C-Span is a public TV channel that covers a wide range of government activities—of the Administration, the Congress and the Supreme Court. The powerful companion website C-Span.org lets you access this news in audio, video, or plain text format for current and past events. (David Henry)

What does the Federal Government do with equipment that is no longer needed? It auctions it, just like on eBay, often at a truly knock down price. You can bid on houses, farms, computers, jewelry, vehicles, and much more. The biggest category appears to be Industrial. Get the details at Govsales.gov (Kim Komando)

Those of us who are amazed at the vast amounts of time, money, media and newsprint being expended on the 2008 Presidential election may wonder how the candidates can stand it. You can see some of it on YouTube’s You Choose ’08 pages. There are videos of the eight Democratic candidates and nine Republicans (as of Oct. 2007) making their pitches. Also click the buttons Education, Energy, Healthcare, Immigration, Iraq and The Economy to see what some candidates have to say on these issues. You can even make your own question into a video and submit it to the site. (Kim Komando)

If you are having any difficulty differentiating among the candidates running for President, Select a Candidate  may be of help.  You will be asked about 11 different issues facing our nation today, with several alternative solutions.  You select the solution that most represents your belief and the importance you place upon it, and the candidate most aligned with your views and opinions will be identified.  I think you'll find it interesting. (Steve Reed)

Current or past servicemen, relatives, even enthusiasts should pay a visit to Military.com  where you can answer almost any question you may have about those involved in military affairs. Search 20+ million records for military buddies. I enquired into MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa and was rewarded with in-depth information. There’s free registration for individual areas (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard.  (Kim Komando)

The St. Pete Times—and the Congressional Quarterly—came up with the radical idea of checking up on what political figures say, researching it, and reporting the results on a Truth-O-Meter at PolitiFact.Com  Statements by the 2008 Presidential candidates are checked up on here, and the results make interesting reading. The meter reads from True to Mostly True to Half True to Barely True to False to Pants on Fire. It’s unlikely you’ll abandon your prejudices by reading the statements and countervailing facts, but do give it a try anyway. (St. Pete Times)

All you need to know about energy costs and savings is yours for the viewing at your government’s Home Energy Saver site. They get your attention by displaying side-by-side the annual energy costs in your zip code for the average house and an efficient house. The annual savings, about $636 for my zip, are broken down among heating, cooling, water heating, major appliances, lighting and small appliances. Fill out an energy questionnaire for your home and receive an estimate of your actual costs plus energy saving upgrade recommendations. (AARP)

Is there a sex-offender lurking in your neighborhood? Start your enquiry at the Dept of Justice’s Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Registry. You may be surprised at the number of them displayed by a simple search on zip code. Choose one perp then look for the link to his details as maintained by the State – The Florida Department of Corrections in the case of Tampa offenders. (Kim Komando)

If you happen to be a statistics buff, you’ll drool over the data available at the US Census Bureau site. Even if you’re not, there are some surprising things buried in the data. Enter your town name, or zip code, and surf for some goodies as collected in 1999 for the year 2000 census (estimated town data is also displayed for 2005.)  Check for the percent of individuals below the poverty level, the percent foreign born, the percent of housing units vacant, and the median value of owner occupied homes. (Lumm’s List)

Whatever is the FCC up to? They are supposed to be the voice of the consumer in matters related to Internet and Broadband, TV, Radio and Cable, Phone and Wireless services, Media Ownership and Digital Content (copyright, etc.). To see how well they are doing for you, or not, visit Consumers Union’s site at Hear Us Now. For example, you know how ineffective the government has been over spam, but did you know that spam costs businesses nearly $2000 per employee per year? (Kim Komando)

Did you know the government is supposed to use the Internet to make government documents easily available? Well, I didn’t and so I am incensed to learn that only twenty-two percent of federal agencies and components have fully followed the law in the Electronic Freedom of Information Act, passed ten years ago in 1997. It covers agency opinions, frequently requested records, policy statements, staff guidance. It’s instructive to see how all this affects just one department in the State Department’s report for 2006. (St. Petersburg Times)

Who can forget Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady Prime Minister of the UK? But there have also been many other Women Prime Ministers and Presidents. Some have served in what we call first-world nations such as France, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Israel…. See how many of the total of forty-seven in office since WWII you can recognize. Hillary for President in 2008? (David Henry)

