chosen by your "librarian without walls," Marylaine Block mblock@netexpress.net

October 21

The 50 Coolest Fictional Cities
http://www.complex.com/city-guide/2011/10/the-50-coolest-fictional-cities#1
Though this is in the annoying format that forces you to click for every single selection, it's still a fun idea to explore - and to inspire thoughts about your own favorite fictional places.

2011 Temkin Trust Ratings
http://www.temkinratings.com/temkin-ratings/temkin-trust-ratings/
The ratings are "based on consumer feedback on companies that they recently interactions with. We asked consumers to what degree do they trust that companies will take care of their needs on a 7-point scale..." Note that from here you can also find out how people rate companies on customer service and other qualities.

Clinical Trials for Beginners
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/10/06/molecules-to-medicine-clinical-trials-for-beginners/
The first in a series of articles explaining the reasons for clinical trials of new medications, and the way they're conducted.

Disability Insurance Needs Calculator
http://www.lifehappens.org/disability-insurance-needs-calculator/
You've probably bought life insurance to protect your income in case of a wage-earner's death, but have you thought about insuring against the loss of income if the wage earner becomes disabled?

Do-It-Yourself Halloween Costumes
http://www.parents.com/holiday/halloween/costumes/diy-costume-ideas/
Why should you spend money to turn your children into ordinary witches or zombies when you could use materials on hand to turn them into scuba divers, chefs, mad scientists, Indiana Jones, gypsies, and more, at this site and these others: Homemade Halloween Costumes at FamilyFun <http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-kids-costumes/> and DIY halloween Costumes at Real Simple <http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/halloween/diy-halloween-costumes-00100000065971/index.html>.

Genetically Engineered Food: An Overview - Food & Water Watch
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/reports/genetically-engineered-food/
Provides a critical view of the technology of GE foods, common GE foods, safety issues, effects on farmers, and how the food regulatory system deals with GE foods. Monsanto, which has pioneered many of these foods, offers a different view at <http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/food-safety.aspx>

Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Tax Reform Plan - Tax Policy Center
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?Docid=3222&DocTypeID=2
The Tax Policy Center analyzes how people at different levels of income would be affected by Cain's 9-9-9 plan which has aroused so much interest.

Medicare.gov - the official US government Site for Medicare
http://www.medicare.gov/default.aspx
Open enrollment began October 15. If you're having a hard time figuring out which plan is best for you, start here; the site helps you find and compare drug and health plans and Medigap plans, find out if Medicare covers a particular test or service, how to get help with your prescription costs, and lots more.

Penny Postcards
http://www.usgwarchives.org/special/ppcs/ppcs.html
When postcards cost only a penny to mail (around 1917), postcards often showed not just local scenery and monuments but slices of everyday life and important local events as well - a train wreck, a flood, a fire, rounding up and branding cattle, mule teams at work, etc.

SciFan - Books for science fiction, fantasy and mystery fans
http://scifan.com/
"We're all about helping readers discover new science fiction and fantasy books and authors. We update our database almost daily, with the ambition to make it a comprehensive and accurate resource for bibliographies and biographies in our favorite genres. As of today we include 77793 books, 21908 writers, 10283 series & 4873 web links." Searchable, and browsable by author, series, and themes.

State Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
If you use a cell phone while driving and you travel into other states, you might want to check here to see if you'll be breaking their laws.

Washington's Most Powerful, Least Famous People
http://www.tnr.com/print/article/politics/96131/washingtons-most-powerful-least-famous-people
It's always kind of interesting to find out who the anonymous power brokers behind the curtain are.

October 14

5 Myths about Your Taxes - Tax Policy Center
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?ID=901335
Impartially gores some of the favorite taxation ideas of both conservatives and liberals. While you're at the Tax Policy Center, you might also want to explore their other policy briefings and reports.

Behavioral Economics - Dan Ariely - Five Books http://thebrowser.com/interviews/dan-ariely-on-behavioural-economics
The "rational man" theory of economics has started to yield to research that shows how and why humans really make economic decisions. Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, chooses his top five books in this new field.

Common Sense Guide to "Organic" and Other Food Labels
http://lifehacker.com/5488799/the-common-sense-guide-to-organic-and-other-food-labels
Lots of food packagers are making claims to natural goodness, but what do the labels really mean, and can you trust them? Who verifies the claims, and how trustworthy are they? Start here, and follow the links for more detailed info.

Declaration of the Occupation of New York City
http://nycga.cc/2011/09/30/declaration-of-the-occupation-of-new-york-city/
The General Assembly of the Occupy Wall Street movement answers the question, "But what do they WANT?" Since one of the movement's pressing concerns is the growing gap between the rich and the 99% (everyone else), you might also want to look at 20 Facts about US Inequality that Everybody Should Know <http://www.stanford.edu/group/scspi/cgi-bin/facts.php>

Family Fun: 53 Ways To Celebrate Fall - Parenting Squad
http://parentingsquad.com/fun-fall-activities-for-families
Ideas for activities the whole family can enjoy, including , making your own Halloween costumes, preserving leaves, making creepy Halloween snacks, going through a corn maze, picking your own apples (see Farm Visit, Pick Your Own <http://www.farmvisit.com/> to find one near you), and more.

Graphic Novel Reviews - Now Read This! http://www.comicsreview.co.uk/nowreadthis/
Graphic Novel Reviews and Recommendations by Win Wiacek, former chairman of the Comics Creators Guild. With frequent entries and an archive that goes back at least as far as 2007, these detailed critiques are a rich source for lovers of graphic novels.

Rover's Eye View of Three Years on Mars
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=114782241
This is an amazing composite video of 309 images from the Rover's 13 mile trek from Victoria crater to Endeavour crater - as close as most of us will ever get to exploring another planet.

The Scientific Guide to Global Warming Skepticism
http://www.skepticalscience.com/The-Scientific-Guide-to-Global-Warming-Skepticism.html
This guide examines each argument advanced by the skeptics and explains the science (at both intermediate and advanced level) that refutes each claim.

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2011/10/social-life-public-space/237/
The classic documentary by William H. Whyte, and his book of the same name, document how people use public spaces, and what elements in those spaces encourage or discourage social interactions.

What's the Most Important Thing You Learned from a Teacher?
http://blogs.plos.org/neurotribes/2011/10/05/whats-the-most-important-lesson-you-learned-from-a-teacher/
Many of us were lucky enough to have one or two teachers who inspired us, forced us to think, and/or changed our lives. Authors, science writers and researchers tell us about what they learned from their teachers. What did you learn from yours?

Where You Can Buy Made in America Building Products
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/10/how-to-build-a-made-in-america-home/
Part of the recent feature on ABC News Made in America series about buildings made solely with American-made products. If you missed the story, check it out here: <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/10/how-to-build-a-made-in-america-home/>.

WomensLaw.org
http://womenslaw.org/
This award-winning site tells women about the legal steps involved in protecting themselves from their abusers. Also see the Violence against Women section of womenshealth.gov, <http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence/>

October 7

11 High Paying Six Figure Jobs without a College Degree
http://www.moneycrashers.com/six-figure-income-jobs-without-having-a-degree/
If you don't want your kids to spend four prime earning years acquiring student loan debt, you might encourage them to look into jobs like these that trade schools and apprenticeships can prepare them for.

