For the longest time, I had a lame, boring banner. Graphic design just ain't my thing.... Then along came the incredibly talented Janice Brown of Cow Hampshire. Janice has designed an entire collection of banners for me out of the goodness of her heart.

I am incredibly grateful -- and you should be too: Before she came along, this blog was hard on the eyes!

Thank you Janice!!!

Note: Feeling inspired both by Janice's creativity and by a need to give recognition to additional things, occasionally you will see a banner that I created, such as:

These are not Janice's fault.

As for solving various and sundry things with potatoes.... The official description/subtitle of the blog is: "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." It's the opening sentence to Chapter 24 of Life, the Universe and Everything. See my about page for the rationale (or lack thereof) for my selection.

Here is a list of the other (i.e. not on Live Journal or Blogspot) splogs I found via the Aristotle Blogspot articles.

1. family.aaronsubpblog.com
2. recreation.aaronsubpblog.com
3. sports.aaronsubpblog.com
4. www.air-ambulance-guide.info
5. victor.allthebestnews.com
6. entropyinaction.beblogger.com
7. groundhog.blagtalk.com
8. cisraelx.blogalera.com
9. elebanong.blogalera.com
10. ylaopeoplej.blogalera.com
11. brown-nose.blogextreme.net
12. denny-psyched.blogextreme.net
13. cadillacblog.blogfeeling.com
14. charlieblog.blogfeeling.com
15. sinbadblog.blogfeeling.com
16. solomonblog.blogfeeling.com
17. strayblog.blogfeeling.com
18. testarossablog.blogfeeling.com
19. benoit.bloggingreview.com
20. mined.bloggingreview.com
21. columbia-games.blogoff.info
22. assessment.blogs-r-us.net
23. premise.blogs-r-us.net
24. antelope.blue-ribbon-blog.com
25. bear.blue-ribbon-blog.com
26. dolphin.blue-ribbon-blog.com
27. eagle.blue-ribbon-blog.com
28. elephant.blue-ribbon-blog.com
29. goat.blue-ribbon-blog.com
30. horse.blue-ribbon-blog.com
31. kangaroo.blue-ribbon-blog.com
32. leopard.blue-ribbon-blog.com
33. parrot.blue-ribbon-blog.com
34. penguin.blue-ribbon-blog.com
35. rabbit.blue-ribbon-blog.com
36. shark.blue-ribbon-blog.com
37. starfish.blue-ribbon-blog.com
38. tuna.blue-ribbon-blog.com
39. unicorn.blue-ribbon-blog.com
40. vision.blue-ribbon-blog.com
41. conventional.clansim.com
42. formal.clansim.com
43. jayne.clansim.com
44. jeremy.clansim.com
45. quinton.clansim.com
46. spanky.clansim.com
47. spiteful.clansim.com
48. information.clubbreaker.com
49. amysblog.crucialinfo.net
50. debsblog.crucialinfo.net
51. feeds.dailykos.com
52. bajablog.dailystressblog.com
53. blunderblog.dailystressblog.com
54. croutonblog.dailystressblog.com
55. gunnerblog.dailystressblog.com
56. mohicanblog.dailystressblog.com
57. bradyblog.daughterblog.com
58. furballblog.daughterblog.com
59. pagodablog.daughterblog.com
60. riderblog.daughterblog.com
61. allen.docrampage.com
62. edison.docrampage.com
63. emil.docrampage.com
64. jimmy.docrampage.com
65. randall.docrampage.com
66. tisha.docrampage.com
67. adelaide.espace-presence.com
68. barrett.espace-presence.com
69. hilton.espace-presence.com
70. loren.espace-presence.com
71. quentin.espace-presence.com
72. reba.espace-presence.com
73. sang.espace-presence.com
74. thomas.espace-presence.com
75. zane.espace-presence.com
76. bobs.favourite-site.com
77. feeds.feedburner.com
78. borschtblog.filipblog.com
79. gideonblog.filipblog.com
80. rootbeerblog.filipblog.com
81. shoelessblog.filipblog.com
82. horaceblog.focustblog.com
83. moonstruckblog.focustblog.com
84. rawhideblog.focustblog.com
85. sonatablog.focustblog.com
86. aprilfools.freebloghub.com
87. tsunami.freebloghub.com
88. communications.gaztai.com
89. insurance.gaztai.com
90. leisure.gaztai.com
91. myhouse.getserviceshere.com
92. ne.gold-medal-blog.com
93. nm.gold-medal-blog.com
94. oh.gold-medal-blog.com
95. or.gold-medal-blog.com
96. sd.gold-medal-blog.com
97. tx.gold-medal-blog.com
98. vt.gold-medal-blog.com
99. wy.gold-medal-blog.com
100. hannibalblog.happensblog.com
101. seabreezeblog.happensblog.com
102. sierrablog.happensblog.com
103. women.holyshoe.com
104. lin.inmyblog.info
105. mac.inmyblog.info
106. banditblog.intouchblog.com
107. bass-guitar-tab.jamorama.biz
108. firstpost.jblag.com
109. jasmin.jblag.com
110. jason.jblag.com
111. republicanised.jblag.com
112. willard.jblag.com
113. andrew.journalbeat.com
114. arthur.journalbeat.com
115. jacari.journalbeat.com
116. kevin.journalbeat.com
117. nekai.journalbeat.com
118. nevin.journalbeat.com
119. robin.journalbeat.com
120. markmywords.journal-blog.net
121. postivemotion.journal-blog.net
122. fever.journalmeet.com
123. guessitright.journalmeet.com
124. abraham.journalroom.com
125. larissa.journalroom.com
126. rolanda.journalroom.com
