Web Sites

Thanks to your frequent visits, latimes.com has seen the fastest growth of any top newspaper site over the last year. We're breaking more news than ever on latimes.com, we've expanded our blog network, we're publishing more stunning visual, interactive journalism, and we have savvy readers like you contributing to conversations. Now we're bringing you a site that's easier to read and use -- crisper, cleaner and better able to showcase the world-class journalism our newsroom produces around the clock.

President Obama and his allies in the healthcare debate began moving more forcefully Monday to rebut what they said was "misinformation" spread by opponents of the legislation and to spotlight the disruptive nature of protests at town halls held by lawmakers. Obama plans a town hall today in Portsmouth, N.H., his first since protesters began grabbing headlines during the August congressional recess. He has two more -- in Bozeman, Mont., and Grand Junction, Colo. -- this week. Democrats hope direct engagement will blunt rising public anxiety that they say is being fed by false claims about the legislation.

The cyber attack that brought down Twitter for several hours Thursday was aimed at a single blogger in the country of Georgia, according to Facebook, which was also targeted in the attack. Cyxymu, as the blogger is known online, uses his blog and accounts on several social media networks to lash out against Russia, which has waged battles with Georgia over disputed territory. "Yesterday's attack appears to be directed at an individual who has a presence on a number of sites," Facebook said in a statement.

The mid-movie dash to the restroom can turn us into calculating Usain Bolt wannabes: Ah, this looks like a lull -- time to dash. When we return to our seats, we pray the answer to "What did I miss?" isn't "Darth Vader is really Luke's father" or "the girlfriend is really a guy." The website RunPee.com can help with such anxious guesswork. The site provides recommended opportunities to race to the restroom. It tells you when the action or romance wanes, and gives you a cue ("Baby O.J.

Just when you thought the Internet provided every possible information service, along comes Runpee.com. The website lists current movies in theaters, and suggests points in the action during which you could quickly run to the restroom without missing anything substantial. For example, let's say you're watching "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and feeling the need.

Even a new-age reading of the 10 Commandments would seem to make it quite clear: Thou shall not steal. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's computer files and text messages. But one news story in recent days suggests it's not quite that simple. New technology has supercharged the debate over what should be in the public domain but done nothing to clarify the answers.

Several Fortune 500 companies are banding together to create a free new job board that will give users access to all their jobs with just one application. The website is called United We Work and launched Monday with sponsorship from Sears Holdings Corp., AT&T Inc., Automatic Data Processing Inc., Allstate Corp., Hewitt Associates, Global Hyatt Corp., Office Depot, 7-Eleven Inc. and Starbucks Coffee Co.

The Los Angeles Police Department's online crime map intended for public use has failed to include nearly 40% of serious crimes reported in the city, a Times analysis has found. The omissions, which date back at least six months, include thousands of crimes known to LAPD officials and are included in their official crime statistics. Among the 19,000 incidents between Jan. 1 and June 13 that do not appear at lapdcrimemaps.

Despite a broad and persistent cyber attack whose targets included the White House, the New York Stock Exchange and the Washington Post, government websites were operating normally on Wednesday, officials said. The attack began July 4 and caused little damage, but it touched off a debate among experts over whether it represented a mild nuisance or the opening salvo of a potential electronic war.

It's not the first time Bernard L. Madoff has had his name in lights this year. But with his induction into the newly launched Con Artist Hall of Infamy, it may well be the first time that his exploits will serve a constructive purpose. The gallery of rogues at www.thehallofinfamy.com, which goes public today, is designed as a comprehensive educational tool to help readers understand and prevent white-collar crime.