The weekly update: War, tragedy, and spelling:
Yesterday The Herald had a story announcing that since sponsorship of the annual Spelling Bee had been dropped, there'd be no Bee this year. What a reaction! This story raised more ire than any I remember in quite awhile. Today, The Herald reports new sponsors have been found.
It's gratifying to know that people care so much about spelling. Shows there's still a future for readers and writers, if not for newspapers. (Let's hope that goes for researchers too.)

Oh, yes, and also in The Herald today: while we weren't looking, we've been invaded.

There's more in the news than I want to read about possible war with Iraq this week, but some useful sources:

War with Iraq: Costs, Consequences and Alternatives from American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Iraq: Map sources Congressional Research report.

Report for Congress: Potential military operations in Iraq Congressional Research report dated 1/13/03.

Colin Powell's remarks to Security Council

The body bag story by Sydney Freedberg in St. Pete Times. And then, of course, The Navy needs morticians.

Interview with Saddam Hussein by former British cabinet member Tony Benn.

Although I've collected shuttle links all week, I won't be posting here yet. Leave that to the linksmeisters at Poynter and IRE and Journalists' Toolbox, for now. But, as an example of how we manage to commercialize everything:

Columbia tiles, newspapers, etc. for sale on E-Bay

And more useful links....

Reference

Dictionary of Units of Measurement

Physics and Astronomy Reference from Physlink.com.

Yesterland Disney history.

Disability Resources from Allabilities.com.

Sports Illustrated Covers going back 50 years...

Centropa: Jewish history in Central and Eastern Europe.

Bug Bytes: want to know what different insects sound like?

Spain, The United States, and The American Frontier: Historias Paralelas from Library of Congress and National Library of Spain.
Governments/Politics

Federal Lobby Directory new easier-to-use search for lobbyists from PoliticalMoneyLine.

New TRAC report on Federal judges and sentencing patterns.

Buying of the President, 2004 financial disclosure of possible candidates, from Center for Public Integrity.

U.S. Budget, 2004.

2002 Census of Governments
Tools

OZ Guide Internet directory for Australian Journalists. (New address).
Journalism

Nora Paul on Shuttle coverage in Cyberjournalist.net (related to her Digital Storytelling project).

Another gallery of shuttle coverage (see also the one at Poynter) from Cyberjournalist.

What Liberal Media? First chapter of this new book by Eric Alterman is online. Amazon entry.
Business:

Air Travel Consumer Report, 2002 from Aviation Consumer Protection Division of DoT.
Florida:

Dade County Reform Coalition (election reform).
News:

The Water Barons huge international report from Center for Public Integrity's International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
Public Records

Miami-Dade Criminal and Civil Infractions
People, Statistics: no links this week.

Some Interesting stories/Weblogs:

More on Weblogs for rookies: History of Weblogs by Dave Winer.
Fun/Entertaining:

Country Joe is collecting new lyrics to "Feel-like-I'm-fixin-to-die rag". (Joe's main page.

Home Despot Shop. Destroy. Rule. "We sell, you conquer".

Mirror Project photos in mirrors.