In the minds of some, the mere mention of the city of Bethlehem conjures up images of an industrial landscape complete with massive steel mills. These days the city has been greatly transformed, and before the period of heavy industrialization in the late 19th century, the city was quite different. With funds (and active participation) from a host of organizations, the Bethlehem Digital History...

Founded in Illinois in 1923 to fight Al Capone's "ironclad grip on Chicago City Hall", the Better Government Association (BGA) is a non-partisan Chicago-based watchdog group with the mission to "combat waste, fraud and corruption in city, county, suburban and state government." The "Government Payroll Database" section midway down the homepage, allows visitors to check out the paychecks of...

Better Human, a podcast by London-based human rights lawyer Adam Wagner, welcomes listeners into fascinating conversations about human rights law and principles. Wagner launched the podcast with three goals. First, Wagner seeks to discuss complex human rights issues. Second, the podcast breaks down important human rights concepts into accessible terms. And third, the show hopes to answer the...

The University of Washington Libraries worked tirelessly to create this remarkable digital collection of materials related to rare literary works from the post-WWII period in Korea. This period from 1945 to 1950 is known as the "liberation space," and proved to be a "temporal space of blossoming post-World War Korean art and literature." First-time visitors can read the excellent exhibit essay,...

Regions like the Lehigh Valley have been reinventing themselves since the extended period of deindustrialization began many decades ago. This rather fascinating online exhibit and archive from the Lehigh University Digital Library initiative is designed to aid "researchers in understanding not only the lives of railroad barons and steel titans, but also the experiences of the regular folks who...

Archaeology Magazine has had a blog since June 2008, and this website provides access to the current edition and all of the past posts. If you're looking for a fine pastiche of information on recent museum exhibits, new finds from the field, and technological innovation, you have come to the right place. The bloggers on the site include the Archaeological Institute of America's (AIA) online...

The situation of rural communities in Latin America and the Caribbean is in some cases quite dire, and this report from the World Bank offers some timely commentary on the economic opportunities in these areas of the world. Released in February 2005, this 352-page report prepared by a team of researchers led by Guillermo Perry evaluates the effect of the rural sector on national growth, poverty...

The experience of war is traumatic for all persons who happen to be involved in such activities, whether they be soldiers, commanders, or civilians who are caught up in the ensuing maelstrom. This interactive site tells the story of teenagers involved in various conflicts around the globe, and is maintained by the good people at the Independent Lens Organization. Upon reaching the site's homepage,...

It has been common practice for many persons of importance in the world of business, politics, and other fields to take some time off for introspection and to plan new strategies for the future. Of course, when the world's wealthiest individual takes time off for such a session, there is enhanced interest among the general public and a great deal of speculation. Such an event occurred recently...

Religious scholars and others have always been interested in the place names found in the Bible, and this site will be a delightful find for anyone who shares this interest. This site, created by a graduate of Wheaton College, features interactive maps of every place mentioned in the Bible. For its main data source, the site uses the Morrish Bible Dictionary, which contains the coordinates for...