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November 7, 2003
http://www.asme.org/events/flight/
December 17, 2003 marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers'
historic achievement, and to commemorate the event the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers has developed this site. Several notable stories of
flight are documented, including the Enola Gay, the Concorde, and the
Boeing 767-80, which was "the prototype for most jet transports."
Teacher resources and news articles related to the centennial of flight are
available. An archive of paper airplane models is also included to give
children and adults something to do in their spare time.
http://www.joyofsoup.com/
As the weather here in the northern
hemisphere begins to get a bit chilly and the sun bids farewell around 5
p.m., many people will begin to adjust their menus by including more soups
as part of their daily fare. Those persons looking for fun new ways to
prepare soup should definitely take a look at The Joy Of Soup website. The
creator of the site, Sue Pleydee, has assembled a rather impressive
collection of soup recipes. Many of them are organized under the Plogs
section (a word created by eliding soup and blog. This section includes
such soups as buttermilk, ham and tomato, and asparagus and escarole. The
Let's Eat Out section features recipes taken from various restaurants and
another area entitled The Joy of Cookbooks features Pleydee's musings on
such classic cookbooks as In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy and The
Crisco Family Cookbook.
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/index.jsp
The Digital Library Program at Indiana University (IU), with funding
from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, presents this digital
version of 14,500 color slides taken by amateur photographer Charles
Cushman between 1938 and 1969. Cushman, an IU alum who graduated in 1917,
left the University his entire collection of photographs, along with a set
of notebooks, in which he recorded descriptions of the thousands of images
he shot. Cushman's photographs provide wonderful documentation of the first
half of the 20th century, from a girl with pigtails jumping rope on a
sidewalk in Indiana, to Chicago architecture, to over 100 pictures of
Istanbul, Turkey. Subject headings were added to Cushman's descriptions by
image catalogers, providing the basis for the searching and browsing
capabilities of the digital version. Currently, users can browse by date,
location, subject, and genre, as well as viewing page images of Cushman's
notebooks. In December 2003, search enhancements will be released, such as
the ability to broaden or narrow a search using related terms, and browsing
based on the structure of the subject heading sources.
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/
People have been meeting in informal groups to discuss works of
literature for hundreds of years, and in recent years reading groups have
continued to increase in general popularity. This website, designed by a
team of avid readers, provides a host of helpful resource materials for
those seeking to start and maintain an effective reading group. Launched in
January 2001, the site now includes over 1220 reading group guides,
thematically and alphabetically organized, and filled with helpful
discussion questions, along with links to websites with additional
background material. Another section provides detailed advice on starting a
reading group and making informed decisions about how to pick a piece to
read. Not surprisingly, this section also contains a nice list of books
about reading groups as well. Existing reading groups may want to sign up
to be interviewed by the online staff, or just choose to browse those who
have already the good, the bad, and the ugly truths about the reading group
experiences.
http://www.thestonehengeproject.org
The mystical and enigmatic stone formations located England and known
collectively as Stonehenge is the most substantial reminder of the
ingenuity of prehistoric civilization in this region of the world.
Regrettably, in recent decades the site has seen the intrusion of major
roads and a general degradation of the surrounding environment. By 1993,
the situation grew so dire that the setting of this important cultural
landscape was referred to as a "national disgrace" by the United
Kingdom's House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. Fortunately, a plan
to restore the dignity of this site was developed by the English Heritage
foundation and the British government, and this site provides the full
details on this ongoing project. Visitors to the site can learn about the
project and read about the landscape restoration project that is already
underway. The Documents area is quite strong, as visitors can read a
summary of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan and read
environmental reports produced by Britain's Highways Agency.
