A Diagonal View video introduces Nina Kostovo of Russia, the Ultimate Cat Lady and her 130 cats, all of whom live in her cramped Siberian apartment.
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October 2008
October 21, 2008
October 20, 2008
Site of the Day: shareabill
Splitting a bill with friends can often become quite the sticky situation when you’re eating out. Shareabill works to eliminate awkwardness and confusion by providing users with a straightforward calculation service. Registered users can invite their fellow pay-mates to view the bill online, including a summary of the expenses, and the most appropriate way to split them. The free service will also send out periodic reminders to those who have yet to pay their share. Diners on-the-go can use Shareabill mobile.
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 17, 2008
Site of the Day: Zeros2Heroes
Zeros2Heroes is a writers’ and artists’ workshop for comic book creators. This social network is a platform for aspiring comic book creators to collaborate on plans for their own publications. Through the site, writers and artists are invited to submit their ideas to the community. Other members then rate the content of the submission and provide insightful critique. Artists can create a portfolio with the help of the site’s “drawing board.”
Zeros2Heroes
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 16, 2008
Plumbergate: The Rise and Fall of Joe the Plumber
Jae C. Hong/AP
As news broke of the real identity of "Joe the Plumber," the now ubiquitous figure in the third presidential debate, the editorial team at findingDulcinea had a variety of responses, all in the comedic vein.
First, we realized we missed Joe Six-Pack and wanted to bring him back for some more laughs. So some of us renamed ourselves according to the alcoholic beverage that best describes us:
Jane Microbrew
Anne Cabernet Sauvignon
Adam Gin-n-Tonic
Emily Maker's Mark
Anne Wild Turkey
Haley Boxed Wine
Liz Gluten-Free Beer
We're waiting for the presidential or vice presidential candidates to call out our respective demographics at a rally.
Emily Maker's Mark imagined that perhaps Joe Six-Pack's name is derived from his wife's maiden name, Six, and his own last name, Pack.
Adam Gin-n-Tonic suggested that to save money, Joe should buy in bulk and change his name to Joe Case of 24.
Moving on to Joe the Plumber, Anne Wild Turkey, who wrote our story on Plumbergate, quoted Jimi Hendrix, asking, "Hey Joe, where you going / with that plunger in your hand?"
Anne Cabernet Sauvignon pointed out that Joe the Plumber "describes himself as a freelance toilet-fixer. So does my husband."
Of course, these are in addition to the slew of plumber jokes available on the Internet.
Read our news coverage of Joe the Plumber (real name Samuel J. Wurzelbacher) in Beyond the Headlines.
Liz Colville
Senior Writer
Site of the Day: Mixwit
Create an “old skool mixtape” completely free of charge with Mixwit. Using MP3 search engines Seeqpod and Skreamr, users can select songs and customize a streamable playlist with retro-skins, their own artwork or uploaded pictures. Once finished, the mix link can be sent to friends or posted on blogs and social networking profiles.
Mixwit
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 15, 2008
Simple Things to Teach Your Kids
Shannon Pifko
Many parents often lament the fact that their children aren’t born with instruction manuals. After all, there’s a lot kids need to know, and it’s not always obvious how to make sure they learn it. While we haven’t found any instruction manuals online, we have tracked down some Web sites that offer parents some pointers on how to teach kids a few of the simpler things they’ll need to learn as they grow up.
FamilyEducation contains tips about teaching children how to identify money and make change, and even has advice on helping older kids understand what it means to use checks and how a checking account works.
PBS Kids offers exercises to help kids work with numbers and improve their listening skills.
Discovery Health provides some insight on how to teach kids good manners.
Lindsey Chapman
Writer
See findingDulcinea’s Back to School section to help your kids learn about a variety of other topics, including biographies of notable individuals and historical events. You'll also find news articles and web guides relevant to parents.
Site of the Day: Jott
Jott’s voice-to-text service allows users to call in all of their pertinent messages and have the text version sent to the destination of their choosing. If you love to text but can’t stand the tiny keys on your cell phone, you might want to add Jott to your speed dial. For a small fee, send texts, group messages, to-do lists and e-mails, all via your phone.
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 14, 2008
Site of the Day: The Daily Plate
The Daily Plate helps users break down the nutritional content of their meals. Weight loss is never easy, but it can be a lot more straightforward with this free dieting service. The Daily Plate provides calorie counts, as well as the fat, carbohydrate, and protein content of the foods you eat. Users can then keep track of their daily progress with a personal food journal and fitness log. Consult the site’s vast exercise list to find unique workouts to fit your lifestyle.
