Helpful Links - Darcie Viola

Philadelphia Magazine Announces Top 50 Public Schools

In the September issue of Philadelphia Magazine, the top 50 Public Schools are listed, and the Top 5 are all school districts within Chester and Delaware counties and the Main Line. To read more about the Top 50 School districts, click here. To view the full list of the Top 50, click here.

Philadelphia Inquirer Releases 'Report Card on the Schools'

The annual report card on the region's schools includes an interactive school selector and maps, as well as stories, rankings, comparisons and more.

Below you'll find links to various sites that may be of interest to you. Some will be informative and helpful in the home buying/selling process and others will offer information about the area and services that are available.

http://www.predemolitionsales.com/ The sales are simply an opportunity for you to buy miscellaneous parts of buildings/homes that are about to be demolished. Think of it as a recycling effort. Is it all junk? Absolutely not. We don't handle sales where we don't envision turning a profit.

Direct Buy offers members manufacturer-direct pricing on over a million home remodeling-related products from over 700 manufacturers.

www.greatvalleymoving.com Moving locally or long distance, for residential and commercial moves. Some of my clients have used them and have been satisfied with their services.

Pennsylvania Department of Education

How Much Power Is Your Place Drawing: Many electrical appliances and gadgets go into standby mode when they're not in use. That means they're drawing power. Some have clocks that constantly tell the time. Other items go into standby mode so they power up faster.Your machines are quietly increasing your electricity bill. Nationwide, millions of machines are sipping voltage. Check out this website where you can see how much power gadgets use in standby mode.

Get the Walk Score For Your Neighborhood - Some like to walk - some like to sit – and some like to ride. For those who like to walk, this great place will rate your neighborhood for “walkability”.
They calculate the walkability for your address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. and presenting them on a map around your house. Then they score the walkability of your house’s location on a scale of 0-100 with 90-100 being a “Walkers' Paradise” where errands and entertainment can be accomplished on foot and you could get by without owning a car. 0-25 is a “Driving Only” location where virtually no neighborhood destinations are within walking range.
Perhaps if you really like to walk very loooong distances you could go for a “0” – or you could get your exercise walking to your car!

Pennsylvania Sex Offenders - Megan's Law Web Site

Check your health credit Few people know about it, but there is an outfit called the Medical Information Bureau (MIB). Similar to a credit bureau, MIB keeps tabs on things such as test results and serious ailments you suffer. Though not everyone has an MIB record, if you have applied for individual life, health, or disability coverage within the past seven years, chances are you do. And the bureau can tell insurers whether you are a good risk or not. MIB is subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and so, if you ask to see a copy of your record, the bureau is required to send you one. Get your report by calling 866-692-6901 or going to the website. You'll see what insurance companies are told, and that will give you a good idea of how easy or difficult it may be for you to get insurance on your own. And you can correct any errors that may be costing you coverage.

National Sex Offender Public Registry

Reviews Give You Good Information: Reviews are a great way to learn about products, services and businesses. The Internet puts reviews at the tip of your fingers. You can get a multitude of opinions from normal folks at Yelp. You will find thousands of reviews of local businesses. You can also post a review. So, maybe there are some businesses you'd like to review. Getting started is easy and free. Business owners will want to watch Yelp. http://www.yelp.com/

HUD

Making Plans For A Client or Holiday Party: If so, you're looking at quite a bit of planning and preparation. Make things a little easier on yourself. Nix the traditional mailed invitations. Instead, use an online invitation site. These sites make it a snap to send invitations to friends and family. You won't spend a dime on postage or cards.You can also see who will be attending or not which helps in planning for the numbers attending. The invitations on PurpleTrail are more stylish than those on other sites.You can choose from hundreds of designs, or make your own. Your guests will never see an advertisement in an invitation!

http://purpletrail.com/

Vist Pennsylvania

Cutting Coupons Out Of Style: Valpak has been distributing coupons by mail for years.Now, you can get these same great coupons online! Just enter your ZIP code on the Valpak site and click Go. You'll get a list of local coupons or can browse through them all which includes national chains. Try clicking on category names to

see what's available. If you're looking for a business in particular, enter its name in the search box. You'll need to print the coupons in order to redeem them. http://www.valpak.com/coupons/home

Home Depot

Need A New Manual For An Appliance or Gadget: Gadgets and appliances are more sophisticated than ever. User's manuals can be lost easily. Or, if you purchase a second-hand gadget, you might not get a manual. Check out SafeManuals. You'll find manuals from more than 3,000 manufacturers. So you'll probably find exactly what you need!

