Charles Kessler

Welcome to the 455th issue of the Cool Tricks and Trinkets Newsletter
offering weekly insights into new, cool, useful, fun, unusual and
interesting sites on the Internet.

- History of the American Circus
- All About Butterflies
- The Latest Fashion
- Short Takes
- Zen Gardens of Japan
- Flight Tracker
- Worst Movies Ever
- Real Restaurant Dish
- Words Without Borders
- Subscribers' Sites

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History of the American Circus

"Step right up, children of all ages!" As its trademark slogan affirms,
few things awaken the kid in all of us the way the circus does. This cool
site explores the first 150 years of the circus in America, its colorful
history, rapid evolution, and overall impact on our nation's culture.

Visitors will no doubt discover that while it may have its roots in Ancient
Rome, the true genesis of the American Circus was born in the
entrepreneurial spirit of individuals. Learn about these pioneers and
their unique styles of entertainment, including the 18th Century amateur
horse shows of John Bill Ricketts, the legendary marketing genius of P.T.
Barnum, and the "kings of the big top" known as The Ringling Bros. There
are loads of other cool features to explore such as a gallery of original
posters, audio clips of the "sounds of the circus", and a timeline that
parallels the evolution of the circus with significant events in American
History.

http://www.circusinamerica.org/public/welcome

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All About Butterflies

Few creatures in nature, if any, capture our hearts and inspire our dreams
the way that butterflies do. Lepidopterology, the technical term for the
study of these wondrous winged insects, is an apt name for a website that
serves as a scientific portal dedicated entirely to the beautiful butterfly.

Take your time fluttering around this fun site, which contains enough
butterfly-related information to satisfy even the most die-hard of
enthusiasts. Highlights include and "e-Museum" with real photos and
sketches of specimen, a detailed virtual Almanac of the Lepidoptera, and a
section of poetry and quotations that pay tribute to this "flying flower".

http://lepidopterology.com/

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The Latest Fashion

Fashion has never been accused of being important or necessary, but it is
terribly guilty of purveying an addictive mix of beauty, glamour, whimsy,
and genuine creativity. If you like to stay in the "know", or have recently
been bitten by the fashion bug, then you will definitely want to bookmark
this stylish website.

The Hint Fashion Magazine site provides an insider's peek into the beauty
in front, and the business behind, this superficial but hugely profitable
industry. Fashionistas can get updates on the latest news and gossip in
the "Jetsetera" section, see profiles of the hottest new models, and read
articles on the many designers, photographers, hairstylists, make-up
artists, and "personalities" making fashionable waves today.

http://www.hintmag.com/

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SHORT TAKES

DIY Yodeling

You don't need to take up residence in the Swiss Alps to learn how to
properly yodel. YodelCourse.Com has tons of cool features including online
classes that culminate in a Certificate of Yodelology, information on the
history of this trademark Alpine tradition, a brand new Yodelcast, and tips
on the best spots to Yodel your lungs out! Hodl-oh-ooh-dee!!

http://www.yodelcourse.com/

<><><><><>

The Skeptic's Dictionary

Disbelievers will find a home at the Skeptic's Dictionary, a comprehensive
critical survey of questionable therapies, eccentric beliefs and dangerous
delusions, from werewolves to Yeti, urine therapy to unicorns.

http://skepdic.com/

<><><><><>

Retro Games in Flash

Although today's high-tech games for the Playstation, Nintendo Wii, and
Gamecube are truly incredible, there is just something special about the
unsophisticated, vintage games of yesteryear. Neave.Com celebrates
old-school arcade games such as Frogger, Asteroids, and Space Invaders by
giving these retro classics a Flash upgrade.

http://www.neave.com/games/

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Zen Gardens of Japan

If you can't hop on a p*** to Japan in the near future but would like to
see its famous Gardens, this site is surely the next best thing. "The
Japanese Garden" website, created by a professor of Art History at Bowdoin
College, allows you to take a virtual tour of nearly all of the legendary
Zen Gardens located in and around the historical city of Kyoto.

