Brought to you by the the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), this site outlines the history, chronology, and agreements signed in the Guatemalan peace process. The Spanish language version of this site is more comprehensive than its English counterpart (mostly text), and features clips, speeches, photos, and more. In the years since the 1954 U.S.-backed coup, Guatemala has endured six more coup d'etats, four abolished constitutions, three military juntas, seven military presidents, and two military chiefs of state. But things are looking up. After signing a series of accords, the government and Guatemalan civil society may be reconciling. Unfortunately, the site doesn't appear to have been updated for some time, so we're left with an incomplete picture of the current situation. - Emily Soares
Triple Frames, multimedia, and a look into little-known refugee cultures make this site as innovative as it is informative. "Better to walk without knowing where than to sit doing nothing," say the Tuaregs of the Sahara. You'll learn about their culture, language, and history through striking photographs, QuickTime VR movies, and well-written text. Bosnian refugees and the trouble they face returning to their homes--if they have any homes to return to--are the subject of Roads to Refuge 1, the opening chapter of Witness. Firsthand testimonies and delicately stark images personalize a story the media has grown tired of covering. A most impressive use of documentary format on the Web. - Emily Soares
This site features numbing exposition of departments, program contents, and more (when the links work properly) at this University of California, Berkeley center. Get information on fellowships, the Human Rights Program, Working Groups, and a monthly lecture calendar. You can also access the newsletter, Listserver, and full text of Occasional Papers in the Communications section. As compelling as the courses themselves may be, the site's design is extremely dull. Only the devoted and/or enrolled will be able to make it through and still remember why they came. - Emily Soares
Chicago's World's Fair of 1893 "was in actuality a reflection and celebration of American culture and society--for fun, edification, and profit--and a blueprint for life in modern and postmodern America." So begins a fascinating and in-depth look at an event about which most of us know next to nothing, but which crystallized a pivotal era in U.S. history. At Expo '93 the first telegraph, the first seismograph, and Edison's kinetoscope were displayed; Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show was on; and the U.S. was struggling to define "Americanness" at the end of a century that saw the international scene in extreme flux. Nearly one quarter of the U.S.'s population at that time--27 million people--visited the fair, not to mention the curious from all corners of the globe. A visit to this site captures a glimpse of the Expo and its surprising legacy. - Emily Soares
Worldwide disaster-relief updates can be found here. Disaster Relief features extensive coverage of disasters du jour, from flood devastation in the American southeast and a house fire in New Jersey to a cold winter for Armenian children and the aftermath of war in Chechnya. You can search for disasters by locale or access the reference vault of historical disaster information. Find out which disasters are the most common, which were the most expensive this century, and which months keep the Red Cross busiest. Check out the state-by-state disaster count, a gallery of disaster relief photos, and a host of related Internet sources. And find out how to give or get help. - Emily Soares
Since 1989, Duke's Center for Documentary Studies has been teaching its "new vision of documentary work," and this site outlines everything about its unique philosophy. The center's site offers descriptions of classes and grants; selections from the school's Juanita Kreps Gallery; and large portions of DoubleTake, a well-respected journal of photography. Much of the emphasis here is on oral history--by the time you read this, Behind The Veil, a fascinating research project on the lives of African Americans in the South during the Jim Crow years, should be up and running. - Dorrit Tulane Walsh
Seednet is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization with a simple mission: to "give away free vegetable seeds to promote independence and sustainability among those who struggle to obtain the basic necessities of life." It's humbling to read the stories about its projects in the Balkans, Haiti, and Cleveland, where simple packets of seeds help feed hundreds of refugees and give children an accomplishment of which they can feel proud. Seednet's projects illustrate that it's often not the quantity of help, its the quality that makes a real difference. This simple Web site offers information about the organization, opportunities to volunteer, and a seed request form. - Rachel Saidman
This online version of the Washington State Historical Society's quarterly journal features articles and photographs detailing the state's rich history. Article titles include Climbing Mt. Rainier in 1909, Native American Art, and Female Stampeders to the Klondike and Alaska. The photographs are particularly successful. For example, Northwest Imagery: The Photography of Edward & Asahel Curtis showcases exquisite black-and-white photography that single-handedly makes this site worth a visit. As for the articles, I found them to be overly long blocks of text that didn't hold my interest. But if you're a Washington history buff, perhaps you'll feel different. - Rachel Saidman
Looking for a little light reading? Then point your browser away from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, a Web site not for the faint of heart (or soul for that matter). An excellent resource for Christian scholars, religious zealots, or those who are just interested in exploring Christianity, this is a giant storehouse of information. One really nice feature is the What's New section, a chronological outline of what the site contains--for frequent visitors, it's a nice way to keep track of where you've been and where you might like to go. Design is minimal, probably in deference to the overall theme of humility. - Rachel Saidman
BET stands for Black Entertainment Television, and MS stands for Microsoft. At any rate, this collaboration offers dynamic site design, including some very nice use of RealAudio, graphics, and animations. The content, however, is less inspired, with articles that promise a lot in the headlines but really don't do more than entice you to watch the real thing on television. This makes sense, since BET is, after all, a television network. The only thing is that the site looks so great, it's kind of disappointing to find that the flashy layout just hides some fairly undeveloped content. - Rachel Saidman