(Photo by Timothy K. Hamilton) It's been 142 years since the United States purchased the Alaskan territories from Russia for 7.2 million dollars -- less than two cents per acre. To put that another way, today, Alaska’s purchase price would buy only fourteen half-million dollar houses like the one belonging to that state’s famous governor. That’s a good value by any standard, especially this year, with houses going for fire sale prices in cities like Stockton, CA, and Detroit. And when you consider the cultural value of Alaska, it’s clear it was a bargain by any standard. In 2008, we learned a lot about the Land of the Midnight Sun. Here are some highlights: It's beautiful up there. To control predator populations, Alaska allows tightly regulated wolf-hunting from the air. Real dudes race snowmobiles. Forget soccer, hockey moms are going to puck you up. You can see Russia from your backyard. Alaskans aren’t really like the rest of us. In fact, many don’t want to be like the rest of us. Alaskans are paid for the privilege of living in the last frontier -- last year, every man, woman, and child rresiding in the state eceived $2,069 from the state’s oil royalty program. Real Alaskans wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Suggested Sites... I Eat Gravel - musings on Alaska by a real live Alaskan. The Mudflats - award-winning political blog, slinging only a moderate amount of mud. Official site of the State of Alaska - includes information for residents, visitors, and the curious Internet horde.

Directory categories: Alaska, Alaska Travel Destination Guides, History of Alaksa

Archived under: 19th Century, Alaska, American History, Animals, Anniversaries, Business, Cultures, Detroit, Elections, History, Outdoors, Regional, United States, Wildlife, Winter

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Truth be told, between my being wrapped up in 2009 planning, and everyone else being wrapped up in election chaos, there just weren't enough working neurons that could be strung together to write something witty. So instead, I point you in the general direction of some recently added sites that piqued my interest. Christmas Specials Wiki: Forget the Charlie Brown specials, it's all about the Grinch and you know it. How can you not love someone with termites in their smile. SNL's 2008 Political Skits: Admit it, this is the stuff you'll remember in 6 months. Wordle: The Spark: Our blog as visual poetry. Five Thirty Eight: Electoral projections for the poll junkie. Filtrbox - Trust me; I know just what you'd like to read... http://thisfuckingelection.com/ A monolithic piece of word art summarizing 21 months of campaign buzz. Splinter: "Gory, entertaining, and well written," "The monster is genius." It'll get under your skin. Happy surfing! Suggested Sites... Yahoo! Directory: Animated Holiday Specials - from Charlie Brown to Heat Miser. Yahoo! Directory: Saturday Night Live - over a third of a century of annoying authority. Yahoo! Directory: Folksonomy and Tagging - we didn't know what it was, either. Yahoo! Directory: RSS Readers and Aggregators - get the news and sites that you want. Yahoo! Directory: Horror Movies - boo!

Directory categories: 2008 Presidential Election, TV Sketch Comedy, Visual Poetry, Horror Movies

Archived under: Christmas, Elections, Horror Films, Humor, Movies, News, Poetry, Politics, Polls, TV, Yahoo! Directory

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Will Rogers, 1879-1935 Today is Election Day (as you just might have heard somewhere). While the snarky thing might be to write about election screw-ups of the past, we couldn't help but notice that it's also the birthday of two of the most influential voices of the 20th century on American politics: Will Rogers and Walter Cronkite. From our 21st century vantage point, it may be hard to remember just how important these men were in their heydays. Rogers was born in 1879, and by 1902 had begun a show business career, which took him from rodeos to vaudeville to starring in the Ziegfeld Follies, From there, he branched into Hollywood (becoming the country's number-one box office draw), the most popular newspaper column in America, and radio, where his weekly show was the nation's top-rated program. Rogers's act consisted mostly of ad-libbed comments about the day's political events, and led to his 1928 mock campaign for president (though he might well have won a serious race). In 1935, at the peak of his popularity, he was killed in a plane crash, throwing the world into mourning. Cronkite may not have been as beloved as Rogers, but for decades, he was considered the "most trusted man in America." He closed his newscasts with "And that's the way it is ...," a statement that might have seemed presumptuous coming from another reporter, but given his background, avuncularity, and nonpartisanship, was the opposite of hyperbole. He led America through some of its greatest crises and triumphs, and through it all, his calm authority was so powerful that Lyndon Johnson declared that if he had "lost Cronkite" on Vietnam, he had lost middle America. So on this day that celebrates democracy, we salute two men who represent the best of what Americans can be. Suggested Sites... Will rogers.org - Will's official site, wuth biography, quotes. and information. Wikipedia: Walter Cronkite - biography of the former CBS anchorman. Walter Cronklite School of Journalism and Mass Communication - training the next generation of journalists. Yahoo! News: 2008 Presidential Election - follow the news and results. Vote 411.org - learn about the candidates' positions, find your polling place, and exercise your right to vote.

