TheyWorkForYou.com "is a non-partisan website run by a charity which aims to make it easy for people to keep tabs on their elected and unelected representatives in Parliament, and other assemblies."

The useful site also provides a simple cut and paste code you can use to place a TheyWorkForYou search box on your site.

If you think history is boring or you've never liked learning about history, I think you will change your mind after reading History is Elementary which is a fascinating blog written by a history teacher living in Georgia,USA.

The author of the blog explains her blog thus:

"Quite simply History Is Elementary is a site for history teachers and anyone who enjoys reading about history and history education. Posts include opinions, information on content, teaching strategies, and some of my day to day adventures in teaching"

AskAndyAboutClothes "is devoted to men's clothes -- what to wear, how to properly wear it, and the history of why we wear what we do."

It also provides articles offering practical advice on such diverse topics as proper table manners, job interviewing, and even basic golf etiquette!

Take the time to explore the website and you will discover many more useful articles.

VideoJug is an incredibly useful site! It will help you with just about anything. The site explains exactly what it's about better than I can:

VideoJug is every aspect of life explained and illustrated through an ever-growing number of common sense, informative, helpful and entertaining videos. It’s like having an army of top-class experts at your fingertips 24/7 to “show you how” and to help you out. And you can contribute your own knowledge, experience, wisdom and tips too, as we’re aiming to create a place that people come to share - as well as find - knowledge.

There is an UK edition too.

(link via WebWise in The Sunday Times)

If you love to knit or you are thinking about starting to knit, you will want to bookmark this site:

Knitting Pattern Central is an online directory featuring thousands of links to free knitting patterns currently with over fifty categories from which to choose, including hats, sweaters, afghans, ponchos, mittens and gloves, kitchen items, toys, and much more.

The site also features a handy directory to Knitting Instructions and Tutorials.

NiceCupofTeaAndASitDown is a fun and informative site about tea, biscuits (and cake). It's "the premier web site for tea drinkers who are keen on sitting down and biscuits."

I particularly enjoy the "Biscuit of the Week" feature, where a biscuit is reviewed in great detail. There is a useful archive too.

In the spirit of Christmas, I thought I'd share this amusing video.

I probably won't be posting tomorrow so I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays!

DIY Essentials offers products at great prices for the home improver:

There are over 35,000 products available on the site including the internets largest range of door handles and kitchen cupboard handles.

Opus 1 Classical is a very useful resource for those looking for worldwide classical music and opera events.

This is an impressive site. There are currently 25,518 concerts in the database!

Uusally I try to avoid watching commercials by hitting the mute on the remote control and only looking up once in a while to see when the programme is starting, but occasionally, I will watch a commercial if it's funny, clever or unusual in some way. It shouldn't be a surprise therefore that I found a website devoted to television commercials!

The site called Vist4info.com is all about advertisements and even provides a search engine to help you find your favourite commercials.

It's possible to view precious books - such as The Original Alice written and illustrated by Lewis Carol, Jane Austen's early work, and the oldest printed 'book' (printed in China in 868) - at the British Library via an interactive program that allows users to virtually 'turn' the pages.

Turning the Pages: Leaf through 15 great books and magnify the details.

SweatyBetty (I love the name!) is a business "run by women for women to be the best!" The company sells fashionable (and fun!) clothing, shoes and accessories suitable for exercise, sport or just to be comfortable. They also sell underwear, bags, books and DVDs.

BookFinder.com "is an one-stop ecommerce search engine that searches over 100 million books for sale—new, used, rare, out-of-print, and textbooks."

Find lots of different ways to save money with the UK's biggest money site, MoneySavingExpert with useful tips, articles, tools and forums.

The Creativity & Innovation Library provides lots of useful ways to learn how to be more creative and innovative. I particularly like the step by step guide to brainstorming and 10 steps for boosting creativity.

I love to read - a lot! - but sometimes I can't recall the titles of all the books in a series or I might know the titles but don't remember their correct order. That's why I'm so pleased to find the What's Next database that helps you search series fiction by title, author, or series.

Studenthealth is a comprehensive site that offers free health advice - written by doctors - for students and young people.

Imagini Gift finder is a site that offers free use of a clever way to search for gift ideas (in the UK) on the internet by matching ideas with your answers to a quick visual quiz. You simply "read the words and click the image that feels right" and Imagini does the rest!

I tried it and the wish list result - matched with my "VisualDNA" - was spot on - exactly the sort of gifts I would like to receive!

It's a fun way to get gift ideas and the links to the shops are provided. It makes shopping very easy and you also have the option to email your wish list to your friends, family or yourself.

I'm recommending two useful sites today:

If you would like tips and hints to help make life easier and more productive - and who wouldn't?! - you need look no further than Lifehacker, the Productivity and Software Guide.

Lifehacker recommends the software downloads and web sites that actually save time. Don't live to geek; geek to live.

and

Daily digest and pointers on productivity, getting things done and lifehacks at the excellent Lifehack.org blog. The site, created by Leon Ho, a techie who lives in Australia, "contains daily news and articles about self-development and tips and tricks on life."

Math Cats is a very cool educational site packed with lots of interactive math projects, creative activites, and fun math crafts.

The Fruit Pages: Everything you want to know about fruit.

The Association of Charity Shops is "the only member organisation dedicated to supporting charities who run shops as part of their fundraising activities."

The site features a handy search engine to find a charity shop by town or postcode.

If you are a fan of musicals, you will enjoy reading everything on the comprehensive site, Musicals101.com - "The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film by John Kenrick."

Beyond Baked Beans is a cookery site aimed at students. According to the site, Beyond Baked Beans is "The best student food and cookery site in Britain." It's fun but very useful - with plenty of quick & easy recipes - and the casual attitude is perfect for students.

Neatorama is a fun blog with lots of neat stuff and interestng links. It's a treasure trove because you never know what you might discover!

Mom's Budget is a website that provides lots of useful articles, recipes and tips about how to manage a household and save money.

Astronomy For Kids Online is a fun and educational website that provides lots of astronomy related information and resources.

NutritionData "provides a complete nutrient analysis for any food or recipe, and helps you select foods that best match your dietary needs."

Malehealth is an excellent site for men, devoted to information about men's health:

Malehealth is here to provide essential, accurate, easy to use information about the key health problems that affect men. Packed with tips, expert advice and details of how men can check their own health and use health professionals more effectively, malehealth provides the down-to-earth and practical rsources men need to lead healthier, happier lives.

Shiny Shiny "is the first gadgets site written by women for women. It launched in March 2004 and now has a whole team of dedicated gadget-addicts bringing you the latest and greatest bits of lovely shiny tech."