(991001) The Niuean Pop Cultural Archive
http://www.unknown.nu/

Kim Scarborough
The Niuean Centre for American Pop Culture
Chicago, Illinois, USA

To say much about The Niuean Pop Cultural Archive would be unfair to those not familiar with the site. Half a dozen different options on the main page lead visitors to sites and sections either maintained or appreciated by Kim Scarborough. The last two should be motivation enough to set a bookmark. This is an ideal site for poking around at during the weekend. In addition to being a good looking site, The Niuean Pop Cultural Archive has wonderful content worth spending time reading, listening to, or just pondering for enjoyment.  (Back to top of page)

(991002) Project Censored:
Tracking The News that Didn't Make the News
http://www.sonoma.edu/ProjectCensored/

Project Censored
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California, USA

Every year a whole batch of news stories never make the airwaves or pages of newspapers and magazines. The Internet has played a big role in exposing the intentional loss of these issues by mainstream media and sites like Project Censored have become repositories for details otherwise ignored. Created in 1976 by Dr. Carl Jensen, Professor of Communications Studies at Sonoma State University, the project is currently under the guidance of Dr. Peter Phillips of Sonoma State University's Sociology Department. The staff and interns research material every fall for CENSORED: The News That Didn't Make The News which is published every March by Seven Stories Press. This site has stories going back several years, a RealAudio feed of KRCB's National Broadcast Edition of Censored 1998, a mailing list and many pointers to similar sites. All the news you were not supposed to hear about at one handy site.  (Back to top of page)

(991003) Adbusters Culture Jammers Headquarters
http://www.adbusters.org/

Adbusters Media Foundation
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

With a fine sense of design and duty, Adbusters Media Foundation has taken a big bite out of the hand feeding the Graphic Arts industry. The underlying theme here at this site and in the quarterly magazine Adbusters is that integrity and commercial art can co-exist if allowed. Championing campaigns such as TV Turn Off Week — April 22-28, and International Buy Nothing Day — November 26, 1999, help raise consumer awareness about how advertising and package design affect the environments inside and around our heads. Adbusters Culture Jammers Headquarters is packed with all sorts of thought provoking art and advertisements, so much so that anyone involved in the field of Graphic Arts should have a look. Consumers unfamiliar with the techniques used to sell products will want to visit the site as well.  (Back to top of page)

(991004) Debate Information Center
http://www.debateinfo.com/

Lee Miller
Information Press Corporation
Rockwall, Texas, USA

In a little more than a year, the voting public in the US will have elected a new President. While the election is only one part of the actual process, the hype leading up to that vote is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the whole thing. Historically, debates have played a major role in determining the outcome of the Presidential race but much has changed in the last forty odd years. Television and short attention spans have changed the face of political campaigns. Posturing and name-calling have been the rule lately, and the coming year could be uglier than anything before. The Debate Information Center is a great resource for students involved in the fine art of Debate. At this site is the Speech and Debate Hall of Fame (http://www.debateinfo.com/hall_of_fame/), these pages have more speeches than debates. The two special sets of transcripts, the Lincoln-Douglas Debate (http://www.debateinfo.com/hall_of_fame/lincoln-douglas/) and The Kennedy-Nixon Debates (http://www.debateinfo.com/hall_of_fame/kennedy-nixon/) clearly show how much difference a hundred years makes with issues and techniques. These speeches, currently there are under thirty, represent some of the most influential people of our time. Nominations for the Hall of Fame are taken here as well. The mud will fly and the muck will be raked and last Presidential election of the century should prove entertaining, even if there aren't that many debates held.  (Back to top of page)