October 31, 2003
http://www.politicaltheory.info/
Developed and maintained by Alfred Perez, a PhD student at the New
School for Social Research in New York City, this site is designed to be
"a central space on the Web for the study of philosophy and
politics." The homepage is laid out in three columns of text,
separated into three sections: Newsroom, Town Square, and Ivory Tower. The
Newsroom area contains a host of hyperlinks to recent developments around
the world, including pieces of how blogs are transforming presidential
politics and agricultural reform in Venezuela. The Town Square area
includes links to germane newspaper and periodical articles, and on a
recent visit included links to articles dealing with student activism on
college campuses and a review of Paul Krugman's new book, The Great
Unraveling. Not surprisingly, the Ivory Tower area contains links to recent
academic pieces on political theory, and includes reflections on the recent
passing of Edward Said and a work on the "military-entertainment
complex." The site is rounded out by a page devoted to links dealing
with political think-tanks and related organizations.
http://www.imdb.com/
Last reviewed in the May 6, 1994 edition of The Scout Report, the
Internet Movie Database has grown by leaps and bounds in the past nine
years. Containing literally millions of pieces of information, users
looking for information from films such as Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight
to more contemporary fare can merely enter the title of the movie into the
IMDB search engine and a complete record will be returned. Along with basic
information about each film, users can often read comments from other
users, full cast and crew details, lists of awards and nominations for each
film, a plot summary, trivia about the film, and filming locations. Of
course, this process can be repeated for actors, directors, and
cinematographers for those seeking information about persons in the film
industry. From the rather detailed homepage, users can also learn which
films are due to be released shortly in theaters, and which films are due
out on DVD and VHS. Another fun feature is the IMDb top 250 Films, as
determined by users ratings and comments. Of course, users also can browse
the ignominious IMDb bottom 100 Films for a look at those films that
generally did not receive "two thumbs up" upon their initial
release.
http://www.scrapbooking101.net/
While creating scrapbooks has long been a favorite pastime and hobby,
interest in this form of self-expression has picked up in recent years.
Designed by LeNae Gerig, this website offers some introductory materials on
how to get started with the creative process involved in making a
scrapbook. The site is divided into five primary areas, including general
information about terms related to scrapbooks (such as buffered paper and
sheet protectors), supplies needed to create a scrapbook, the use of
photographs in scrapbooks, basic techniques, and uses of patterned paper.
The supplies area is a good place to begin, as it lists the importance and
use of some basic supplies such as various adhesive materials, sheet
protectors, and journaling tools. The techniques section offers some
helpful hints on how to create a layout for a scrapbook, journaling, and
the creative touch afforded by vellum paper. Overall, the site will pique
the interest of those hoping to learn some basics about scrapbooking, and
may inspire a new collection of personal and family memories.
http://www.placesonline.org/
The practice and discipline of geography has always had an intimate
preoccupation with places and how human societies modify and shape them in
accordance with their own interests. In keeping with that tradition, the
Association of American Geographers has created the Places Online website
to provide interested parties with access to the "world's very best
place-based websites." The criteria for inclusion on the website is
that worthy sites must provide original quality content, contain a
substantive geographic content, and employ interesting and user-friendly
formats. Visitors may begin to look for sites by clicking on an
interactive map of the world, browsing by region, or in some cases, by
continent. Coverage over most of the globe is quite good, with additional
material to come on countries that are currently not featured on any
available place-based websites. Additionally, visitors may elect to search
the contents of the site by keyword or exact phrase.
October 24, 2003
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/mich/
In an effort to create and archive three dimensional computer
representations of some of history's most important cultural artifacts,
researchers from Stanford University and the University of Washington have
employed laser rangefinder technologies to scan items and preserve them
digitally. The project has mainly focused on some of Michelangelo's
sculptures, including the famous David statue, but has also "scanned
1,163 fragments of the Forma Urbis Romae, a giant marble map of ancient
Rome." Visitors to the project's homepage can download the ScanView
software, which lets users virtually fly around the models of the statues.
Research papers about the technologies used in the project and the
algorithms developed by its members are also available.
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/
With a number of new biographies out about the life of the truly
prolific Benjamin Franklin, it is clear that he remains very much in the
public eye over two hundred years since his passing in 1790. This fine
site, developed by the Independence Hall Association, brings together a
number of interactive and visually stimulating features that will be
particularly appreciated by young persons getting acquainted with his life
and work. A timeline offers some important dates in Franklin's life, and
close at hand is a complete version of his much celebrated autobiography.
