Image and Sentiment

Victorian Christmas Cards -- some available as e-cards.

http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eliblilly/xmas2/

Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database

Check your make-up and shampoo for toxins!

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

2008 Electopedia

from New York Magazine . . . in case you're still undecided!

http://nymag.com/news/politics/2008/electopedia/

CollegeNET

Win scholarships by voicing your opinion on current topics (and search for other scholarship sources as well!).

http://www.collegenet.com

All About Cupcakes

Cupcakes are popular right now, so take a look at this pretty site!

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring07/Ayers/index.html

Mexican Treasures of the Smithsonian

Los Tesoros Mexicanos del Smithsonian.
A good site for Hispanic Heritage Month at http://latino.si.edu/Mexican%20Treasures/index.html.

EyeWitness to History

History through the eyes of those who lived it . . .

http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/index.html

PolitiFact.com

The St. Petersburg (FL) Times checks the truth of various political statements.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

The FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings

The latest viruses, phishing attacks, etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm

Beijing2008 Olympic Games: An Insider's Guide

From Budget Travel.

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-srv/beijing2008/beijing_olympics/

Ultimate Travel Library

National Geographic has come up with a list of travel books recommended by world travelers.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/extras/travellibrary/library.html

sporcle.com

Like trivia quizzes? Sporcle.com has lots of them!

http://www.sporcle.com/

Lawn Nation

Art & Science of the American Lawn

http://www.naturemuseum.org/lawn/

Explore! Fun with Science

"Explor-ations" from the Lunar and Planetary Institute at
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/explorations.shtml

Making the Modern World

Stories about science and invention from the Science Museum in Great Britain.

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/

Free Online Courses from the SBA

The U.S. Small Business Administration offers these courses about starting and managing a small business.

http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/

in pictures: Computer tutorials based on pictures

Free online tutorials for Access, Excel, PowerPoint and more -- using pictures instead of text.

http://inpics.net/

Bring Your Own Bag

This California-based site offers all sort of statistics about -- and alternatives to -- paper and plastic shopping bags. Includes tips on how to get in the habit of bringing your own reusable bags, etc.

http://igotmybag.org/why.htm

Free Rice

A game that builds vocabulary while donating funds to the United Nations World Food Program.

http://www.freerice.com/

USASpending.gov

"Where Americans Can See Where Their Money Goes" -- who receives government grant, contracts, etc.

http://www.usaspending.gov

Trip Advisor

Actual travelers share their opinions about hotels, tourist sites, etc.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Learn English With Pictures (or Audio)

A site for those learning English.

http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/

Degree of Confluence Project

Now here's a novel way to pick a travel destination! A confluence is where latitude and longitude integer degrees intersect. There are 16 such locations in Iowa. This site is collecting photos from confluence points around the globe.

http://www.confluence.org/

Roadside America

We've featured this "Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions" before -- a fun site! Be sure to check the Iowa locations.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

National Caves Association

The second in our series of vacation sites.

http://cavern.com/

Sacred Destinations

Site devoted to locations of religious significance around the world -- the first in our series of alternative vacation ideas!

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/

Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info

Get ready for bicycling season. RAGBRAI anyone?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

top 5 myths about downloading internet music

This brief presentation by Messiah College in Pennsylvania, explains the copyright situation regarding downloading music through file-sharing services. A good, simple site for those who have questions.

http://www.messiah.edu/etc/musicdownload.pdf

Rules of Thumb

A collection of rules for all sorts of things from how much to pay for a beginner's musical instrument (twice what you think you should) to how much dirt to remove when digging a grave (take away 17 wheelbarrows full).

http://rulesofthumb.org/

The Secret Life of the Brain

Site to accompany the PBS series.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/

100 Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English

from Your Dictionary.com

http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.html

How to Write a Thank-you Note

A practical guide!

