• McCain, Obama campaigns pour advertising dollars into Ohio
If money talks in politics, it's now saying that Ohio is the biggest electoral prize in the presidential election.

• Obama health care ad hits mark on differences
THE AD: "Two extremes," 30-second TV commercial

• Worldwide video contest on democracy launched - New on the Net
Monday was the first International Democracy Day at the United Nations, and the U.S. State Department used the occasion to launch a worldwide video contest. The "Democracy Video Challenge" asks "budding filmmakers, democracy advocates and the general public" to make video shorts that complete the phrase "Democracy is."

• Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage holds student essay contest on ways to fight intolerance
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood has hosted more than 20,000 students since it opened three years ago, including school groups from as far away as Columbus and Pittsburgh.

• Bridge safe for trains, maybe not for public - Thomas Feran's Fix It!
The problem: Bridge anxiety, part two.

• Michael Moore gives away new film 'Slacker Uprising' free online
Michael Moore, who has made three of the five top-grossing documentaries of all time, has decided to release his latest film online, as a free download, "entirely as a gift to my fans." It's billed as the first major motion picture to debut on the Internet, without - at least initially - a theatrical release, DVD, TV premiere or streaming video.

• Sites keep up on Paralympic Games
All the games haven't ended in Beijing. The opening ceremonies are Saturday for the 2008 Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities, including more than 20 competing in 18 sports on the U.S. team. The live ceremo nies and daily live and de layed high lights for the 11 days of competi tion will be available on www.Universal Sports.com. Highlights also will be on the U.S. team's official site, www.USParalympics.org, and a Paralympic portal with features and blogs was launched this week on www.disa boom.com, the first online community for Americans with disabilities.

• Fix It!: Cedar Hill rail bridge is safe, RTA says
The problem: Anxiety about bridges.

• Online video of 'N' by Stephen King posts final installment
The final installment posts Friday for "N," the online comic adaptation of a previously unreleased short story by Stephen King. The story, about a psychiatrist who falls victim to the same obsession as his patient, will be published in the new King collection "Just After Sunset" in November. The video project, created with Marvel Entertainment, launched July 28, run ning five two-minute episodes a week for a running time of about 50 minutes. See the video at www.

• Cleveland leads nation in number of presidential political ads
Clevelanders should feel especially wanted - or bombarded - this political season.

• West Side Market clock runs, but not for long - Fix It! by Tom Feran
The problem:

• NBC launches original sci-fi series online - New on the Net
NBC launched its first original online series this week, with production, advertising and distribution that make it the most ambitious step a broadcast network has taken into first-run Web casting.

• McCain ad resumes attack on Obama as a 'celebrity'
THE AD:

• AT&T returns to finish utility work in Little Italy
The problem:

• Web sites help you mark anniversary of Elvis' death - New on the Net
Saturday marks 31 years since the death of Elvis Presley, which makes it timely to hear his entire 1968 comeback special free on AOL, under "free CD listening party." At spinner.aol.com/artists/new-releases-full- cds?defaultTab=3.

• Access denied for wheelchairs, walkers -- Fix It by Thomas Feran
The problem: An access ramp becomes an obstacle.

• Versionista site tracks revisions and edits to Web sites - New on the Net
Want to monitor a politician's flip-flops, or the price changes on a product? The Web service Versionista will track revisions and edits to sites that you specify, at versionista.com.

• Cracked sidewalks are homeowner's job -- Tom Feran's Fix-It
The problem:

• Search engine founder says Cuil is better than Google - New on the Net
Google has about two-thirds of the online search market in the United States, almost tripling second-place Yahoo, but a former Google engineer has launched a search engine she says is bigger and more efficient and comprehensive.

• Tower City lampposts pose a problem
The problem:

• Web series 'Hills Are Alive' debuts on Chiller channel
NBC Universal's Chiller channel this week begins a new online series, "The Hills Are Alive," with three-minute Webisodes posting every Tuesday and Thursday at www.chillerTV.com.