The 2011 Worst Ad in America Nominees! The Consumerist
http://consumerist.com/2011/10/announcing-the-2011-worst-ad-in-america-nominees.html
If you are as annoyed by these ads as Consumerist readers are, here's your chance to vote and let the advertisers know.

Exercise and Physical Fitness: MedlinePlus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseandphysicalfitness.html
Web resources carefully chosen by the National Library of Medicine, including overviews, nutrition, exercises for specific conditions, tools, tutorials, and more.

FedFlix - Free Film from US Government
http://www.archive.org/details/FedFlix
Virtually every agency of the government has been involved in movie-making for most of the 20th century, and this section of the Internet Archive makes thousands of them available. Among the topics of historical interest: "The Roswell Reports," a 1970s film on LSD, "Why VietNam?", "Duck and Cover," "Apollo 11," and lots more.

Flowing Data: Data Visualization, Infographics and Statistics
http://flowingdata.com/
A terrific site for anyone interested in effective graphic display of information.

HowCast
http://www.howcast.com/
How-To Videos on just about every project you can imagine, including salsa dancing, crocheting booties, making fried ice cream, how to pull off a surprise marriage proposal, preventing ear infections in children, and so much more. Search or browse through categories like Kids, Teens, Games, First Aid & Safety, Holidays & Celebrations, Cars, House & Garden, etc.

Library Use Value Calculator - Maine State Library
http://www.maine.gov/msl/services/calculator.htm
Library users might want to try out this little exercise to see what your public library means to you and your wallets - and to learn what services you may not have known your library offers. I ran the calculations, and my public library turns out to be worth about $5,000 a year to me.

Percentage of Program Beneficiaries Who Report That They "Have Not Used a Government Social Program" http://wamo.info/mag/1107/1107.mettler_GovSocProg_chart.jpg
This is interesting: apparently many people who get direct or indirect government benefits aren't aware of it. And this chart doesn't even include disaster assistance, or numerous tax breaks and deductions for things like employer-provided health care, health insurance premiums, energy saving home improvements, retirement tax credit, and more.

Post-it Note Art - WebUrbanist
http://weburbanist.com/2008/01/24/more-unusual-art-from-everyday-materials-16-post-it-note-pranks-sculptures-and-murals/
My grandchildren already adore post-it notes, and they haven't even begun to explore the artistic possibilities. Here are some of the creative ways people have been using them.

The Scicurious Brain - the Good, the Bad, and Weird in Physiology and Neuroscience
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/
This week it's having a lot of fun telling you more about the 2011 IgNobel Prizes <http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/> than the award's own site does.

The Spur Awards
http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/The-Spur-Awards/394
"The Spur Awards are given annually for distinguished writing about the American West.... This list compiles the recent winners of the Best Western Long Novel or Best Western Novel."

Writing Guides - Business Writing
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/index.cfm?guides_active=business&category1=37
In an age of tweeting and texting, we may not think writing well is still important, but employers still expect us to be able to write cogent business letters, memos, press releases, executive summaries, and more; they're also likely to expect your e-mails to look and sound professional. This how-to guide will be handy. See also Business Writing, <http://www.businesswritingblog.com/>, a blog by Lynn Gaertner-Johnston, illustrated with plenty of examples (note that the October 4 entry is about a person who was not even considered for a job because of an e-mail full of grammatical errors and misspellings).

September 30

12 Reasons To Visit Your Local Library
http://www.savvysugar.com/Why-You-Should-Visit-Library-19164333
A good list from a regular library user. I would add regular story hours, computer/internet training, help for local business and aspiring entrepreneurs, and answering people's questions.

All about Romance - for Romance Novel Lovers
http://www.likesbooks.com/
Features "over 6,000 romance novel reviews and new ones every day, hundreds of romance author interviews, blogs, our popular romance reader forums, industry coverage, and more." Readers offer substantial input in the Readers Choice and Readers Speak sections (the annual reader poll, Favorite Books by Favorite Authors, etc.).

Craft Projects - Thrifty Fun
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf/Craft_Projects/index.html
The site currently features a number of Halloween ideas you and your kids can enjoy putting together.

The Front Page - Blog of the American Meteorological Society
http://blog.ametsoc.org/
In a year marked by multiple expensive extreme weather events, you might be interested to see what meteorologists are currently thinking about and researching.

Ken Jennings Blog
http://ken-jennings.com/blog/
The musings of the Jeopardy master, geography-loving "maphead," and all-around person-facts-stick-to.

Not Always Romantic
http://notalwaysromantic.com/
The folks who created Not Always Right <http://notalwaysright.com/>, a showcase of horror stories about customers, offer this companion site about not-terribly-good ideas in romance.

Open Buildings - Archiving the World's Built Environment
http://openbuildings.com/
This site knows where your computer lives and opens with scenes of buildings near you. For each building in the file, you are given data about the building's function, photos, publications about it, if any. Aside from looking for specific known buildings, you can browse through the site's collections (Contemporary Memorials, Futuristic Movie Settings, Mobile Architecture, etc.) and guides (Sportsmen's Guide to London, New York Culture Venues, etc.).

Oz and Ends
http://ozandends.blogspot.com/
A blog by writer J.L. Bell about "favorite fantasy literature for young readers, comics old and new, the peculiar publishing industry, the future of books, kids today, and the writing process." Browse by authors, artists, books, comics, series, movies, and by topics like picture book form, gendered fiction, "kids these days what can you do," Muppets, "libraries and why they matter," (no wonder I love this man), and more.

Preparing for an Emergency
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/09/07/preparing-for-an-emergency/
We seem to be in a lull between disasters at the moment, but you still might want to mull over these suggestions for what to consider when selecting items to put in a "go bag" each member of the family can grab when you have only 5 minutes notice to get out.

Public Access Poetry - The Poetry Project
http://poetryproject.org/history/public-access-poetry
31 of the tapes of the 1977/78 cable TV program of poets reading their work aloud have been digitized and made available on this web site, and another 15 are in the process. Among the poets are Susie Timmons, Eileen Myles, Steve Levine, Ted Berrigan, Harris Schiff, Ron Padgett, and more.

Teach Kids News
http://teachkidsnews.com/
"Timely, relevant news articles for kids, educators in the classroom and parents at home." In this companion site to Getting Kids Reading <http://gkreading.com/> the editors - two teachers and a journalist - offer suggestions on how to use the news stories as writing and reading prompts. They understand the kinds of stories that will appeal to kids - the rescue of the lost penguin who ended up in New Zealand, LEGO figures in space, the current NFL season that almost didn't happen, etc. While this appears to be a Canadian site, most of it should appeal to kids in the US as well.

WorldWideScience: the Global Science Gateway
http://worldwidescience.org
"a global science gateway comprised of national and international scientific databases and portals... providing one-stop searching of databases from around the world..." Searching is free; document delivery is not, though your business or university may have an institutional payment arrangement.

