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With Hanukkah tomorrow, time is limited to get the best gift to someone on short notice. As just about every store and business takes gift certificates or cards, it may be the best gift anyway, especially for the people who are hard to shop for.

GiftCertificates.com offers a wide selection of gift cards, or you can give a general gift card, called a SuperCertificate, which lets the recipient select their own store or merchant. Gift cards and certificates can be given as a tangible item or sent via email. Check their Web site for complete details.

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In this season of giving, one of the best gifts is to make a donation in the name of someone to a charity. I am fortunate to support several organizations with their Web sites, and one of them is YouthBuild Boston.

The tagline for YouthBuild Boston, located in Dudley Square of Boston's Roxbury neighborhood is “Strengthening Youth, Rebuilding Communities.” They achieve this by training youth in the community in construction and related industries. They also have a technology program that gets computers to people in the community. Their Web site lists complete details on their mission and programs.

You can support YouthBuild Boston with a monetary donation online, donating an item on their wish list or participating in their unique UBuild program. YouthBuild Boston is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. I have been proud to support them throughout the years and recommend others to explore this organization and do the same!

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Yesterday we lost Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel. For anyone like myself who grew up in the 1970’s, you knew all about the great American daredevil known for jumping buses and cars on his motorcycle, not to mention his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. Though he retired in the early 1980’s, he remained a pop culture icon with instant name recognition.

Evel was unique. His name alone – he was “Evel” but not “evil!” He was patriotic in his stars and stripes jumpsuit without being overtly patriotic. He was being himself, yet had a huge following in the US and around the world. But foremost – he tried. Kids didn’t care he didn’t make it completely across the Snake River Canyon. The fact he did it alone was cool, and that’s why kids wanted his wind-up motorcycle and car toys.

When I first heard about his passing, like many others I talked to yesterday I had a loud sigh. Then in the usual fashion of my brain swirling random thoughts came to mind, such as how popular would he be today with the Internet? But the point is moot – the Internet was still being developed and tested when he was out there doing his jumps. He was a man of his time, and our fondness for him also includes those days.

Evel’s own Web site is a well-done tribute to all that he was, and John Wall has a fitting tribute to him using his artistic talents. Now I’ll go see how much his wind-up cycles are on eBay.

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