The section titled Franklin and his Electric Kite recounts one of his most
famous experiments, along with including Franklin's first-hand account of
how he constructed the kite. A virtual tour of the court where Franklin's
house once stood is also available, along with the underground museum that
stands beneath the court.
http://www.todayinliterature.com/
With stories about Oscar Wilde and his mother, tales of Elmore Leonard,
and P.G. Wodehouse, the Today In Literature Web site will be of great
interest and delight to literary aficionados everywhere. From the main
page, visitors can read the story of the day, which relates an interesting
tale or event of literary import from the historical past. Visitors can
also read about stories that recently appeared on the site, and browse
through a list of writers as well. Clicking on the names of any of the
writers will bring up a number of stories about the selected author,
although free registration is required to read the entire piece. Visitors
may also want to sign up for the free email newsletter (which can be
received daily or weekly), which includes the story of the day, along with
a daily literary quote, and a list of relevant events of importance that
occurred on that date.
http://www.grants.gov/
The federal government has thousands of grant programs, and navigating
the numerous Web sites administered by the various grant-making agencies
and departments can be difficult at times. Stepping into that breach is
Grants.gov, which serves as an electronic storefront for
federally-administered grant programs. From the homepage, visitors may want
to begin by browsing through a list of grant topics, which range from
housing to the humanities. Clicking on each topic will lead to another list
detailing which federal agencies provide (or may provide) grant monies
within each area. Visitors looking for greater search capabilities will
want to move to the grants synopsis search area, which allows for
customizable searches for quick access to the relevant grants and
application documents. Equally helpful is the federal grant notification
service that allows individuals to be notified when new grant announcements
are released by various agencies. Through this notification service
visitors may also register to receive all notices from selected agencies,
funding categories, eligibility groups, or funding opportunity number.
http://www.ncai.org/
Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was
organized in an effort "to inform the public and the federal
government on tribal self-government, treaty rights, and a broad range of
federal policy issues affecting tribal governments." As the NCAI is
the primary group lobbying on behalf of Native American groups in the
United States, the Web site contains information about related legislative
efforts in the Congress and the House of Representatives, along with
information about NCAI membership. The Issues section contains a number of
helpful documents generated by the NCAI that detail areas of prime concern,
which include community development, governance, human resources, and
natural resources. The site also includes information about member nations
within the NCAI, along with contact information for tribal leaders and
links to member nation websites.
October 17, 2003
http://libtext.library.wisc.edu/IllusShake/
For illustrations of puckish glee, turn to this digital collection from
the University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries, which includes selections
from twelve works by and about William Shakespeare (and a few other British
playwrights), originally published in places ranging from Philadelphia to
Leipzig, dating 1826 - 1919. The books chosen for this digital collection
are heavily illustrated versions of Shakespeare. While some text is
available, such as picture captions, title pages, bits of dialogue, and
synopses of plays -- all of which is fully searchable -- the collection is
really designed to enable users to flip to the pictures. For example, a 5
volume set, The spirit of the plays of Shakspeaire [sic], drawn and
engraved by Frank Howard, 1833, consists of a series plates for each play,
with some explanatory text. The dramatic souvenir: Being literary and
graphical illustrations of Shakespeare and other celebrated English
dramatists, published by Charles Tilt, also 1833, has about two pages per
play: a synopsis, and several pictures.
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com
Standing as a testament to the wide ranging contributions of the Jewish
people to world culture and history, this Web site contains the complete
contents of the massive 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, originally published
between 1901-1906 by the Funk & Wagnall's Company. Conceived and funded
by the Kopelman Foundation, this compilation is the only free encyclopedia
of Judaica available on the Internet. While the encyclopedia obviously does
not include such topics as the creation of the state of Israel or the
Holocaust, it is a rather fascinating collection that recalls an
interesting period in scholarship, and is a helpful historical document.
