Weekend update: The weekly reference collection/research gleanings:
For those interested in blogging, lots of news this week, including several interesting new blogs and address changes, below. The big news was that Typepad, the new blogging/blog hosting software from the makers of Moveable Type, went online for sale this week. If you're thinking about blogging, this might be the way to go. Costs $4.95-$14.95 a month, including photo albums. (for an example, Mike Wendland has moved his blog to Typepad, and it looks great: ej.typepad.com. Here's another recommended blogging service: PMachine (mentioned by Steve Outing in e-media tidbits).

Also, here's Waypath a new search engine for Weblogs. I may have already linked to this, there are so many now; several others listed on bloglist section of the Behind the News page.

If you've tried to access things on that page, you've noticed it's really unreliable lately. Even the photos on this page sometimes don't display because the Web space they're stored on is unreliable. This has been occurring ever since my Web provider, Earthlink, changed the URL from infi.net to infionline.net. It's too bad, the site was pretty reliable for 2 1/2 years but I can't depend on it any more. Guess it's gonna be time to start paying for server space somewhere. So many choices!

The useful links....

Reference

Canadian National Climate Data and Information Archives has weather data by station going back to 1840s.
News:

Google News Alerts

ZaSOS.com is a blog monitoring Kobe Bryant case news. For more links: Yahoo Full Coverage: Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant searches make the Lycos50 top searches: analysis. (They won't publish the accuser's name either.) (Note: Kobe is 4th of alltime most searches, after 9/11, Iraq War, and Election 2000.) (via NDN blog.

Colorado State Courts: Media info on Kobe Bryant case

Iraq Body Count claims over 20,000 civilian injuries.
Tools:

Fagan Finder Translation Wizard has more languages than any other translator site I've seen. This from Michael Fagan, young Web search genius.

Questions for Candidates, From Robert Niles.

Ministry Watch religious groups' finances...
Journalism:

BBC Style Guide.

100 Worst "Groaners": I've linked to a similar list before, but this one from Newswriting.com is worth a look. One of my favorite Herald reporters, now retired Arnie Markowitz, would love this...it lists 'officials said', one of his pet peeves (along with 'residents said').

We Media report from NDN (New Directions for News) on participatory journalism. Related story in Online Journalism Review by JD Lasica.

Interview with Snopes.com creators in OJR.
Public Records:

New York Administrative Decisions nice searchable database (via BeSpacific).
Governments, Politics:

International Documents: Government Websites nice directory from NWU.
Statistics:

Facts for Back to School from Census.

International Insurance Statistics: latest update from Insurance Institute.

2002 Census of Russia
Florida:

Washington Post story on Florida's 'Matrix' antiterrorism database. MATRIX Website. I've seen some commentary on this about the Hank Asher connection, mentioned last week. Yes, Choicepoint was the company that provided the erroneous felon list to the Florida Elections Department that resulted in people being removed from the voter rolls. Although Choicepoint bought the company (DBT Online) that Hank Asher founded, it's a tenuous connection, since they also bought another Florida public records provider and already owned several others across the country.
Business, People, : No links this week.
Some Interesting stories/Weblogs:

Babalu Blog: from Miami.

Regions of Mind the weblog by Omaha editorial writer has moved to a new address.

Darryl Cagle's Cartoon Weblog: fascinating stuff here.

Test Pattern: new Weblog on MsNBC by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper.
Fun/Entertaining:

College nicknames: How many 'Hurricanes' are there? Just three.....

Wood that Works: amazing kinetic sculptures from a Connecticut craftsman.

Amazing photos: Blogger/former MTV host/helicopter pilot Adam Curry took pictures of the Norwegian cargo ship loaded with luxury cars that sank in the English Channel a few months back: they're sawing the the ship into pieces and have raised a section...Take a look at these pictures. Infographic on the salvage Website.

Iraq Faces and Surfaces photos of people and places in Iraq: photos from a photographer who visited Iraq in 2002 and 2003. "With these pictures I want you to get a sense of the simple fact that Iraq is not only Saddam Hussein, weapons and wars. Iraq is 24 million fellow human beings. It has been a civilisation for some 7,000 years." (via Dublog.)

Aerial photography of Miami and the Florida Keys by photographer Joseph Melanson, who also has aerials of New England, other places.