Directory categories: Will Rogers, Walter Cronkite, 2008 Presidential Election, United States Elections, Television Journalists

Archived under: Actors, American History, Biographies, Birthdays, Celebrities, Coincidence, Comedians, Cowboys and Cowgirls, Elections, Entertainment, Humor, Journalism, Journalists, Movies, News, Presidential Candidates, Reporters, TV, U.S. Elections, Walter Cronkite, Will Rogers

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(Photo by Vincent) The big election is finally here! Tomorrow is the last chance to cast your vote. You've listened to their speeches, watched them debate, and analyzed all the options. The candidates will surely spend a sleepless night tonight, but tomorrow, October 17th, all will be decided. Yes, you heard me right. Tomorrow we learn if President Biff Burger will win another term, or if he'll be unseated by one of his tasteful opponents: Gloria Grilled Cheese, Larry Lasagna, or Petunia Pita Pocket. I'm speaking, of course, of the "Vote for School Lunch 2008" presidential election; this year's celebration for National School Lunch Week. The annual event is sponsored by the School Nutrition Association, a nonprofit professional organization helping to provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students. A worthy cause -- especially considering that my own school lunch candidates ran more along the lines of Greasy the Tater Tot, Barfy Burrito, and Myron the Mysterious Meat-Like Loaf. Why celebrate National School Lunch Week? Well, according to the SNA, the idea is to encourage parents and children to take stock of their own nutrition habits, "in hope of achieving a more healthful citizenry for today and the future."  That goal is especially poignant this year, given the current state of the economy. With skyrocketing food and fuel prices, school lunch programs are wilting like yesterday's watercress.  Federal subsidies are not keeping in line with rising costs and many cafeterias are faced with either charging more for healthful choices or buying less expensive bulk ingredients (many high in refined sugar, flour, and other processed foods) to stretch the dollar -- and neither is a great option for a nation facing financial turmoil and a childhood obesity epidemic. Let's just hope that whatever the outcome of that other big election coming up, our children will be served a healthy plate of relief. Suggested Sites... Vote For School Lunch 2008 - cast your vote for this year's school lunch president. Will it be Biff Burger? Gloria Grilled Cheese? Petunia Pita Pocket? Only you can decide. National School Lunch Week 2008 - official site with menus, merchandise, and tools for teachers, parents, and the media. School Nutrition Association - advancing the availability, quality, and acceptance of school nutrition programs as an integral part of education since 1946. HolyTaco: The Most Disgusting School Lunches - a collection of unappetizing school lunch photos from the Harrisonburg, VA school system. YouTube: WTAETV Report on School Lunches - Gateway High School in Monroeville has come up with an interesting idea to encourage kids to make healthier lunchtime choices.

Directory categories: Nutrition, K-12 Education, K-12 Programs, Children's Health

Archived under: Children, Childrens Health, Cooking, Eating, Elections, Events, Food and Drink, Hamburgers, Health, Junk Food, Nutrition, Obesity, Snacks, Teens

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Here we are again! Seems like it was just yesterday, and yet, it's been more than two weeks since we last caught you up on all the doings in the Yahoo! Directory. We've been scouring the virtual world because, like the old TV show, "You Asked For it!" So we've given it to you, all sorted and organized and pre-screened for your protection. It's all the stuff you want to know more about... or will want to know more about -- trust us. The great thing about working on -- and browsing through -- the Directory is that it's like a big party: You get to meet new friends and connect with old ones. For example, video games. Who doesn't love video games? (I don't, but that's another matter....) But because you love 'em and can't get enough of the hottest and latest games, we added sites for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Hell's Highway, LEGO Batman: The Videogame (a video game based on a stiff plastic toy?), FIFA 09 (because the only thing more boring than real soccer is virtual soccer), and both NBA 2K9 and NBA Live 09. Good times! And movies! Now that we've moved out of blockbuster season and on to Oscar contenders, we've added such classics as "Sexdrive," "Notorious," and "RocknRolla," as well as more adult fare (no, not that kind; get your mind out of the gutter) like "Religulous" and "Rachel Getting Married." But we haven't neglected you stay-at-homes. There's new content on such TV shows as "Survivor: Gabon," "America's Next Top Model 11" (11? really?), and "Sanctuary." And when you need news, we're here to help you find it, so we freshened up our content on O.J. Simpson, the "Bailout Bill," and the late, great Paul Newman. That's it for now. See you next time when we review What's New! Suggested Sites... Yahoo! Directory: Upcoming Movies: October - even with "High School Musical 3," they look pretty good. Yahoo! Directory: Upcoming Movies: 2009 - it's never too early to start avoiding some of these. Another "Christmas Carol?") Yahoo! Directory: 2008 Presidential Debates - we didn't mention this one above, but the games are a lot of fun. Yahoo! Directory: Viagra - didn't mention this, either, but we're sure all those MLB playoff commercials got you thinking. Yahoo! Directory: Electronic Literature - because there's nothing more convenient than hauling a laptop out to read a book.

Directory categories: Video Games, Sports Video Games, Paul Newman Tributes, LEGO Batman, O. J. Simpson 2007 Robbery Case

Archived under: Dead Celebrities, Elections, Entertainment, Games, Movies, Paul Newman, Reality TV, TV, Video Games, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Directory

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