127. www.justblogz.com
128. www.kismayublog.com
129. www.luv2blog.com
130. www.magnetic-sweeper.info
131. rickards.mblogs.info
132. spaces.msn.com
133. actionplan.myblogbits.com
134. bestsegments.myblogbits.com
135. brainstorm.myblogbits.com
136. dailythoughts.myblogbits.com
137. greaselightning.myblogbits.com
138. greatplan.myblogbits.com
139. laundrylist.myblogbits.com
140. morethoughts.myblogbits.com
141. moretopics.myblogbits.com
142. multiplesearches.myblogbits.com
143. myinput.myblogbits.com
144. nevertoolate.myblogbits.com
145. onemoretime.myblogbits.com
146. openviews.myblogbits.com
147. randomcomments.myblogbits.com
148. randomthings.myblogbits.com
149. reportanalysis.myblogbits.com
150. runaround.myblogbits.com
151. topinputs.myblogbits.com
152. page.mybloggher.com
153. toptipsforyou.mybloggher.com
154. abby.my-blogs.biz
155. freeman.my-blogs.biz
156. kool.my-blogs.biz
157. lucille.my-blogs.biz
158. mybelief.my-blogs.biz
159. mymeaning.my-blogs.biz
160. platitudes.my-blogs.biz
161. premise2.my-blogs.biz
162. aimlesscomments.myblogtime.com
163. aimlessevents.myblogtime.com
164. arbitrarycomments.myblogtime.com
165. arbitrarynotions.myblogtime.com
166. casualevents.myblogtime.com
167. casualremarks.myblogtime.com
168. chancecomments.myblogtime.com
169. chancethoughts.myblogtime.com
170. oddevents.myblogtime.com
171. oddremarks.myblogtime.com
172. oddthoughts.myblogtime.com
173. randomevents.myblogtime.com
174. randomremarks.myblogtime.com
175. straycomments.myblogtime.com
176. straythoughts.myblogtime.com
177. unplannedcomments.myblogtime.com
178. epicblog.myselfandblog.com
179. leilablog.myselfandblog.com
180. journey.newfeatureweb.com
181. asphaltblog.newlifeblog.com
182. ancientwisdom.nutblogs.com
183. childrenofthesun.nutblogs.com
184. pokerguru.nutblogs.com
185. www.onlineinformation.org
186. current.onlineobservations.com
187. new.onlineobservations.com
188. todays.onlineobservations.com
189. basebeliefs.our-blogs.com
190. brandon.our-blogs.com
191. erik.our-blogs.com
192. fertile.our-blogs.com
193. mycause2.our-blogs.com
194. myintuition.our-blogs.com
195. mymeaning.our-blogs.com
196. tony.our-blogs.com
197. blanche.pdpress.com
198. carmi.pdpress.com
199. eker.pdpress.com
200. elishah.pdpress.com
201. jethlah.pdpress.com
202. mamre.pdpress.com
203. pauline.pdpress.com
204. uzziah.pdpress.com
205. whoopieblog.perspectiveblog.com
206. finance.pintxo.com
207. health.pintxo.com
208. hobby.pintxo.com
209. berdoi.ranid.com
210. errando.ranid.com
211. cowboy-leslie-blog.sidewalkchalkblog.com
212. alejandro.singingnettle.com
213. alexander.singingnettle.com
214. antonio.singingnettle.com
215. ethan.singingnettle.com
216. evan.singingnettle.com
217. joseph.singingnettle.com
218. seth.singingnettle.com
219. timothy.singingnettle.com
220. xavier.singingnettle.com
221. as.stealmeaway.com
222. scary.suspiria.org
223. beerbelly.tblag.com
224. willblog.thedayblog.com
225. chantillyblog.theramblingblog.com
226. nissanblog.theramblingblog.com
227. applecider.thewinterblog.com
228. frost.thewinterblog.com
229. jinglebells.thewinterblog.com
230. lakes.thewinterblog.com
231. silverandgold.thewinterblog.com
232. snow.thewinterblog.com
233. cadenblog.theworldsblog.com
234. rileyblog.theworldsblog.com
235. thezenweb.com
236. clarity.thezenweb.com
237. connection.thezenweb.com
238. awarenesszone.topblognet.com
239. bestnews.topblognet.com
240. betterthoughts.topblognet.com
241. brainyvisions.topblognet.com
242. chargeahead.topblognet.com
243. deepreflections.topblognet.com
244. dreamland.topblognet.com
245. firstplace.topblognet.com
246. joyfulbliss.topblognet.com
247. logicalthinking.topblognet.com
248. manymemories.topblognet.com
249. myperceptions.topblognet.com
250. myreflections.topblognet.com
251. noregrets.topblognet.com
252. positivethinking.topblognet.com
253. quickdecisions.topblognet.com
254. randomjournal.topblognet.com
255. topspot.topblognet.com
256. waywardthings.topblognet.com
257. bernhard.topblogreview.com
258. mfc.topblogreview.com
259. health.waynesubpblog.com
260. money.waynesubpblog.com
261. society.waynesubpblog.com
262. travel.waynesubpblog.com
263. assessment.we-b-blogs.com
264. extinction.we-b-blogs.com
265. feelingstoo.we-b-blogs.com
266. kooltoo.we-b-blogs.com
267. lois.we-b-blogs.com
268. marty.we-b-blogs.com
269. myreasoning.we-b-blogs.com
270. roberto.we-b-blogs.com
271. ross.we-b-blogs.com
272. rudy.we-b-blogs.com
273. targetzero.we-b-blogs.com
274. combo.wiz1763.com
275. howboutit.your-info-zone.com
276. randominfo.your-info-zone.com
277. searchin4info.your-info-zone.com
278. thoughts2ponder.your-info-zone.com
279. techgoods.yourkeyinfo.com
280. brenda.yourkeytips.com
281. crystal.yourkeytips.com
282. exercise.yourkeytips.com

