Jimmy's Favorite Sites

By Jimmy R. Hammond

Over the years, as I have shopped for computers, cars, cameras and more, I was often disappointed to discover that the item of interest had been reviewed and or rated by Consumer Reports sometime in the past and I could never find the issue. Thanks to the internet you can now sign up online for the electronic online version of Consumer Reports—and at a discount if you are a current paper subscriber. All those back issues are now available at www.ConsumerReports.org. Just shop till you drop from home!

As the price of gasoline climbs steadily skyward, there are sites like www.GaspriceWatch.com that can be a real money saver to you. On a single day recently, GasPriceWatch.com reportedly had 138,040 member spotters which surveyed 128,706 stations and reported 166,176 prices in one week. A search of their database for the Annapolis zip code 21401 and a 5-mile radius revealed 44 stations, most with published gasoline prices from $2 to $4 per gallon. With 20 to 40+ gallon tanks, a dollar difference can quickly add up. While you are there, check out www.CheapGasTips.com for tips on improving your mileage and lowering your transportation costs.

As of this writing, hurricane Katrina has now become the most destructive natural disaster in the history of the United States and may be more expensive than the tsunami of 2004. What makes this disaster like all of the other disasters is that there are some folks waiting to prey on your generosity. The good news is that you can prevent the problem with the help of www.GuideStar.org. In 1994, they began as a new venture with a bold vision: to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice with information. They formed a 501(c) (3) public charity in 1996. Their journey was to create a more transparent and accountable nonprofit community by reshaping the infrastructure of the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits embrace this practice of transparency and accountability when they share information about their mission, programs, and finances with the public. Accurate information is a powerful tool, and their users have responded with better-informed, more effective giving decisions. When they began, they envisioned www.GuideStar.org as a resource that would connect people and organizations with valuable information to improve the world around them. According to the web site, they are now a leader in providing comprehensive data on more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations, connecting them with donors, foundations, businesses, and governing agencies in a nationwide community of giving. According to their site, about 20,000 people visit daily to find answers. The information they provide contains searchable data from IRS Forms 990 and the IRS Business Master File, including comprehensive facts on employee compensation and grant activity. With their new eDocs service, nonprofits can add their annual reports, audited financial statements, letters of determination, and other documents to their growing store of information, making them a more powerful tool than ever. You might also look at www.give.org. In either case, they should be the first stop before writing that check.

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