http://baybridge360.org/

This website was created by the various California transportation agencies that are involved in the enormous job of retrofitting the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to protect it from being damaged by seismic activity. It is an extremely well thought out website, with an interactive aerial graphic of the Bridge on its homepage that introduces visitors to their work. If you click on the colored circles on the bridge, you can see a slideshow of the construction on that section of the Bridge, and some of the Bridge sections include a time-lapse video of the construction. Additionally, there is a short film visitors can watch to get an overview of the project, by clicking on the blue circle above "Bay Bridge Overview" in the right-hand corner of the homepage. Clicking on the arrow in the left-hand corner of the homepage takes you inside the website where you can find links to "Closures and Detours", "Environmental Issues", for the Final Environmental Impact Statement, detailed explanations of the construction methods under the "Information Center" link, and even "Construction Cams". If you just can't get enough of traffic where you live, just click on "Construction Cams" and see Bay Bridge traffic. [KMG]

http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/exhibition.asp?id=4

From stories told by his wife to their young son came the fanciful world of Babar the Elephant, and seven decades later they remain popular tales. After the death of Jean de Brunhoff, the mantle was taken up by his son Laurent de Brunhoff, who continued illustrating tales of Babar's many journeys and adventures. Recently, The Morgan Library & Museum decided to offer an exhibit of early drafts and watercolors of these works. Along with the in situ exhibit, they also created this website, which provides access to the first maquette created by Brunhoff as he set about creating the story of Babar. Visitors to the site can learn about the maquette, and use a set of tools to zoom in and out of the entire 37-page artwork. It's a delightful trip through the early life of Babar, and it is one to be shared with both young and old. [KMG]

http://www.printmag.com/

This website is Print magazine's online presence. Established in 1940, Print magazine features writing about visual culture and design, with special attention paid to work that looks at design in its social, political, and historical contexts. Print's tagline is "Design Culture Comment", and essentially it's a thinking person's guide to graphic design. Clicking on "Current Issue" on the left side of the page will allow visitors to peruse some of the main articles of the current issue. Visitors can, of course, also view selections from past issues. Importantly for readers of this type of magazine, Print has a section called "Competitions" that gives designers the potential opportunity to get their design ideas heard. Visitors should not miss the "News" link for a daily dose of design news and the "Daily Heller", which offers up witty, scathing, and informative commentary on current design ideas and issues. [KMG]

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/immigration/

Latino immigration continues to transform the United States in many ways, and it isn't just in the Southwest or California that these changes are occurring. Siler City, North Carolina and Minneapolis, Minnesota are just two of the seemingly unlikely places where one can glimpse this transformation to the American landscape. This offering from the American RadioWorks organization takes a heartfelt and investigative look into the ways in which Latino immigration is remaking the country. The documentary is divided into two sections: "Precarious Prosperity" and "Nuevo South". In the first, visitors will hear about the broader transformations wrought by Latino immigration across the country, and in the second, visitors can listen to the ways in which this process is playing out in the small town of Siler City. On the site visitors can also read about profiles of immigrants attempting to become legal residents of the US and the ways in which Latinos breathe new life into long neglected urban communities. Finally, visitors can also download the entire program and read the transcript here as well. [KMG]

http://www.census.gov/2010census/

Policy analysts, mayors, government officials, and many others are anxiously awaiting the results of the 2010 Census. It's not taking place for a few years, but the U.S. Census Bureau has already created this website to provide information to a wide range of interested parties and stakeholders. On the homepage, visitors can learn about the nuts and bolts of the Census, read about the "Census in Schools" educational initiative, and also access information from previous censuses. The other material on the site is divided into four sections, including "Jobs", "Timeline of Activities", and "FAQs". One can also use the embedded "Population Finder" to learn about basic census data for just about every place in the country. Also, a "Did You Know?" section contains interesting and fun facts about the history of the Census and its operations. [KMG]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/debatingourdestiny/index.html

PBS has crafted this compelling look into the history of presidential debates "through the eyes of those who were there." The documentary is headed up by Jim Lehrer, who has spent much of his career interviewing and talking with both presidential and vice-presidential candidates. On this website, visitors can take a closer look behind the past 48 years of presidential debates by reading background essays, viewing video clips of these meetings, and also by watching the documentary in its entirety. Visitors can select an election year that interests them, check out some of the "Quotes", and look over the "For Teachers" area. This section is quite useful, as it contains lesson plans and other educational materials. Additionally, the "Behind the Debates" area features two helpful background essays: "Why Debate?" and "Preparing for the Debate". [KMG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/

The BBC (or "Beeb" to those in the know) provides high-quality investigative news reports and thoughtful conversations on topics ranging from the Middle Ages to globalization. Some people may not know that the BBC also offers fine coverage of the Caribbean region, and this website is a good way to stay on top of current events in the area. A good way to get a flavor of the site is to listen to one of their reports, which include "Caribbean Report", "Morning Report", "Caribbean Magazine", or "Sports Caribbean". All of these reports are frequently updated (some on a daily basis), and they truly give listeners a sense of the issues of the day. Further down the site, visitors can look through country profiles, features on cricket, and special thematic reports on topics like remittances, tourism, and environmental degradation. [KMG]

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/lawty/world_beach/index.html

Sometimes visiting a website makes you want to dash out, leave your computer behind, and get busy doing whatever the site's talking about. The World Beach Project is one of those sites. It's a gallery of art made by all kinds of people, using stones gathered on beaches all over the world. Starting from the map or by searching (after clicking on "World Beach Project Map & Gallery" on the left side of the homepage), visitors to this site can browse images of these creations, and read a little bit about how each work came about. For example, there are 64 projects in North America, and 232 in Europe and visitors can travel (via the artwork) from the beaches of England to Malaysia to Mexico in seconds. The World Beach Project was devised by artist-in-residence Sue Lawty in association with the Victoria & Albert Museum. Detailed instructions are provided so that anyone can participate in the World Beach Project, or, from the map, simply click the button labeled "I want to add my beach project to the map". [DS]