September 23

2011 MacArthur Foundation Fellows
http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/
b.7728991/k.12E8/Meet_the_2011_Fellows.htm
Learn more here about this year's unrestricted, do-what-you-want-with-the money "genius" award winners, including a cellist, a silversmith, a scientist studying parasites that threaten the lives of millions, a clinical psychologist researching suicide, a choral conductor working with inner city youth, a neurologist working on the mechanisms of dementia, and more.

The Alphabet 2 on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/29274467
A brilliant animation in which the meaning of the word used to illustrate each letter, from ANAMORPHOSIS to ZERO, is illustrated by the animation.

The Atlantic Cities
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/
Anyone who cares about making cities work well should appreciate this new site. Search its archives, or browse by city or features (charts, rankings, maps, videos, "why I love my city," etc.).

Christian Fiction - Overbooked
http://www.overbooked.org/genres/inspirational/index.html
A starting point for anyone new to the genre or librarians building a collection, this includes links to the genre's primary publishers and authors, reading lists, and articles.

Halloween Costumes for Kids
http://bestcostumesforkids.com/
Judging from the displays at local stores, it's not too early to start thinking about Halloween costumes. Here are some ideas. For home-made ways of celebrating the occasion, check out Halloween Crafts <http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/halloween/>

National Dialogue on Improving Government Web Sites
http://web-reform-dialogue.ideascale.com/
I'm pretty sure anybody who's used government web sites has some excellent ideas on how the sites could be better tailored to the ways people use them - and the government actually wants those ideas.

A Nutrition Label for Health Insurance
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/a-nutrition-label-for-health-insurance/2011/08/17/gIQAXzjULJ_blog.html
Starting next March, health insurance providers will be required to use this new, simplified form which will make it easier for potential buyers to understand and compare different plans.

ShelfAbuse.com - Comic Book, Movie and Graphic Novel Reviews
http://www.shelfabuse.com/
"a ragtag collection of comic book, graphic novel and movie reviews, news and other tidbits... lovingly written by someone who cares," specifically Carl Doherty who calls himself "an aesthetically pleasing blend of lovely bloke and idiot savant. I’m also a freelance writer and occasional artist/designer." Searchable, or browse by news, books, comic books, graphic novels, movies, and features (interviews).

Statute of Limitations on Debts
http://www.creditinfocenter.com/rebuild/statuteLimitations.shtml
Bill collectors sometimes demand payments for debts people no longer owe because they have expired under state statutes of limitation. Check your state's expiration limits here for oral, written, promissory and open contracts.

Teenage Brains - National Geographic
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/teenage-brains/dobbs-text/1
Could it really be, as this research suggests, that the most annoying and dangerous things teens do are actually useful preparation for adult independence and responsibility?

Want an Unbeatable Resume? - Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryhannon/2011/08/24/want-an-unbeatable-resume-read-these-tips-from-a-top-recruiter/
Good advice, though it's less about the resume itself than about understanding a company's needs and showing how you meet them, both in the resume and in the interview it helps you land.

When To Taste or Toss Your Leftovers - GOOD
http://www.good.is/post/watch-your-mouth-when-to-taste-or-toss-your-leftovers/
Helpful advice for when your power goes out: have a thermometer and an understanding of what should be consumed now before it goes bad, what can be made safe to eat by cooking to a high enough temperature, and what to throw out.

September 16

25 CEOs Who Made More Than Their Companies Paid in Taxes
http://consumerist.com/2011/08/25-ceos-who-made-more-than-their-companies-paid-in-taxes.html

25 Things To Throw Out Today - Wise Bread
http://www.wisebread.com/25-things-to-throw-out-today
If you have too much stuff in too little space, you might want to check out this list and ask yourself in you really need to keep any of these things around.

Budding Scientist - Everything you always wanted to know about raising science-literate kids
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/budding-scientist/
This brand new blog from Scientific American will be of interest to both science teachers and parents of curious children.

The DIY Treadmill Desk
http://www.dogsandshoes.com/2011/08/the-diy-treadmill-desk.html
If you've ever wanted to allay the boredom of walking on a treadmill by playing on the internet, here's a plan for building an inexpensive treadmill desk.

Food & Think - Smithsonian
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/
A quirky view of our food life and history, searchable and browsable by categories like American food, Eating Healthy, Beer, Restaurants, Spices, Holiday Food, etc. Sample entries: "More Official State Foods," "Four Deadly Disasters Caused by Food," "Hurricanes: Drinking Up a Storm and Other Disastrous Cocktails," etc.

Medpedia
http://www.medpedia.com/
Nick Tomaiuolo, author of The Web Library, calls this "an authoritative health wiki" whose seed content was provided by hundreds of trustworthy universities and organizations." Just type in a health question, or browse by Questions & Answers, News & Analysis, Clinical Trials, or the Tools for Medical Professionals, for Patients, or for Organizations.

Our Guide to the Best Coverage on President Obama and the Economy - ProPublica
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/our-guide-to-the-best-coverage-on-president-obama-and-the-economy
An even-handed selection of articles and fact-checking on Obama's promises and performance.

Our Handy Guide to the Best Coverage on Gov. Rick Perry and His Record - Pro Publica
http://www.propublica.org/article/our-reading-guide-on-gov.-rick-perry-and-his-record
An even-handed selection of articles and fact-checking on the Republican front-runner's background, accomplishments, and political philosophy.

Student Loan Calculator
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/studentloan/studentloan.html
Before students take out a college loan, they should use this tool to compute what their future payments will be and decide whether they'll be able to afford them on the earnings of the career they're planning.

Uses for Old Crayons - Thrifty Fun
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf666289.tip.html
If you have as many broken crayons lying around as I do, you might want to consider letting the kids melt them and turn them into art or candles or new crayons.

Washington Monthly College Guide
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/index.php
A best colleges list where Berea College and Morehouse University top the list of liberal arts colleges, and the ivy league colleges don't rank all that high among national universities. Why? Because Washington Monthly editors assess colleges and universities by how well they recruit and graduate low-income students, contribute to important research, and encourage their students to serve society.

Young-adult Book Lists
http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/young-adult
A compilation of lists of best YA books for specific years, genres, debut authors, age range, etc.

September 9, 2011: COMMEMORATING SEPTEMBER 11

9/11 Encyclopedia - New York Magazine
http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/
New York Magazine's editors chose the encyclopedia format to explore topics as diverse as missing person posters, the people who jumped, the PATRIOT ACT, the families, the memories of the kindergarteners at the nearby school, the hijackers, the flight attendants, counting the dead, the artifacts left behind, and more.

9/11 Ten Years Later - Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/report.cfm?id=
9-11-anniversary
"The attacks on September 11, 2001, profoundly influenced the direction of science and technology," including the forensic investigation of building failures, new knowledge of the fallibility of even "flashbulb" memories, and more.

9/11 Ten Years On: 15 Titles - Library Journal
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/newsletters/newsletterbucketbooksmack/
891477-439/911_ten_years_on_15.html.csp
"With the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks quickly approaching, several upcoming books look back at that day and at the years since, taking a range of approaches, from the personal and emotional, to the academic and analytical, to the contrarian. As a group, these books show what we have learned—and can still learn—from those tragic events."

