I think you'll find the following links helpful:

   http://www.dictionary.com  for  language translation  

   http://www.mapquest.com   for travel planning

   http://www.crh.noaa.gov    update your weather

   http://www.italianfoodforever.com If you like to eat Italian

   http://www.foxnews.com   Up to date news

    http://www.webshots.com  Spruce up your desktop

    http://infoplease.com/yearbyyear.htm  Good for research