Help In Planning A Remodeling: Planning an addition, remodeling an established home or just rearranging the living room furniture, this free site can be of help. It's called Floorplanner. You can create custom plans with Floorplanner. Test the room's layout by adding doors, windows, fixtures and furniture! The free version lets you create up to five floor plans. You can save the floor plans and share them with others. You can also download them and print them out.

Quick Meals Can Save Time: It isn't always easy to find recipes for fast meals, though.The Food Network has plenty of quick meal ideas for you on its site. In the Quick Meals box, specify breakfast, lunch or dinner. Select what you'd like to include in the meal. Finally, choose how long you want to spend in the kitchen. You'll get a list

of recipes from which to choose. http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Health Plan Not Include Vision Insurance: VISION USA can help! It provides free basic eye health services for those who are uninsured or low-income. Eligibility requirements vary from state to state. Generally, one member of your household must be working. To get started, complete an application. You'll be matched with a volunteer doctor of optometry. You'll pay nothing for your eye exam. In some states, you may receive eyeglasses at no cost or for a small fee. http://www.aoa.org/x5607.xml

If You Have Children And Don't Understand: Slang is constantly changing. So, what if your child uses unfamiliar words online or off? You could ask your child what they mean. That's probably the best approach. You can go to Urban Dictionary. It contains millions of slang definitions. There's a good chance you'll find the word you need to know! Caution!! There are plenty of foul words on Urban Dictionary. But you may need to know what your children are saying http://www.urbandictionary.com/

Sharing Files Can Be A Real Hassle: That's because not everybody uses the same software as you. You may not be able to open the file. You could ask to have the file saved in a different format. But who wants to be a pest? Instead, try YouConvertIt. This free site will convert files to different formats quickly and easily. Just select your

files and choose a format. It will also help you download and convert videos from YouTube and other sites. Or, upload your files and send links to friends and family. It's an easy way to transfer large files!

http://www.youconvertit.com/convertfiles.aspx

Keep Up On The Stock Market: The crazy up and down stock prices are enough to make any investor nervous. So, you've probably been keeping an eye on your positions. At Google's Finance site, you can get real-time quotes. You can see how your stocks are faring. You can also use this to evaluate companies in which you may wish to invest. There is a wealth of information on the market and particular companies.

http://finance.google.com/finance

Fun Links

Get Full Length TV Shows and Movies On The Internet: "Legally"NBC has done it right with a library of TV shows and movies allowing you to pretty much constant entertainment. With easy to use search interface and fast load times, the shows have very good video quality. Best of all the shows have fewer ads. And the best thing. It's Free

Planning A Client Party: PurpleTrail is designed to help you plan parties and other events. You

can send out invitations online. Then, you can track responses and get planning tips. There are

other sites that do about the same thing but their invitations are not very attractive. At PurpleTrail,

you'll find stunning invitations. Many have beautiful photographs. You can also upload your own

invitation design. Design is only one part of the equation. But I'm sure you'll find PurpleTrail's features surpass those of other sites, too. http://purpletrail.com

Skating/Hockey Rinks

Local Movie Theater Locations and Times

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Online Maps Just Keep Getting Better: They're no longer limited to driving directions. With recent mapping sites like Schmap, you can explore the world. You can find out about businesses and attractions. You can also view pictures of a specific location. Schmap does all this and more. It's like having your own virtual tour guide. You can also get reviews of points of interest. This makes it indispensible when you're planning a vacation. You can also find out about international cities

A New Site To Check Your Geography Knowledge: You can visit this site and take the Traveler IQ Challenge. It is a fun way to both test and improve your geography knowledge. The quiz is interactive. Simply use your mouse to pinpoint cities and historic events on the world map. You'll then see the actual location. You're awarded points on how close you are. The map is a little small.

Creating Photo E-Cards In A Polaroid Format: You can create photo e-cards of your listings that bear a striking resemblance to the old Polaroids with PhotoNotes. Start by uploading a photo. Or, you can choose from photos available on the site. Then, select your Polaroid-style frame. Finally, select a font and font color to use. Enter a message to appear at the bottom of the photo.

Do You Like Jazz Music? At this site you will find more than 18,000 jazz songs that you can listen to for free! You won't be disappointed by the music offered on this site.You'll find songs from jazz greats like Stan Getz, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Django Reinhardt and more! You'll need the free Real Player to listen to the music. If you want to download tracks, you'll need to buy a membership. A three-month membership is $5.

With A Busy Schedule, You Make A List:Microsoft's Listas will help you manage all of your lists. Once you register, you can begin creating lists of, well, anything you want. By default, your lists are private. But you can opt to share your lists with others. You'll also like the Listas toolbar. You can gather links from anywhere. Or, add part of a Web page to your lists. You'll never forget anything again!