Here is a list of Blogspot splogs I found via the Aristotle Blogspot articles.

1. travelsramblingideas-xnnj.blogspot.com
2. crosswhitelansisking.blogspot.com
3. jensonbriggs71.blogspot.com
4. guoparamus89.blogspot.com
5. maciebigpool85.blogspot.com
6. gridleylakevillage87.blogspot.com
7. vigilantzager.blogspot.com
8. lawanda652.blogspot.com
9. kropfillinois.blogspot.com
10. kemaman--35cf86.blogspot.com
11. travelsense-ehog.blogspot.com
12. luann62.blogspot.com
13. gilroysvoboda.blogspot.com
14. sicklepodwit.blogspot.com
15. hippelatesbye.blogspot.com
16. tinisha.blogspot.com
17. matthew42411.blogspot.com
18. noren775.blogspot.com
19. sandasandidge.blogspot.com
20. murrietaruvalc.blogspot.com
21. rojas6um2texas.blogspot.com
22. tsaihanford.blogspot.com
23. 78833.blogspot.com
24. giovanni83.blogspot.com
25. ungravelyvis.blogspot.com
26. birch--d56b9f.blogspot.com
27. constablelch.blogspot.com
28. yaakob--e36985.blogspot.com
29. solange15.blogspot.com
30. birdiefqo.blogspot.com
31. gerstner41marybeth.blogspot.com
32. 65spokane.blogspot.com
33. 26evansville.blogspot.com
34. 45worcester.blogspot.com
35. louviereqzj.blogspot.com
36. balbuenab.blogspot.com
37. seltzer95.blogspot.com
38. napervillecoopreports.blogspot.com
39. degree591.blogspot.com
40. fisher276.blogspot.com
41. leena16.blogspot.com
42. cristen-colorad-tdpm.blogspot.com
43. forsbergaww.blogspot.com
44. sobers979.blogspot.com
45. findertorclaus-domh.blogspot.com
46. vickie645.blogspot.com
47. houston59.blogspot.com
48. findersirregularobservations-fdld.blogspot.com
49. bianco47.blogspot.com
50. lakeisha85.blogspot.com
51. teed51.blogspot.com
52. geeksaresexy.blogspot.com
53. mariela369.blogspot.com
54. modesta229.blogspot.com
55. etter-colorado-fikw.blogspot.com
56. 81997.blogspot.com
57. findersramblingideas-khyu.blogspot.com
58. milstead528.blogspot.com
59. dierks557.blogspot.com
60. 18332.blogspot.com
61. 38498.blogspot.com
62. cutshawzah.blogspot.com
63. nitta198.blogspot.com
64. borger957.blogspot.com
65. fromtraveltoeternity-tkne.blogspot.com
66. celesta-georgia-pupj.blogspot.com
67. beaumontbeals.blogspot.com
68. tomokos.blogspot.com
69. melia935.blogspot.com
70. travelsdiffusethoughts-jadz.blogspot.com
71. kimball338.blogspot.com
72. su417.blogspot.com
73. apodaca116.blogspot.com
74. rector762.blogspot.com
75. willitsmoreira.blogspot.com
76. jessi50465046.blogspot.com
77. clark595.blogspot.com
78. sailboatsx-iojy.blogspot.com
79. see-santiam-river-resort-homepage.blogspot.com
80. stockso-qcvy.blogspot.com
81. conway695.blogspot.com
82. reportotomy-lwvd.blogspot.com
83. tosh241.blogspot.com
84. computerk-cljv.blogspot.com
85. croce-u913-tlny.blogspot.com

