Finding the Perfect Appliance--and the Perfect Place to Buy It

Seventy-five percent of us will use the Internet to research major appliances before we make a purchase. Ninety percent of us, however, will eventually end up making our final decisions while standing on the sales floor of a local retailer. Joel Toledano and the other folks at Krillion observed that interesting statistical fact and set out to create a bridge spanning the online/local gap. They ended up with the Krillion Localization Engine and it's making appliance buying easier for everyone.

Let's say the recent summer temperature spikes have done a number on your refrigerator. You aren't alone. Refrigerator compressors work overtime during the hot season and every year thousands of them "konk out" under the pressure. You can't go without a fridge, so you start doing some homework before rushing into your local big box store to make a purchase. You find a model you like. The reviews are good. Now, it's up to you to find some place where you can actually purchase the refrigerator you need at the right price. It's not just for refrigerators, either. You can use Krillion whether you're looking for a General Electric stove or trying to find which of the gorgeous Bosch washing machines fits your needs!

That's not a headache anymore, thanks to Krillion. You can use the site to investigate your options and when you're ready, it will provide you with solid local information, making your shopping venture convenient, simple and streamlined.

If you're a prospective appliance buyer, you owe it to yourself to take a long look at what's happening at Krillion!

Travel Courtesy of Ms. Rachael Ray....

It's an online exclusive, so you probably won't hear anything about it on any of her TV shows, but Rachael Ray has a contest and the winner is taking a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado, courtesy of our favorite super-cook.

You have to go to Rachael's magazine's homepage to enter the contest. I found out about this great opportunity from an article at KRT Wire and have already registered myself. The prize package, according to my source material, sounds pretty darn Yummo:

"The prize package includes airfare for four from anywhere in the continental United States, four nights lodging, car rental, a gas gift card and more. The sweepstakes is expected to run through most of July. The end date is open, though, because the deal with the Web site guarantees 950,000 impressions -- meaning the ad will be viewed 950,000 times before the contest ends."

See? This isn't a chintzy deal. You're not just getting a couple of plane tickets here. This is the full deal.

No word on whether Ms. Ray will have any contact with the winners of this neato prize, but one can dream, right?

In any case, you can read more about the contest at the same place I did. Here.

Tuscan Soup from Rachael Ray...

Linda, from "At Our Table" made some rebollita per Rachael Ray's recommendations and blogged about it.

She gave the "re-boiled" (see how good my Italian is) bean stew a thumbs up for its hearty flavor and was able to prepare the meal in 40 minutes flat.

The recipe can be found at Linda's site, but it originates in the Rachael Ray cookbook, "30 Minute Meals II".

So, it took Linda 40 minutes and it takes Rachael 30. Ostensibly.

Hey, I think a ten-minute gap is pretty impressive. A lot of people tell me they don't come close to hitting the half-hour deadline.

Back to the "stewp" (or is it "stoup"--yeah, that's right). It looks and sounds like a stomach-warming bit of comfort food to me. I like the white beans in tomato sauce thing and nothing can beat the inclusion of a little parmigiano reggiano in my estimation!

Check out the whole recipe and the "At Our Table" commentary here.

Renting Vacation Homes in Orlando

What's your favorite holiday spot? Where would you like to go for Christmas, Spring Break or any other getaway? I can name one location that fits the bill for any holiday or even for a long weekend--Orlando.

Orlando, Florida, is known as the home of Disney, but it has a lot more to offer than the Magic Kingdom. A huge convention center, awesome golf courses, and a variety of other family-friendly entertainment options are available in the Orlando area.

Another great thing about Orlando is the state of accomodations. This is an area built with tourists and travelers in mind. There are countless hotels and resorts, but Orlando vacation villa rentals are an incredibly attractive option. Just image having a fully-featured vacation home in which to stay during your much-needed vacation!

We all need to get away from it all every once in awhile. The next time you feel the travel bug biting, consider Orlando. You'll be glad you did.

Rachael Ray Battles Childhood Obesity

Hey, Rachael Ray knows her way around the kitchen. She also knows that over-indulgence (or at least over-indulgence in the wrong foods) has a nasty downside. Her concern about childhood obesity evidences her desire to spread the word about delicious food AND responsible consumption.

According to AL.com, Rachael Ray is starting Yum-O. Named after her popular catch-phrase, this project is designed to put an end to childhood obesity.

Here's what the source material had to say:

" With help from former President Bill Clinton, the celebrity chef known for cutesy phrases and a fast, freewheeling cooking style now is launching a charitable group that aims to help children eat healthier at home and in school."

That's right. Rachael Ray is teaming up with Bill Clinton! Isn't that amazing?

I hope Yum-O is a super-awesome-massive success. With Bill and Rachael behind it, I'm sure it will be. Kudos to the former Prez and Ms. Ray!

Phony Rachael Ray Butt Picture Still Strangely Enticing...

You knew it would happen eventually. People would grow tired of the famed Rachael Ray FHM pictures and would begin to look for something else.

They'd combine their knowledge of Photoshop with a bevy of available pictures of Rachael Ray's face and some of the ubiquitous porn available everywhere online. Well, it happened.

If you're a good searcher and know while nooks and crannies of the web to investigate, you can find Rachael Ray fakes. That's the expression they use. Fakes. Basically, you can now view images of Rachael's head placed on the naked and cavorting bodies of adult movie starlets.

