II

Alrighty. TWO matters of Internet business. 

I. The Bad. This morning I got a pretty informative/creepy e-mail from Student PIRG (public interest research groups) about facebook & it's non-existent privacy. For those of you like I who cannot bear to delete the addiction, but want to keep 'er safe - I suggest you read here. To be fair, I also read on the Huffington Post that facebook has announced new and easier privacy settings should be released in the next few weeks. 
II. The Beautiful. I have a new blog for everyone to check out/become a part of! Introducing -- http://culturesmash.wordpress.com/  In the words of it's creator Kim Hope Athay, 

"... This blog is going to create one stage for many people I know - and hopefully many people I’ve never before met - to share about their cultural experiences.  The good, the hard, the funny, the classic, the traumatic, the life-changers, the life-alterers.  The lessons we learn while traveling abroad need a place to be planted, nourished, and grow into fruits for future world travelers to digest.  
It is my belief that we have no way of appreciating, respecting, or loving the world outside of our borders and comfort zone until we have traveled beyond.  Likewise, how can we know what to appreciate here until we know that others live differently?  The greatest experiences in my own life have happened on foreign soil - for many reasons, not least of which that it taught me to understand America better in the context of the world.
If you have traveled abroad and would like to be a regular (or irregular) contributor, please click on “Submit your Experience” in the right-hand column.  Frequently I will ask for submissions based on a certain topic (like food, taboos, religion, bars, education, sports, etc.), however, you can really write about any cultural experience you have had abroad… I’m anxious to help you share your stories here."

A great way to learn about culture, people! I personally hope to become a frequent contributor (there is even talk of somehow/day linking my new monthly travel feature and Culture Smash) & I beam at the thought of you doing the same.