Here is a list of Live Journal splogs I found via the Aristotle Blogspot articles.

Update: Within 24 hours of reporting this list to Live Journal support, I received a note back indicating that all of these splogs have been "permanently suspended." Awesome!

1. utah-sarmiento.livejournal.com
2. brantner-spring.livejournal.com
3. fontana-bauman.livejournal.com
4. heckel-alabama4.livejournal.com
5. mantooth-new-me.livejournal.com
6. kentucky-tomi20.livejournal.com
7. mangino-omaha.livejournal.com
8. indiana-siefert.livejournal.com
9. nevada-talkingt.livejournal.com
10. arlington-chari.livejournal.com
11. hwa-chicago.livejournal.com
12. hwa_chicago.livejournal.com
13. new-york-biel89.livejournal.com
14. hudson-san-fran.livejournal.com
15. hudson-san_fran.livejournal.com
16. georgia-lonny31.livejournal.com
17. hollywood-trace.livejournal.com
18. hollywood_trace.livejournal.com
19. torrance-veta.livejournal.com
20. torrance_veta.livejournal.com
21. aracely-durham.livejournal.com
22. eaker-omaha.livejournal.com
23. lansing-aleida.livejournal.com
24. lansing_aleida.livejournal.com
25. tamesha-aurora.livejournal.com
26. tamesha_aurora.livejournal.com
27. lenblanga.livejournal.com
28. norfolk-blanche.livejournal.com
29. norfolk_blanche.livejournal.com
30. wisconsin-amen8.livejournal.com
31. des-moines-dori.livejournal.com
32. coretta-savanna.livejournal.com
33. coretta_savanna.livejournal.com
34. kristyn-salinas.livejournal.com
35. kristyn_salinas.livejournal.com
36. topdawgf3.livejournal.com
37. blauw1983.livejournal.com
38. troxler-south-c.livejournal.com
39. providence-seri.livejournal.com
40. providence_seri.livejournal.com
41. pittsburgh-perr.livejournal.com
42. pittsburgh_perr.livejournal.com
43. terranova-los-a.livejournal.com
44. cincinnati-shar.livejournal.com
45. cincinnati_shar.livejournal.com
46. chicago-preciou.livejournal.com
47. chicago_preciou.livejournal.com
48. sellman-arkansa.livejournal.com
49. mcallister-neva.livejournal.com
50. utah-denman.livejournal.com
51. valencia-durham.livejournal.com
52. arkansas-amee.livejournal.com
53. oregon-sikora60.livejournal.com
54. hettiec.livejournal.com
55. eartha-tampa.livejournal.com
56. eartha_tampa.livejournal.com
57. sell-tennessee4.livejournal.com
58. akron-maira.livejournal.com
59. akron_maira.livejournal.com
60. teresa-rocheste.livejournal.com
61. teresa_rocheste.livejournal.com
62. drewry-akron.livejournal.com
63. drewry_akron.livejournal.com
64. oregon-violette.livejournal.com
65. tennessee-harri.livejournal.com
66. laine-i.livejournal.com
67. laine_i.livejournal.com
68. parkins-torranc.livejournal.com
69. lennon-missouri.livejournal.com
70. lennon_missouri.livejournal.com
71. tennessee-gooda.livejournal.com
72. paris-nevada491.livejournal.com
73. glendale-naoma.livejournal.com
74. tennessee-burri.livejournal.com
75. ordway-henderso.livejournal.com
76. ordway_henderso.livejournal.com
77. mangum-aurora.livejournal.com
78. mangum_aurora.livejournal.com
79. quintanilla-mis.livejournal.com
80. new-york-boddy2.livejournal.com
81. kentucky-revels.livejournal.com
82. alaska-crutcher.livejournal.com
83. risinger-minnes.livejournal.com
84. campuzano-arkan.livejournal.com
85. chula-vista-bas.livejournal.com
86. trapani-rhode-i.livejournal.com
87. new-mexico-shaf.livejournal.com
88. new-jersey-dunt.livejournal.com
89. new_jersey_dunt.livejournal.com
90. dickenson-north.livejournal.com
91. kaplan-fresno63.livejournal.com
92. charlton-hawaii.livejournal.com
93. gilkes-missouri.livejournal.com
94. hawaii-croley75.livejournal.com
95. wilkin-californ.livejournal.com
96. irvine-buker205.livejournal.com
97. illinois-giulia.livejournal.com
98. jacobo-durham76.livejournal.com
99. joshua-o.livejournal.com
100. joshua_o.livejournal.com
101. new-haven-mike.livejournal.com
102. new_haven_mike.livejournal.com
103. hortenciaa.livejournal.com
104. cordia-kentucky.livejournal.com
105. cordia_kentucky.livejournal.com
106. suellenchessor.livejournal.com
107. huntsville-maeg.livejournal.com
108. huntsville_maeg.livejournal.com