(991005) SweepsTalk Sweepstakes Site
http://www.sweepstalk.com/

Michael and Mary Graves
Painesville, Ohio, USA

Banner ads for sweepstakes and giveaways are showing up on sites everywhere these days, and it seems as though this tactic is working out quite well for a lot of companies. More than just free sample and downloads, these sites are offering a chance to win cars and cash, trips and even new computers. Anyone who has ever entered a sweepstakes or a contest understands the thrill of beating the odds by winning a prize or two. With the Internet, a whole category of sites offering the opportunity to enter sweepstakes electronically has flourished. SweepsTalk Sweepstakes Site takes the concept one step further by listing and reviewing such sites as well as running a contest or two of their own. If you are new to entering sweepstakes this way, you'll probably find it a good idea to sign up for a free e-mail account at one of the many different sites providing them. Most, if not all entry forms require a valid e-mail address and this can become a nuisance when the firms you have submitted personal data to turn around and sell it in bulk — not all of them do this, but a high percentage will. You'll want to check that box on a regular basis, most winners are required to respond within a fixed amount of time, usually 24-72 hours. Letting messages fester could work to your disadvantage should you turn out to be a lucky winner. Entering sweepstakes can be a rewarding hobby, and with a resource like SweepsTalk Sweepstakes Site it's never been easier to get started. If you have entered at least one drawing by mail during the past year you'll appreciate this site.  (Back to top of page)

(991006) The Lou Bega Website
http://loubega.de/

UNICADE music
Munich, Germany

_________________________________

BMG backpage - Lou Bega
http://www.bmg.de/de/artists/stars/00473/ (Deutsch)

BMG Ariola Musik GmbH
Munich, Germany

It's not often lately that I buy a Compact Disc from an brand new artist while the single is playing in the store, before you can say it — I'm getting old and so are you. An impulse buyer is the whole reason for in-store play, over the years I've used the tool with great success, selling everything from Pop acts like the Smithereens and Was (Not Was) to yawners like George Winston. In-store play sells records and few people are completely immune, as I found out recently.

Lou Bega has an international hit with his Mambo No. 5 (A little bit of…) and the album was recently released in the US. During the last month the single and album "A little bit of Mambo" have been at the top of the charts in Latvia, Canada and a dozen other countries around the world. A universal hit from an artist who hails from the US or UK really isn't a surprise but when was the last time a German artist did it? Kraftwerk maybe? Lou Bega, UNICADE Music (http://unicade-music.de/), and BMG Ariola Musik GmbH (http://unicade-music.de/) have sold over a million units in Germany alone. The track will be a monster hit in the US to be sure. Fan sites are difficult to find at the moment but will certainly flourish in weeks to come. These official Lou Bega sites have audio and video samples, lyrics, photographs and more. The 23 year-old Munich native has a bright future ahead of him, over three quarters of the 13 tracks on "A little bit of Mambo" could work as singles. Mambo No. 5 (A little bit of…), Baby Keep Smiling, and I Got A Girl will certainly be enough to sell the album. Fans of Louis Prima, Kid Creole, Fantastic Plastic Machine or Morris Day should find this new artist entertaining. Be sure to read the guestbook at The Lou Bega Website to see the wide-spread appeal this kid has.  (Back to top of page)

(991007) Speaking Clock - tell the time out loud!
http://www.abc.se/~m8501/spclock/

Leif Porsklev
Uppsala, Sweden

The Speaking Clocks are both nifty shareware tools for Windows 95/98/NT users who are interested in hearing the time in any one of over twenty languages at a time. Rather than build every language into the programs, which would make for a long file transfer and bloated clock, the individual language files can be downloaded one at a time. Pick your favorites from a growing list and sport for the $12-15 US registration fee to help continue development. There is a free version available, and while the Multilingual Speaking Clock is good looking, the Speaking Clock Deluxe is by far the one to try out. The list of features is impressive (http://www.abc.se/~m8501/spclock/features.html) and so is this clock.  (Back to top of page)

(991008) Translators' Site du Jour
– Language Links Plus –
http://home.ncia.com/~slarsson/sitejour.html

Susan Larsson
Laconner, Washington, USA

During the past couple of years, new subscribers to Site du Jour of the Day have filled out a brief survey as part of their sign-up request. Most have indicated an interest in "Good old-fashioned odd sites". Coming in a close second are sites pertaining to "Language and Culture". Everyone who has checked that option should visit Susan Larsson's Translators' Site du Jour posthaste. As a translator specializing in Swedish to English work, Susan has discovered many fantastic sites along the way. Since its debut on May 28, Translators' Site du Jour has been an outlet for sharing these resources not only with other translators, but with anyone who has an interest in research, sociology, politics, and communication. I personally look at no less than a dozen fresh sites every day, and Translators' Site du Jour has many I've not seen before now. Long-time readers may recognize a few of the selections here, and that's all the more reason to visit. Averaging three unique sites a day, Translators' Site du Jour is on a five day week and is a little more focused and serious than Site du Jour of the Day. In fact, my original vision of what Site du Jour of the Day was going to be is very close to what Translators' Site du Jour currently is. It comes highly recommended.  (Back to top of page)

