BEST OF THE WEB for Monday: Cool Stuff from Newspaper Sites

By: Kathryn Blaze Carlson Here are today's choices, with accent on the visuals as usual.

Ann Telnaes Cartoon
The Washington Post
Animated Editorial Cartoon
By Ann Telnaes

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes serves up yet another dose of politics-inspired wit -- this time featuring the flip-flopping acrobatic talents of Obama and McCain. McCain seems to emerge the victor in this bouncing battle of the flip-flops. Check out the animated cartoon here.


The 1988 Firefighters' Deaths
Kansas City Star
Interactive Package
By Kansas City Star Staff

It's been two decades since a 1988 explosion at a construction site killed six firefighters and sent five people to jail. Case closed? Not anymore. Through video, maps, timelines, and articles, this interactive package by the Kansas City Star takes a look at the crime, recent developments in the investigation, the defendants, and the "federal theory." What's most impressive is the Star's investigative reporting and the staff's ability to lay out the info as a viewer-friendly piece.

The Great Exportation
The Wall Street Journal
Interactive Map
By Alexandra Alter

About 1,500 churches in the U.S. have satellite campuses (up from 10 in 1990), and some of these churches have begun to expand internationally -- exporting "a distinct strain of contemporary evangelical Christianity," according to this interactive feature by The Wall Street Journal. Scroll through a map of a half-dozen "mega-churches" that are going global, and read a blurb about each one's expansion style.

Mike Smith's World (June 29)
The Las Vegas Sun
Editorial Cartoon
By Mike Smith

Only the most talented salesperson can sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves. Step into "Mike Smith's World" and check out how yesterday's editorial cartoon borrows sarcastically from that idea.

Surveillance Video: Uniondale, N.Y., Teens Ransack 7-Eleven
Newsday
Video

Be a fly on the wall and watch as a pack of Uniondale teens ransacks an unsuspecting 7-Eleven, tearing through the store and snagging everything they can get their hands on. This piece of raw surveillance video offers a first-hand view of the minute-long "mischief" that has so far led to the arrest of three teens. Watch the footage by clicking here, and then scroll to the piece called "Surveillance Video: Uniondale Teens Ransack 7-Eleven."