109. feltonpadgette.livejournal.com
110. scottsdale-hert.livejournal.com
111. garnettcampagne.livejournal.com
112. eaker_omaha.livejournal.com
113. nathanael1979.livejournal.com
114. taina-sacrament.livejournal.com
115. kimq2006.livejournal.com
116. lingerm463.livejournal.com
117. barkevikiticq51.livejournal.com
118. annita1965.livejournal.com
119. roxie-037.livejournal.com
120. leola-050.livejournal.com
121. symona-995.livejournal.com
122. gratiana-017.livejournal.com
123. maurice-huntsvi.livejournal.com
124. areria-1969.livejournal.com
125. see-waco312.livejournal.com
126. ohio-kujawa.livejournal.com
127. miami-brister.livejournal.com
128. combs-hollywood.livejournal.com
129. pearl-064.livejournal.com
130. sticklerw.livejournal.com
131. aintzile-1982.livejournal.com
132. usher-u.livejournal.com
133. rosa-amarillo.livejournal.com
134. rosa_amarillo.livejournal.com
135. macroprismst849.livejournal.com
136. gallager-n.livejournal.com
137. totakoxe-1978.livejournal.com
138. louisville-caud.livejournal.com
139. eggleston-amari.livejournal.com
140. el-monte-tapper.livejournal.com
141. sacco-austin310.livejournal.com
142. bloomquist-u602.livejournal.com
143. schankc41.livejournal.com
144. darius1967.livejournal.com
145. sanfilippo-oxna.livejournal.com
146. denae-g8.livejournal.com
147. eugene8k.livejournal.com
148. joey6n.livejournal.com
149. nv-dominique.livejournal.com
150. val-virginia-be.livejournal.com
151. terpstra-jackso.livejournal.com
152. mccurry-richmon.livejournal.com
153. mari-vancouver1.livejournal.com
154. andronicus-1965.livejournal.com
155. wetherellr.livejournal.com
156. trophogenicg724.livejournal.com
157. baltimore-mcclu.livejournal.com
158. swartsf654.livejournal.com
159. oklahoma-natash.livejournal.com
160. ronsylvester8.livejournal.com
161. julian2j.livejournal.com
162. diane8g.livejournal.com
163. missj659.livejournal.com
164. ninesjournal.livejournal.com
165. ciara-tallahass.livejournal.com
166. marqueriteb270.livejournal.com
167. alabama-guerrer.livejournal.com
168. josef-san-franc.livejournal.com
169. haritzeder606.livejournal.com
170. arrixaka520.livejournal.com
171. erramusa546.livejournal.com
172. arnold88.livejournal.com
173. bobadillaw.livejournal.com
174. amphelice9.livejournal.com
175. comparativel336.livejournal.com
176. sabtechah-1981.livejournal.com
177. joleen-san-dieg.livejournal.com
178. maurice6p.livejournal.com
179. rosellae.livejournal.com
180. caitlin6j.livejournal.com
181. zirklea.livejournal.com
182. p-walker4.livejournal.com
183. santa-rosa-mean.livejournal.com
184. kayleen-paterso.livejournal.com
185. larry3y.livejournal.com
186. argiloain733.livejournal.com
187. zuna-075.livejournal.com
188. syracuse-witten.livejournal.com
189. blow-warren.livejournal.com
190. rawley-joliet.livejournal.com
191. arritokieta897.livejournal.com
192. little-rock-pat.livejournal.com
193. graphicalnes505.livejournal.com
194. angel5j.livejournal.com
195. sly-santa-rosa.livejournal.com
196. jeffry1965.livejournal.com
197. milton-harris.livejournal.com
198. bridgeport-terr.livejournal.com
199. daisy6k.livejournal.com
200. mayra-e.livejournal.com
201. alexandria-salo.livejournal.com
202. alexandria_salo.livejournal.com
203. udalaitz-1965.livejournal.com
204. antoine8w.livejournal.com
205. derek2y.livejournal.com
206. bracco-raleigh.livejournal.com
207. fullerton-santi.livejournal.com
208. woodward-026.livejournal.com
209. nardi-i.livejournal.com
210. auriola941.livejournal.com
211. nowak-kentucky.livejournal.com
212. orlando6h.livejournal.com
213. slaven-louisvil.livejournal.com
214. eguerdi.livejournal.com
215. irvine-hoskin.livejournal.com
216. irvine_hoskin.livejournal.com
217. goodrow-las-veg.livejournal.com
218. delanag289.livejournal.com
219. nohemi-q117.livejournal.com
220. earlean-k.livejournal.com
221. hashabnah-1965.livejournal.com
222. boise-barajas.livejournal.com
223. roebuck-w348.livejournal.com
224. raul9b.livejournal.com
225. benzoheth-1983.livejournal.com
226. indartsu948.livejournal.com
227. lisamoore.livejournal.com