(991009) The World of Curious George
http://www.curiousgeorge.com/

Houghton Mifflin Interactive
Somerville, Massachusetts, USA

After author Margret Rey died in 1996 the merchandising of this character started to become more aggressive. Still a favorite for many of us, Curious George books are as much fun as ever. The World of Curious George has games and electronic postcards in addition to a special project aimed at school-age children. The Curious George is Curious About North America program gets kids involved in travel and geography in a fun way. The World of Curious George is a site for everyone who has ever enjoyed reading the books or is about to be introduced to Curious George for the first time.  (Back to top of page)

(991010) Directory of Sea Ports: Worldwide Ports and Harbours
http://forwarding.to/sitemap-ports.html

Global Hyperlinks Holdings Ltd
Manchester, England

This site lists over 1,000 sea ports around the world, and European firms who provide freight and transportation services to those cities. Useful mainly for the intended purpose, the pointers to the individual companies also include schedules and a host of additional features. If you have goods to move and are seeking new carriers this site cannot be beat. Travelers may also find alternatives to air travel in that some of these shipping concerns take passengers. That the database includes telephone numbers, contact names and e-mail addresses makes it all the more useful.  (Back to top of page)

(991011) Away They Sailed…
Dedicated to Great Lakes Shipping
http://Awaytheysailed.tripod.com/

John A. Harris
Lansing, Michigan, USA

A unique facet of growing up in Southeastern Michigan, or for that matter, anywhere on that part of the US/Canadian border, is the short trip necessary to watch ocean going vessels on the Great Lakes. I can remember looking at the ship traffic up and down the Detroit River with my father as we stood in the bitter cold of early December out behind the world famous Cobo Arena. We laughed ourselves silly as a crewman on a Russian ship repeatedly wiped up the icy deck with his face every time the bike he was riding got out from under him. It was also the first time I'd seen the USSR flag in the wild. My story the next day had the entire 4th grade class speculating that the ship was filled with spy equipment, and that they were there to steal our automobile secrets. That same enthusiasm for large vessels can be found at Away They Sailed… John A. Harris had a similar experience while on vacation and has turned that fascination into a fine site, complete with stories about the industry and the great ships of the Great Lakes. Many of these tales are from visitors to the site, and while they help paint an interesting picture from both the Canadian and US sides of the lakes, the most impressive thing about Away They Sailed… is the photography. John A. Harris. During the past two years he has visited ports around the Great Lakes region to see and shoot these large boats. Also included is a two year record of vessel sightings from different expeditions throughout the year and sections on ships and crew lost to the lakes. If you have never witnessed the majesty of the craft which never leave these inland seas, here is a good introduction.  (Back to top of page)

(991012) Ice Storm '98 Project: A Case Study in Response
http://qsilver.queensu.ca/~icestudy/

Queen's University Ice Storm '98 Project
Department of Political Studies
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario, Canada

When one thinks about natural disasters, an ice storm isn't the first thing that comes to mind — unless you live in Quebec or Eastern Ontario. In January 1998, a storm produced the largest recorded natural disaster in the history of Canada. The estimated cost of this storm was one billion Canadian Dollars. With assistance from Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC), the Queen's University Ice Storm '98 Project has been expanded from a CD-ROM to this site. Emergency response and loss analysis are explored here, with an emphasis on preparedness for the next time. Interviews, photographs, reports and summaries from government officials provide a detailed look at the entire chain of events. Of particular note here is the fact that the city of Kingston was a mere week old at the time of the disaster yet response was swift. As the northern half of the planet heads into winter again it's never too early to start thinking about ice storms and the potential for destruction they have. With all the makings of a TV Movie of the Week, this site is an interesting read. A fine tribute to the women and men who, through their ongoing courage and actions may prevent further loss of life and property.  (Back to top of page)