Remember Ike’s warning about the power of the Military-Industrial complex? Just how prescient that warning was can be confirmed by even a casual glance through the Federation of American Scientists MAN, or Military Analysis Network. Here, in DOD 101 -- an Introduction to the Military, you’ll find a thorough listing of US military might organized by weapons system, including missiles and nuclear weapons. Elsewhere on this page, click the ROW links (Rest Of World) to see similar detail on other countries’ weaponry. (Netsurfer Digest)

What is the National Intelligence Council? Maybe you think that's an oxymoron, but this arm of the CIA is charged not with predicting the future (they say) but producing reports that "contain the coordinated judgments of the Intelligence Community regarding the likely course of future events." Well, these dreamers have now come out with their 2020 project—Mapping the Global Future.  "It offers a fresh look at how key global trends might develop over the next decade and a half to influence world events." When you open the site, it might be best to choose the link to the Executive Summary that is well worth reading, and where you will be spared the forecasts of, say, the future GDP of Afghanistan to four places of decimals. Even so, it reminds me of Harry Truman who demanded to have a one-armed economist to advise him. ("On the one hand..., but on the other hand...")  (Netsurfer Digest)

The National Weather Service has been around since 1870. But it's done a stellar job of keeping up with the times. Not only does it have the best meteorological equipment, it has a great website. Other weather sites just don't compare. Plus, no ads! On the home page, click a region on the map. Then narrow down your selection by clicking on the regional map. You'll get a seven-day forecast, along with hazardous weather warnings. Don't forget to check out the Doppler images and animated satellite imagery. Or browse historical information and climate data. (Roger Preslar)

Many of us are by now familiar with the smart new designs on the full set of US quarter dollar coins that celebrate the fifty states on the reverse. Meanwhile the humble nickel is also progressing through several new designs collectively called The Westward Journey Nickel Series, two of which became available in 2004 and two more in 2005. On the obverse, these handsome coins show a different, magisterial image of Jefferson from that which graced the nickel from 1938 to 2003, but the plan is now to revert to the original Jefferson image and Monticello in 2006. Nostalgia, perhaps? (Netsurfer Digest)

Portions of an Al-Qaeda training manual have been posted on the Web by the Department of Justice. It was found by British police in Manchester during the search of an Al-Qaeda terrorist's home. The manual has been translated into English and was subsequently introduced at a trial in New York. Only portions of it are available, as those parts deemed helpful to terrorists have been omitted. The material on the website includes common-sense instructions for would-be Al-Qaeda recruits. It can give you an indication of how the terrorists think, and I find this pretty scary stuff. (Roger Preslar)

It is not too difficult to make a perfect score on a sample U.S. Citizenship Test prepared by a NC newspaper, but would you like to give it a try anyway? There's always one of the multiple choice questions that is set in a tricky way, so give yourself a pat on the back if you show a perfect score. Maybe try it on any grade school kid, too. (Netsurfer Digest)

Would you like to receive a birthday greeting from George W. Bush? You can, you know, by following the rules set down by the White House Greetings Office. You have to be a US citizen, aged 80 or over for birthdays and married 50 years or more for wedding anniversaries. Births are OK, but only if born during this administration, and there are opportunities for Scouts and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. First Communions / Confirmations are not mentioned. (Al Hopper)

After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, JFK ordered his office to be bugged so he could not again be burned by advisors who afterwards denied they had recommended going to war. LBJ and Nixon continued the practice and some of the thousands of recordings made during those three presidencies can be heard at The President Calling, a documentary made for American Radio Works.  They are accompanied by transcripts, and some have sections bleeped out by the National Archives for "national security reasons". It's clear that Presidents are very vulnerable men when confronted by terrible "The buck stops here" decisions. (Netsurfer Digest)

Have you ever heard of the State of Jefferson? No? Well, it's a serious endeavor that hasn't quite made it yet as the 51st state, but that doesn't stop them from keeping on trying. Proposed to consist of nineteen counties straddling the border between California and Oregon, their common complaint was that they were totally ignored by Sacramento and Salem respectively. In 1941, this was a growing secessionist movement that came to an abrupt halt with Pearl Harbor. The independent spirit lives on however, and the story of the modern would-be Jeffersonians can be found at Jefferson State . Their flag is a double cross. (Netsurfer Digest)

