Web Surfing
by Dick Kling

Best Friends 

Somewhere between 15,000 and 100,000 years ago, human beings befriended and domesticated the species Canis lupus familiaris, more commonly known as dogs.  Since then, "Man's Best Friend" has played intimate, diverse roles in our lives as a companion, fellow hunter, herder, protector, and guide to the blind, therapist to patients, soldier in combat, bomb detector, and rescuer. Such beautiful, capable, and loyal creatures deserve our love and respect, but unfortunately are often subject to abhorrent neglect, abuse, and abandonment by their owners.

Caring for our furry friends is the noble inspiration behind Best Friends Animal Society, a non-profit animal sanctuary that has a long and proven record of providing love, care, and shelter to thousands of homeless dogs around the country.  With its national reach, Best Friends is able to use their official website to work with shelters, individuals, and humane groups around the USA to save dogs, as well as cats, horses, birds, rabbits and other abandoned pets.  Check out the site, read the latest news, take a virtual tour of their Utah sanctuary, browse the section on adoptable pups, and, if you are inspired to do so, learn how you can help!

http://www.bestfriends.org/

Charity Navigator

Few acts, if any, are as honorable and as beautiful as the act of giving.  Picking an ethical and effective non-profit organization is just as important of a choice as the specific cause you choose to support.  Charity Navigator is a free tool you can use to navigate the philanthropic world, as well as an independent charity evaluator that will ensure that the money you donate will avoid bureaucracy and overhead and go straight to those in need.

http://charitynavigator.org

New Encyclopedia of Earth

Welcome to The Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE), a modern online resource that has a wealth of information about our beautiful planet and its diverse environments.  The site is filled with insightful articles written in "non-technical" language by scholars, experts, and educators about the Earth and the interaction between its ecosystems and our rapidly growing society.

Students, teachers, environmentalists, and knowledge seekers can easily browse the EoE website by Author, Title, General Topic, or Content Source to find current information about the Earth and related-topics.  Inspired by the clear need for a truly "new" reference source as we face challenges such as Climate Change, Overpopulation, Diminishing Resources, and Sustainable Living Practices, the Earth Encyclopedia is a valuable tool for anyone who loves this planet.

http://www.eoearth.org/

First Names

What's in a name?  If you truly want to answer that question you can use Onomastics, a field of study that focuses on the origin, history, and use of proper names.  For those of you who are not seasoned Onomasticians, this website is a helpful tool for learning a little bit more about the meaning of your given name.

BehindTheName.Com is a great site that lets users easily access the Etymology and History of thousands of first names from various countries, cultures, and languages.  Search for a specific name to uncover its original "meaning", as well as any references or usages it may have within History, Literature, Theology, Mythology, Astronomy, The Bible, and Pop Culture.

http://www.behindthename.com/

The Law According to Murphy

To paraphrase the relatively cynical but realistic theory known as Murphy's Law, "if anything can go wrong, it will".  The original incarnation was known for centuries as "Sod's Law", with origins in Yorkshire, England, but the American vernacular began to embrace the concept of Murphy's Law in 1949 thanks to an Air Force engineer named Capt. Edward A. Murphy.  This fun website pays tribute to Murphy and the frequently prescient law that bears his name.

Browse the site by topic and you'll find that seventy years of evolution have shaped Murphy's Law into some pretty creative forms.  Visitors will find "Laws" that relate to specific topics including Love ("If the person  isn't taken, there's a reason"), Computers ("No matter how hard you work, the boss will only appear when you access the Internet"), War ("Never underestimate the ability of the brass to foul things up"), and even "Sewing" ("As Ye sew, so shall Ye rip").

http://www.murphys-laws.com/