Visitors can browse by the encyclopedia by letter, along with viewing a
transcription of each entry and any accompanying images included with each
entry. Those who might be interested in helping compile an updated version
of the encyclopedia are also invited to join the mailing list.
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/vietnam/?src=e_ce
Oriented around the theme of journeys, this online exhibit explores the
various journeys that both the nation and people of Vietnam has undergone
over the past few millennia, in particular the transition from French
colonial control through the conflict with the United States, and the
movement to a free-market economy over the past decade.
Curated by Laurel Kendall (and hosted by the American Museum of Natural
History), the exhibit begins with Journeys Through Time and Space, where
visitors can read some introductory remarks about the country, such as the
various ethnic groups in the country, its geography, and history. The other
sections (which are interspersed with photographs and illustrations) deal
with death rites, the importance of various deities, and the transformation
of the economy in the country. The site also features several fine video
clips, including a 4-minute video of the rite that marks the passage of a
young Vietnamese boy into manhood.
October 10, 2003
http://www.journalism.org/
Working together to establish an internet presence, journalism.org is
the brainchild of the Project of Excellence in Journalism and the Committee
of Concerned Journalists. The Web site effectively serves as a portal and
utility for persons interested in journalism, and contains a catalog of
tools, techniques and ideas, empirical research, job links, and numerous
other helpful materials for the general public, practicing journalists, and
journalism students. Visitors can move to any of the site's sections from
the homepage, and they will most certainly want to peruse the new quarterly
online newsletter that is available. The site also features a number of
research reports for the general public, dealing with such topics as
Jessica Lynch: Media Myth-Making in the Iraq War, Quality and the Bottom
Line and Does Ownership Matter in Local Television News. Overall, the site
is a good resource for persons interested in print and television
journalism, and will be of specific interest to those studying journalism.
http://www.unc.edu/awmc/
Located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the
Ancient World Mapping Center is funded by the UNC College of Arts and
Sciences and the American Philological Association. The Center is
primarily designed to promote the usage of cartography and geographic
information science within the field of ancient studies. The Center's main
web page begins with a host of recent news events related to ongoing
research dealing with the ancient world from various fields, including
geography, archaeology, and history. Equally helpful is the New Sites and
Finds area, which gathers together new and useful sites dedicated to
investigating various aspects of the ancient world. Of course there is
also the map room area where visitors can download any one of a number of
detailed maps (many of which have been created by the staff at the Center)
of the ancient world. Some of these maps include those of Byzantine
Constantinople, Ptolemaic Egypt, and several of ancient Greece.
http://www.classicsunveiled.com
Classics Unveiled was developed by Neil Jenkins, Sumair Mirza and
Jason Tang as a way to teach the web-browsing public about the various
aspects of the ancient world, ranging from the massive world of Greek and
Roman mythology, Roman history, Roman culture, and the Latin language and
its pervasive influence on English. The site is divided into four primary
areas, and visitors may opt to browse through any of them and their
accompanying features, which include primary extended essays and
informative games and quizzes. In Rome Exposed for example, users will
learn about Roman residences, entertainment, attire, cuisine, and several
other aspects of Roman culture and mores. In MythNET visitors can learn
about the twelve Olympian gods, read about the Trojan War, and explore
genealogical charts that trace the various relationships between the
pantheon of Rome and Greece.
http://www.onlinepoetryclassroom.org/
Poetry is one of the oldest forms of human expression, and can be
found in almost every part of the world, manifesting itself to express
every type of emotion, whether it be hope, sadness, or exuberance. This
persuasive and helpful Web site was developed by the Academy of American
Poets in order to provide both professional development for high school
English teachers and a virtual teaching community that offers free access
to poetry resources, including poems and classroom-tested curricula. The
curriculum section includes 17 teaching plans, along with a teacher forum
area where colleagues can share ideas about what works (and what doesn't)
in terms of teaching poetry. A section titled What to Teach includes lists
of poems that are ideal to teach to students, and a number of fine themed
online exhibits that address movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, the
Modernist poets, and the general development of American poetry in the
20th century.