(991013) The DIANA Mystery
Once Lived Upon Earth As Diana Spencer
http://www.dianamystery.freeserve.co.uk

El Akbar - The Scribe
London, England

Please, if you can make any sense out of this will you tell me what I am missing? Especially the stuff from The DIANA Mystery — Once Lived Upon Earth As Diana Spencer — On-Line Parts (http://www.dianamystery.freeserve.co.uk/online.htm) forward.  (Back to top of page)

(991014) Crank Menagerie
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~riehle/crank.html

Tim Riehle
Ithaca, New York, USA

Crank Menagerie is a page full of pointers to other sites with varied themes and degrees of scientific reality. Some of the material you've probably seen before and others maybe not. A few favorites include; Amazing Prehistoric Dogs (http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.charlton1/home.htm), Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird (http://www.nine.org/notw/notw.html) (SdJotD 980210), Crop Circles Vibrational essences - Using the Information (http://members.aol.com/elkara/page1.htm), and Gravity Explained and Illustrated . . . Finally! (http://gravity.ontheinter.net/). While some of these people and their sites may present legitimate theories, a lot of them are just plain whacked. An entertaining and enlightening collection, Crank Menagerie has a little something for everyone and is worthy of a bookmark.  (Back to top of page)

(991015) The Most Complete and Most Useless Collection of Pick Up Lines
http://www.unc.edu/~mmontoya/pickup/Intropickup.html

an almost abandoned version is at
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~montymex/pickup/Intropickup.html

Matthew Montoya
Department of Psychology
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Once again the weekend is upon us, and if by some chance you are headed out lookin' for love you know just how difficult it can be. Not as popular with single people as they once were (from what I understand), a good pick-up line can either increase or destroy your chance of making an interesting first impression. Most of the time it's a matter of perseverance and dumb luck, and every now and then a really stupid opening line will work. In the old days, my favorite line would have me asking a woman to dance. If she said no, which did happen occasionally, I'd make some wiseacre crack like "well, I guess I gotta give all that money back to your dad". It's not something you'd want to say every time you were turned down, only if there was a sign of intelligence. As rude as it sounds, it actually worked for me once — for a couple of songs anyway. The line was immediately retired at that point.

The Most Complete and Most Useless Collection of Pick Up Lines has hundreds of similar gems, all gender neuteral and categorized for your shopping pleasure. Strong language gives some their oomph, while others are more subtle and even goofy. Along with each line is a score detailing the estimated rate of return. It's quite clear why some lines might work better than most after looking at a bunch of them. Some are very clever and others just beg for a slap in the face. Be careful using any of these, consider them here for entertainment purposes only. Better yet, consider them poison.  (Back to top of page)

(991016) Cartoon Wavs
Showcasing 1000's of sounds from your favorite cartoons
http://www.cartoonwavs.com/

Brian Robbins
Aurora, Colorado, USA

Perfect for replacing system sounds, the short WAV files lifted from both old and new cartoon soundtracks available here and at others sites through pointers will have you using your computer with a smile on your face. Instructions are included for downloading and even recording your own WAV files. There are over two 1,000's of them here — everything from Fred Flintstone's fat feet and Disney's movie characters to boings and anvil drops. A fun site with lots of crazy noise.  (Back to top of page)

(991017) The Kitchen Link
http://www.kitchenlink.com/

Betsy and Bob Couch
Rochester, New York, USA

The Kitchen Link is like one of those giant supermarkets, the kind with aisles so wide you could drive a car around in the store instead of pushing a shopping buggy. There are so many items here, like the different brands and products in a huge market, it's hard to know where exactly to start. With over 10,0000(!) pointers to other sites, The Kitchen Link also maintains vats full of original content. Through these combined resources visitors can find information about almost anything relating to food and beverages. One word of advice — don't go in hungry.  (Back to top of page)