Drawing Lessons from 9/11, Ten Years Later - NPR
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137476934/drawing-lessons-from-9-11-ten-years-later
Transcript and audio of a lengthy discussion about what we learned from 9/11, "about intelligence, diplomacy, politics and ourselves." The speakers are former secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, former chair of the House Intelligence Committee Jane Harman,, former National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.

Not Replaceable
http://marylaine.com/myword/loss.html
We lost not only irreplaceable people that day, but the irreplaceable knowledge they possessed and were not given the time to pass on.

Portraits of Grief
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/sept-11-
reckoning/portraits-of-grief.html
One of the all-time great exercises in journalism, the well-drawn word portraits of each of the victims of the WTC attacks shows us what we lost that day: not horrendous, anonymous statistics, but living, breathing people, with jobs, passions, and people who loved them.

The September 11 Attacks - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
An excellent, thoroughly referenced overview of the attacks, the attackers, the responses of our governments, and the lasting effects on American society.

The September 11 Attacks, 10 Years Later - Time
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,2083745,00.html
Includes interviews with key players and survivors of the attacks, links to ten years of Time's's articles about the events and their consequences, and several galleries of images: of never-before-seen photos of 9-11, of the twin towers from 1970 to 2001, of 300 rescue workers, and of children's art about the attacks.

September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance - Serve.gov
http://www.serve.gov/sept11.asp
"We encourage you to serve or support a cause on 9/11 as a way of paying tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11, and remembering the remarkable way that so many rose up in unity and service following the attacks. Here are some ways to get started." Search here by town and/or zip code for service opportunities near you.

Understanding 9/11: a Television News Archive
http://www.archive.org/details/911
In addition to newscasts you'll probably remember seeing on network, cable and local TV stations in the US, the archive provides broadcasts you have probably never seen, from France, Japan, Russia, Iraq, and China.

Voices of September 11th
http://voicesofseptember11.org/dev/content.php?idtocitems=1,6
The 9/11 Living Memorial is dedicated to "commemorating the lives of those lost and preserving the stories of September 11, 2001."

World Trade Center Disaster Investigation - National Institute of Standards and Technology
http://www.nist.gov/el/disasterstudies/wtc/index.cfm
This final report, the work of more than 200 engineers and other technical experts who analyzed the original engineering and construction of the World Trade Center, explains why the buildings were unable to survive when the jumbo jets crashed into them. This is an overview of how the commission went about its study, and a summary of its findings. Follow the links to photos and simulations used in the investigation, and to the final report itself.

September 2

5 Clever Ways To Get a Job Using Social Media
http://mashable.com/2011/06/19/get-job-using-social-media/
There are some interesting ideas here, and maybe they'll work for the linked-in generation.

14 Marvelous Modern Libraries - Web Urbanist
http://weburbanist.com/2011/08/26/reading-revolution-
14-marvelous-modern-libraries/
If you enjoy looking at libraries or just beautiful buildings, feast your eyes on these libraries from around the world.

After Irene the Hard Part: How To Get the Help You Deserve
http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/29/7514037-after-irene-the-hard-part-how-to-get-the-help-you-deserve
This offers strategies for negotiating a claim with your insurance company.

BBC: A History of the World in 100 Objects from the British Museum
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/british-museum-objects/
This fascinating BBC Radio 4 series uses objects like a Clovis spear point, a Chinese bronze bell, a Hebrew astrolabe, pieces of eight, and a credit card as taking off points to explore the culture that produced them and its place in world history from thousands of years BC to the present.

Commission on Wartime Contracting
http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/
The Commission found, as itemizede in this just released report, that at least one in every six dollars of U.S. spending for contracts and grants in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade has been wasted through "poor planning, vague and shifting requirements, inadequate competition, substandard contract management and oversight, lax accountability, weak interagency coordination, and subpar performance or outright misconduct by some contractors and federal employees." The full report can be downloaded here.

Free Money Finance
http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/
A blog by a self-taught, free-lance magazine writer on personal finance issues who wants to "talk about finances in a simple, easy-to-understand manner that allows the reader to manage his or her finances without a lot of effort" (or wading through a lot of sales pitches).

Kaiser Health Reform Gateway
http://healthreform.kff.org/
A recent survey suggests that, astoundingly, people now know less about the Health Care Reform Act than they did when it first passed. The Kaiser Foundation's site is your best guide to the basics of the law, but it also provides original research and polling on the issue, and links to the latest studies and developments on health reform.

Natural Disasters - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/
This year we've already had at least one of each of the natural disasters the CDC wants to help you prepare for and survive - earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, extreme heat, winter weather, etc., and there's no reason to believe therewon't be more to come. The site addresses what to do when returning home after a disaster, and how to deal with consequent illnesses, injuries, power outages, mold, cleanup, and other issues. It also provides information for specific groups such as evacuees, people with chronic disabilities, response workers, etc.

Republican Contenders - The Browser
http://thebrowser.com/topics/republican-contenders
If you're having a hard time keeping track of all of them, the Browser's links to a variety of articles on all of them will provide a good and reasonably balanced introduction.

The Upshot - Yahoo! News Blog
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/
The blog, which normally draws its story ideas from a variety of popular current search topics, is focusing at the moment on the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. Note the links to other Yahoo! news blogs focusing on politics, national affairs, foreign affairs, and media.

Western Fiction Review
http://westernfictionreview.blogspot.com/
The unidentified author of this blog is a fan of westerns who regularly reviews westerns and occasionally posts interviews with the authors. Since there seem to be far fewer resources for western lovers than for other genres, this is useful.

Where To Get Free Stuff - Mega-Guide to freebies
http://www.wealthinformatics.com/2011/08/19/where-to-get-free-stuff-freebie-guide/
In addition to a few good general sites for freebies, this provides links to sources for free campgrounds, gym membership trials, budgeting tools, wi-fi,* small business assistance,* book downloads,* product samples, museum passes,* and more. Too bad he forgot to mention that the greatest free source for many of these* is your public library.

August 26, 2011

25 Most Awesome College Labs, 2011 - Popular Science
http://www.popsci.com/science/gallery/2011-08/popscis-25-most-awesome-college-labs-2011
Any science majors who prefer to learn science hands-on will want to consider the colleges that allow students to test explosives, crash vehicles, print new body parts, brew beer, study Martian conditions here on earth, build toys and test them on kids, and more.

Bulwer Lytton 2011
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2011.htm
It's always fun to read the appalling puns, ridiculous metaphors, and endless run-ons of the winning and runner-up entries for the opening sentence of a bad novel. Contestants compete in a variety of categories including Crime, Purple Prose, Westerns, Sci Fi, Vile Puns, etc.

Children's Science Video Contests
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psi-vid/2011/08/14/childrens-science-video-contests/
Describes three contests for kids interested in science. Entries for the "Kids Read Science" and "Teens Read Science" competitions are due by September 23, 2011.

Drug Interactions: What You Should Know
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/ucm163354.htm
How to find out whether your prescription and over-the-counter medications conflict with each other and/or with the foods you eat. It also provides questions you should ask your doctor or pharmacist.