October 3, 2003
http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/wrighthtml/wrighthome.html
On May 13, 1900, Wilbur Wright composed a letter that would later prove
to be one of the most important in the history of science, and certainly
within the development of the quest of humans to achieve flight. This
letter to Octave Chanute (a wealthy businessman and engineer) began thusly:
"For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is
possible to man." This legendary piece of correspondence, along with
49,000 other digital images, has been placed online in this rather
incredible archive, presented as part of the American Memory collection
from the Library of Congress. The documents available here for
consideration span the years 1881 to 1952 and include the glass-late
negative of the famous First Flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903. For
those who would like to examine a smattering of the collection, there are
several thematic presentations here as well, such as a Wilber and Orville
Wright timeline, a thematic set of documents and commentaries titled
Photography and the Wright Brothers and the Wright family tree.
http://www.astronomydaily.com
Astronomy Daily.Com offers real time astronomical data tailored to the
viewer's location and time zone. The personalized front page presents a
chart of tonight's sky. Diagrams allow users to view the planets in their
orbits. Educators and students can find images of today's moon and its
phase on the calendar, plus data dealing with its current position and its
physical and orbital characteristics. Phil Harrington, a supervisor at the
Brookhaven National Laboratory, provides two monthly articles; the first
assesses a phenomenon in the sky that can be observed with binoculars and
the second discusses a phenomenon in the Deep Sky. Viewers can also
participate in many discussion forums with other interested astronomers.
Although users are required to register in order to view the customized
site, no personal identification is requested.
http://www.cjh.org/
Designed as a partnership between five major institutions of Jewish
scholarship, history and art (including the American Jewish Historical
Society, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, and the American Sephardi
Federation), the Center has combined holdings of approximately 100-million
archival documents, artifacts, paintings, and textiles. From the
organization's homepage, visitors can learn about the mission of the
center, how to conduct genealogical research using their holdings, and
browse a calendar of the many events and conferences held at the Center's
headquarters in Manhattan. One of the online highlights is the fine archive
of audio and video clips and interviews available in the Events at the
Center area. Here visitors can listen to the proceedings of an
international conference on anti-Semitism in the West held in May 2003, and
view interviews with Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Shimon Peres. Also, visitors
may elect to sign up to receive the Center's email newsletter.
http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/caricatures/index.htm
Drawing on the extensive holdings of the Smithsonian American Art
Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, this online exhibit presents a
sample of the rather diverse set of cartoon and caricature books in their
holdings. Beginning with an introductory essay by Kent C. Boese, the
exhibit continues on with biographies of the artists whose work is featured
in the exhibit (such as Charles Dana Gibson and William Allen Rogers).
Visitors can proceed to view featured books, cartoons and caricatures. The
individual cartoons and caricatures can also be browsed via a drop-down
subject menu with topics ranging from adultery to World War I. Visitors
will want to be sure to take a look at the images from the Mutt and Jeff
comic strip by Harry Conway "Bud" Fisher and Charles Dana
Gibson's Gibson Girl. The exhibit concludes with a bibliography of related
works and suggestions for further reading.
September 26, 2003
http://www.powells.com/authors/interviews.html
A number of publishing houses and well-regarded independent booksellers
have placed author interviews on their respective Web sites, but this
particular one from the massive Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon may be
one of the most intriguing online collections available. Containing over 50
interviews, the authors profiled here include Ann Patchett, David
Halberstam, Paul Theroux, Susan Orlean, and Deepak Chopra. Several of the
interviews are particularly interesting, including the one conducted with
Erik Larson (author of The White City, a tale that intertwines different
stories about late 19th century Chicago together) and one with Michael
Chabon, the author who won the Pulitzer Prize for the Amazing Adventures of
Kavalier & Clay. Finally, visitors have the opportunity to take a look
at related publications from Powell's, such as a compilation of lengthy
interviews with 22 different authors.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mali/
Founded 900 years ago, the city of Timbuktu (located in what is now the
country of Mali) was a center of major commercial importance and a place
where many Islamic scholars received their education. This exhibit,
developed by the Library of Congress (with the use of manuscripts from the
Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library and the Library of Cheick Zayni Baye of
Boujbeha) explores some of the many important literary traditions and
scholarship developed during this period of scholarly effervescence. Here
visitors can browse over 30 primary documents, including texts designed to
train scholars in the field of astronomy and the nature of Islamic
mysticism. The exhibit is rounded out by several maps, such as a map from
1743 that shows the region in and around Timbuktu.