(991018) Harry Potter
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/

Scholastic Inc
New York, New York, USA

_________________________________

The Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Mountain/5101/

Jenna
Nevada, USA

Lined up to become modern day classics, the Harry Potter series may eventually be put up alongside the likes of The Hobbit, and The Lion, and The Witch and the Wardrobe. Fantasy fiction for kids doesn't come around with this degree of quality and popularity as frequently as many would like. The Harry Potter books have become quite popular with adults and children since author J.K. Rowling got a boost from the Scottish Arts Council in the form of a grant to complete the first book. Published in the UK by the independent, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (http://www.bloomsbury.com/) and Scholastic Books imprint, Arthur A. Levine Books in the US, Harry Potter has won critical raves and The British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year. Harry, a young wizard may have a life which is too mature for younger children or conservative adults to read about, but that may be part of the charm. Site du Jour of the Day reader Barbara McDonald wrote in to suggest the The Unofficial Harry Potter Fan Club site, adding that she had recently read the three volumes and was "…enchanted by them (an appropriate verb here!)," and that her "…grandson and granddaughter are similarly enthralled". Both sites have information, opinion and artwork, and complement each other quite nicely. It's good to see Scholastic with titles at the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List. It's even better that kids are still reading and that adults like J.K. Rowling are writing for that market. Three of her Harry Potter titles are out now and four more are scheduled.  (Back to top of page)

(991019) Icy Continent Mapped from Space with RADARSAT
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagewall/antarctica.html

Web Curator: Lori Perkins
Scientific Visualization Studio
NASA - Dr. Robert H. Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland, USA

In 1997 a Canadian satellite launched by NASA looked at one of the most remote places on Earth. RADARSAT (http://radarsat.space.gc.ca/) captured images for the first high-resolution radar map of Antarctica, and helped to assemble the most complete view of the frozen continent to date. With the aid of the Canadian Space Agency (http://www.space.gc.ca/), scientists were able to accomplish more with one satellite in 18 days than with 5 different satellites between 1980 and 1994 when the last map was put together. As part of NASA's Antarctic Mapping Project this site shares images and data distributed by RADARSAT International, a Canadian company licensed by the CSA with global visitors interested in this latest accomplishment. Images and QuickTime movies are the highlights here, 100 years worth of historical and geographic information plus scientific discoveries make up the bulk of the other content.

From the site:

"Interestingly, as ice shelves break up into ice bergs, the sea level generally doesn't rise. That's because ice shelf are ostensibly already floating in the water. That floating ice, connected to the shore by ice sheets and glaciers, displaces a volume of water equal to the volume of water contained in the shelf. When a berg breaks off, or calves, there is no new water to displace. It simply separates from shore...and goes on its way".

With brand new data, this project has provided an amazing look at an otherwise hidden part of the planet. Give yourself plenty of time to explore the sites mentioned in this episode.  (Back to top of page)

(991020) 3D Ultra - Now THIS is fun!
http://www.nowthisisfun.com/

Dynamix Inc.
Eugene, Oregon, USA

and

Sierra On-Line, Inc.
Bellevue, Washington, USA

_________________________________

Lionel Trains
http://www.lionel.com/

Lionel L.L.C.
Chesterfield, Michigan, USA

The other evening my lovely wife and I were in the Meg-A-Lo-Mart and I spotted the box for 3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown on the shelf in the electronics department. Curiosity prompted me to pick up the box. It was under $20, so in the cart it went. My wife asked me if I really needed another game, and reminded me about how we had returned the unopened copy of Sid Meier's RailRoad Tycoon II from MicroProse, Inc. (http://www.microprose.com/) that Santa Claus had left for me last Christmas. While Sid Meier's original RailRoad Tycoon had brought many hours of entertainment, the follow-up game, Transport Tycoon was not as enjoyable and Sid Meier's RailRoad Tycoon II looked like more of the same bloated game. I really wasn't interested in it at the time. The re-release of the first title as Sid Meier's RailRoad Tycoon Deluxe (http://www.microprose.com/gamesdesign/gamespage/backproducts/backproductpages/rrtycoon.html) would indicate that I wasn't the only one who had a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the sequel. 3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown on the other hand looked like real fun. Stunning graphics and screen shots on the box, plus the opportunity to play with model trains — no pretense of a real empire, just toy trains. Lionel licensed their name to the software and their models have always been of a high quality. My experience with electric trains has been with Hobbyist O-Gauge stock from Tyco, HO is the smaller brother to the O-Gauge Lionel is famous for. Even with that, Lionel still means trains to me and although the company has been through changes in ownership it seemed like a safe bet.