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/how_to_write_a_thankyou_note.php

50+ Professionals

CareerJournal.com's guide to changing jobs after age 50.

http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/fifty/

Natural History of Holiday Plants

Online exhibit from the San Diego Natural History Museum.

http://www.sdnhm.org/research/botany/hp_photos.html

Northpole

Another fun Christmas site.

http://www.northpole.com/

Christmas Legends

The truth about some common holiday ideas -- How many wise men were there? What do the stripes on a candy cane represent? and so on.

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/christmas.asp

All Things Christmas

It's that time of year again . . . so we will be featuring some select holiday sites in the coming weeks.

http://www.allthingschristmas.com/

The Iowa Health Fact Book

Statistics and health care resources for Iowans.

http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/factbook/

Fall Colors from Butchart Gardens

Enjoy the beautiful photos from British Columbia.

http://www.pbase.com/lejun/butchart_gardens

The Shot Heard 'Round the World

Jonas Salk and the Development of the Polio Vaccine

http://museum.pharmacy.pitt.edu/salk/

Carve a Pumpkin

A simple online activity for kids -- http://www.cubpack81.com/images/carve_pumpkin.swf

LessLawn.com

Landscaping alternatives for those who would like something besides a regular grass lawn.

http://www.lesslawn.com/

Craft In America

Enjoy examples of works in clay, metal, fiber and wood by American artists.

http://www.craftinamerica.org/

Legal Lad

Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Lawful Life -- short podcasts (or you can read the transcripts) on basic legal issues such as Power of Attorney, the Right to Assemble, how to find a lawyer, etc. This site also links to Mighty Mommy (podcasts about parenting); Grammar Girl and Mr. Manners.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/LegalLad/

Hard to Find 800 Numbers

A listing of Customer Service and other contact numbers for major companies --

http://www.hardtofind800numbers.com/

Games for the Brain

Keep your mind in shape with these online games!

http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/

MediaStorm

A multimedia current events site with great photography, personal profiles and essays. Current topics include the return to New Orleans; ivory trade and the black market in animals.

http://www.mediastorm.org/

State Fair Recipes

Collected recipes from State Fair contests.

http://www.statefairrecipes.com

Movie Locations Guide

Find the real locations (names of hotels, restaurants, etc.) from movies and TV.

http://www.movielocationsguide.com/movie_locations.php

Toy Hazard Recalls

From the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html

U.S. Congress Votes Database

The Washington Post has put together this database showing all Congressional voting since 1991.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/

Lee de Forest -- American Inventor

Learn about the life and contributions of this inventor who was born in Council Bluffs.

http://www.leedeforest.org/

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center

From the National Agricultural Library.

http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_center=2

Ian's Shoelace Site

Clever ways to lace and tie shoes!

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/

Design for the Other 90%

Most designers work to invent products for the world's wealthiest people. These designs represent efforts to provide clean water, energy, etc. to the other 90%. From an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

http://other.cooperhewitt.org/

America's Farm Bill 2007

Coverage of the USDA proposals, etc.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdafarmbill?navtype=SU&navid=FARM_BILL_FORUMS

Culturekiosque

The European Magazine of Arts and Culture -- features cooking, book reviews, music news, etc.

http://www.culturekiosque.com/

Interactive Health Tutorials

From MedLine Plus.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials.html

New 7 Wonders of the World

Announced July 7th.

http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=633

Uncle Sam's Photos

An index to public domain photos from the U.S. government.

http://www.unclesamsphotos.com/

2007 World's Most Ethical Companies

Selected by Ethisphere magazine.

http://ethisphere.com/2007-worlds-most-ethical-companies/

Summer Books '07

Lots of ideas for summer reading from NPR --

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10628227

Consumer Jungle

Consumer awareness site designed for young adults -- with sections for parents and teachers. Links to information about managing credit, buying a car, and so on.

http://www.consumerjungle.org/

Genealogy Learning Center

If you are new to genealogy, this looks like a great place to start! Offers tips, glossaries, etc.

http://www.genealogy.com/genehelp.html

America on the Move

Smithsonian virtual exhibit about transportation and how it transformed America.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/

Edward Hopper

From an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.

http://www.mfa.org/hopper/

A Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory

What products do you use that are based on nanotechnology (and just what is nanotechnology, anyway)?

http://www.nanotechproject.org/index.php?id=44

Kidnetic.com

A site for kids about healthy eating and fitness.

http://www.kidnetic.com/

Within These Walls . . .