Why on earth do I have this page? Because spammers have been leaving comments on my blog for the sole purpose of manipulating page rank. Their goal in doing so is to cause their "buy Levitra cheap" pages to rise to the top of the results when you search Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others. If you are researching Levitra, or any other drug for that matter, what you need is medical information from trusted sources and not the ads of some spammer attempting to get rich quick. Therefore, this page exists to counteract the page manipulation attempts of spammers.

Disclaimer: The links below will take you to sites which seem to contain valid information and which are not directly involved in the sale of Levitra. Nonetheless, inclusion here is NOT an endorsement of their site, their content, or the substitution of online information for that provided by your doctor. By following any of these links, you are acknowledging that Grain of Salt, its author, its host, and anyone else connected in any way to this site have no liability whatsoever for the decisions you make based on this information.

Note to bloggers: If every blogger getting comment spam had such a page hidden somewhere on their site, the spammers would be knocked completely out of the top 10 ranking they seem so desperately to want. Therefore, feel free to copy the contents of this page, or a portion thereof, and include it wherever you see fit.

Note to spammers: Comments on this blog are manually moderated. In other words, no comment gets approved until I read it and decide it's worthy of approval. What this means to you is that your links will never get on this site. What they will do instead is motivate me to create a page like this one for the product you are selling. Thus your attempt at spamming my blog will actually be a loss rather than a gain for your cause. Surely we both have better things to do.

1. The official Levitra website
2. Levitra Patient Information Sheet from the FDA
3. Levitra Information from Yahoo Health
4. Levitra Information from Medline Plus
5. Levitra Information from WebMD
6. A study that indicates Levitra may protect the heart
7. A study that indicates Levitra may have mental health benefits
8. Levitra may be helpful for men who have ED as a result of spinal cord injury
9. Levitra is made by Bayer
10. Some historical information about Levitra from WebMD

This page has been inspired by the following trolls:

1. 61.99.35.113

Greetings and salutations and welcome to Grain of Salt, a place I would call "my own little corner at the edge of the blogosphere" were it not for the fact that spheres tend to be spherical and hence lacking in corners. Regardless, you are here -- wherever here happens to be -- so please make yourself at home.

Grain of Salt is my work-free zone -- well, that was the plan anyway. I wanted a place where I could write about the things I find interesting and/or amusing and/or even somewhat disturbing, and be able to do so casually, without having to worry about getting it "perfect." The plan was sound. I suppose it still is. What has changed since GOS' inception, however, is my insistence upon blogging anonymously.

The reality is that I am a workaholic. And, like any good workaholic, I devote a significant portion of my "personal" time to projects connected peripherally (if not directly) to my career. More and more I found myself refraining from blogging about the things I care about for the sake of preserving my anonymity. It was getting to be too much, even for this paranoid privacy freak. So I decided to "come out."