The picture with this post is a decidedly G/PG-rated Rachael Ray fake. It's Rachael with a nice big rump. Fake, but still strangely enticing.

The Internet is a strange, but sometimes glorious thing. I'm not sure which category I should file this under. Strange or glorious.

Online School: Convenience and Expertise

Capella University doesn't have a physical campus. Instead, it offers a variety of bachelor and graduate level degree programs to students all over the world (nearly 18,000 of them) via the Internet. This online university is growing in popularity as more and more people discover a better way to "go back to school".

Part of the appeal of Capella is that it isn't one of those bogus online diploma mills. It's the real deal, with courses instructed by real experts. Take adjunct faculty member Sara Orem, for instance. Not only does she combine a PhD with significant real-world experience (she owns her own management coaching firm and has experience with recognized corporations and government entities), she's also a published author in her area of expertise.

Orem recently put the finishing touches on a book discussing her techniques for "appreciative coaching", which involves positive questioning and other affirmative strategies as means of increasing inspiration and improving results.

With faculty like Orem and an unbeatably convenient means of obtaining education, the virtual campus of Capella University may soon become a model for post-secondary education.

Rachael Goes to the Land Down Under

Rachael Ray will be expanding her television talk show's reach as of July, 2.

That's when her mega-popular program, already a proven ratings-hog here in the United States will start hitting Australian television.

I found this story originally reported by Sky News, but since then I can't find the page that mentioned the story. In any case, it IS happening. If you happen to be reading this moments before you toss some snags and shrimps on the barbie or something, rest assured that you'll soon bask in the blow of America's Sweetheart, Rachael Ray, and her uber-enjoyable talk show!

I don't know much about daytime TV in the land down under, but I'm willing to wager that Rachael Ray will be an instant hit in the Southern hemisphere. The quality and content of her program, combined with her own inimitable style and appeal should play well just about anywhere!

So, my Australian amigos, enjoy Rachael Ray's talk show starting in just a few weeks!

Oh, and Gooooo Rachael!

Rachael Ray Blog Gets Thumbs Up

Everything Rachael Ray (www.rachaelrayblog. blogspot.com) is definitely worth a read.

At least that's what a widely syndicated column noting three food blogs worth visiting thinks! ERR gets kudos for being informative, fun, and full-featured. In fact, it is the first of the three food blogs profiled in the list of three!

Glad to see that Rachael Ray reading material on the web is doing so well! I definitely like ERR much more than those spite-filled Livejournal bash-fests!

Hey, I cover Rachael Ray at this blog, but I wholly recommend a look at ERR.

Here's an excerpt from the column lauding the site (which you can read in its entirety here):

"Everything Rachael Ray is exactly that - a site devoted to Food Network chef, talk-show host and cookbook author Rachael Ray. Here, you can find out everything about RR: news, upcoming shows, ratings, clips, appearances, recipes. There's an RR timeline and an RR forum. There's even an RR 'store'."

A Golden Investment

If you follow the investment world, you are undoubtedly aware that many of the most successful players rely on gold as a key component of their portfolios. Gold, which has been revered for centuries, is a great means of portfolio diversification and has the ability to preserve purchasing power even in the most troubled economic and political climates. There are few, if any, investments offering such a proven record.

The Monex Deposit Company (MDC) brings gold and investors together. Investors can use MDC to secure and store investment-grade gold coins and ingots. MDC is not a newcomer to the gold investment business. The company, which boasts a large and dedicated staff of professionals, has been in operation for over three decades, serving the needs of precious metals investors. MDC is a leader in gold, offering competitive precious metal pricing and unparalleled convenience.

If you are interested in joining the legions of successful investors who have a stake in gold, MDC is certainly worthy of your most serious consideration.

Rachael Ray Helps a Love Life

LAist has a nifty piece about the incomparable Ms. Rachael Ray. Although the author doesn't consider herself a huge fan of Ra-Ra, she does confess that she's found Rachael's :30 minute meals a help in the kitchen.

She also admits that Rachael's assistance in the kitchen led to some action in the bedroom!

Basically, it goes like this. LAist would whip u some of Rachael's pasta puttanesca in an effort to impress members of the opposite sex. The results?

Let's just say that the post is entitled: "Rachael Ray Got Me Laid: A Guide to Pasta Puttanesca".

That sums it up nicely!

If you want to read about the power of a Rachael Ray recipe to spice up one's romantic life, read this post. It also contains the recipe for Rachael's delicious pasta puttanesca!

Race and Rachael Ray?

"If Rachael Ray had been black, there are bookstores where her cookbook would not be displayed in the same section with all the other cookbooks. It would be displayed off in a special section for black authors.

This means that many people who were looking for cookbooks would not even see Ray's cookbook, much less buy it."

Those are the opening words of a very interesting article by Thomas Sowell of the Hoover Institute, a well-known contemporary thinker whose opinions on race issues always attract a great deal of attention (both among those who agree and disagree).

Sowell's article isn't really about Rachael Ray, per se, but about the way authors of different races are treated in the publishing industry and whether current efforts to help insure attention for black authors, in particular, are working or backfiring.

I'm lucky Sowell used my fave--Rachael Ray--as an example. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have found this provocative article. Give it a read and think about your opinions on this fascinating topic! You can find a copy of Sowell's piece about honoring symbolism over substance at Recordnet.com.