3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown turned out to be quite enjoyable and the graphics, animation and game play are even better than the box would lead you to believe. Part of a growing line, the 3D Ultra games include a couple flavors of Pinball, Minigolf and Minigolf Deluxe, Cool Pool and next-on-my-list RC Racers which allows players to race and wreck pretend radio controlled cars without the noise and expense of the real thing. That factor alone, the cost effectiveness of the games, allows for pure fun. Game play with 3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown is not nearly as complex or durable as Sid Meier's RailRoad Tycoon, but it does allow quick play without the effort involved in building a rail line from the ground up. Construction features are not ignored with 3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown, but due to the nature of the game, it is not a construction set per se. Levels as "jobs" are the key here, completing tasks and moving on to the next set give this game its ability to work well for children and adults who really have better things they could be doing, spending time together playing with trains aside. The sandbox mode of 3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown is just about the only weak point with the game. Saving track layout is not offered. It will probably be improved upon in the next version, but for now it's still a great deal of fun. The 3D Ultra site has downloadable demo versions aplenty, screen shots and a host of other surprises including car-loads full of pointers to train sites. Simple enough for a child to operate if they ever get a chance at the throttle, 3D Ultra Lionel TrainTown would certainly be worth considering as the holiday season approaches.  (Back to top of page)

(991021) Deluxoland
http://www.deluxoland.com/

Bill Barminski, Jerry Hesketh and Webster Lewin
DE-LUX'O, Inc.
Los Angeles, California, USA

DE-LUX'O, Inc. is a hot-shot publisher of CD-ROMs and other multimedia goodies, including this extremely active site. Jam-packed with Macromedia Shockwave games and toys, including a hilarious diversion called GIMME THAT DANG PILL! - Flush The Pills Before Elvis Eats Them. This particular charmer has been suggested by a couple of different Site du Jour of the Day readers recently and deserves a look. You may need to download the Shockwave plug-in if your browser supports it as most do. This site is a beautiful example of the sick and twisted minds working in the field of professional art and technology. More than a hopped-up portfolio, Deluxoland proves that these guys love what they do and that they want to share it with the world and maybe a new client or two. And for good reason.  (Back to top of page)

(991022) Humor In The News
A bitingly satirical look at today's news through photo captions.
http://www.humorinthenews.com/

Chris Pina and Lisa Coburn
Los Angeles, California, USA

The history of this kind of humor goes back ages, take a legitimate news photograph and add a funny caption to it. Changing the context of the image, or just plain making fun of a public figure can be a splendid diversion. Humor In The News is reminiscent of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update more than other television version of the same. Sometimes the caption is a real groaner and other times it's the funniest thing you've seen in a while. Keeping up with the world news is not a prerequisite here, the images alone will clue you in on lots of things you may have missed during the preceding week. For that matter, there is such a serious lack of real news on these pages that you can bypass the captions to make up headlines in your own mind if the reality of current events is not a concern. Archives house previous issues, and a new cartoon feature every week will have you coming back for more. Humor In The News is a fast loading, funny and good looking site.  (Back to top of page)

(991023) The Invention Dimension!
http://web.mit.edu/invent/

The Lemelson-MIT Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

The Invention Dimension! is part of the Lemelson National Program in Invention, Innovation, and Creativity based at MIT. Established to encourage scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs to keep up the fight. Information about awards and educational programs can be found here, but the highlight of this site is a section called Inventor of the Week. A new profile is posted every week, complete with pointers and images and the series serves as a fine introduction to the people who have changed our world through innovation and vision. The Inventor of the Week Archives have become a fine collection of these articles and can be searched by invention or inventor. Interesting light reading with an opportunity to learn something out of the ordinary for adults and children. Make a point of looking at the Invention Related Links & Resources pages (http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/links.html).  (Back to top of page)

