Mac's Picks is a collection of family friendly interesting and useful sites, updated weekly. These sites are family friendly, and cover subjects dealing with a focus on the family as a whole, search, internet, internet radio, news, health, medical resources, household hints, education, educational resources, recipes, food, strange, different, help pages, homework, kids, diy, sites I call "head scratchers", and/or new sites dealing with all kinds of things of use to the general internet community. To find the criteria I use, simply click on the "Why How Info" link on the right side of this page.

This page is updated on a weekly basis, each Monday evening Australian (Queensland) time (GMT + 9 hours according to the world clock). Please come back and visit often.

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Important - Please Read

This past weekend, the 23rd and 24th of September was the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hoshana, or New Year. It is celebrated as a time of introspection, abstinence, prayer and penitence. The story of Abraham is also read, the ram's horn is sounded, and special foods are prepared and shared. On this New Year, I and my family wish all those of the Jewish Faith the most peaceful and joyful New Year, and may this year be filled with joy and happiness for you and yours. Happy New Year.

Everyone has health issues of one kind or another, and if you live in a society where healthcare is readily available, you are among the fortunate. Not everyone is so cared for. Thus, organizations like the IWHC Home - International Women's Health Coalition can only be good in that they spread knowledge to women all over the globe about health problems that exist and what to do about them. Their stated aim is "promoting and protecting the health and rights of women and girls worldwide". That certainly deserves a look and your support as well.

There is more and more emphasis on mathematics in university education these days and many great sites have sprung up to help you learn math that you may not have grasped in high school. One such site is the Success in Mathematics site, not only because it teaches you math itself, but because it also has good info on how to study math. Now that may sound silly, but if you don't know how to study math then you're at a disadvantage from the start. Have a look and bookmark this one, whether you're in university or not. If your math needs help, this is where to start.

You may be one of the net citizens who already uses one of the chat messengers to chat with folk around the globe. If you aren't, you might like to try the new Google Talk Instant Messenger. If you are looking for help in setting it up and running it, hop over to the blog named Google Talkabout which is specifically written for Google Talk fans. Give it a try. It's not difficult and can be a lot of fun.

Once in a while I get bored online (yes, it does happen) and I, like many others, just need a break for a few moments from the work one does online, and something mindless to just divert the attention to something else. One place worth visiting if you are the same as me is the Free Online Arcade Games; Action, Adventure, Racing, Sports site. And yes, they are good games and they are free to play online. This is a great way to wile away a few moments in relaxation mode.

Speaking of free things online, the site called The Road to Know Where Ultimate List of Free Windows Software from Microsoft is definitely worth a look and a bookmark. This site keeps up with all the things that Microsoft gives away for free, and to be frank, I'm impressed with the list. There are some gems here to download and use on your own system. Have a look and then bookmark the site for future peeks as well.

I think most of us would be impressed with journalists who put themselves in harm's way to provide us with the real news in any major event, but the life of a war correspondent has to be one of the roughest ones there is for a journalist. Thus, the women acknowledged on the site called Women Come to the Front who were all journalists, photographers, and broadcasters during World War 2 certainly deserve recognition. Have a look and see how many women fulfilled this task, and all so that you and I could be kept up with what was really happening. Fantastic and brave people.

Finding sites online that the younger set can visit and remain safe while playing isn't an easy task. However I was recently shown the Fun Free Kids Online Games site and I feel it fits the bill. Take your children with you to this site and see if they enjoy it as much as you do.

When looking for something different to tempt the palate you might want to browse through the Best Recipes - Database site as it contains some pretty delicious sounding things to try. Being a diabetic there are a few I might not try but not that many. Have a look yourself. It could open up all kinds of new taste sensations for you and yours.

It's amazing how many people have said they would like to learn how to sign so that they could communicate more effectively with those who have a hearing impediment. However, few of us ever actually do learn it. Well, now you can, and for free online, by going to the ASL - American Sign Language site and trying out the lessons yourself. The site has free resources for students, teachers, parents, and the web surfing public as well, so give it a try. If we can communicate with more folk, that has to be a good thing.

I'll bet that every night when you listen to the news of the day, and they quote that the Dow Industrial Average has gone up or down a point you say, if you don't play the stock market yourself, "I wonder what that's all about". Well, wonder no more because the folk at Dow Jones themselves are giving you the opportunity to study and understand what it's all about. Hop over to the Dow Jones Interactive Learning Centre and read their site, and in no time at all you'll know the significance of that quote on the evening news. This is great stuff for folk like me who simply don't play the market but do wonder about it.

Almost every day you hear, in the news, of some drug bust or criminal organization that has fleeced the public in one or more parts of the world. You might wonder if anyone is actually doing anything to try and stop it, and I'm happy to tell you that the UNODC - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime site will show you what this group of people are trying to do to put a lid on drugs and crime internationally. This is a great insight into what is behind the major criminal elements in our world and its information you should know about. Have a look.

You may know that I'm an old frustrated musician (never was good enough to make a living at it but love music and creating it). And, I guess some folk can be forgiven for trying to make others have fun while they learn about how music and sound is created. But even I had to chuckle when I went to the site known as sheeps get their grooves on and started playing around with different sounds and beats. Is it corny? Sure it is, but it's a lot of fun as well. Have a look and play to your heart's content, and don't forget, turn up those speakers.

Rebecca Game of "Digital Women - Women with their modems running...", is a graphic designer who is superb to say the least. Rebecca designed this "new look" web site specifically for me, and I can't praise her work enough. Her site, dedicated to women on the net, is worth seeing and bookmarking for future reference. If you are looking for links of interest to women, please visit her site. And if you need the best graphic designer on the planet, I seriously can't recommend her more highly. Oh yes, and when you visit her site, tell her Mac sent you. Thank you Rebecca. I am eternally grateful for your assistance and expertise. ;-)