If You Are Interested In News From The Past: Some visit news sites throughout the day to check stories. Check out Newseum's Web site. As you can probably guess, it's a museum dedicated to the news. You can read about news stories from the past. Or, read an analysis of today's news. There are also video blogs that you'll find

interesting.

EveryScape. The real world. Online. Worlds are not born, they are created. This is just the beginning of ours. And yours. Welcome to EveryScape beta — where together the real world is being created, online. See Street views!

Too Many Frequent Flyer Miles? Donate them to fly our soldiers home on leave

Online Store Promo Codes

Advice for helping children achive success in school (grades K-12)

Find a National Park

New Home - New Pet! Adopt a pet at your local SPCA or Animal Shelter - they need homes too.

The Chester County SPCA can earn a donation everytime you search the internet and shop online - Select CCSPCS as your charity and search with Yahoo powered GoodSearch.com

How To Talk To A Live Person For Help: Bringo lists more than 100 companies in a variety of categories. Wading through the prompts to reach a human being is a big waste of time. All you need to do is find the one you want. Then, enter your phone number. In a few seconds, you'll get a call back. You'll talk to someone without wading through the phone tree. Technology at its finest!

Dealing With Legal Matters, You Need To Be Careful: There's no question that the law is a complicated matter. But that doesn't mean you can't learn more about federal and state laws. In fact, it would benefit everyone to learn about our laws. Where do you start? Well, the Public Library of Law is a great place to start. It is the world's largest free online database of law. You can read up on state laws and court rules. You can even read documents from U.S. Supreme Court cases. You never know when it will come in handy.

Get Energy Audited

Filed under: Energy, Energy saving measures

07:31 am - October 6, 2008

The single most polluting industry in the United States is electricity production.

Chances are, your home is using up more energy than it needs to keep your residence running. To find out just where that extra energy is going, conduct a home energy audit. Visit the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Audit page for a detailed do-it-yourself. The Department of Energy also offers tips on finding a qualified contractor to perform the audit for you.

Technology Tips

Slydial – Go Direct to Voicemail on the Cell phone you are calling without disturbing the other person by ringing the phone

Dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425) from any landline or mobile phone.
At the voice prompt, enter the U.S. mobile phone number of the person you want to slydial.
You will be directly connected to their voicemail. Leave them a voicemail, sit back and relax.

Need A Presentation Program: PowerPoint is an expensive program. If you don't use it regularly it just doesn't financially pan out. If you need one on a limited basis, try 280 Slides. It is a free, Web-based presentation program. You'll find many of the same options that PowerPoint has. You can create and view presentations in any Web browser. Save your presentation to the site or download it to PowerPoint. You can also e-mail it to others. There are also themes to help you design your presentation, and you can add photos and movies directly from the Web! http://280slides.com

Listen To Your 10-Page Word Document to MP3: You just received a 10-page Word document in your e-mail inbox. But your busy schedule doesn't leave you much time to read it. You could listen to it on your MP3 player in your car. HearWho is a free service that converts text to MP3 files. Just enter the text in the box. Then, make a few selections and click Start Conversion. You will soon have an MP3 file of your document. You can load your MP3 file onto any music player. Or, burn it to a CD for listening in the car.

http://www.hearwho.com

Shopping Online Is Very Popular: It can faster than wandering from store to store and

sometimes more economical. A little drawback is in most cases you pay for shipping.

Before you click Purchase, check out Free Shipping will help you find free shipping.

You'll find free shipping codes for more than 700 popular online stores.

http://www.freeshipping.org

Time For Keeping Our Things Clean: We all like a clean, orderly home; automobile

and office. You can become more efficient with your cleaning chores. Just visit How To

Clean Stuff. You'll find practical tips for cleaning difficult items. You'll also find tips that

will help improve efficiency. You can also submit your own cleaning tips.

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net

Send Text Message From Your Computer: Working all day on your computer and

need to send some text messages. You can do this on your computer using the following

addresses. Do not put the "1" before the phone number. Just use the ten digits.   Send

an email to: AT&T addresses. phonenumber@txt.att.net. Verizon.

phonenumbe@vtext.com   T-Mobile. phonenumber@tmomail.com. Alltel. phonenumber@message.alltel.com Nextel. phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com.

Sprint. phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com   For others, go to www.sms411.net

Philadelphia Magazine Announces Top 50 Public Schools

Philadelphia Inquirer Releases 'Report Card on the Schools'

Fun Links

EveryScape. The real world. Online. Worlds are not born, they are created. This is just the beginning of ours. And yours. Welcome to EveryScape beta — where together the real world is being created, online. See Street views!

Get Energy Audited

**EveryScape. The real world. Online. Worlds are not born, they are created. This is just the beginning of ours. And yours. Welcome to EveryScape** beta — where together the real world is being created, online. See Street views!