Here are three sites we're highlighting on FOX 5 in DC.... Teh Internet really does make it easier to be outward-directed .... Here's hoping they're helpful in finding your inner-philanthropist.

Love this cover. Actually, love all her covers. Between Oprah & the Obama's you probably couldn't ask for a better time to launch a new pet site. This week, we're covering PAWNATION. Here are some quick background notes re: the site:

• 39% of American households own at least one dog and 34% own at least one cat and spend more than $850 Million every year on their pets.

• So, PawNation.com is a place for those pet lovers where pet owners and animal lovers come to share photos and stories, read the latest animal news, find useful tips and information and leave with a smile.

• Features on PawNation.com include:

• Ask a Vet – a question and answer forum with New York City-based veterinarian Dr. Matthew Cooper;

• I Work With Animals! - highlights professionals within the animal industry from lion tamers to dog walkers to marine biologists;

• Pets on TV – a weekly column spotlighting animals on television, from that commercial you can't get out of your head to your favorite sitcom pet;

• Helpful resources on caring for your four-legged family members to coping with the loss of a pet;

• Latest updates on pet news and products;

As discussing on radio stations nationwide, this little guy may just be onto something & have the perfect marketing window of opportunity -- LENT. Meet the : NO CUSSING CLUB.

It was cute to see Alex on MSNBC interview the site founder, 14 year-old McKay Hutch. Is one of those times wish was there with my kids.

RELATED ARTICLE & THE VIDEO THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING FROM PARENT DISH.COM

Can't even imagine how many times my youngest son will ask for this .... Pretty clever Super Bowl ad with online/mobile extension SHAKE & BARK iPHONE app -- DOWNLOAD & HELP A DOG.

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Since you can't watch them all, here's a really neat way to quickly watch the Top 5 Morning Show moments. It's one of my personal favorites, cause it's just so efficient. Everyone I know who discovers this site, loves it. It's particularly popular with radio hosts, who play off of what happens on TV. Morning Rush!

One of the sites we'll be talking about on-air throughout the country today is www.BlackVoices.com. They've got an ongoing "Obama Watch" feature & have added an "Inaugural Ball Crawl" highlighting 20 stops, complete with prices & the odds of getting a ticket.

Purchased Oprah coffee tale book as holiday gift & picked up her magazine this week ... The content is exceptional, brave & just spot on ....

It has also come way down in price (hence, magazine sales up more than 40% online as mentioned in several TV interviews).

Just signed up for OPRAH & MORE (no, am not quite that old, but like to be prepared) ... Here are links (click on pics), if you're up for $1+ a month for you or someone you care about: Other fave: REAL SIMPLE & DOMINO. Plus, THE WEEK.

We'll be talking about this video on the radio this morning. Must say, it's an absolute CLASSIC. If you have, ever will have, or have ever known a pre-teen girl, you'll almost certainly get a kick out of it. Remember David Archuleta ... the runner-up from this year's American Idol? His new album dropped this week and someone uncovered this gem.

BuyCostumes.com, the world's largest online retailer of costumes and accessories, has successfully predicted the next President of the United States 100% of the time, since 2000 based solely on the sales of candidates' masks.
One mask = one vote. For 99 cents, you can order a paper mask & copy the face onto your social networking site if you're so inclined.

This year, Obama is currently leads with 55 percent of masks sold to 45 percent for McCain, according to the site.

AOL Television's newly launched web series "Outside the Box," is an irreverent format giving fans a chance to submit questions to cast members from popular television's shows. Cast members interview one another using the fan-submitted questions, like "How much do you get to improvise?" The debut episode features Kate Walsh, Taye Diggs, Audra McDonald and Tim Daly from the ABC series "Private Practice."

Upcoming episodes of "Outside the Box" feature cast members from "Desperate Housewives," "Dirty Sexy Money" with Lucy Liu and Peter Krause, "Life on Mars" with Michael Imperioli and Jason O'Mara and "Scrubs" with Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and Donald Faison. If this format continues to take off, you could see further consolidation in talk show host jobs:)

Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins and Tim McGraw ... if these are household names to you, then mosey on over to TheBoot.com for a perfect fit of 24x7 country music, news and gossip. Check out new video releases, learn the stories behind the songs, catch up with country music's up-and-coming stars and a few of its legendary crooners.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST BACK-TO-SCHOOL EXPENSES FOR college students ARE OFTEN TEXTBOOKS ... BUt, THERE'S potentially LOTS OF MONEY TO BE SAVED BY BYPASSING THE COLLEGE BOOKSTORE.

The average college student spends $900 annually on textbooks. WOW. The price at the campus bookstore used to be the price you paid and that was that, but it's not always the case these days. There's competition. With a single hardcover book sometimes costing in excess of $100.00 new, if you can save 30, 40, 50%, why wouldn't you?

For those who plan to go this route, BestBookBuys.com is a good starting point. It's a textbook comparison shopping site which searches the Internet for specific textbooks across dozens of sites and thousands of independent sellers on eBay, Amazon.com's Marketplace and other sources.

Most textbook resellers also offer to buy back used books. So, you could save on the front end and cash in a little bit on the back-end.

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We have Olympic Fever in our house & this Medal Tracker is a neat thing to "snag" and put on your site or social networking page. It's exciting to see the numbers change throughout the day. There's also an Olympic ToolBar you can download in a matter of seconds. It'll rest right up at the top of your screen & you can glance at it throughout the day.

We're talking with TV & Radio stations across the country this week about the phenomenon known as Email Addiction. If you check your email in the middle of the night, when you're driving or even while in the bathroom or on vacation ... You're definitely not alone!

Among the findings of the fourth annual Email Addiction Survey from AOL Mail:

- 62% of people check work email on the weekends
- 19% choose vacation spots with access to email
- 59% check email from the bathroom (up from 53% last year