Politics
Congress.org – www.congress.org
Want to keep tabs on what is going on in government? Need to send an angry letter to your congressman? Congress.org puts the legislative wing of government at your fingertips.
Environmental Working Group – www.ewg.org
The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit environmental research organization that is dedicated to improving public health and protecting the environment by reducing pollution in air, water and food. With environmental news so politicized these days, the EWG is impartial, scientific, and comprehensive.
IssuesPA – www.issuespa.net/home
If you don’t live in the state of Pennsylvania, this site isn’t going to hold a lot of interest for you, but it’s a good model for what a government site should be.
MoveOn.org – www.moveon.org
MoveOn’s goal is to motivate people to take a greater interest in government and the issues of the day, turning back apathy and welcoming people back into the fold of politics. Although the conventional thinking is that one person can’t make a difference, MoveOn has about two million online activists who would beg to differ.
The Note – www.abcnew.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNotel.html
It’s a long URL, no question, but if you are into politics and the issues of the day, this is a good site to visit.
Print and Zines
AlterNet – www.alternet.org
AlterNet is a collection of news stories published by alternative newspapers across the U.S., sponsored by the Independent Media Institute. It provides a good balance to the corporate media, and an alternative voice to colour current events.
Boxes and Arrows – www.boxesandarrows.com
This site is dedicated to the world of architecture and design, and the benefits of using the Web as a resource to get ideas and concepts across.
Metropolis Magazine – www.metropolismag.com
This site is also dedicated to architecture and design, but instead of being designed for people in the industry, it is more accessible and can be appreciated by the public as well.
Shift Online – www.shift.com
Bouncing from bankruptcy to solvency, Toronto-based Shift Magazine is an elegant and edgy look at popular culture. It leans towards digital culture, but also covers music, politics, movies, books, people and places.
The Onion – www.theonion.com
Also nominated in the Humour category, The Onion is without a doubt the finest example of news satire, a beautifully fractured take of the times we live in.
Radio
CBC Radio 3 – www.cbcradio3.com
This is not your parent’s CBC. It’s probably the most cutting edge combination of a radio station and magazine you’ll find anywhere, with an eclectic array of music and features that are so good, and so far out of the mainstream, that you might not find them anywhere else. Bookmark this one.
Epitonic Radio – www.epitonic.com/radio.jsp
Pick a collection of musical genres, and this radio station with serve up a custom streaming radio program for you featuring a collection of songs from a database selected and updated by the site’s overseers. It’s a pretty incredible way to hear new bands.
KEXP.org – www.kexp.org
KEXP is a campus radio station from the University of Washington, with an amazing online component. You can tune in to the radio live, check out playlists, make requests, and a lot more.
This American Life – www.thisamericanlife.org
This American Life is one of the most popular radio programs in the U.S., featuring off-beat documentaries on some of the country’s most appealing personalities. It’s upbeat, fast, and well produced material that was rescued from obscurity.
Transom.org – www.transom.org
Transom.org is an experimental public radio station that allows ordinary people to participate by submitting their news pieces, editorials, stories and other content. If it makes the cut, it will make the radio show.
Science
Eric Weisstein’s World of Mathematics – http://mathworld/wolfram.com
Billed as the Web’s most extensive mathematics resource, this site is made for people who have at least a basic understanding and appreciation for mathematics.
ExploreMARSnow – www.exploremarsnow.org
One day we’re going to Mars, but what will we do when we get there? This site, with content generated by scientists, draws an accurate picture of what a Mars colony might look like, with details on all of the scientific instruments and technologies required to make it work.
HowStuffWorks – www.howstuffworks.com
This is one of the most useful sites on the Web for curious people, with in-depth articles on how everything, from combustion engines to gravity, works. It’s very comprehensive, regularly updated, and worth going back to time and time again.
Science Hobbyist – http://amasci.com
It’s not the most elegant site on the Web, but it has tons of information for armchair scientists on a variety of topics. It also serves as a kind of community centre where scientists can meet to discuss ideas and discoveries.
Scirus – www.scirus.com
Scirus is search engine for science, browsing though thousands of scientific sites to find the information you need, and cutting out the clutter you get with other search engines.