Take a calm stroll through one of the twenty-four Zen gardens, and then
read about the history and unique symbolic traits of the garden you have
just "virtually toured". There is also an entire section devoted to the
traditional "Elements", such as ponds, paths, streams, stones, flowers,
lanterns, sand, pebbles, and waterfalls that are designed within these
beautiful Japanese gardens.

http://academic.bowdoin.edu/zen/

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A complete archive of previous Cool Tricks can be viewed at
http://www.tricksandtrinkets.com/archives.htm
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Flight Tracker

Keep an eye on the skies with the help of this useful website, a live
flight tracker that lets you see minute-to-minute air traffic over the
United States. Flight Aware uses proprietary algorithms and real-time
tracking data to monitor the thousands of commercial and private flights
currently overhead.

Visitors can easily search for p***s by entering specific data such as the
tail number, airline and flight number, or identifier. Get live updates on
flight activity at major domestic airports, browse by aircraft type to see
how many Boeing 747s are up there, and sign up to receive text message and
email alerts on the status of flight arrivals and departures.

http://flightaware.com/live/

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Visit us online or call our operators at 800.275.9183

Please support us in getting the word out about your new site.

********************************

Worst Movies Ever

There is always vigorous debate among movie buffs about which movie is
truly the "best" ever made. What is less frequently discussed, though
equally fascinating, is what films are the worst of all time.

This fun feature, part of the popular IMDB website, celebrates the "Bottom
100" movies in history as voted on by the site's users. Scroll through
this list of cinematic debacles and find painfully bad pictures such as
"Battlefield Earth", "The Bat People", and Mariah Carey's dubious film
debut "Glitter".

http://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom

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Real Restaurant Dish

If you've ever worked as a waiter, or dined out with a friend who is one,
then you know that people in the service industry are the best tippers
around. The reason for this is that anyone who has worked in a restaurant
emphatically empathizes with the stress, cruelty, and exhaustion that
befall the average American waiter and waitress.

The Stained Apron is a tasty blog that serves as a forum where food servers
can vent their frustrations about bad tippers, rude diners, screaming kids,
lecherous boyfriends, and the many other perils of waiting tables. There
is also advice for the public on how to be a good diner and get better
service, tips about "tips", and an archive of entertaining stories of
restaurant revenge, tales of nightmare customers, and gossip about both
generous and notoriously stingy celebrities.

http://www.stainedapron.com/

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Words Without Borders

Literature, like most major forms of art, is a profound medium of
communication that crosses geographic, religious, cultural, and linguistic
borders. "Words Without Borders", whose name seems to have been inspired
by the noble medical organization, is a cool online magazine that promotes
global understanding and unity through the translation of great
international literature.

Simply select a part of the World (such as Africa, Europe, Americas, Asia,
Middle East, or The Pacific Rim) to discover selections of that region's
best writing. The original works have been interpreted into English with
the help of the site's distinguished group of translators, writers, and
publishing experts. Literature buffs will find a wonderful mix of writing
by both popular and lesser-known foreign authors, including poetry,
fiction, non-fiction, essays and even children's stories from nearly every
corner of the globe.

http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/

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SUBSCRIBERS' SITES - Many of our subscribers have fascinating on-line
projects. This weekly section will introduce you to some of these
sites. Please let me know about your project so that I might mention
it in this section. Write me at ctt@net-market.com

~Any Soldier
http://www.anysoldier.com/

~Fresh Hope
http://fresh-hope.com/forums/index.php

~Panama Jack & The Hangouts Band
http://www.smallwebsites.us/PPP_01.html

~ Web Design and Technology
http://www.nylontechnology.com

~ The Famous Panama Jack & The Hangouts Band
http://www.smallwebsites.us/PPP_01.html

~ Raw Food Café in LA
http://euphorialovesrawvolution.com

~ The Art of Living
http://www.artofliving.org

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\\\\~ ~////
( @ @ )
----OOo-(_)-oOOo--------

"You know quite well, deep within you,
that there is only a single magic, a single
power, a single salvation...and that is
called loving.

Well then, love your suffering.

Do not resist it, do not flee from it.
It is only your aversion to it that hurts, nothing else."

-- Herman Hesse

O-----O----
( ) ( )
\ ( (_/
\_)

Be Well.

Have a great weekend.

Charles

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The Cool Tricks and Trinkets Newsletter #455 5/17/07