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 13, 2008
Winning Your Teacher Over
So, you’ve been in class for at least a month now and your teacher still consistently butchers your name, manages to pick on you everyday in class, and worst of all, gets away with it. All of your efforts to please seem fruitless, and you’re about to accept that you will never be on your teacher’s good side. But there’s no need to fret! The problem is very solvable. As someone who’s been both a student and a teacher, I can attest that rapport is key. Check out the following Web sites offering students (and parents) an “in” with every teacher:
Suite101 suggests that it takes more than “making the grade” to get on a teacher’s good side. In this case, the concept “the devil is in the details” applies, and the little things you do to make life easier for everyone in the classroom will be greatly appreciated by your teacher.
Google Docs will help you stay organized, and every teacher loves organization (not to mention it will also make your life easier). Bookmark it, and simply click it to access your calendar of assignments, presentations, reports and other documents. Don’t forget to share this organization method with your teacher!
A worldly national newspaper like The New York Times is a free and clever way to connect with your teacher. Brushing up on the news or current events and being able to add to class discussions will show the teacher that you are not only informed, but that you also love learning.
For parents, the National Education Association has advice on getting to know a child’s teachers and talking to them about the common situations your child may encounter, like receiving a disappointing grade or missing school.
Jen O’Neill
Education Writer
Check out findingDulcinea's Back to School section for more useful guides and articles on getting settled in school with the help of the Web.
Site of the Day: Forvo
Forvo provides audio recordings of word pronunciations in languages from Afaraf to Zulu. Avoid the faux pas of mispronouncing the phrase “faux pas” with help from Forvo, a constantly updated Web archive containing MP3-format pronunciations for millions of words from dozens of languages.
Forvo
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 10, 2008
Celebrate Oktoberfest, Wherever You Are
According to Realbeer.com, Oktoberfest gained popularity in the U.S. after World War II, when German-American communities attempted to bolster Germany’s image. Realbeer.com lists stateside Oktoberfests. Many of them already occurred in September, which just gives you plenty of time to plan for next year.
There are lots more Oktoberfests to come in 2008:
This weekend, Oct. 11-13, In Newport, Rhode Island, the 16th annual International Oktoberfest kicks off at the Newport Yachting Center. In addition to offering traditional German food and brews, this party has a few special features, including home-brewing seminars, authentic Bavarian music, and a 65-foot-long grill that’s able to cook 750 bratwursts at one time.
And Oct. 16-19 is this year’s date for the Tulsa Oktoberfest, which was named one of the 10 best worldwide by USA Today, and was recognized by Bon Appétit magazine for its great German food. This is the festival’s 30th year, and a tent will be set up to fill visitors in on the event’s history. Another big draw at Tulsa is the Bier Barrel Race.
If you can’t make it out in 2008, consider attending the ultimate celebration of German culture, food and beer at the 2009 Munich Oktoberfest, held Sept. 19-Oct. 4, 2009.
Or, stay home and prepare an Oktoberfest feast in your own kitchen. Allrecipes.com has an array of German recipes for Oktoberfest, including snacks and appetizers, main and side dishes, breads, wild game, sweets, and even beer recipes. Prosit!
Sarah Amandolare
Senior Writer
Check out our Web Guide to Beer for more resources on discovering and buying beer, home brewing your own beer, and more.
Site of the Day: Rules of Thumb
Rules of Thumb gathers all those invaluable strictures that govern our lives and puts them into a single online reference. Whether they’re life lessons or handy little tips, we all have rules of thumb that we adhere to and now there’s a community where we can share them. Browse the site by topic, search for a particular term, or peruse the rules community members have found the most helpful.
Rules of Thumb
Check out findingDulcinea's Site Spotlight section for more sites of the day.
October 09, 2008
Paying Off Debt During the Meltdown
An economic crisis may be the best time to finally sit down with your money and have an earnest discussion with it, letting it know that you have your eye on it. Several blogs and online tools will make this so easy and inspiring, you might even enjoy it. (It may take it awhile, but your money will, too.)
Mint inputs your financial accounts into a secure and private database and categorizes your spending habits. Set up budgets and receive alerts when you overspend. Analyze your spending trends in colorful pie charts. Compare your spending with the U.S. average.
Consumerist is a blog that helps you become a savvier, more frugal consumer. A recent post, “Reader Pays Off $14,330 in 20 Months With Our Tips,” tells the success story of one young debtor, with links to the Consumerist posts that helped her along the way.
The New York Times column “Your Money” recently showed how food can be the biggest culprit in a budget. Columnist Ron Lieber recommends tackling one area of your budget at a time, and analyzing it for a few months using a tool like Mint.
A man named Dan created an ingenious Excel spreadsheet that gives you clear timelines for all your payoffs. Just enter the debt amount, interest rate, and minimum payment for each of your credit lines. Tweak your monthly payments to see how quickly (or slowly) you can pay off each one.
Liz Colville
Senior Writer & Audience Development
Check out findingDulcinea’s Personal Finance Web Guide for more great money-saving links.
Our feature article “Recession Adaptation” has great links for saving money in the kitchen, at the pump, and everywhere else you spend money.
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