So who on earth am I? My name is Joanmarie Diggs. I'm an Assistive Technology Specialist, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapist – all of which boils down to this: I teach folks who are blind or visually impaired. I've been doing so for, gosh, over fourteen years now and I wouldn't do anything else. Most of those years have been spent working for the Carroll Center. I don't think I'd work anyplace else. Which brings me to the all-important disclaimer:

Grain of Salt is my personal blog and is in no way affiliated with the Carroll Center for the Blind, its board, management, or staff. Nor is it affiliated with any of the projects in which I participate or any of the organizations of which I am a member. The views and opinions expressed here by me are strictly mine.

Phew! Now where was I?

• I'm a self-described geek living in Nashua, New Hampshire. I love the state, but could do without the traffic associated with being in a city this close to greater Boston. Fortunately, I get to telecommute nearly 100% of the time.
• I used to be a librarian; I'm still a vegetarian; I'm currently in my mid (okay, late) 30s.
• I'm a yellow-dog Democrat, which means I would sooner vote for a yellow dog than a Republican. This is not a joke. If a Republican is running unopposed and you can get your dog on the ballot, I'll vote for your four-legged friend -- even if he/she isn't yellow.
• While I am completely non-religious, I fear that the end of the world is upon us because nothing says "Horsemen of the Apocalypse" like Wal-Mart and the RIAA. Talk about evil incarnate. They must be stopped before they form an unholy alliance and file John Doe suits against people whose cars were allegedly spotted in the Target parking lot. I hope the Apocalypse will be a catered event. (Did you remember to read the disclaimer?)
• My motto is "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that people are not out to get you." These are words to live by. I think there is also something to be said for the claim that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" as long as you remember that it also probably hurts like hell.

As for solving various and sundry things with potatoes....

It took me a while to come up with a name for this blog. I considered a number of things that reflected the fact that I am a vegetarian. And while I do write on the topic of vegetarianism, that's not the focus of this blog. I also considered several titles that reflected my silly and self-deprecating humor, such as "The Ritalin wears off around 2:00" (because it does!) or "Non Cogito ergo Poof!" (because I have a B.A. in Latin and tend to act rather air-headish). But the former didn't seem to capture the flavor, and I had visions of people writing me to point out the logical fallacy of the latter. Yawn! Had I known then that I'd give up anonymous blogging, I would have gone with "Driver Reads Braille." Oh well, it's too late for that now....

"Grain of Salt" seemed sufficiently apropos for the title, but it lacked the vegetarianism and silliness that make up a large part of who I am. I needed the subtitle/description to reflect at least some aspect of that. Being a Douglas Adams fan.... It was he who said, "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." It's the opening sentence to Chapter 24 of Life, the Universe and Everything. If you're looking for something to read and haven't read his five-volume "trilogy," I highly recommend that you do. Anyway.... I adopted that line as the description of my blog and it stuck for quite some time. Then one day Janice Brown came along and designed an entire collection of banners for me. Thanks to Janice, there's no telling what I'll be attempting to remedy with spuds next. You'll just have to visit often and see! Regardless.... That is why the reference to potatoes is in there. If that makes sense to you, then you've come to the right place, and I'm sorry.

What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication," but for some people RSS is anything BUT simple. Therefore, what follows is my attempt at an explanation for the complete RSS novice -- which, according to a survey conducted by Yahoo!, is 88-96% of the web-surfing population. So if you don't know what RSS is or why you should use it, you're in good company!

Before getting into the nitty, gritty of RSS, let's take a conceptual look at why it's cool. How do you get information from the web currently? If you're like most people, you probably visit all of the web sites you're interested in. That certainly works, but after a while it gets tedious because you have to take the time to go to each and every one of those sites. It's rather like grocery shopping: Do you want to have to go to a butcher for your meat, then to a bakery for your bread, then to a dairy for your milk, cheese, and eggs? Probably not. If you're like most people, you want to go to the supermarket so that you can get everything you need all at once. Getting your information site by site is like going to the individual shops. Getting your information through RSS is like going to the supermarket.

I'm Convinced RSS is for Me! How Do I Sign Up?

In order to "sign up," you "subscribe." More specifically, you subscribe to RSS "feeds." A feed is just a list of the articles available at a given site. So "subscribing" to a site's "feed" means that you automatically get new articles delivered to you without your having to go to that site.

