Every week, CM presents a brief collection of noteworthy, useful, or just interesting sites we've turned up and actually checked.

Please send us URLs and evaluations of any web-sites you think deserve the exposure.

Street Cents Online

http://www.cbc.ca/streetcents/

A sharp-looking site brought to you by the award-winning TV show. There's an on-line forum -- current threads include I hate Alanis Morissette (16 msgs), and Tommy Hilfiger shirts: are they really that great? (4 msgs) .

Plus, of course, weekly features --

"THIS WEEK we check out silver dimes and quarters, jobs & job opportunities available to you, what kind of money you can make selling stuff from your home, why nobody will hire you if you're 13 years old, and more."

The Canadian Literature Archive
Formerly known as "Canadian Writers on the Web"

http://www.umanitoba.ca/canlit

It needs updating but here you'll find links to pages devoted to, and in some cases by, Canadian writers including Margaret Laurence, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Stephen Leacock, and William Gibson.

Biographical Dictionary
Formerly known as the Notable Citizens of Planet Earth Biographical Dictionary. As of 2001, "over 28,000" people.

http://s9.com/biography/

Normally we don't bother reviewing sites that aren't particularly good, or interesting, or something, but this site has been getting a lot of press lately. It bills itself as containing "biographical information on over 18,000 people from ancient times to the present day," and being "a valuable classroom resource. Students use it for research and teachers use it to plan English, Social Studies, History, and other programs." Oh brave new world, etc. Here's what you get if you search for Samuel Johnson:

Johnson, Samuel (Dr. Johnson; the Great Cham of Literature) Eng. aut., critic, & lexicographer; wrote "Dictionary of the English Language" 1747-1755, novel "Rasselas" 1759, 10-volume "Lives of the Poets" 1779-1781 _1709-1784

Okay, correct as far as it goes (I think; I don't even know what a Cham is), but not a lot of information on one of the greatest figures of the eighteenth century. How's it do on the Canadian portion of the quiz? A zero for Robertson Davies, and this for Wayne Gretzky:

Gretzky, Wayne Can. hockey player; holds record for career goals scored _1961--

CM Note: as of Nov 2001, the entry for Wayne Gretzky had been changed to:

Gretzky, Wayne Douglas (the Great One) Canadian hockey player; broke Gordie Howe's record for career goals scored 1994 _1961--

My desk encyclopedia did better (and was faster) on every query. Plus, it cost a lot less than an Internet connection.

The Dinosauria

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html

A good starting point for research on dinosaurs, with plenty of links to other dinosaur sites. Has a lot of good, basic information:

The term "dinosaur" has had a long history of misrepresentation. A few simple points must be kept in mind when discussing these animals:

Not everything big and dead is a dinosaur.

True enough. Look at progressive rock. . . .

Dave's Searchable Quote Database

The site previously located at http://cornelius.cc.vanderbilt.edu/users/lilly/cgi-bin/search.cgi no longer exists.

Hardly comprehensive (only about 6,500 quotes so far), but you can get a random quote, do a key-word search, or add your own. Found this under "Churchill":

I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

-- Winston Churchill

Copyright © 2001 the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

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The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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