News & Information : Editor's Choice
by James Fitch

The Better Business Bureau
www.igc.apc.org/cbbb/
From the mission statement, the Council of Better Business Bureaus promotes and fosters "the highest ethical relationship between business and the public." By way of its many regional bureaus, the nonprofit organization is perhaps best known for collecting complaints from fuming consumers and providing reliability reports for the cautious ones.

This information page lets business owners find out whether or not they stack up to BBB membership standards. It also allows users to file their complaints online, and educates them as to what exactly happens throughout the complaint process. On our last visit, only one bureau was distributing reliability reports over the Net. But its searchable database, with more than 63,000 reports, updated daily, was an encouraging harbinger. Follow the links here to find the BBB serving your community.

CNN Interactive
www.cnn.com/
There's little for Wolf Blitzer and Bobbie Battista to do at CNN Interactive -- and Larry King only lives through show transcripts -- but their on-the-air spirits resonate through hypertext newsflashes that will have online info-junkies reloading the screen in loops. "Book says Hillary talks to dead" and "Shuttle crew asks, if a tree bends in space ..." are but a few provocative moments in the fast-paced world of "always accurate and unbiased" Headline News.

And who better to deliver this service online than the network which practically coined the phrase offline? Along with digestible news, expanded coverage and topical sections for everything from style to politics, this sensibly designed site throws out such extra bones as an interactive news quiz and an ominously titled "Big Brother Cam," which relays live shots of the newsroom for all you folks at home.

FAIR -- Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
www.fair.org/fair/
Watchdogs can be fun to watch, and the Web offers an excellent public forum for American media group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). In its drive to "correct media bias and imbalance" -- no doubt one of the most unwieldy of undertakings these days -- FAIR zeroes in, specifically, on "corporate ownership of the press, the media's allegiance to official agendas and their insensitivity to women, labor, minorities, and other public interest constituencies."

Whether it's putting an allegedly racist radio host on the hot seat or chronicling a popular politician's decades of bigotry, FAIR puts a new spin on the journalism most people heedlessly digest as truth. The organization's no-nonsense site showcases "CounterSpin," the weekly FAIR radio show (for which partial transcripts are provided), and EXTRA!, the organization's bimonthly newsletter. In the face of information overload, FAIR might just help you to get the balance right.

Internet Disaster Information Center
www.disaster.net/
Dedicated to the memory of those killed in the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, and to the men and women of that city's emergency services, this offering from two disaster buffs aims to keep the Internet community abreast of the ongoing and historical disasters of the world.

On our last visit, the historical segment was limited to information on the Oklahoma City bombing; but what a thorough collection it is. From preserved Internet Relay Chat logs to phone numbers providing family counseling and disaster relief, the events and emotions surrounding the bombing are painstakingly documented here. Additionally, the site serves as a link-a-thon to organizations typically bound to disaster (GriefNet, American Red Cross, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). When disaster strikes, direct your browser accordingly.

The MoJo Wire
www.mojones.com/
The tagline at Mother Jones Interactive says it's "like punk rock, except it's a Web site." Make no mistake: MoJo is comparing itself to the punk rock of the '70s; but it's talking about the issues of the '90s. So ... if examining the phenomenon of corporate "downsizing" (and its positive correlation to bloated CEO salaries) makes you sweat; if a sneak peak at "Bob Dole's marriage with Big Tobacco" makes you blush; if the thought of "a case study of the enigmatic first lady" makes you want to go to the gym, perhaps you'd better back up and clear your cache. The rest of you are in for a righteous feast of interactive exposŽs and politics. And when you're finished reading, queue up all of your good thoughts and head over to Live Wire, MoJo's "interactive ideological battleground."

Out.com
www.out.com/
Neither "out there" nor particularly outrageous, Out.com turns the Web inside out with subtle, stylish aplomb; a piece of cake when you're already sailing with a wildly popular print version. Out's electronic baby sister, which is claiming to be the number one gay and lesbian Web site, delivers an excellent sampling each month of the magazine's authoritative look at gay culture, news and politics.

The site's frames-based interface may make navigation a bit perplexing, but what you'll eventually unearth is well worth the effort. Pros like Liz Smith and Michelangelo Signorile lend their distinctive points of view while the usual brood of frontline reporters and leisurely reviewers keeps us abreast of everything from Internet censorship to the latest Tori Amos opus. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, Out.com also serves up a few "gratuitous boy, girl" shots, updated regularly, "just to keep you interested."

Pathfinder
pathfinder.com/welcome/
At best it's a guilty pleasure; at worst it's a convoluted jumble of blocks, icons and color. Confused? Just click on a logo. With Pathfinder, the Time Warner Empire attempts the ultimate online newsstand and ends up contributing a shelf full of current events Cliff's Notes. No complaints here: You don't have to buy a copy of Money anymore to learn "The Best Places to Live," and you don't have to track down a copy of Life to pinpoint "The 50 Most Influential Boomers."

More than anything, though, it's the conglomerate's People/Entertainment Weekly brand of sleez & cheez that will keep you glomming on for more. (Remember, this is the monster that gave birth to O.J. Central and Susan Smith On Trial.) Even the covert ad gimmicks are a hoot. Rhino Records hosts "Rocky's Pad," where you can "drop a nickel in the juke, flip on the tube," or thumb through a catalog, conveniently located on a virtual coffee table. Hey, when you're busy filling out forms to get the extended weather forecast for your ZIP code (courtesy of the Weather Channel), it's easy to forget that life here is just one big happy promotion.

The Quotations Page
www.starlingtech.com/quotes/
Equal parts Web gizmo and desktop reference, the Quotations Page and the World Wide Web Acronym and Abbreviation Server are the ultimate bookmarks for those who find themselves tapping the keyboard at a loss for words (or for those staring blankly at nine capital letters in a row). If -- as the quote that opens the Quotations Page states -- "Language exists to conceal true thought," you'll find 10 distinctive closets full of funky and formal shrouds for any occasion here (from the Webmaster's own collection to Dave Barry's to the Devil's Dictionary).

Check out the site's quotes of the day, roll the dice for quotes at random, or type in a keyword for an assortment of topical sayings. We typed in "bored" and found that "The cure for boredom is curiosity." Then we typed in "curiosity," only to find that "Curiosity killed the cat." Life is confusing ... and so are those pesky acronyms and abbreviations. Like a gift from the cyber-gods, the Acronym and Abbreviation Server demystifies such wretched combos as ROTFLASTC (rolling on the floor laughing and scaring the cat) and LTBFYPW (learn to be funny, you pathetic wanker). The nifty gadget not only allows you to you punch in an acronym to see its expansion, but to search for a word in the expansion, and to submit your favorite acronym for inclusion in the database. Rated VG. (Look it up.)

Starving Shirley's Savings Page
www.shirl.com/
The only untruth to be found on this playful consumer-tips page is the implication that its gray matter, Shirley, "the viscontess of discount," is somehow going hungry. Far from it. One pictures this thrifty online dervish, a crown of coupons worn proudly upon her shopping smarts, surrounded by a gusty swirl of circulars. By oath, Shirley takes coupons wherever she goes, keeps an eagle eye open for free stuff, and packs rubber gloves for those irresistible bouts of "dumpster diving." And she shares all of her tricks of the trade here. Follow Shirley's mindful footsteps down the consumer path of life, from establishing a budget to purchasing a dream car. She'll also point you to a goldmine of online goodies, like shareware that will help you track your coupons and rebates. Shirley may be a thrifty downloader, but she's definitely not a freeloader: "Pay your shareware fee!" she demands.