GOOD Guide to Your Commmunity
http://www.good.is/yourcommunityguide
Offers strategies for connecting with your neighbors and community while making it a better place to live. Ideas include how to host a block party, start a community garden, arrange a meetup, start a time bank for volunteer efforts, and more.

Haz-Map - Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/
The National Library of Medicine offers this database of occupational exposure. Search by types of chemical agents, adverse effects, types of diseases, jobs and symptoms, or specific high risk jobs. Links are provided to detailed information for each of the agents and health risks.

National Hurricane Center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
This is the time of year most likely to yield strong hurricanes, so people near coastal areas may want to keep checking this link.

Neglected Books Page
http://neglectedbooks.com/
Where you'll find lists of "thousands of books that have been neglected, overlooked, forgotten, or stranded by changing tides in critical or popular taste." Search or browse by authors, titles, "gleanings" (links to other neglected books lists), news, and more.

Paper Crafts - EnchantedLearning.com
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/papercrafts/
Probably the most versatile tool for entertaining children is paper, especially when a site like this shows you all the ways you can decorate it, fold it, cut it, glue it, and sprinkle it to create a dinosaur, a whale mobile, a pop-up card, a black cat hat, a paper canoe, a frog puppet, magnificent masks, a handprint butterfly, and much more. Follow the link at the bottom of the page to other craft ideas from Enchanted Learning.

Randy Pausch on Time Management
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTugjssqOT0
Many of us have watched and loved Randy Pausch's Last Lecture <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo>. His talk on time management, under the specific time pressure of the knowledge of his coming death, is equally meaningful.

Responsible Wireless Use - Parental Toolkit
http://www.besmartwireless.com/pages/tools_from_the_wireless_industry
Links to parental control features from various wireless carriers, including "filters and educational information that allow parents to manage their child’s Internet access including downloads (wallpaper, apps, etc), text messaging services and password-protected limits on cameras" and real-time location information for parents.

Ultimate Teen Reading List
http://www.teenreads.com/features/ultimate-reading-list.asp
The editors of Teen Reads, using suggestions from staffers and the site's readers, compiled this annotated list of nearly 400 books, including both YA and adult "fiction and nonfiction, plus graphic novels and manga titles, and a few never-before-featured classics." It may appeal just as much to grownups - I've already added several of its recommendations to my EERL (Eternally Expanding Reading List).

August 19

Best Places To Live 2011 - Money Magazine
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/index.html
I have my reservations about lists like these ever since the town I lived in placed 300 on a list of 300 most livable cities (see my column, "We're Number 300!" <http://marylaine.com/myword/mytown.html>), but at least this also ranks towns on a variety of qualities, including Top Earning Towns, Best Places for Affordable Homes, etc. See also The Most Expensive States To Live in 2011, <http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/the-most-expensive-states-to-live-in-in-2011/> and Most Walkable Cities in the United States <http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/>.

Great Buildings
http://greatbuildings.com/
"presenting 1000 classics of world architecture, and hundreds of their great designers, in the leading general architecture reference site online." Search for buildings or architects, and you'll find biographies and discussions of the architects' work, and information, photos, discussions of the individual buildings, and suggested further readings.

How To Get Cheap Drugs
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/08/16/how-to-get-cheap-drugs/
Recent reports suggests that many patients, unable to afford food, housing and expensive medications, have abandoned the medications. Donna Freedman suggests a variety of ways to get the meds at a price you can afford.

Keep Your Child's Immunizations Up To Date
http://blog.usa.gov/post/8956291062/keep-your-childs-immunizations-up-to-date
This post links to federal and state vaccination schedules for children. Parents should be aware that while they may claim exemptions for religious reasons, doing so places their children at risk of polio, measles, whooping cough and other diseases that had been virtually eradicated by mass vaccinations, but have returned since large numbers of parents have refused vaccination for their children.

MintLifeBlog - Personal Finance News & Advice
http://www.mint.com/blog/
MintLife, which offers broad advice on financial planning, provides news and advice in a friendly, chatty manner in this blog. Regular topics include How To, Saving, Investing, Goals, and Education. Among the recent articles: "Where to Stash Your Emergency Fund," "Empty Your Closets, Fill Your Bank Account," "Seven Tips to Help You Haggle," a "Script to Negotiate Credit Card Late Fees," etc.

Past Imperfect
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/history/
A new blog from the Smithsonian, "history with all the interesting bits left in. It’s a blog about the larger than life and the strange but true; about memorable names and faces, times and places, told with passion and precision." In its short existence, it's told us about a pirate queen, a 19th century male politician who may actually have been a woman, the boys who traveled to medieval England, the story of a WWII prisoner of war, and more

The Produce Worker's Guide to Choosing Fruits and Vegetables
http://www.wisebread.com/the-produce-workers-guide-to-choosing-fruits-and-vegetables
What we can learn from produce workers is how to tell when produce is ripe; the warning signs that it's over the edge; when it's at the peak of flavor; and how to store it. Anyone who's ever been disappointed with the produce they've chosen will want to read this.

Read Aloud Dad
http://www.readalouddad.com/
In which a dad tells you about the books he's reading aloud to his kids. In addition to reviews, he includes advice parents will welcome, on how to find good read-alouds, engage your boy in reading, become a better storyteller, and more.

ScienceBlogs
http://scienceblogs.com/
A wide variety of blogs covering not only science and technology but also the humanities, education, and politics as they intersect with science. The front page provides a sampling from recent entries; search or browse by categories for older relevant stories from all the blogs.

Science Fiction and Fantasy World
http://sffworld.com/
Offers interviews and both staff and reader reviews of books, movies and games, along with news, blogs, discussion forums, and an art gallery.

True Cost To Own Calculator on Edmunds.com
http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html
"The Edmunds Inc. True Cost to Own® (TCO) pricing system calculates the additional costs you may not have included when considering your next vehicle purchase. These extra costs include: depreciation, interest on your loan, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel costs, maintenance, and repairs." Search their database by make, model and year for the specific car (though I'm not sure whether cars more than 5 years old appear on here - my 2000 Chevy Metro doesn't).

Vegerrific
http://www.vegerrific.com/
An omnivore recently turned vegetarian offers this recipe-intensive blog. Additionally, her entry rating the tastiness of vegetarian meat substitutes will be especially helpful to beginning vegetarians.

August 12

47 Cheap Fun Things To Do This Weekend - Wise Bread
http://www.wisebread.com/47-cheap-fun-things-to-do-this-weekend
Some of them may seem obvious, some may be things you used to do but forgot about, and some may be entirely new ideas, but most of them are either free or inexpensive ways for your family and friends to enjoy each other's company and even do some good in the world.

51 Ways To Save Money in College
http://beingfrugal.net/2011/07/07/51-ways-to-save-money-in-college/?owa_medium=feed&owa_sid=
Students won't have to end up mired in college-acquired debt for the rest of their lives if they apply even a few of these tips for frugal living. Parents may want to print this out for their kids, and add one more rule: force yourself to think before you buy by LEAVING CREDIT CARDS AT HOME.

American Time Use Survey - Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.bls.gov/tus/
"measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, childcare, volunteering, and socializing." There are some interesting surprises here, especially in regard to the amount of time married men now spend on household chores and child care.