This Smithsonian sites tells the stories of 5 families who lived in this New England home over a 200-year period.

http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/house/

TOXMAP

Environmental maps from the National Library of Medicine.

http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/index.jsp

What Lived With Sue?

The question refers to the T-Rex found in South Dakota whose skeleton is now at the Field Museum in Chicago.

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/sue/interactive1/sue-whatlivedV3_content.html

Rocket Science 101

Cool site from NASA.

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/RocketScience101/RocketScience101.html

Family Caregiving 101

A site for those who are caring for loved ones who are elderly, ill or disabled.

http://www.familycaregiving101.org/

Kidsgardening

How to include children in gardening activities and make it a great learning experience.

http://www.kidsgardening.com/family.asp

Visuwords

Online graphical dictionary.

http://www.visuwords.com/

Shakespeare for Kids

Puzzles, fun facts, etc. -- from the Folger Shakespeare Library.

http://www.folger.edu/template.cfm?cid=588

Everything French Gardening

A beautiful site by an American expatriate living in France. Lots of great photos.

http://www.frenchgardening.com/

Inside the Courtroom

Site that explains the U.S. court system to kids. By the Department of Justice.

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/kidspage/

American Discovery Trail

The coast-to-coast trail for biking, hiking or horseback riding.

http://www.discoverytrail.org/

Historical Quotes

Stock quotes, that is. From Big Charts.

http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/historical/

Virtual Breakroom

Just a fun site to visit for a "break." There are some actual job postings, e-cards and movie trivia.

http://www.virtualbreakroom.com/

Open Culture

An index to podcasts available on the web. There are language lessons, concerts, news, lectures, book reviews, and more!

http://www.oculture.com/weblog/

Everyday Mysteries

From the Library of Congress.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/archive.html

Egyptology Online

An introduction to the study of Ancient Egypt.

http://www.egyptologyonline.com/introduction.htm

Celebrating Wildflowers

From the USDA Forest Service.

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers

Shorpy: The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog

Quality photographs from the past.


http://www.shorpy.com

Millsbury.com

Millsbury (as in General Mills) is a virtual community where kids can play games to earn points to "buy" things, visit a virtual museum, mix their own music, and lots more. Some advertising.

http://www.millsberry.com/

A.K.A. Houdini

An online exhibit with Teacher Resources, trivia, etc.

http://www.akahoudini.org/htdocs/index.php

World Ice Art Championships

From Fairbanks, Alaska.

http://www.icealaska.com/index.html

The Training Station

Animated Exercises -- little diagrams show you how to do over 100 exercises.

http://thetrainingstationinc.com/exercises.html

HP Activity Center

Currently featuring several nice St. Patrick's Day printables (bookmarks, party invitations, greeting cards, etc.).

http://www.printsville.com/

Blinkx

The largest collection of digital video on the web.

http://blinkx.com/

8notes.com

Free sheet music & "lessons"

http://www.8notes.com/

America's 400th Anniversary

Jamestown, Virginia 1607-2007

http://www.jamestown2007.org/

Music-Map

This is a fun site to play around with -- just type in a favorite musical artist and see what other artists the site recommends.

http://www.music-map.com/

gethuman

The purpose of this website is to improve the quality of telephone customer support services. The gethuman database tells you how to get through to a real person at many major companies and government agencies.

http://gethuman.com/

The Circus in America: 1793-1940

The people, sounds and history of the American circus.

http://www.circusinamerica.org/public/welcome

Storyline Online

Books for kids read (using streaming video) by members of the Screen Actors Guild including Jason Alexander, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood and Amanda Bynes.

http://www.storylineonline.net/

American President: An Online Reference Resource

From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia

http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/academic/americanpresident/

National Postal Museum

Part of the Smithsonian.

http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/