http://www.raptusassociation.org/
Developed by Ingrid Schwaegermann, this Web site is offered as a homage
to one of the most beloved classical composers, Ludwig Van Beethoven. Far
from just offering a smattering of platitudes on Beethoven, the site is
divided into a biographical section, a picture gallery, an area dedicated
to offering musician's comments on Beethoven's legacy, and a most splendid
section that details the stories behind many of his works. The Creation
Histories section is particularly enjoyable as visitors can learn about how
Beethoven crafted each of his symphonies, where they were first performed,
and how they were initially received. The biography pages are also
detailed, beginning with a discussion of Beethoven's family life,
continuing into his time as court apprentice, and moving on to his time in
Bonn and Vienna. Additionally, the section dedicated to musicians' musings
on Beethoven is quite lovely, with a piece by E.T.A. Hoffmann on
Beethoven's instrumental music, and the late Yeduhi Menuhin's reflections
on performing Beethoven's music. Not surprisingly, the contents of the site
are also available in German.
September 19, 2003
Cultural Policy & The Arts: National Data Archive
http://www.cpanda.org/
Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and located at Princeton University,
the Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive (CPANDA) is the
world's first interactive digital archive of policy-relevant data on the
arts and cultural policy in the United States. Through its work, CPANDA
seeks to "guide researchers to sources of high quality information
about arts & cultural policy issues, contribute new knowledge to the
academic field of arts and cultural policy studies, and promote open and
equitable access to archived data." The site itself is divided into
four primary sections: the Data Archive, Quick Facts, Research Guides,
and Other Resources. The data archive consists of machine-readable files
that contain numeric data that will be helpful to those concerned with
arts and cultural policy. One recent addition in this area is the data
set from the 1998 survey of cultural programs for adults in public
libraries in the United States. The Quick Facts section contains answers
to such basic questions as How many artists are there? and How many
people participate in arts and cultural activities?. The Research Guides
section contains a series of guides highlighting data on arts and
cultural policy issues. Finally, the Other Resources section contains a
number of links to other outside resources such as academic centers,
nonprofit organizations, external data sources, working papers, and
online journals.
South African Government Online
http://www.gov.za/
Over the past few years, more and more national governments have
aggressively sought to establish a highly visible presence on the
Internet. South Africa's official government site combines pertinent
information about elected officials with important documents and
general information about the country. From the homepage, visitors
can learn about the current president, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, and browse
through an archive of his speeches and press releases. Also on the
homepage are sections that explain South Africa's provincial and
local units of governance, along with providing some basic
information about the country taken from the most recent edition of
the South Africa Yearbook. Those interested in international policy
affairs will want to be certain to browse through the Key Issues
section of the site as it contains materials on various national
initiatives and programs, such as the country's partnership against
HIV and AIDS, its recent growth and development summit, and its
partnerships with other African nations.
To help visitors find treasures in its vast holdings, the
British Museum presents COMPASS, which is based on a database of
around 5000 objects selected from the Museum's collections.
Simple keyword searches work well in COMPASS, and searches can
be limited to a particular index. Who? searches for a particular
person, What? searches for particular objects, How? for
processes and materials, and Where/When? for geography and date.
