This is the government portal that was part of the passage of healthcare reform, and it is all I hoped it would be. As Move On says, it's "a new online portal where anyone can go to find insurance options in their state, went live. It's a very handy resource for information that used to be difficult to find. It's available to help millions who need insurance find it, and as a resource for those who want to shop around for new options or find out their new benefits under the new law." Check out Hospital Compare on the site to check the quality and safety records of U. S hospitals.

I believe in unfair advantages, at least when it comes to buying stuff on ebay. The competition for some items can be stiff, and esnipe gives me an edge on those things I really, really want or need. You copy the item number from ebay into esnipe and set your maximum bid amount and how many seconds before the end of the auction you want esnipe to place the bid for you. I usually choose 4 seconds. I've only lost a couple of auctions using esnipe, and I suspect the people who won were also on esnipe! And the cost is extremely reasonable! I don't think I've put in more than $10 in years of use, but the amount of bidding you do will determine that.

Hearts of Space: Slow Music for Fast Times started life as a syndicated radio show that I used to have to wake up at 5:30 to listen to on Sunday morning back in the olden days before the Internet. It's still broadcast that way, but now is also on the Internet, where I listen to it whenever I feel like it. It has several pay options, depending on how much you like space/electronic music, but it's free on Sunday. A relic from my past, I still enjoy being a Space Fan. Maybe you would, too.

I used to think this site was lousy, compared with RueLaLa, but lately, they've been having better merchandisers and sales. I don't mind the longer wait time (RueLaLa has been getting longer, too), and I have gotten some really good bargains. You can also search clothing by size, which is a time saver. Overall, my impression and experience has improved a lot.

IMDb is indispensable, there's no question about it, but it's not very complete. Adding or correcting information can be a real bother, so I've stopped trying. Nonetheless, I get the largest amount of traffic to my film blog from IMDb, so it's been a personal help to me. And, yes, it's kind of a mess.

It's not my habit to rave about a restaurant website, but I've never seen one like this before. California Pizza Kitchen has great food, but that's just the half of it. When I decided to get some carryout, I went to CPK's site to order online. There wasn't one need I had that it didn't anticipate, including offering to bring my order to curbside, a big plus in my big city where there is a parking ban during rush hour at the restaurant. Everything was ready for me when I arrived, and I was served with a smile. Really, this is above and beyond for a restaurant chain!

I've only used the site once, to buy two blades for my Cuisinart, but the transaction was flawless. They had what I needed at the best price I could find on the net, ordering was easy, and the blades arrived quickly.

We all suspect politicians lie from time to time - ok, maybe most of the time. Now there's documented proof! PolitiFact is dedicated to "sorting out the truth in politics." The editors of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning website fact check statements politicians make and rate them as to their truthfulness or whether a politician has changed his or her position. They rated John McCain's statement "I never considered myself a maverick" as PANTS ON FIRE. They have an Obameter on the promises the President has made. It's a great tool for sorting through the rhetoric and keeping track of what is actually being done in government.

This is my home page on my laptop. Probably the best classical programming in the nation, with great announcers, free live streaming, live music broadcasts (Lyric Opera, in-studio guests), interviews, some syndicated shows (Pipe Dreams), and so much more. Plus The Midnight Special on Saturday night (show tunes and folk music) and The Best of Studs Terkel, also on Saturday. Great stuff.

After going to a national park in South Africa and seeing elephants, a cheetah, and many, many other amazing animals, I got hooked on wildlife live cams. The first, and probably still the best, is Africam. The site has a lot of features in addition to its live and refresh cams, including education, sighting lists, screencap of the day, and more. There are a lot of ads because of the cost of maintaining these sites in remote locations, and the cams sometimes go out and take time to fix because of their location. North Americans get the best views in the morning, when the sun is still up in Africa, but don't miss out on nocturnal creatures from time to time (the hyenas are very cool).

I found this site about a week ago, and I can't stop going to it. It exists "because there is a serious shortage of pictures of cute boys with cats." You can submit your own pictures. There are also a few celebrity pictures (Marlon Brando, James Dean, Steve Martin) with their cats. Anyone who thinks men are pigs or dogs should see all these sweet guys and their cool cats.

If you love documentary films, this site is a must for you. Hundreds of documentaries, including such gems as "Super Size Me" and "The Times of Harvey Milk," and they are all COMPLETELY FREE! The site does insert very short commercials at odd moments during the films, but they are a very small price to pay for access to so much great work, and the site is so much fun to browse.

If you just want to have a daily smile, click on The Daily Kitten. People from all over the world post pictures of kittens - often rescues, so the word about the need gets out - and their stories. You can vote on cutest photo of the set. A good-vibe site.

The Coffee Fool has a huge range of coffees to choose from, including a nice selection of Fair Trade coffees. The coffees are generally vacuum-packed and shipped within two days of roasting, so the flavor is really great. You can set it up for monthly deliveries so you never run out of coffee and can change your coffee choices easily. Prices are competitive, and shipping is free for larger orders.

I've used Sidestep for years and find it the most helpful way to comparison shop for airfare, hotels, and rental cars.

SwapaDVD is an engaging site for people who love movies and like to trade. They have good protections against pirated copies, a very complete list of movies to add to one's wishlist, easy listing of DVDs to trade, mailing label printing, and social interaction functions. My main beef with them is that if you want something a little unusual, you might have to wait a long, long time or may never get it. Criterion DVDs rarely if ever come up for trade, naturally. Nonetheless, though I had to wait almost a year, I did get Zeffirelli's "Romeo & Juliet," and really all you have to do is list it and forget it. They send e-mails when the DVD is available. They have a book-trade and CD-trade site, but I haven't used them.

Senteamental Moods is a one-woman operation. I first bought a couple of her teas at booth at a fundraiser, won 6 months in her Tea of the Month club, and was hooked! The teas are absolutely wonderful (Chicago Passion, Grandma's Kitchen, and Night Blues are my favorites). She's also gotten into creating original art out of used tea bags. Help an entrepreneur raising a daughter and enjoy the best teas around.

I love this site. I've purchased everything from rain boots to massages there, and everything was delivered quickly and accurately. When I've had a problem (rarely), they resolved it quickly and to my satisfaction. Good bargains and great customer service. UPDATE: The site now offers full refunds for returned items (less shipping).

This site ridicules women mainly for the fashion, make-up, and companion choices they make. They even ridicule women for not smiling enough because, you know, only a smiling woman is attractive and, hey, what do these celebrities with lots of dough have to complain about? Thank you, but NO to these femininity police. They suck.