(991024) SportsWeb - New Zealand's Premier Sports Site
http://sportsweb.co.nz/

Graham Hughes and Robert S Dew
SportsWeb (NZ) Ltd
Auckland, New Zealand

For the latest scores, news, standings and images of sporting events in New Zealand, SportsWeb is a terrific place. In addition to this, there are audio and video files of events to enjoy. What makes SportsWeb even better is that they also host several high-profile sites for the likes of Stumpy Holmes Rallysport, the Auckland Speedway, and Gridiron New Zealand to name a few, all of which can be accessed from the SportsWeb pages. The additional pointers and content here will make SportsWeb a one-stop for anyone interested in the diversity of professional sports in New Zealand.  (Back to top of page)

(991025) Shareholder Communications Liberty Cam
http://www.sccorp.com/cam/

Shareholder Communications Corporation
New York, New York, USA

A live camera in the offices of Shareholder Communications in Manhattan captures beautiful shots of The Statue of Liberty around the clock and makes them available on this page. Be sure to reload the page several times for effect, especially when lighting conditions are changing at dawn or dusk. As with other web cams which have been featured over the years in Site du Jour of the Day, if you plan on being at The Statue of Liberty soon and would like to wave like an idiot to other readers at a pre-set time, please let me know. This is one of the nicest live shots I've ever seen, have a look see why.  (Back to top of page)

(991026) Governing
The Magazine of States and Localities
http://www.governing.com/

Governing Magazine
Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Times Publishing Co.
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

This site reminds me of the movie The Wizard of Oz, two parts of that movie in particular. The scene where the little dog gets curious, leading the Great and Powerful Oz to declare "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain," and when the witch sends out her legion of flying monkeys. In all three cases, especially with government officials, policy makers and managers, everyone is making it up as they go along. Governing is a trade magazine for the people who are the huge machine collectively known as "the Government". Subscribers include governors to supply clerks, Congressmen to contractors. Regular citizens also read the magazine and this site is a fine introduction to the publication. Governing provides a look at issues behind the issues which affect us and how public servants determine what is good for citizens and careers. Anyone interested in how the system works should read the content here. Pointers to all sorts of sites about government and politics are at the section called GovLinks. Included among pointers to Federal Government sites is a source for "…comprehensive, up-to-the-minute information on the doings on Capitol Hill, from Governing's mother ship," Congressional Quarterly, Inc. (http://www.cq.com/).  (Back to top of page)

(991027) Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/

Consumer Information Center
Pueblo, Colorado, USA
U.S. General Services Administration
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

One of the best known ZIP codes in the US, 81009 on an envelope alone will probably get you a copy of the latest Consumer Information Catalog. Assuming of course you have included a mailing address inside. Every quarter, the Consumer Information Catalog is packed full of listings for free or low cost (50¢) publications from various government agencies. Since 1970 this separately funded operation within the U.S. General Services Administration has probably gained more exposure through Public Service Announcements than any other organization or group. The PSAs tout the benefits of calling or mailing in for the free catalog and ordering from it. What many people do not know is that almost every one of these brochures and guides can be read at the Consumer Information Center site, a few are even available as PDF files. The traditional newsprint catalog can be ordered free here as well. International visitors will find this site useful even though most of the material is written for U.S. residents. Especially the sections on children, travel, and food safety. If you've ever been curious about what else goes on in Pueblo, Colorado see The Pueblo City Guide - Pueblo, Colorado (http://www.pueblo.org/).  (Back to top of page)

(991028) Isaac Hayes: "he's a bad mutha…
The Official Site
http://www.isaachayes.com/

Isaac Hayes Productions
Los Angeles, California, USA

Damn! Just, Damn!

And he's the International Spokesperson for the World Literacy Crusade too.  (Back to top of page)