We are in the middle of the 2004 election campaign, but do you know who/what to believe? What are the facts about how incumbents voted--and how their contributors benefited--who are the candidates, where they stand on the issues, and where their campaign money comes from (big and little donors, PACs, soft money...)? This non-partisan site at Project Vote Smart is a treasure trove of information for political junkies--and the well-informed voter. Take the interactive tour first. (Mail appeal)

When I came across The World Votes I did a double take.  People from all across the world, and the USA, are asked to register on this site so they can record their votes in a sort of unofficial parallel election for President of the United States. In due course, they will cast an electronic ballot for Bush, Kerry or Nader. In the meantime, they may be polled to see how opinions are lining up. It sounds intriguing, but I hope the site has solid defenses against possible hackers. (Netsurfer Digest)

Fingerprinting visitors won't offer security. ID checks don't make us safer. Terror profiles by computer are ineffective. These and other essays by security expert Bruce Schneier make thoughtful, sober and stimulating reading. He applies cost-benefit analysis to such knee-jerk reactions to terrorism and makes a lot of sense to me. (Richard Clary)

Are you fit? asks a Government poster from the 1920's. Can you walk 20 miles in a day? Can you work an 8-hour day in the field? Can you "chin yourself" 8 times? Can you run 100 yards in 12 seconds? American Social Hygiene Posters, 1910-1970 at the University of Minnesota are a hoot for our generation, especially teenagers. The site is not easy to use, but if you persevere with the search engine (type in "health") you'll be surprised at the progressive content of some of these posters. (Netsurfer Digest)

The Want to Know team say they are "Revealing Major Cover-ups & Working together for a Better World". I agree with this, at least the first part, based on their three major topics: Summary of 9/11, Mass Media, and Mind Control. 9/11 briefly summarizes and links to references from the media, mostly press, that tend to get lost in the welter of news, but when reread and collated now, are pretty shocking. Mass Media speaks to courageous reporters whose major news stories were suppressed by corporate media ownership. (Loraghne Henry)

It may be difficult to find out how much money your neighbors have. But it's easy to find out how much they contribute to the Presidential and Congressional election candidates, thanks to the new campaign finance laws. Check in at Fundrace 2004, enter your zip code and you will get a list of locals and who gave what to whom; I was surprised to see how many gave the maximum of $2000 per candidate. You can also search on your name, which returns a similar list for your namesakes across the USA. Could be interesting, especially if you have an unusual surname... (St Petersburg Times)

Why are there 435 members in the House of Representatives? Well, it's all to do with the Bill of Rights, Article 1, which sets out the formula for how the number of seats is apportioned among the States. You can find it spelled out at Our Documents, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, and 99 other milestone documents of our nation. Examine an image of each original, plus a transcription of each, then vote on the most important. (Netsurfer Digest)

What would you find if you could take a large core sample below street level in Manhattan? In the first thirty feet there would be power, telephone, and TV cables, and then in successive layers are water supply, steam, gas and "forgotten" archaeological artifacts. Below those are the subway network, sewage disposal system and the mysterious Deep Water supply. Take a look at New York Underground another masterful site by National Geographic. (Netsurfer Digest)

At one time you could send a simple e-mail direct to the President, but in the late Clinton era they made you fill out a detailed form before entering the message.  My guess is it helps them get it to the right staffer for a reply.  Bush has changed that back to the simple system again, and you can find the e-mail and snail mail addresses and phone numbers at Contact the White House.

(10/03) What goes around comes around! Bush has now reverted again to the Clinton system, except it is now more onerous than ever. "It's reported that the new WebMail system is so unpopular, it was inundated with so much critical e-mail that, for a while at least, the system was brought to its knees. Ironically, the White House site suggests that you might just want to consider snail mail or even a fax for that really important communication." (Recycled - Netsurfer Digest)

What is identity theft? How can someone steal my identity? What are the consequences of identity theft? What is "pretexting" and how does it relate to identity theft? How long can identity theft problems go on? How can I tell if I'm a victim of identity theft? These questions are thoroughly discussed at the FTC site, where you also get practical advice on what you can do about it, and how to protect yourself and recover from identity theft. Click Consumer Information on the left. (Tourbus)

The Federal Government is redesigning our paper currency--again--to make it Safer, Smarter and  More Secure. Visit the Bureau of Engraving to preview the first new note, the twenty, that should be in circulation by the end of this year, 2003. Take a look at the cunning features that have been introduced by clicking on Interactive Bill, and make sure you also click the "light bulb" below to see what it looks like when you hold it up to the light. (Netsurfer Digest)

