e-mail they send you. Enjoy receiving the news by e-mail!

Honest Musings On Aging From A Former TV and Radio Producer

If you're sick and tired of all the negative spin on aging put forth by the mainstream media you'll find Ronni Bennett's blog, Time Goes By, a welcome and refreshing read. Bennett, a former television and radio producer has dedicated the last 3 years of her life to building Time Goes By into a helpful, honest and inspirational resource for seniors and anyone else concerned with aging-related issues.

She covers practically every issue affecting the aging population--from health and medicine to age discrimination and more. Filled with anecdotes from her own life and laced with humor and wit, Time Goes By gives you the skinny on what growing older is all about. It's definitely a must read!

How To Find Senior Discounts In Your Neighborhood With The Click Of A Mouse

Have you ever wished there was a quick and easy way to use the web to find senior citizen's discounts in your area? If you have, then surf on over to SeniorDiscounts.com and your wish will be granted. At SeniorDiscounts.com you'll find a senior discount database with over 125,000 listings! To search for senior discounts in your area just follow these easy steps:

1. From the homepage, click on Search For Senior Discounts.
2. At the Discount Search page enter either the city and state or zip code of the area you want to search under.
3. Next, select a category you would like to search in from the drop-down menu provided.
   
4. Click Search Now and your results will appear on a new page. You're done!

Some of the discounts are exclusive to SeniorDiscounts Card Members only--which requires a membership fee, but these are clearly labeled. Many of the discounts listed, however, do not require a membership!

5 Ways To Reduce Spam

Spam. Unwanted junk mail. Offensive solicitations. Call it what you will, if you've been using e-mail for a while, you know that far too much of it ends up clogging your inbox. If spam is giving you a digital migraine try these 5 simple tips to help make it go away:

• Use Filters. Most if not all e-mail software programs (even the web based ones) allow you different filtering options with your e-mail account. If you have an account with Yahoo!Mail for example follow their detailed instructions on using filters to help you reduce spam.
  
• Don't post your e-mail address in a public message board or forum where everyone can read it.
  
• If spam really gets out of hand, you can try reporting it to your ISP(Internet Service Provider).
• Or setting up a free account at Spam Cop.
  
• You can even report spam to Uncle Sam.

Remember, that nothing is foolproof when it comes to spam, but these tips and some good common sense should go a long way in ridding your inbox of this unwanted pest.