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Interesting World Wide Web Sites

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The Internet Public Library Youth Division is a site available to kids that collects information from many disciplines, but that is safe for kids ages 4 to 11 to dig into and use for school projects. The site's librarians follow a policy for including Internet resources and sites in the collection based on the level of appropriateness for kids and whether the material is written and maintained by authoritative sources. The resources do not have to be aimed specifically at children, according the site's policy page, but they "should be of interest and useful to these age groups or to their parents and teachers." The IPL Youth site is a full-on portal, with links grouped under categories such as "Reference," "Our World," "Math Whiz," etc. World Wide Web: http://www.ipl.org/youth

The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) is "an alliance of nonprofit, non-governmental organizations based in the Americas, that are involved in international volunteer and internship exchanges." The Web site offers information on the group's activities and offers a searchable database of organizations. For example, a search of Africa and Community Health revealed six organizations involved in the area, including Earthwatch Institute, Global Routes, Operation Crossroads Africa, and Visions In Action. A click on the specified organization's URL takes the user to an information page containing contact information. http://www.volunteerinternational.org/index.html

Who's Alive and Who's Dead keeps track of famous people that have died and those who are still alive. The database is not confined to movie and TV stars, but also includes musicians, politicians, cartoonists, astronauts and other famous names. Individuals are grouped according to their accomplishments. Unlike the Dead People Server at http://www.dpsinfo.com/dps.html , this site does not include any of the gory details regarding how they expired, but just tells you when. World Wide Web: http://www.whosaliveandwhosdead.com

Educational firms Kaplan Inc. and the West Group legal information concern are joining forces on a free Web site, DestinationLawSchool.com, which aims to provide insights into legal research typically used in law school and while practicing law. According to a press release, the site offers interactive modules that mimic steps that must be taken while researching a legal problem. The site also reportedly allows those interested to consider actual legal situations and then learn what research is required to solve the problems. This would enable students, for instance, to experience the very same steps lawyers typically undertake in real-world situations. Like Newsbytes, Kaplan is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company. World Wide Web: http://www.destinationlawschool.com

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