The Latest in the News
- Al Jazeera (Arab World)
- Associated Press (AP – International)
- BBC News (British Broadcasting Company – UK)
- China Daily News (US Edition)
- CNN (Cable News Network – US)
- Der Spiegel (German language News Magazine)
- Deutsche Welle (German language News Magazine)
- El Mundo (Spanish language News Magazine)
- Fox News (US)
- International Newspapers Online
- Jerusalem Post (Israel)
- People’s Daily News (China Communist Party)
- Reporters without Borders (Media freedom advocates)
- Reuters News Agency (International)
- Times of India
- Wall Street Journal
- World Magazine
The Latest in Commentary and Opinion
- Political Commentary by Peter Roff, Contributing Editor for US News & World Report
- Economic Updates from Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist of the National Association of Manufacturers.
- Defense Reports by John Venable, Senior Research Fellow for Defense Policy at the Heritage Foundation
- Market Insights from one of the best financial companies, USAA.
General Information
- Data USA – Publicly available US data
- Elevation Map – elevation and directions all over the world
- Google Translate – Online translator
- ITranslate – App translator
- Mapcarta – World Maps
- National Geographic Maps
- Omniglot – World languages and phrases
- Operation World – A Daily Prayer Guide to Every Nation
- Time and Date – date calculator, time zone converters, perpetual calendar, international dialing codes and meeting planners
- US Data and Statistics – US Government
- US Nation’s Report Card – education
- US traffic and road closure information – traffic alerts, cameras, and other information from the Federal Highway Administration
- Weather Channel
- World Clock – time anywhere in the world
- US Central Intelligence Agency World Fact Book – Maps and statistics on every country
- World Mapper – maps highlighting different aspects of the world
Virtual Information Center
George Santayana (1863-1952), the Spanish philosopher, opined that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As such everyone should keep a sense of history, no matter what they are doing. People should also be well informed about the world around them.
Analysis and Policy Organizations
- American Enterprise Institute (AEI) – Critical Threats
- Brookings Institute
- Cato Institute
- Center for Immigration Studies
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- CNA – DIME analysis
- East-West Center
- Economist – News and analysis
- Global Firepower Index – comparison of the world’s militaries
- Global Security
- Heritage Foundation
- Hudson Institute
- IHS Jane’s 360 – Military and Industrial analysis
- National Academies (science, engineering, research)
- Pew Research Center – numbers, facts and trends shaping the world
- RAND Corporation
- STRATFOR Global Intelligence – DIME analysis
- Virtual Biosecurity Center
- Woodrow Wilson International Center
Archaeology
- Archeological Institute of America
- Biblical Archeological Society
- Nautical Archeology Society
- Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archeology
Business and Finance Center
President Calvin Coolidge once said that “The chief business of the American people is business.” As true today as in 1925, the Business and Finance Center provides information to help readers succeed.
- Bloomberg – News
- CNBC – News
- CNN Money – News
- FAQs – Internet Frequently Asked Questions archive
- Fitch – Ratings
- Fox Business – News
- Grant’s Interest Rate Observer
- International Monetary Fund – international governmental funding
- Investopedia – Basic Information about Investing
- McKinsey – Management
- Moody’s – Business Research
- National Association for Business Economics
- National Association of Manufacturers
- National Association of Realtors
- PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) – Business Analysis
- Standard and Poor – Ratings, Indices and Data
- World Bank – international finance
Environmental Protection Center
Mankind has only one world on which to live, and have not done a very good job thus far of preserving and protecting it. We can, and must, do better.