(991029) The Liquor Fairy
http://www.liquorfairy.com/

Schieffelin & Somerset Co.
New York, New York, USA

Open to people age 21 and older, this site is far more than an advertisement for J&B Blended Scotch Whiskey. Once you make it past the stories of drunken excess from visitors and comments on same from The Liquor Fairy, read the J&B recipes submitted by consumers, and read the fake J&B News you may very well be underwhelmed. Do not leave yet. In the section called J&B Bands you can learn about musical acts and even listen to them through the courtesy and modern technology supplied by the folks at MusicDownloads.com (http://musicdownloads.com/). The J&B Featured Artist Program lists their Top 5 New Bands based on song popularity here, The J&B Top 40 which currently only has 30 songs and a complete A to Z listing of all the bands who have submitted their material to this promotion. Several genres are represented and bear in mind that these tracks are featured at a site for an adult beverage — not everything here will suit all tastes or be appropriate for all ages. The Windows Media Player is recommended for listening to these streams. Thanks to TheREALJoeyP for suggesting this entertaining site and to The Liquor Fairy for spreading the message about drinking in moderation, and for sharing the tunes.  (Back to top of page)

(991030) Hershey Foods Corporation - Plant Tour
http://www.hersheys.com/tour/index.html

Hershey Foods Corporation
Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

Part of the Hershey Foods Corporation (http://www.hersheys.com/) site, this brief photo tour of the steps in making Hershey's chocolate products is just in time for the Trick or Treaters. It details the numerous steps required to manufacture a chocolate bar and should prove interesting to anyone who has ever wondered how such a thing is done. Parents and children may also want to look at Hershey's KidzTown (http://www.hersheys.com/kidztown/index.html) for fun and games and like that. This and several other sites over the past few months have been suggested by John Hoh. John is a a Technical Writer at GE Marquette Medical Systems (http://www.mei.com/) and is also the Editor of Praise Today (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/5814/), a quarterly publication of interest to pastors and worship leaders of confessional Lutheranism. Thank you John.  (Back to top of page)

(991031) HoudiniTribute.com
http://www.houdinitribute.com/

Robert R. King
East Haven, Connecticut, USA

_________________________________

The Miracle Mongers, An Expose by Harry Houdini
Hypertext Meanings and Commentaries from the Encyclopedia of the Self
by Mark Zimmerman
http://www.authorslibrary.com/b/mmong10.htm

Margo Sailor
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

_________________________________

The Houdini component of the American Variety Stage Collection http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/vshtml/vshdini.html

Library of Congress American Memory site
The United States Library of Congress
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

For a child growing up in the Detroit area there was a lot to think about during the days before Halloween. The tradition of Devil's Night on the 30th of October meant pulling pranks on neighbors and local businesses. Harmless fun like wrapping a house or tree in toilet paper, picking up and moving automobiles to difficult to remove places, and the more malicious egging of homes now seem like mild entertainment compared to the displays of arson which finally seem to have subsided in Detroit. Perhaps it was perpetuated civic guilt/pride for having a Detroiter kill Harry Houdini, or maybe just wasted youth which started the whole tradition. It most likely stems from good old-fashioned blue collar hell-raising.

Houdini would let anyone haul off and hit him in the gut, and in 1926 as legend has it, a tough guy jumped the gun. The result of this punch was peritonitis resulting from appendicitis. On October 31st at Detroit's Grace Hospital, Houdini was dead. The story gets stranger from that point on. Harry Houdini was responsible for exposing so many smoke-and-mirror mystics that an accurate count would be hard to estimate. The Miracle Mongers, An Expose by Harry Houdini is an annotated version of a volume written by the famous Magician explaining traditional illusions for the masses. This version by Mark Zimmerman takes a while to load, but is well worth the wait.

In order to add scientific evidence to the study of the great beyond Houdini vowed to attempt communication before he expired. Every year for ten years after his death, Houdini's wife Bess held séances on October 31st, waiting for a coded message from her late husband. These séances continue to this day and only help continue the legend of perhaps the greatest Magician who ever lived. HoudiniTribute.com looks at the life and career of the man, complete with audio and video streams, photographs and much more. They are even conducting a Houdini Séance through the site this year. Of all the sites I visited for this episode of Site du Jour of the Day, HoudiniTribute.com is the most complete. The Library of Congress American Memory site (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/) (SdJotD 971018) also has fine Houdini material at The Houdini component of the American Variety Stage Collection and should be experienced. If you ever had the pleasure to see Harry Houdini perform live and would like to share your recollections with other Site du Jour of the Day readers, please let me know.

Safe and Happy Haunting!  (Back to top of page)

 

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Updated October 31, 1999

This Archive has been opened times since October 7, 1999.