Bookride
http://www.bookride.com/
" a guide to the most wanted and collected books. There is some evaluation of why the book is wanted, what it is worth - with a range of selling prices, some trivia, apercus and bon mots, a few anecdotes, so called jokes and occasional rants." This is a good place to start figuring out whether the books in the attic might be treasures. (But keep in mind that libraries often provide more comprehensive resources for valuing books.)

Credit Card Complaint Form - Consumer Financial Protection Board
https://help.consumerfinance.gov/app/ask_cc_complaint
File a complaint here and get the CFPB on your side when you have a dispute with your credit card issuer.

Donald in Mathmagic Land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6w9VYbptPQ
Donald Duck wanders into Mathmagic Land and learns how mathematical rules and shapes are integral to music, architecture, sculpture, nature, games, science, invention, and thought.

Espionage - The Browser
http://thebrowser.com/topics/espionage
Whether you come to the topic of espionage through an interest in history or in spy novels, you'll appreciate The Browser's collection of articles about it.

Financial Cost of Obesity
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/07/26/the-
financial-cost-of-obesity/
Would you believe being obese could cost a person between $6,000 and $8,000 a year? This article details expenses that can increase with the pounds - life insurance premiums, medical expenses, and more.

Household Products Database
http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/
"What's under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room?" The Department of Health and Human Services offers this searchable guide to what these products contain, their potential health effects, and how to handle them safely.

Men's Reading List: 34 Books About Being a Man
http://artofmanliness.com/2011/04/19/mens-reading-list/
This list may be aimed at men, but I think women who want to get a better idea of what men care about and worry about might want to read some of the books on this annotated list too.

Momentus
http://momentusproject.com/
A "collaborative project in which a select group of designers, illustrators, and artists create visual interpretations of the most defining moments in United States history as a way of informing others of our proud, yet sometimes troubled and forgotten past." I was especially moved by the ones for the Civil Rights movement and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Some of the great moments the project has chosen to commemorate are still awaiting their visual interpretations

Tweet Your Grievances - a Handy Directory of All Congressional Twitter Handles
http://www.good.is/post/tweet-your-grievances-
a-handy-directory-of-all-congressional-twitter-handles/
Or if you prefer traditional means of communication, look here for your elected officials' contact information <http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml>.

August 5

15 Tips To Use Up Leftovers - Money Ning
http://moneyning.com/frugality/15-tips-to-use-up-leftovers/
Instead of wasting food money by letting leftovers get moldy in the refrigerator, try some of these ideas for recycling them into frittatas, soups, nachos, curries, sandwiches, lunch swaps, etc.

Ask a Biologist - Arizona State University
http://askabiologist.asu.edu/
The front page shows you a few articles (not surprisingly, primarily focused on the biology of the southwest), and provides links to more stories, a teachers' toolbox, activities for students, image galleries, audio and video of ASU biologists explaining their work, and a form where you can post a question. But the best way to see the full range of stories, activities, audios, videos, and images is the site map.

The Best Nutrition Label Ideas - GOOD
http://www.good.is/post/the-best-nutrition-label-ideas/
If you've found food labels and serving sizes confusing (how many of us truly understand that one serving of a dinky little frozen pizza is only half of it?), you'll appreciate these ideas for a more intelligible display of nutrition information.

British Pathe Archive
http://www.britishpathe.com/
Where you can "view and buy films and still photographs from the entire archive of 90,000 videos covering newsreel, sports footage, social history documentaries, entertainment and music stories [produced by British Pathe] from 1896 to 1976." Among the offerings: The Beatles conquer America, a speech by Hitler, Wimbledon victories, the sinking of the Titanic, the emancipation of women, scenes from life at the end of the 19th century, etc. The advanced search allows you to restrict your search by time period.

Children's Books and Reading
http://www.childrens-books-and-reading.com/
"Helping your child become a successful reader." Includes good advice on pre-literacy activities that prepare very young children to make the connection between letters, words, and the spoken language they already understand. Also offers reading games and activities, advice on choosing books, and guides to recommended books for childre.

Food and Water Watch
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/
The organization's mission is to "help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping shared resources under public control." Issues followed here include factory farms, genetically engineered foods, ground water protection, fracking, water privatization, and more.

Frugal Back-to-School Shopping - Get Rich Slowly
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/08/01/frugal-
back-to-school-shopping/
Donna Freedman explains how we can spend lots less and still send our kids off to school adequately clothed and supplied. And don't forget to check this site <http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html#chart> to find out if and when your state is offering a sales tax holiday this month for back to school items.

Good Books about Dogs and the People Who Love Them - GOOD
http://www.good.is/post/good-books-about-dogs-
and-the-humans-who-love-them/
If you love books about adorable, rascally dogs, check out this article; also see Amazon's Best Dog Books Ever list, <http://www.amazon.com/Best-Dog-Books-Ever/lm/R3DX1RIGG0DSV1>

Henson & Oz - a Tribute to one of the great comedy teams of the 20th century
http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/henson-oz-20110715
I've long believed that the only reason people don't consider Jim Henson and Frank Oz in the same class as Laurel and Hardy is that they worked their comedy routines the guise of Ernie and Bert, Kermit (or Link Hogthrob) with Miss Piggy or Fozzie Bear, Rowlf or Dr. Teeth with Animal, etc. This short video essay illustrates how brilliantly these puppet personas played off each other.

Keeping Food Safe during an Emergency
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/keeping_food_
Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp
What with floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and extreme heat, we've already had plenty of emergencies, and the summer isn't even over. If your electricity goes out you'll need to know these basic steps for keeping your food safe.

My Family Health Portrait
https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action
Knowledge of our family's health history is often distributed among various aunts and grandparents and cousins so no one person knows all of it. That's why the secure platform this site provides can be useful in consolidating the information, updating it, and sharing it with your family members and health care providers.

Status of Appropriations Legislation for Fiscal Year 2012
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app12.html
One of the only jobs the Constitution stipulates Congress must do is to appropriate money to run the government. Check here to see how many departments have had funding approved for the fiscal year starting October 1 and you may find yourself wondering exactly why our representatives think they've earned a month-long vacation.

July 22-29, 2011

7 Time-Saving Kitchen Tips from an Insider - Wise Bread
http://www.wisebread.com/7-time-saving-kitchen-tips-from-an-insider
If you'd like to cook more of your own meals but feel that you don't have enough time, check out these tips.

Back Pain Health Center - Web MD
http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/default.htm
An excellent starting point to explore an all-too-common problem. You can start with the overview of back problems, use the Check Your Symptoms tool for possible causes, learn about common treatments and medications, find exercises for low back pain, learn about prevention, and more.

Best & Worst Depreciating Vehicles - MSN Autos
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=900726
One factor to consider when choosing a new car is its re-sale value when you're ready to retire it. This article (and the Kelley Blue Book page it links to) examines which cars retain their value most (and least), what goes into price evaluation, and what features are important for retaining a car's value.

Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
http://www.celdf.org/
An organization that helps communities fight back against perceived threats to their environments - proposals for unwanted factory farms, privatization of public water supplies, gas drilling, dumping of sewage sludge, etc. Thosee concerned with similar local issues can learn more about them here, and resources for defending your community.

C-SPAN Library of Congress Documentary
http://cspan.org/loc/watch-Documentary-complete-Version/
An excellent introduction to the buildings, extraordinary collections and services of one of the greatest libraries in the world. It also links to some of the major LC projects - Historic American Newspapers, the Veterans History Project, the Manuscript Reading Room, Information on Government Legislation (the reason the Library of Congress exists), and more.

Debt Limit - US Treasury
http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/Pages/debtlimit.aspx
The Treasury Department corrects some myths about the debt limit, explains what the national debt is, and what the consequences of default would be. For a more detailed explanation of how default on our debts would affect you personally, check out J.C. Adamson's National Debt FAQ <http://www.greatreality.com/DebtFAQ.htm> and the previously mentioned report from the Congressional Research Service which members of Congress apparentrly didn't read, <http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105193.pdf>.

Finding Good Information on the Internet - Guest Blog, Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=finding-good-information-on-the-int-2011-07-16
Biologist Kevin McCluney gives you some valuable advice on strategies for identifying good information on the net and recognizing when skepticism is warranted.

The Good Men Project Magazine
http://goodmenproject.com/
The editors say "Guys today are neither the mindless, sex-obsessed buffoons nor the stoic automatons our culture so often makes them out to be... The Good Men Project Magazine is a place where modern guys—and the women who love us—come together to exchange ideas and debate the big issues of the day." Topics regularly explored include health, fatherhood, families, sex & relationships, ethics, and more.

Health News Review: Independent Expert Revies of News Stories: Holding Health and Medical Journalism Accountable
http://www.healthnewsreview.org/index.php
"A project supported by the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making." Just as important as the critiques of health stories in the news are the questions longtime health journalist Gary Schwitzer says we should look for in any health story: How often do benefits occur? How often do harms occur? How strong is the evidence? Do they have a conflict of interest?, and more.

Old House Journal: Restoration and Renovation
http://www.oldhousejournal.com/
"Old-House Journal Online is the premiere resource for restoring old houses. Find products and services for homes built before 1950 and everything you'll need for your old-house restoration projects." Includes many how-to articles for historic preservation, Search the magazine archives by key words and limit, if you wish, to articles, companies or products. You can also request product literature from the magazine's advertisers, post or browse through swaps and sales, chat with other home restorers in the chat room, and more.

Poison Proof Your Home
http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/PoisoningPrevention/PoisonProofYourHome.aspx
Have you thought of ALL the products in your home that curious children could poison themselves with? Check out this quick guide to the products in each room of your home that you need to keep out of toddler reach.

Unusual Architecture
http://unusual-architecture.com/
Aims to show you and tell you all about "the most unusual, strange, weird and crazy buildings of our world," including the Leaning Tower of Wanaka, the teapot dome gas station, the basket building, etc. It also includes one of my favorite buildings, the book-themed Kansas City Public Library.

July 15

Budget Your Trip
http://www.budgetyourtrip.com/
Estimate your travel costs per personfor over 100 countries, based on trip expenses reported by other travelers. Once you've searched for yand clicked on your destination, you'll also get travel tips, maps, and hotel information.

CriminalElement.com
http://www.criminalelement.com/
Features excerpts from new mysteries in print AND audio). Search or browse by stories that have been excerpted, or by categories (detective/procedural, traditional/cozy, thriller/noir, historical/western, true crime/nonfiction). Read or join in the conversations in the Community section.

Dressing Taller: 10 Tips for Short Men
http://artofmanliness.com/2011/06/07/dressing-taller-short-men/
This article does for short men what What Not To Wear does for women: show them how to use clothes to seem taller, more slender, and better proportioned than they are.

FairContracts.org: what have you agreed to today?
http://faircontracts.org/
Most of us don't read the contracts we've agreed to, or even realize what provisions we have agreed to when we purchased something, subscribed to a service, or accepted a job offer. This site, by explaining in understandable English common contract provisions like delinquency clauses, forced arbitration, class action/arbitration waivers, penalty clauses, waiver of seller's liability, etc., shows you what to look for when you're next entering into a contract.

Find a Doctor - HealthGrades
http://www.healthgrades.com/find-a-doctor
Helps you identify doctors, dentists, hospitals and nursing homes near you. For practitioners, info provided includes licensing, board certification, years of practice, insurance accepted, any sanctions or medical board actions against them if any, and how to make appointments. Patients' ratings are available on some. For hospitals it outlines its accreditations and certifications, ratings for various specialties, hospital features, costs, acceptance (or non-) of Medicare and Medicaid, and Top 10 procedures and diagnoses. For nursing homes, info includes a HealthGrade rating, whether it accepts Medicare and Medicaid, how long it has been in business, and explanations of its ranking.

Five Books: Understanding the Arab World - The Browser
http://thebrowser.com/interviews/issandr-el-amrani-on-understanding-arab-world
As in all the other Five Books Interviews from The Browser, an expert - in this case writer and Middle East analyst Issandr El Amrani - recommends five books to help people understand a current issue. The Five Books Interviews are a great resource for librarians to consider when ordering books or creating topical exhibits.

Food in Every Country
http://www.foodbycountry.com/
For each country, this site offers an overview of its basic foods and national dishes, recipes, mealtime customs, ceremonial foods, and links to further information. For the United States, information is arranged by regions and ethnic groups.

National Limb Loss Information Center
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/nllic_about.html
This will be of particular interest to recent amputees, with its fact sheets, articles, podcasts and videos on adjustment, rehabilitation, prosthetics, assistive technology, home and vehicle modification, and more. There's also links to peer support groups and information for caregivers.

Plants for a Future: 7000 Edible, Medicinal & Useful Plants
http://www.pfaf.org/user/default.aspx
Search the database by name of plant/fruit or by medicinal use, or browse by Plant Uses, where you will find overviews of plants' edible, medicinal and other uses, the top medicinal and edible plants, and information on growing them.

Scientific American Blog Network
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/home
There's a really interesting collection of blogs here: Expedition Impossible, Doing Good Science, Cocktail Party Physics, The SciCurious Brain, Primate Diaries, Urban Scientist, and lots more. Each is just getting off the ground, but several days' content for each is probably a good enough sample for you to decide if a blog might be worth subscribing to its feed.

Ten Tech Innovations from NASA's Space Shuttle That Trickled Down to Non-Astronauts
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-07/ten-tech-innovations-nasas-space-shuttle-trickled-down-non-astronauts
Many people wonder what, aside from the Gee, Wow factor, we've gotten from our investment in space exploration. Here are some of its useful byproducts: a baby formula supplement, an artificial heart pump, rescue equipment for accident victims, biodegradable lubricants, infrared cameras, and more.

videolectures.net
http://videolectures.net/
Currently featuring "611 events, 8702 authors, 11201 lectures, 13417 videos," this site is searchable, and browsable by discipline, presenter, academic organization, and conferences.

