Kids and Teenagers on the Internet - Should You Use Internet Filtering Software?

So yesterday I spoke at a local elementary school "Career Day" about Conejo Valley Guide.  It was a lot of fun and there was a large range of presenters...including firefighters, a dentist (actually, MY dentist), a shoe designer, jockey, creative director, ad salesperson, x-ray technician, project manager and a whole range of others.

Anyhow, it was no surprise to me that ALL of the 25 students in my sessions use the Internet.  But what WAS surprising to me was how many, probably 80% to 90%, of the 4th, 5th and 6th graders in attendance, are avid users of YouTube and other popular websites.  A few of the kids mentioned "Webkins" and other kid sites, but a lot of the kids are on the Web all the time on all sorts of sites.

Not that YouTube is bad or anything; there's a lot of great stuff that kids can learn from in there.  But the Internet as we know has a virtually endless supply of stuff we rarely got exposed to as a kid...pornography, chat rooms, hate sites, social networking, shareware, personals/dating, drugs, weapons, violence, etc.

I know some parents that rarely let there kids on the Internet, and others who allow it under close supervision.  However, can be hard to do.  I know it is in my household, with 3 boys ranging from 3 to 15.

So I strongly advise taking a look at one of the various Internet Filtering Software products out there.  We've used, with success, a product called Cybersitter. Among other things it allows you to block dozens of different website categories as well as specific sites chosen by you.  Cybersitter costs about $35 to $40 but is worth it for peace of mind.

Net Nanny one of the most popular and well known Web filtering software products and sells for $30 to $40.  This website: http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/ has a great summary and reviews for all of the top products, including Net Nanny and Cybersitter.  Worth checking out!

FREE Viagra, Lipitor, Zoloft and Other Pfizer Drugs for the Unemployed!

On May 14th, Pfizer announced a new free drug program called MAINTAIN™ (Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need) for the unemployed. The program covers over 70 "primary care" drugs, which just so happens to include Viagra. So now you can maintain your sex life by MAINTAIN™ing your supply of Viagra!

All right, enough of my weak attempt at humor. Now for the details of this worthy program:

1. Program starts 7/1/09 and ends 12/31/09 (must enroll during this period)
2. You must reside in the U.S.
3. You must have become unemployed on or after 1/1/09
4. Must have been taking a Pfizer drug for 3 months prior to termination
5. Must have no medical coverage or prescription drug coverage
6. You can't pay for the drug due to unemployment and lack of insurance
7. Must provide proof of unemployment
8. Must attest to not not being able to afford the drugs due to unemployment and uninsured status

So if you pass all of the above tests and they accept you into the program, they will ship you your drug in 90 day quantities for up to a year (or until you get a new job or obtain insurance coverage).

I think that maybe 11 people will be eligible for this program based on the above requirements. Think about it...you must have been taking the drug before. So if you didn't have medical insurance prior to your unemployment, you probably weren't taking the drug in the first place.

But...if you DID have medical drug coverage and became unemployed in 2009, the Feds are subsidizing 65% of your COBRA premiums through 12/31/09! You are crazy not to take advantage of this temporary Federal COBRA subsidy if you are indeed unemployed. And if you do have COBRA, you would be ineligible for MAINTAIN™.

So the people best positioned to benefit from MAINTAIN™ are those unemployed who were paying cash for the Pfizer drugs for at least 3 months. All 11, maybe 12 of them.

For more information about the MAINTAIN™ program, visit www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com to download an application or call 866.706.2400 with questions.

Pritchard, Potts, Pavarotti and, uh, Bolton, Sing Nessun Dorma

From that overseas show "Britain's Got Talent" many of you may have seen hotel waiter Greg Pritchard's male soprano rendition of Nessun Dorma a few weeks back.  Interesting but if you ask me, downright painful to watch.  Nessun Dorma, from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, in English means "no one shall sleep."  I had a hard time doing so after seeing this.

So of course I couldn't stop there.  Paul Potts, my personal favorite Britain's Got Talent performer, belted out this version of the aria in his first audition in March 2007.

Here's the master Luciano Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma.

Last but not least, Michael Bolton does a respectable job with Nessun Dorma in this performance.  Not my favorite, but not bad!

Hmm, no matter what Bolton sings, all I hear is "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You."

How to Beat the May Gray? Cook a Warm Salad of Lentils and Walnuts!

How to beat the May Gray (or June Gloom for that matter)? Cook up a warm salad of lentils, bacon and toasted walnuts with ingredients from your local Trader Joe’s. The fog is lifting already…

Warm Salad of Lentils and Walnuts

2 cups T.J.s prepared lentils

¼ cup sherry vinegar

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

3 Tbsp walnut oil

Salt and pepper

1 cup chopped walnuts

¼ lb bacon, cut into ½” dice

½ cup slice green onions

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, olive oil, 2 Tbsp walnut oil and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In another bowl, toss the walnuts and the remaining 1 Tbsp walnut oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden and hot, 5-8 minutes. Set aside.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, fry the bacon until light golden, about 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and, while the pan is still warm, add the lentils, dressing, walnuts and green onions to the bacon and drippings. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. Serves 6.

Jill Fisher, a good friend of mine going waaayyyyy back to high school, has a B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition and is a licensed Personal Chef. She teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks. Jill has also written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living.  To contact Jill, let us know!

Videos of Low Flying Air Force One Photo Opp at Statue of Liberty on 4/27

Boy, this really freaked out some New Yorkers on Monday and I can see why!  This Air Force One backup 747 was dispatched to the Statue of Liberty accompanied by an F-14 fighter jet for an airborne photo opp.  Only problem is, it was "classified" and nobody knew about it, even New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  The White House apologized for the confusion and disruption after buildings were evacuated.  Not to worry...all's fine now.

What to Do With Old Cell Phones and Other Electronics

We have 3 cell phone users in our house and a bunch of old cell phones lying around.  The kids get tired of playing with them and they are basically non-functional (though they do work successfully as paperweights).  Are they worth anything?  For the most part, no.  So the best bet is to take them to a recycler that has been approved for taking e-waste.

If you prefer to rid yourself of these items via mail, the USPS is piloting a recycling program, where they provide postage-paid plastic envelopes for recycling old cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras and up to 4 inkjet cartridges.  Call your local post office at 800.ASK.USPS to see if they have these bags.  I know they carry them at 2150 Pickwick Drive, Camarillo as I plan to use a few myself.

So does your old cell phone and other old electronic equipment have any value?  You could spend time on eBay and try to sell your old equipment.  But you could also check out Gazelle.com, which allows you to type in information about your equipment and they tell you how much they will pay you for it. I found out that I could fetch a whopping $17 for my 6 month old LG phone while my old Nokia has no value.  But they also buy old laptops, gaming consoles, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.  I found out our ancient Nintendo 64 also has no value :<

Click this link:  Get Cash For Your Gadgets at gazelle.com! so that Conejo Joe gets credit if you do happen to sell something to Gazelle.  Whatever I make I will donate to local charities!  Go on, start uncluttering your house of old electronic stuff!