History
- American Historical Association
- Best of history websites
- Dates in History
- History internet sourcebook
- Hungarian history – Corvinus Library
- Military history online
- US National Security Archive – George Washington University
International Organizations
Law
- American Arbitration Association
- Resolve – resolve customer disputes with businesses
Philanthropy
Religion
- American Academy of Religion
- Blue Letter Bible
- Center for Global Christianity – Gordon Cromwell
- Christian Concern – Proclaiming Jesus in public life, including the media, government, and politics
- Christianity Today – Christian and church news worldwide
- Christians in the Visual Arts
- Emel – Muslim magazine
- Evangelical Missiological Society
- Evangelical Theological Society
- Fellowship for the Performing Arts
- Hinduism Today – Hindu magazine
- Holy Books – Scriptures and other texts in many faiths
- Joshua Project – Bringing definition to the unfinished task of reaching the world for Christ
- Journal of World Christianity
- Kripke Center – Religious Studies, Christian-Jewish-Muslim relations
- Moment – Jewish magazine
- National Congregrations Study – Periodic study of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and other congregations
- Open Doors – Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide
- Religion News Service
- Tricycle – Buddhist magazine
- World Parliament of Religions
US Department of Defense Unified Combatant Commands
- AFRICOM – Africa
- CENTCOM – Middle East and Central Asia
- EUCOM – Europe and the Former Soviet Union
- NORTHCOM – North America
- PACOM – The Pacific Basin
- SOCOM – Special Operations Forces
- SOUTHCOM – South America and the Caribbean
US Governmental Intelligence Organizations – Intelligence Member Agencies
Watchdog and Other Cultural Reports
- Amnesty International – Promoting Human Rights
- Anti-Defamation League – Opposing anti-Semitism worldwide
- Committee to Protect Journalists – US Based
- Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – International watchdog on money laundering and terrorism financing
- Fragile States Index – Investigating the viability and stability of states
- Freedom House – Reporting on freedom worldwide
- Persecution – Evaluating persecution of Christians worldwide
- RefWorld – Refugee status from the UN
- Transparency International – Evaluates global corruption
- US State Department Report – Religious Freedom, Human Rights, Trafficking-in-Persons, US Treaty, Universal Periodic Review, Advancing Freedom and Democracy
- Walk Free Foundation – Tracks global slavery
- World Values Survey – Religious, cultural, and economic information throughout the world
Virtual Medical, Science, and Research Center
It seems to be getting harder and harder to get good, affordable medical in the United States, and throughout the world. As costs go up and access goes down, and as experiments in government-directed medical care fall short across the globe, health care is returning to what it has been for thousands of years. The family, the church, and the community have always been, and continue to be, the primary providers of health care in every society, including the most developed Western ones. Today more health care is done at home than in the hallowed halls of hospitals, even in America.
This development is as it should be. Whenever possible, care at home is better for the patient, for the family, and for society. Home care is more personal, more effective, and less costly for all but the sickest patients. Increasingly procedures that required days filling a hospital bed are done as an outpatient, with the majority of postoperative care and rehabilitation being provided at home. Uncomplicated childbirth is ideal for home care, just as women have been delivering babies at home for millennia. In many cases, especially in the developing world, reliable health care is hard to find.
Medicine is complex and can be intimidating for even the most seasoned family. Even medical professionals admit their limitations when it comes to medicine. To help individuals, families, churches and communities be better able to take care of their own, we have instituted the Virtual Medical Center. This is intended to be a one-stop shop for readers to get reliable information how to take care of themselves and their loved ones. It is also intended to help medical professionals, administrators and public health professionals find the information that they need to better care for the precious patients and families entrusted to them.
General Patient resources
- Cleveland Clinic – One of America’s leading health care systems
- Family Doctor – Top quality patient education from the American Academy of Family Physicians
- Geisinger – One of America’s leading health care systems
- Hospital Compare – A US Government site featuring hospital comparisons
- Mayo clinic – One of America’s leading health care systems
- Micheli Center – Sports Injury Prevention
Direct care staff resources
- Audio Digest Foundation – medical education audio programs
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – USA
- CDC NIOSH – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
- CDC Travelers Health – Health resources for travelers
- Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
- Cochrane – Evidence-based reviews
- Essential Evidence Plus – point of care clinical decision recommendations
- MyAthens – medical study databases including Ovid, PubMed and Lexi-Comp
- National Medical Practice Guidelines
- Pubmed – Articles from the National Library of Medicine
- Radiopedia – Radiology information for physicians
- Stat!Ref – Medical information and calculators
- Up to Date – Evidence-based, peer-reviewed clinical decision support tool
- VA DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines – Evidence based guidelines to improve patient care, and save money.
Administrator resources
- Commonwealth Fund – Health Care data
- Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care – Population based data about health care
- Institute of Medicine
- Joint Commission – Healthcare organization accreditation
- Military Health System
- National Quality Forum – Quality
- Trust for America’s Health
Medical Groups (Clinical)
- American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine – Beauty and fitness
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American College of Sports Medicine
- American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
- AMSUS – Society of Federal Health Care Professionals
- International Society for Infectious Disease (ProMed)
- International Society of Toxinology – Information on Toxins and Antitoxins
- National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
- Performing Arts Medicine Association
- Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society – Dive
- Wilderness Medical Society
Public Health
- Aerospace Medical Association
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry – CDC
- American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)
- American College of Preventive Medicine
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
- Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center
- Bread for the World – International Faith-Based Institute opposing hunger
- CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases
- CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- Human Performance Resource Center
- Immunization Health Care Branch – Defense Health Agency
- National Association of Community Health Centers
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- OSHA Training – Outreach Training Program (online) and Training Institute (classroom)
- OSHA Introduction
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Building health worldwide
- Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health
- US Army Public Health Center
- Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)
- World Health Organization
- World Organization for Animal Health
Personal and Team Preparation for Medical and Humanitarian Response
It is not enough to know about emergencies and other needs throughout the world; we must act to help others and our world. In many cases, we must go. Following are some web sites to help responders prepare:
- Better Braces – Musculoskeletal injury treatment and prevention
- Blessings International – To purchase low cost medicines for medical humanitarian efforts.
