About-Face!: Will men and the media they control ever tire of portraying women as playthings and objects of desire? That’s the kind of question that this site, set up by a San Francisco-based group determined to combat "negative and distorted images of women", tries to tackle. And it does it in a simple and effective way - by featuring some of the most "demeaning, objectifying, demoralizing, or sexualizing" advertisements that "bombard us everyday in magazines, on billboards, on TV, and in newspapers" in a ‘Gallery of Offenders’. The message here is clear: Women deserve R-E-S-P-E-C-T and treating them as tools or toys is a practice only observed by Neanderthals. Besides the image gallery, women can find out how they can go about empowering themselves at the ‘Making Changes’ section, and find useful information and links under ‘Resources’. And for examples of ads that accentuate the positive aspects of femininity, you should browse through the ‘There a Light at the End of the Tunnel’ section.

Biking Southeast Asia with Mr Pumpy: Thinking of doing a bicycle trip through this region? Then this is site to check out for tips on routes, places to visit and stay, and all kinds of other relevant information. The man behind this site, who calls himself Mr Pumpy, has done Malaysia (‘Up the East Coast’), Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia by bike. He shares his experiences in witty, entertaining pieces that are full of useful advice. He also offers tips for women cyclists and touches on such things as packing (both the bike and your personal stuff), clothes to wear, dealing with airline staff and Customs, and social etiquette. The writing may be a bit careless and quirky, but it isn’t hard to appreciate Mr Pumpy’s queer sense of humor. And while the site may not win any prizes for design, it is generally uncluttered in presentation.

Foreign Policy: The online version of the US-published "magazine of global politics, economics, and ideas" is a terrific current-affairs resource that tackles issues with an intelligence and authority that’s often compelling. Here’s a sample of the wide range of downloadable contents for May/June: ‘Money Laundering’, an intriguing article about the "more than (US)$500 billion in dirty money" that’s floating around the world; ‘Women Waging Peace’, an essay on the increasing participation of women in peace-brokering efforts to stop major regional conflicts; and ‘Why Peace Doesn’t Pay’, which questions Israel’s lack of "economic incentive to conclude a lasting peace with the Palestinians". There’re also other provocative, thoughtful and penetrating pieces on everything from multinational efforts to cure disease to emerging markets under ‘Arguments’ and ‘Departments’. The ‘Breaking Global News’, ‘Country Intelligence’ and ‘Search FP’s Archive’ sections are also full of interesting features. And you can sign up for the ‘FP’ bulletin by e-mail if you prefer to enjoy the contents that way.

Ghostsites: No, this is not a portal for ghost stories as the name might lead you to believe, but a sort of "museum of e-failure" that tries to "preserve the home pages of sites that will probably disappear in the next few months". As you know, the Golden Age of the World Wide Web is about to end and many commercially-motivated sites are closing down as swiftly as they launched. This page helps you track them down by listing the latest "dot-bomb" victims. There are only about 350 "screenshots" in the collection so far, but it’s growing almost exponentially, which means the monthly updates are likely to double or tripe in the coming months. All the links are alphabetically listed on the main page, and there’s a ‘Ghost Sites in the News’ section that deals with abandoned home pages that are attracting wide media attention. You can also submit ghost sites you’ve found by using the ‘Ghost-o-Meter’ or completing an online form.

LitKit: There are tons of Web sites devoted to literary matters but most of these tend to be short on the good stuff or present selected full-length or excerpted pieces that are nothing more than teasers for print editions. This e-zine, which offers "readings on books and writers", takes a more expansive approach and is generally better tailored to suit the Internet’s fast-consumption demands. Of course, that doesn’t mean quality is compromised. The features are of a pretty high standard but reassuringly eschew intellectual posturing, which is good news for the general reader with an interest in literature. Features are updated monthly - the May edition includes interviews with Kurt Vonnegut and Joyce Carol Oates and excerpts from recent books. An A-Z interview archive is accessible from the main page as well. There’re also insightful essays on Robert Frost and James Joyce in the ‘First-Person Intense’ section while ‘Muse’ presents new poetry and fiction. A news section offers daily coverage of general and book-trade events, and aspiring writers will find the 'Writing Tip of the Day' feature highly useful. The home page, which includes a search box and ‘FAQ’ and ‘Site Map’ links, has a pleasingly spartan look. And because there’re no banners or glitzy graphics, loading is mainly swift and smooth.

Newseum: War Stories: Wanna see the big wars of the world through the eyes of intrepid war correspondents? Then you’ll be fascinated by this multimedia site, which offers top war correspondents’ "as I saw it" accounts of conflicts dating from World War II to the Gulf War. The ‘Video Interviews’ are the main draw here, but you’d need a steady connection to enjoy glitch-free downloads. But don’t despair if your PC is from the Dark Ages doesn’t let you enjoy the multimedia offerings. The text/picture-based stuff is more than enough to console you. Particularly absorbing is Harold Evans’ essay ‘Reporting in the Time of Conflict’ which takes your through the danger-fraught but exciting world of war reporting. It’s broken up into five parts to make loading and reading easier. The ‘Media & Technology’ and ‘Exhibit Information’ sections expand on the subject and let you explore it further.

May 13, 2001 May 6, 2001 April 22, 2001 April 15, 2001 April 8, 2001 April 1, 2001 March 25, 2001 March 18, 2001 March 11, 2001 March 4, 2001 Feb. 25, 2001 Feb. 18, 2001 Feb. 11, 2001 Feb. 4, 2001 Jan. 28, 2001 Jan. 21, 2001 Jan. 14, 2001 Jan. 7, 2001 Dec. 31, 2000 Dec. 24, 2000 Dec. 17, 2000 Dec. 10, 2000 Dec. 3, 2000 Nov. 26, 2000 Nov. 19, 2000 Nov. 12, 2000 Nov. 5, 2000 Oct. 29, 2000 Oct. 22, 2000 Oct. 15, 2000 Oct. 8, 2000 Oct. 1, 2000 Sept. 24, 2000 Older Insites

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