I know this column is meant for fun. It’s meant to lighten the mood for the already light Be. But this week we get serious. I thought, as I sat down to bring you more funny Web sites and videos, that maybe I should direct people to sites that can actually help you.

I had a dilemma. Do I play it safe and bring you more laughs or do I take a chance for just one week and maybe, just maybe, save your life. My gut told me to give you some life or death sites that could help you in ways you never imagined.

The first is survivaltopics.com, which contains an unbelievable amount of links and discussion on survival stories and scenarios. The site is devoted to divulging every imaginable hint or tip on surviving in the wilderness.

Ever wondered how to make a snow trench shelter? Look at this site. Ever wondered how to use petroleum jelly as a last ditch fire starter in adverse conditions? Look at this site.

There’s even a section that shows you how to clean your camping pots and pans with wood ash. This useful tip can be applied indoors and out; just imagine having a sink full of dirty dishes at home after Electric City Utilities turns your water off.

Normally, I would panic and buy new, disposable pots and pans. However, now I know how to clean these dishes with wood ash, which can be found in your living room if you have a fireplace. Problem solved.

www.survivaltopics.com/

A natural follow-up to the survival Web site would be a medical/health one, and there’s none better online than webMD.com. Today, I looked at this site and found a list of 38 ways to stop pain.

How can you beat that? While most people are online watching “Chocolate Rain” or “Man Getting Hit in the Nuts with a Baseball,” you can actually get online and find out how to better take care of yourself. Wow, look kids, an article on gallbladder basics!

However, do not use webMD.com as a substitute for an actual doctor. If you fall off your house while trying to get a better signal from your satellite or you get shot, don’t “webMD it.” Go to an actual M.D.

www.webmd.com/

We’ve talked about outdoor survival and keys to better health, but now it’s time to talk about the most serious topic in the world today: who will Tila Tequila pick on season two of “A Shot at Love?” By the time you read this, the show may be over. If Tila finds someone, this wonderful show will be taken out of my life forever.

I can’t have that, so I went to the only place you can go in dire situations, Wikipedia.com. The word is Tila’s still looking for love and the chances of a third season are pretty good.

For an entertainment junkie like me, that’s the definition of survival.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Shot_at_Love_2_with_Tila_Tequila