- Brother’s Brother Foundation – Medical and Humanitarian supplies
- Vision Screening – Eyedocinabox – I-Test Vision Screener
- Gallagher Charitable Insurance – Insurance for overseas missions, including malpractice
- MAP International – Purchase medications and other supplies
For more information on what you can do to intervene in events and issues throughout your community and the world, please read How Ordinary People Can Contribute to Extraordinary Change. When you plan to go yourself, review Medical Preparation for Humanitarian Missions to help you prepare well.
While nothing here can substitute for a visit with a trained medical professional, the resources herein can help patients, providers, leaders, and the preventive medicine professionals take better care of themselves and those around them.
Virtual Science, Research, and Writing Center
Data Gathering and Analysis Tools
- Atlas Ti – Qualitative data analysis
- Survey monkey
- Client Heartbeat – analysis intensive survey creation
- SPSS – Quantitative data analysis
- Stata – Quantitative data analysis
General Keyword Search Engines
- Carrot2 – Clustering search engine
- Cite Seer X – Academic search engine
- Google Scholar
- Microsoft Academic Search
Metadata Search Engines – EBSCO Information Services
Medical and Public Health Research
- National Library of Medicine (PUBMED)
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
- National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR)
- Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
- National (Hospital) Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS/NHAMCS)
General Research Sites
- Correlates of War – Military history and armed conflict databases
- Digital Public Library of America
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
- Directory of Open Access Repositories (DOAR)
- International Government Information Site
- Open Library – Books
- Open Library of Humanities
- Project Gutenberg – free electronic books
- Public Library of Science (PLOS)
- Statista
- Statistics Portal
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program – conflict and war databases
- US Census Bureau Factfinder
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission
School Evaluations and Online Courses
- Coursera – University Level On-Line Courses
- Greatschools
- Schooldigger
Science Sites
Writing Help Sites
- Accelerated Reader Bookfinder – find books at the right reading level
- Amazon Author Central – Author page, Kindle Direct Publishing
- Bowker – bibliographic information for publishers, authors, and booksellers
- Dictionary – get the right definition
- eTurabian – helps you get your notes and bibliography in the Turabian style.
- Readability Score – what grade level is your writing? How easy is it to read?
- Thesaurus – find the right word
- Write Express – Rhyming dictionary
- Writer’s Diet Test – place some writing in this website and it will analyze it.
Virtual Sports and Entertainment Center
People can’t be dealing with serious stuff all of the time; we all need a healthy helping of recreation and rest every day. Sports and other entertainment are great ways to get it.
American Football
Badminton – Badminton World Federation
Baseball
- International Baseball Federation
- Major League Baseball
Basketball
Cycling
Cricket – International Cricket Council
Field Hockey – International Field Hockey Federation
Football/Soccer
General
- ESPN
- European Sports – Eurosport
- International Military Sports Council (CISM)
- International Olympic Movement
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- Sports Illustrated
- US Olympics
- World Air Sports Federation
- World Police and Fire Games
Golf
- PGA Championship
- The Masters – US
- The Open Championship (The British Open) – Scotland
- US Open
Horse Racing
Ice Hockey
Martial Arts
- Black Belt Magazine
- Black Belt Wikipedia
- International Fencing Association
- International Field Archery Association
- International Shooting Sport Federation
- World Archery Federation
- World Taekwondo Federation
Motor Sports
- International Automobile Federation
- Le Mans
- NASCAR
Polo – International Polo
Table Tennis – International Table Tennis Federation
Rugby – World Rugby Board
Running
Sailing – America’s Cup
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
- National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI)
- Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI)
Tennis
- Australian Open
- French Open
- US Open
- Wimbledon, England
Volleyball – International Volleyball Federation
General
Antennaweb.org to discover what channels you can get with an antenna in your area and which type of antenna is needed to receive them.
Movies
- Paramount Pictures
- Sony Pictures – Columbia
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Universal Studios
- Walt Disney Studios
- Warner Brothers
Music
KMDH Classic Music – 500 years of the Western World’s Greatest Music
Performing Arts
Television
- Watch TV Shows and Movies – Hulu, Crackle, etc.
- American Broadcasting Company
- CBS – Formerly Columbia Broadcasting System
- Fox Broadcasting Company
- National Broadcasting Company
Spanish Language Television
Video
Youtube – Individual, group and other videos
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