The hands-down winner of the Government category in this years Webby awards is the redesigned NASA site. It's encouraging to think that such a sophisticated website was spawned by a reputedly stuffy, bureaucratic federal agency. It's full of what you would expect, but the content is presented in sophisticated ways, with interactive features and videos and lots of photos and explanatory matter. Great for kids! (Webby) 

The Center for Defense Information calls itself the Nation's Foremost Independent Military Research Organization.  It is a watchdog think tank monitoring the Pentagon,  and is staffed with a number of retired senior  military officers. The site is full of sober analyses, news, research topics and press releases such as "Proposed Pentagon Budget Exceeds that of Next 25 Nations". Look for the Military Spending Clock; the last annual update showed the cumulative Pentagon spending advancing at over $580,000 every minute. A sobering display, indeed. (Russil Tamsen)

If you agree there was a huge failure of US intelligence that permitted the 9/11 attacks to succeed; and if you question whether the right corrective measures have been put in place to improve security at airports and in airplanes, then visit Counterpane.  You'll find a no-nonsense article by a professional security expert that will make you sit up and take notice.  Furthermore you'll also find some fascinating background on biometrics, cryptography and steganography (what's that?).  (Netsurfer Digest)

Democracy in action, supported by Petitions Online gives everyone a chance to petition Government, Entertainment, Business leaders and others.  Abolish the Electoral College, Antisprawl in Alachua, Denounce Jerry Falwell, Ban the Yankees from MLB, Boycott Windows XP...  Some of the hundreds of petitions are pretty far out, but if you don't like them, start your own! (David Henry)

We hear a lot about identity theft these days, but what exactly is it and how widespread is it?    The top three forms are credit card fraud, bank fraud and unauthorized switching of phone and utility services, according to the government's Consumer Sentinel.  File a complaint here and it is shared with agencies like the FBI, BBB, state attorneys etc. giving you an improved chance of satisfaction.   The site has statistics, consumer tips and for the latest information, click on Sentinel News. (Netsurfer Digest)

For years I subscribed to a snail-mailed list of the most egregious wastes of taxpayer money especially of the pork barrel variety. I later found out it was a very conservative publication but despite that it had lots of material that any voter could tut-tut about.  Now it is on the Web for free at Citizens Against Government Waste.  Key your home state into the Pig Book and pick your pork, or view Prime Cuts, Congressional Ratings and Looking Glass Reports. (Parade)

Just the facts, man! About foreign terrorist organizations around the world, as documented by the State Department.  Includes Al Qaida and 27 other groups, describing each along with its estimated manpower, location and areas of operation, and sources of external aid (including the USA). Spelled out in plain but chilling prose read about killings, bombings, assassinations, extortions and hijackings.  Click on the link "2000" to see specifics on what they did in the year 2000. (Guardian Weekly)

Anybody out there older than 100?  Did you know you might get an extra payment of $210.60 every month from the government?  Look up the details, and anything else you want to know about all the Social Security programs in the Social Security Handbook, which you can also download and print. The final chapter covers Medicare. (John Hallgren)

Operational Significant Event Image is bureaucratic gobbledygook for a stunning satellite photo of the latest weather calamity - a hurricane, a gigantic iceberg, volcanic eruption or dust storm - viewable courtesy of NOAA.  Explore the site for many remarkable images and perhaps improve your geographical knowledge, too. (Weatherbug)

How corrupt are public officials? Transparency International publishes an annual survey ranking countries according to how corrupt they are perceived to be by their own business people, academics and others.  The USA is 16th on the 2001 list of 91 countries.  Look carefully on the same site for the Bribe Payers Index, which ranks countries according to the willingness of their businesses to pay bribes.  (Net Surfer Digest)

To read thought provoking "Probes beyond the Obvious" on a variety of topics including Government, visit the Canadian-based Eye Openers.  Recent editorials include "Human Cloning is Inhuman", "US Presidents' IQs" and "Our Pseudo Democracies" plus features on Nuggets, Idiocies, Quotes and Humor.  My favorite piece is on "Iatrogenesis and Misdiagnoses".  (Net Surfer Digest)

It's your Congress - Learn to laugh!  There's a wonderfully irreverent guide to the antics on Capitol Hill at Your Congress.  Enjoy features such as Lobbyists, The Rules of Ridiculousness, Pork, Celebs and Congress, the Millions, Billions, Trillions calculator. There is also the very popular Your Congress Watch: any time your congressman says anything up there, even in committee, an email leads you to those words on the record.  (2001 Webby Awards).

