*** ANSWERMAN INTERNET EXTRA *** For the week of December 2, 1996 This is the weekly newsletter for the community of Internet users on America Online. Come see what's new at keyword ANSWERMAN. To unsubscribe from this newsletter, scroll down to the end of this message for instructions. *This week, AnswerMan's Focus is Holiday Sites on the Internet* =*=*= IN THIS ISSUE =*=*= AnswerMan's Update & Eagle's Exploits -- Lots of Holiday Sites Upcoming Weekly Focus & Chats -- What's coming down the chimney? The End -- How to contact us or unsubscribe =*=*= WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK WITH ANSWERMAN =*=*= Go to keyword: For: AM FOCUS Links to numerous holiday sites ANSWERMAN Internet message board, daily tips, more good stuff AM CHAT Read transcripts of Internet chats that you missed AM GLOSSARY RTFM to decrypt that Internet jargon NET HELP Get quick help for your Internet questions Here are direct links for AOL 3.0 users: Go to keyword AnswerMan AnswerMan Focus =*=*= ANSWERMAN'S UPDATE & EAGLE'S EXPLOITS -- Holiday Sites =*=*= by Kevin Savetz (AnswerMan) and Aminie D. Elsberry (CJ Eagle) Happy holidays, and specifically happy Hanukkah to our Jewish readers. This week's AnswerMan focus is holiday sites on the Internet. Holiday sites aren't just for kids (although they can be a great way for your kids to have fun on the Web and with e-mail.) Everyone with a penchant for humming merrily during the holiday season will enjoy these sites. And I've even included a couple of sites for you Scrooges out there. (This week, for a change of pace, Aminie and I have combined our columns into one big holiday morass!) You can't swing a dead elf without hitting a Santa Claus site. Two of the best are http://www.claus.com and http://www.santaclaus.com. You can also e-mail Santa. He seems to have a lot of e-mail addresses -- if you've been good this year, you might want to send him a note at santa@santaclaus.com. You'll probably get a reply from the big guy, or if you've been naughty he'll just e-mail you a lump of coal. What would you expect from a website with an address of: http://www.northpole.com/ ? Fun, and lots of it! This site invites believers to visit Santa's secret village. In this village you'll see Santa's workshop, where you can see two new toys each week that the elves are creating. Select the toy and follow the ornament to the end of the story that goes along with the toy. In Santa's Den you can see none other than Santa's movie, video, music, and book reviews. In Santa's Mailroom you can send him a letter with a promise of an answer in a couple of days -- but be patient: remember how busy he gets this time of year. Other areas of the village to visit are Mrs. Claus' Kitchen (yum) and the Festival of Trees. And for the artist in us all, there is an option to create your own coloring book. All this at one site and you don't even have to put on snow boots! For those of us who are Jewish, check out http://www.ort.org/ort/hanukkah/title.htm -- this site is devoted to Hanukkah -- the festival of lights. Hanukkah is a celebration for eight days, commencing on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, that commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Hellinist Syrians in 165 BCE. The site is well-organized and easy to find more information on the history of Hanukkah, it's symbolism and blessings, family traditions, songs, games, art, and terminology. With only a few well-placed graphics, the site is easy on your modem and the information contained therein is well worth the visit -- for anyone of any faith. Another wonderful Hanukkah site is http://www.jewishpost.com/jewishpost/chanukah/ -- there you can read the story of the Maccabees and Chanukah, learn about the Menorah, and play with a virtual dreidel. Project Genesis, a center for Jewish learning, offers an online Menorah at http://www.torah.org/, as well as a weekly Dvar Torah (an insight on the weekly Torah reading or an upcoming holiday,) a Torah discussion forum and more. Christmas Traditions from Around the World, at http://www.christmas.com/christmas.html explores how the holiday is celebrated in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Scandinavia and elsewhere. You can learn to say "Merry Christmas" in 50 languages, and read brief explanations of other holidays in the season, including Ta Chiu, the Taoist festival of peace and Yule, the celebration of the Winter Solstice. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of Kwanzza, a spiritual festival during which African-Americans celebrate the oneness and goodness of life. Ever want to know what Kwanzaa is, or who started it and why? At http://christmas.com/kwanzaa.html you can find out why Dr. Maulana "Ron" Karenga, in 1966, founded this African American holiday that begins on December 26 and ends seven days later. This site is good for the basics, but if you want more detailed information, click on the link to the Kwanzaa Information Center at http://www.melanet.com/melanet/kwanzaa/ -- here you will find all the information you'll need as you celebrate Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits of harvest". This site includes a detailed guide to Kwanzza, including its purpose, explanations of the symbols of Kwanzza, and a bibliography of Kwanzaa books for children. If you're feeling more like the Grinch than one of those happy Whos down in Whoville, then read The Scientific Destruction of Santa, classic Internet fodder, at http://www.hsv.tis.net/~djackson/xmas/santa.html. If this dose of reality doesn't bring out the Ebenezer Scrooge in you, nothing will. Speaking of Scrooge, you can read his story in Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" at gopher://wiretap.spies.com/00/Library/Classic/carol.txt. This is part of the Wiretap Books Archive, one of the Net's oldest and largest collections of classic public domain texts. The last stop on our virtual tour of holidays has got to be, what else, food! Check out the Christmas recipes at: http://holiday.ritech.com/christmas/recipe.html -- here you'll find everything from Amish cookies, to vanilla/chocolate layer pie, from snow candy to fudge, from hot cranberry punch to egg nog -- and many, many more recipes. After all, what's a holiday without stuffing (yourself)? You can find links to many more holiday sites this month at keyword AM FOCUS -- the Weekly Focus area of AnswerMan. We want to take this opportunity to wish all of you and your families a very happy and safe holiday season. Be kind to those you love and even those you don't -- random acts of kindness never go unnoticed. :-) Here are direct links for AOL 3.0 users: AnswerMan AnswerMan Focus: more holiday sites! www.claus.com www.santaclaus.com Santa's secret village Hanukkah, the festival of lights Jewish Post Chanukah Project Genesis Christmas Traditions Kwanzaa Kwanzza Information Center Scientific Destruction of Santa A Christmas Carol Christmas recipes =*=*= THE WEEKLY FOCUS & CHAT =*=*= Every week, AnswerMan focuses on a particular facet of using the Internet. Here's what's going on this week. Live chat on Sunday, December 8, 6PM ET -- Celebrating the Holidays on the Net The holidays are here! This hour, special guest host CJ GRIZZLY will point you to a variety of Net sites that will get you in the seasonal spirit. Want to send e-mail to Santa, or visit a virtual Menorah? Have a hankering for a good egg nog recipe, or want to learn about Kwanzza? Come on in and we'll get you in the ho-ho-holiday spirit! And, here are the Weekly Focus topics we'll be covering in the near future: Dec 9 - Dec 15: Use the Net to Find a Job Dec 16 - Dec 22: Facts about FAQs Dec 23 - Dec 29: Internet Agents Dec 30 - Jan 5: Mailing Lists Here are direct links for AOL 3.0 users: Go to the AnswerMan Chat. =*=*= THE END =*=*= That's all for this week. Got comments about this newsletter? We want to hear them! Send 'em to AnswerMan. The e-mail address is "AnswerMan@aol.com". There are two easy ways to unsubscribe yourself from the AnswerMan mailing list. You can use either. #1: send an e-mail message -- To: LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Subject: UNSUBSCRIBE Body: UNSUBSCRIBE ANSWERMAN #2: For AOL 3.0 users only: Click here then press "Unsubscribe". Copyright 1996 by America Online. All rights reserved. This newsletter is made from 100% recycled flying reindeer droppings.