In order to subscribe to feeds, you need what's called a "reader" or an "aggregator" -- two terms for the same creature. Your reader/aggregator will become your one-stop information shop. You have a number of options to choose from, most of which are free. Some readers/aggregator's are web-based. In other words, you go to a single web page and that page will show you all of the new articles from all of the sites you care about. Other readers/aggregators are products you download and install on your computer. Examples of the latter include intraVnews for Microsoft Outlook; of the former, I particularly like NetVibes and My Yahoo. If you're thinking, "Hey, I already use My Yahoo," then I have some good news for you: You already have a reader/aggregator.

intraVnews, Netvibes, and My Yahoo are just a few of the many options available to you. There's a pretty comprehensive list available at allrss.com. That said, if you are completely new to RSS, my suggestion is to start with My Yahoo or -- if you live your life in Microsoft Outlook -- intraVnews. Then once you're comfortable with RSS, consider exploring the other possibilities so that you can find the reader/aggregator that's right for you.

Regardless of the reader/aggregator you choose, the general process of subscribing to feeds is the same: You have to give the URL of the feed to your reader/aggregator. This, of course, means you need to find that URL. Unfortunately, the URL for the feed is NOT the URL for the site. For instance, to subscribe to my feed, do NOT use http://blog.grain-of-salt.com. That's the URL for viewing articles here. The URL for the feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/GrainOfSalt. So how are you supposed to figure that out? Well, it depends on the site. But a site with an RSS feed will likely have a little orange graphic somewhere on its home page. That graphic might say "RSS" or "XML," or it may just be a symbol.

When you find a graphic like that, it's a link to the feed. What you get when you click on that graphic may be an easy to read site, like this one, or it may look something like:

I suspect that one day clicking on such a link will automatically subscribe you to the feed. But we're not there yet, at least not quite. More about this in a bit. In the meantime, the link associated with the little orange graphic is what you need to give to your reader/aggregator. You can get this link in a couple of ways: If you've already clicked on the graphic and are looking at the feed, the URL should be in your address bar.

All you have to do is highlight it and then copy it to the clipboard.

If you haven't already clicked on the orange graphic, you can right-click on it instead and then choose "Copy link location" (if you use Firefox) or "Copy shortcut" (if you use Internet Explorer). I'm afraid I haven't looked in the menus of all of the other browsers, but you are looking for something that sounds like it will let you copy the URL. If you can't find such a thing, just click on the graphic and then get the URL out of the Address Bar.

Once you have copied the URL of the feed, you need to figure out where to paste it. This depends on the reader/aggregator you are using. In My Yahoo, I click on "Add Content" and then on "Add RSS by URL". In intraVnews, I click on the "Subscriptions" button that's in the toolbar in Outlook. Then I click on the Subscriptions menu and choose "Subscribe to Feed". If you use a different aggregator, you'll of course do something different, but the keywords you are looking for will be the same: RSS, Subscribe, Feed, URL, etc.

Having given the URL of the feed to your reader/aggregator, you are subscribed. From now on, any time a new article appears on the site whose feed you just subscribed to, it will show up in your reader/aggregator. No more need to go to that site to see what's there because that site will come to you!

One-Click Subscription

Earlier I stated that one day you'll likely be able to just click on a little graphic and get subscribed automatically. While that day is not here yet, it is getting a lot closer. On some sites you will find subscription buttons like these:

If you see such a button for the aggregator you use, you can click on it to subscribe and not have to hassle with copying and pasting feed URLs.

So Where Can I Find Feeds that Interest Me?

Because more and more sites have RSS feeds, just look around on the home pages of your favorite sites. You should be able to find at least a few starter feeds that way. Also look in your aggregator: Many have sample feeds or recommendations. And if you want even more feeds, take a look at the "blogrolls" of your favorite bloggers. Blogrolls are rather like endorsements: They tell you what that blogger is reading -- or at least thinks is worth reading. If you look on the right-hand side on the main page of my blog, you'll see a list of the feeds I subscribe to. Most bloggers have such blogrolls. Follow the links, read what's there, and if you like what you find, look for the little orange graphic.

Parting Words

The last thing I want to tell you is that your mileage will vary. Some feeds have a huge number of articles; others do not. Some feeds contain summaries only and expect you to go to the site for the full article; other feeds contain full articles. Some aggregators lump all articles together like a newspaper; others arrange them by feed. Some let you synchronize among multiple computers; others do not. Etc., etc., etc. Not to worry. Start with an aggregator and some initial feeds. Unsubscribe to the ones that don't work out for you, and try to find some others that do. After reading your feeds for a while, consider what is right about -- as well as what is lacking in -- your current aggregator. If you find a lot lacking, look for a different one that better suits your personal needs. Like I said before, you have many options. Eventually I think you'll find that RSS is a great tool, and you may even wonder how you had gotten along without it.

Happy reading!