July 8

25 Things I've learned from Kids
http://listsgalore.blogspot.com/2011/06/25-things-ive-learned-from-kids.html
Should give parents some moments of both recognition ("Super glue is forever") and "thank God mine haven't thought of this yet" ("Garbage bags do not make good parachutes," "Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence," etc.)

50 Best Fiction Adventure Books
http://artofmanliness.com/2009/06/02/the-essential-man%e2%80%99s-library-adventure-edition-part-one-fiction/
Includes a lot of classics plus a few contemporary stories. If you prefer real life adventure, try 50 Best Non-fiction Adventure Books
<http://artofmanliness.com/2009/06/29/50-non-fiction-adventure-books/>

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://aap.org/
An authoritative site for questions on children's health. Search the site or browse health topics alphabetically, by age, diseases and conditions, Family Health, Healthy Development, Navigating the Health Care System, and more. You can also browse FAQs for a child's developmental stages, or go directly to the Parenting Corner, now at its own site, <http://www.healthychildren.org/>.

America's Transport Infrastructure: Life in the Slow Lane - The Economist
http://www.economist.com/node/18620944?
story_id=18620944
The Economist explores why the American transportation system doesn't work all that well anymore.

Ask the Trainer
http://www.askthetrainer.com/
Includes information about effective exercises, and video demonstrations of them, for each body part or muscle (selected from anatomical diagrams). The navigation bar offers a variety of more general information, such as setting training goals, best exercises for women, fitness equipment reviews, etc. There's also a substantial amount of professional information for personal trainers.

The Body Odd
http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/
"Strange news on the wonderfully weird human body and the medical curiosities that make you go huh, eww or ouch!" An intriguing blog, browsable by date, most commented on, and tags. Some sample articles: "Your dishwasher may be growing gross fungi," "Coffee buzz protects brain from Alzheimer's," and "Why your fingers and toes wrinkle when wet." Links are provided to the original research the articles report on.

Entrepreneurship Corner - Stanford University's free podcasts and video clips of entrepreneurial...
http://ecorner.stanford.edu/index.html
Offers 2000 free videos and podcasts, featuring entrepreneurship and innovation thought leaders. Search or browse by topics, speakers, latest videos, or tag clouds.

Green Revolution - National Science Foundation
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/greenrevolution/
These videos are the product of the National Science Foundation's visits to researchers asking them about the energy, fuels and technologies they are working on. Topics include smart grid, wind power, electric vehicles, solar, biomass, and more.

History Detectives - PBS
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/
Where you can watch online videos of episodes of the TV shows, and supplemental info for them. Even more interesting, you can learn about the investigative techniques used in historical research - military research, textile analysis, building history, document examination, photograph analysis, finding experts, and lots more.

Kaiser Polls - Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/index2.cfm
One of the premier health research organizations does its own polling (including a long-running tracking poll) and reports on other polls on health issues. A particularly useful feature for any researcher is the Health Poll Search of "more than 65 years worth of survey questions on health issues."

Sales Tax Holidays
http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html
Check here to see if your state is offering a short break from sales tax; most of them do it in August, in time for back-to-school expenses.

What To Do with Fresh Produce - Get Rich Slowly http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2011/06/29/what-to-do-with-fresh-produce/
When produce is in season, it's almost too abundant to deal with. Sierra Black offers suggestions for cooking, preserving, drying, and fermenting it.

July 1

2nd Annual National Dance Day
http://dance.blogs.fox.com/tag/national-dance-day/
Mark your calendar - July 30 - and this web site, where you can learn any of the three routines (for different levels of expertise). Warning: at the moment, the link to find National Dance Day Events still refers to last year's events.

The 4th- a Celebration of Ideas
http://marylaine.com/observe/94.html
In which I suggest that we celebrate our founders' remarkable idea that ordinary people can be trusted to rule ourselves.

2010-2011 - Earth's Most Extreme Weather Since 1816? - Weather Blog
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1831
If it seems to you that extreme weather events have multiplied over the past year and a half, you'll be interested to know that it seems that way to weather expert and former NOAA hurricane hunter Jeff Masters, too. Here he charts all the global records set (hottest year on record, lowest arctic sea ice, wettest yearover land, etc.) and discusses our possible weather future.

America's Most Endangered Places, 2011
http://blog.preservationnation.org/2011/06/15/announcing-americas-11-most-endangered-historic-places/
Details some of the beautiful and historic places endangered by mineral extraction, development, erosion, too-long deferred maintenance, and lack of funding.

Auto Repair and Maintenance Estimates
http://repairpal.com/
"an independent, unbiased resource designed to deliver repair price transparency and the expert information car owners need. Our team of expert technicians has helped us comb through a mountain of parts, prices, and labor time data to ensure you have the information you need when it's time for a service or repair." Click on Estimate, fill on the specific info about your car and the nature of the repair, and get an estimate for needed parts and labor. You can also get recommendations for appropriate repair service near you, and a profile of your vehicle and common problems with it. For a similar service, see also AutoMD <http://www.automd.com/>, which also estimates DIY repair cost.

Cancer and Men
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CancerAndMen/
Information about the most common cancers that take the lives of over 300,000 men every year in the US - cancers of the lung, prostate, skin, and colon. In addition to providing general information about each of those, the page provides links to the CDC's more detailed pages on all of those.

Financial Help for Single Moms
http://www.singlemomfinancialhelp.com/
This site, begun by a woman who was once a single mother herself, provides advice and links to other sources for financial, legal and housing assistance,dealing with credit and debt, health insurance and care, taxes, and more.

The Help Desk - Money Magazine
http://helpdesk.blogs.money.cnn.com/
"Your tough questions. MONEY's smart answers." A daily feature where you can read other people's questions and answers and ask your own. Arrow down the right hand column to Search This Column.

The History Cookbook - Cookit!
http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/index.php
If you read a lot of historical fiction, you're probably left wondering what Oliver Twist was getting when he asked for more gruel, or what hotch-potch, salamagundi, sweet frumenty or syllabubs tasted like. Find out, or even try some of the recipes yourself at this website. Browse by period, from prehistoric through modern, or browse the recipes by type of food.

It Figures - Figures of Speech
http://www.figarospeech.com/
Jay Heinrichs, a highly successful practitioner and student of the art of persuasion, offers "figures of spech served up fresh," showing how they can help you make an effective case for your proposals or point of view.

Shrink Talk
http://shrinktalk.net/
Dr. Rob Dobrenski blogs here to help you "understand what happens 'on the couch,' learn a bit about people and what makes them tick, and see that mental health treatment is not for the 'weak or crazy.'"

Whatcha Reading Now?
http://www.whatchareadingnow.com/
"We, the fabulous girls of Whatcha' Reading Now?, promise to bring you books for kids and teens that will make you think, cry, laugh out loud, or keep you at the edge of your seat. We love books that will make you think about the world in a new perspective and books that you won’t forget long after you’ve turned the last page." They write extended reviews of classics, YA books, middle grade books and even picture books, organized in themes (Bullying, Scare Your Pants Off, Friendship, etc.), and interspersed with occasional author interviews. Kids will love it, but so will parents and librarians (shhh, don't tell the kids that).

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Neat New Stuff I Found This Week
by Marylaine Block
Copyright 1999-2011