• Braced pole on Hamilton Street in Berea will be replaced: Fix It

• Spangle Magazine serves gays and lesbians online
A new magazine has launched online for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Northeast Ohio. Spangle Magazine, at www.spanglemagazine .com, focuses on arts, culture and entertainment news, with stories, blogs, city guides, photo galleries and an events calendar.

• Orders are in to fix holes in Brook Park, Strongsville
A couple of holes in the ground created different situations but similar aggravation in Brook Park and Strongsville:

• FirstEnergy installed new utility poles but old ones remain - Fix It!
What's busted or bugging you in the neighborhoods where you live, work or play? We'll look for solutions. Tell us the problem and where to find it.

• Take a digital trip to the National Archives to mark the Fourth of July - New on the Net
The Fourth of July weekend seems like a good time to stay close, save gas and take an online visit to the National Archives, maybe for an exploration of the Declaration of Independence.

• ComicWonder.com seeks joke tellers New on the Net
A joke is not a joke until it's told - and forwarding doesn't count as telling. So says Jeff Fitzsimmons, co-founder of Milwaukee-based Comic Wonder, who believes that the fine art of telling jokes is under assault by "the seemingly endless supply of e-mail text jokes that have proven to be a sad surrogate for the real thing."

• Comedy Central shows run full length in online test
Until last week, Comedy Central offered only online clips of its two most popular shows, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report." But full-length episodes are now streaming at www.ComedyCentral.com. In what Comedy Central has called a test, the full shows are also streaming free on the justly popular video aggregator www.hulu.com.

• Online film '10 MPH' follows cross-country Segway trip
When the Segway Personal Transporter was unveiled more than six years ago, the economical and environ mentally friendly two- wheeler prom ised to revolu tionize short- distance travel. It didn't - not yet, anyway - but maybe it should.

• Online course is a guide to e-learning - New on the Net
School will be out for summer in a matter of days, but education doesn't stop -- especially online, where Ohio colleges offer hundreds of courses, certificates and degrees. Ohioans who are curious about taking courses over the Internet can satisfy that curiosity, for free, through a course offered by Cleveland Scholarship Programs Inc., in partnership with the Ohio Learning Net work, www. oln.org.

• Web site offer tips to help ease high gas prices
Even adjusted for inflation, the average retail price of a gallon of gas in the United States has hit an all-time high - and just in time for summer. The nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy, www.ase.org, is looking to help with its Drive $marter Challenge, an online national consumer campaign with 17 nonprofit, business and government partners.

• Internet rumors, easy to believe, are also easy to debunk
Somebody named Lawrence started his piece of the chain a few weeks ago. He saw the message, or got it in e-mail, and forwarded it to at least seven friends, urging them to do the same. "If you don't forward anything else, forward this!" he wrote, using exclamation points and marking it "high importance."

• John McCain Accountable' ad gets Whiff of Doubt The Sniff Test
The ad: "Accountable," 30-second TV commercial.

• Clevelander's 'Wainy Days' named best comedy on the Web
Cleveland's David Wain, the writer, actor and director best known from the MTV sketch comedy "The State" and the film "Wet Hot American Summer," now has one of the top honors on the Internet. His Web series "Wainy Days," chronicling one man's search for love in the big city, was named best comedy series in the 12th annual Webby Awards.

• Science Debate 2008 Web site urges candidates to talk about issues
If lapel pins and folksiness are not your ideas of big national issues, you might be interested in Science Debate 2008. It's an effort to get candidates to debate science and technology issues -- little things like energy, medical research and funding, climate change, and food and water -- before the election. None of the candidates has agreed to it yet.

• Growinglife.com helps would-be cool guys learn how to act like James Dean
At last, the secrets of all-time cool guys can be yours.

• At FreeRice.com, folks can play a game and help ease world hunger
Gas gets most of the attention here, but the record-high price of rice has been causing hunger, hoarding and even rioting around the globe.

• Search engine tries to appeal to blacks
A search engine designed to deliver results tailored specifically for the black community marks its first week of operation today.