If you want to keep track of our Washington legislators and what they are up to, start at Thomas (Jefferson), a service of the Library of Congress.  You can look up your members of Congress; find the summary status and text of legislation; or check the Congressional Record. (Betty Lucas)  I found the phone directory of the General Accounting Office, a comparatively small unit of the Congress: it has 65 pages.  Monstrous!

If you're still uncertain about the global warming dispute, get the facts at the EPA site.  What is the problem? What do we know? What about greenhouse gases? How serious is it? and What can be done about it? (Sierra) 

At one time you could send a simple e-mail direct to the President but in the late Clinton era they wanted you to fill out a form before entering the message.  My guess is it helps them get it to the right staffer for a reply.  Bush has changed that back again, so you can just find e-mail and snail mail addresses and phone numbers at Contact the White House.

Although you can still obtain general government information through the back door so to speak of The White House, that site's principal focus now is what the President is up to, plus the Presidency and the White House as a place to visit.  A brand new portal site has been developed at FirstGov that is a great place to start digging into any aspect of Government, either via a Yahoo style directory, a search engine or several Featured Subjects (try FirstGov for Seniors).

There are some helpful freebees at the Federal Consumer Information Center, including the Consumer Information Catalog referenced elsewhere on this page and now the 140 page Consumer Action Handbook.  This is a treasure trove of advice, resources and references, 800 numbers and addresses for government agencies that assist the alert consumer.  The advice covers cars, the home, investing, money, health care, security and privacy, shopping, travel - and other topics.

Are you a statistics freak? Find thousands of them, covering business and economic data, foreign trade, income distribution, population data, nationwide maps and gazetteer - even genealogy info. Where? Perhaps surprisingly, at the Census Bureau.

The past three winters have been the warmest on record, according to the US government's weather site, the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Check out the Climatic Extremes and Weather Events pages, because of their spectacular subjects - megastorms, "Billion $$ Weather Disasters", and global extremes in temperature and precipitation, all profusely illustrated with maps, satellite and radar images.

Every day since mid-1995 NASA has uploaded a photo of some remarkable heavenly object, accompanied by a brief explanation by a professional astronomer. They are all available for your viewing pleasure at the Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive. Most of these are stunning, many spectacular. (J. Kotze)  Then why not visit a NASA produced image which shows the actual positions of over 500 satellites and pieces of space junk which are orbiting the Earth. The positions are constantly updated in real time.  And to think that some day it will all fall back to Earth again!  Conversely, at a site supported by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory you can view Earth or any planet as seen from Earth or any other planet through the miracle of computer simulation.

The  White House site is a convenient entry point to the entire panoply of websites maintained by Federal Departments, Agencies, Bureaus, Services etc.  One has to admit that these sites tend to be models of good design, unencumbered with the excessive visual clutter so common in commercial sites - and they all have text-only versions, too.

More than 70 agencies of the United States Federal Government produce statistics of interest to the public.  Check 'em out at the FedStats site.

UFO sightings, gangster reports, the Ten Most Wanted criminals and other FBI files are now accessible thanks to the Freedom of Information Act.  Then for budding counter-intelligence agents, moles or spymasters, visit the CIA. You'll probably uncover no secrets, but can instead learn about WWII spy technology with microdots, invisible ink and the Enigma machine.  If you're curious about details of the new $20 bill design, check it out and much more at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BTW, their web site is called MoneyFactory.com!).

Can you recall what the third amendment to the constitution is about?  If not, read the Bill of Rights, along with The Constitution and other documents, courtesy of Emory University Law School.

There might be some unclaimed money for you if you look in the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation site.  There the government posts the names of 4000 people who are entitled to pensions they aren't collecting.  Its a long shot, perhaps, but not so long as winning the Lotto...

Visit the US Postal Service site. See the stamps. Feel the zip codes...

The Internal Revenue Service says "Even the most novice Internet user will find our home page easy to navigate. Written in simple, user friendly format..."  No kidding. (DavidH)

All you ever wanted to know and more about Social Security and Medicare, including some startling cost figures. (BernieS)

Remember the Consumer Information Catalog?  It listed many free or low priced booklets put out by the government.  Now you can read them on this site instead, or place online orders for mailed copies of the CIC and/or the booklets.