Interested in learning Japanese? Check out the Japanese language program provided by Georgia Public Broadcasting, Irasshai  (which means "welcome" in Japanese). The site has over 100 video lessons, many of which are quite funny and great cultural information.

Browse the traffic safety topics at the NHTSA website.  Do you drive a bicycle or a motorcycle?  Are you a pedestrian, an older driver, a newer driver?  Look at NHTSA.

Have you noticed the walking directions available on Google Maps?  When you're entering the address for points A and B, there's a dropdown box below; click on the arrow and select "Walking."  It will reroute your directions to smaller, less busy roads.  It doesn't recognize off-road walking trails, unfortunately.

The Olympic Games begin August 8 in Beijing. Follow the more than 550 athletes of Team USA and cheer on Minnesotans competing in the 2008 Summer Games.

TPT has the best all-round website about the upcoming digital tv conversion.  There's info about digital tv and converter boxes, reviews of converters, and videos on digital tv, including installing your converter box.

Improve your home's marketability. 301 Simple Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home Now and For More Money Than You Thought will help you to learn how, with little or no money, to make small color changes, minor repairs, declutter rooms, and rearrange your furniture and art work, to create a polished look that appeals to buyers.

Parent rating site to movies, games, music, websites commonly used by children.

Get updated information from the National Hurricane Center on current hurricane and tropical storm advisories and detailed forcasting.  Keep up on current advisories including Hurricane Fausto and Tropical Storms Cristobal & Dolly.

The Olympic Games begin August 8.  More than five hundred athletes will represent the United States in Bejing, People's Republic of China.

Check out how financially secure your bank is through ratings assigned by Bankrate.com.

Consumer Reports has several blogs, one on electronics.  In this entry, the keeping and archiving of digital photographs is discussed.  Careful with your memory card!

Fueling America, a special report by CNN.com, looks at the impact of rising fuel prices.  Includes global and local impact, calculators, cost analysis, possible solutions and alternatives and reader contributed content.

SchoolDataDirect is the place for educators, researchers, and policymakers to access school performance and spending data for any state.

Arts and Entertainment has a new section. Check Games for links to Board and Card game rules.

Search for affordable rental housing and other housing information at Housinglink, an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency.

The International Criminal Court may seek the arrest of Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir for charges related to the violence during the 5 year conflict in Darfur.  Check CNN.com for news updates. 

Look What's Cookin' at Your Library! Check out the many exciting summer activities and reading programs at libraries around the metro area.

Discover the many summer activities and reading programs offered for kids ages!!
http://www.hclib.org/gateways.html

Looking for a fun (and educational) vacation close to home?  Check out these historic places in Minnesota!

Is your lake safe for swimming? Try Checkmylake.org. Find DNR interactive maps for lake access, trout streams, water depth. Find more about the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's lake testing program.

Project Censored presents the news that didn't make the News.

Check out Kongregate, a new addition to the gaming websites in this subject guide.  It's Flash games, with community features, and developers can upload their own games.

Thinking of transitioning to Organic? How to Go Organic offers information for individuals, producers and processors.  Included interactive maps with organizations, websites and publications across the U.S.

Check out the Minnesota Long Term Care Partnership, a public/private arrangement to enable Minnesota residents to protect more of their assets.

Fireworks and Independence Day Celebrations in the Twin Cities.

License Minnesota lets you access licensing information on over 500 licenses administered by over 40 state agencies in Minnesota. Includes professional, business, vehicle and recreational licenses in one spot!

Learn about the candidates' positions on science and technology issues on the AAAS Science Issues website. (Am. Assoc for the Advancement of Science).  The site includes news updates and links to candidates statements and positions on selected science themes. 

Vacationing close to home or just looking for a new place to golf? Check out course profiles and read user reviews.

Reminder from the Minnesota Dept. of Health to Spray Before You Work or Play.  Read Updated Info regarding Mosquito Repellents from the CDC and Mosquito Bites from Mayo Clinic.

Here's a map of the world, created with 1001 different, clickable logos of web 2.0 tools.

How much do you know about the founding of this country?  The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy will help you brush up on the facts, names, and events of America's early years.