COMPASS automatically adds the word and between words, just like
Google. Object pages include detailed information, written for
the average museum go-er, with links into an online glossary,
although we were unable to discover why a search on sextant
returned astrolabes (consulting another dictionary revealed that
the astrolabe was an nautical instrument used prior to the
sextant). There are also guided tours, on a huge list of
subjects from 100 Views of Mount Fuji to the Wetwang Chariot
Burial, with Chinese Jade, several Egypt tours, and over 45
Highlights of the British Museum in between. Another great way
to approach COMPASS is to try the Galleries search (found on the
search page) where selecting any one of about 35 gallery names
displays all the objects in that room.
Founded in 1992 by a diverse group of leaders (including
former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford), Project
Vote Smart is a "citizen's organization dedicated to
serving all Americans with accurate and unbiased information
for electoral decision-making." PVS is a non-profit
independent organization that is funded through private
donations and grants from various foundations, including the
Carnegie, Ford, and Revson Foundations. From their site, the
general public can find out a great deal of information
about local, state, and national government officials and
political candidates, including their voting records and
which legislation they have sponsored in the past. The
information about candidates and elected officials is
divided into five basic categories, including issue
positions, campaign finances, voting records, and
performance evaluations. Most recently, PVS has created a
special section devoted to providing the most current and
comprehensive information on 2004 presidential
candidates.
September 12, 2003
A great combination of art and science, the Orca Live Web site provides
live Webcam viewing of Orca whales off Hanson Island, in the Johnstone
Strait between Vancouver Island and British Columbia. Founded by Dr.
Paul Spong, the Orca Lab on Hanson Island and underwater video cameras
and microphones at Cracroft Point, monitor the whales' voices and
movements 24 hours a day, covering an approximately 20 km. (12.5 mi)
area around Hanson Island. If there is not too much happening on the
live camera, the site offers archived video highlights from 2000 and
2002. To orient yourself, the Visit Hanson Island section allows you to
zoom in and find the location of Hanson Island on Earth (an html version
for those with slower connection is also provided). Also at the site,
subscribe to a newsletter announcing the best times for live viewing,
chat with other orca watchers, or simply open a window for peaceful
underwater viewing, accompanied by the sounds of water, birds, and
whales
Association of American Colleges and Universities http://www.aacu-edu.org/
Founded in 1915 by college presidents, the Association of American
Colleges and Universities is "the leading national association
concerned with the quality, vitality and public standing of
undergraduate liberal education." The Association currently has
over 850 accredited member institutions, which include research
universities, masters institutions, and traditional liberal arts
colleges. The Association sponsors a multitude of conferences and a
number of timely publications, and there is a great deal of material
about both to be found on their site. Visitors that may be
unfamiliar with the nature of the Association may do well to first
examine the About AAC&U section of the site to learn more about
its mission, strategic plan, partnerships, and board of directors.
The Publications section is also quite valuable, as visitors can
read selected articles from two major quarterly publications
published by the Association, "Liberal Education" and
"Peer Review." Visitors will also want to take a look at
the Association's major initiatives, which include Liberal Arts
Colleges and Global Learning, Journey Towards Democracy, and
Integrative Learning: Opportunities to Connect.
Two on Grammar, Style and Diction
The American Heritage Book of English Usage
http://www.bartleby.com/64/
Webgrammar's Free Tips
http://www.webgrammar.com/
This first Web site takes visitors to the American Heritage Book
of English Usage, which is a guide to current problems and
debates in English language usage that will be valuable for
native and non-native speakers alike. The work may be searched
by keyword, or users may elect to browse through its 10
chapters. The subjects covered by the various chapters include
gender, science terms, e-mail, word choice, and style. The
second site, developed by Judy Vorfeld, is a good online writing
guide that covers such topics as common writing mistakes, style
questions, and the usage of idioms. Visitors also have the
option to sign up to receive Vorfeld's monthly text e-zine,
which contains answers to questions about grammar, various
pieces of trivia, and feedback from other subscribers.
[KMG]
September 5, 2003
How Everyday Things Are Made
http://manufacturing.stanford.edu/
It is difficult for many individuals to fathom the exacting and complex
processes used to manufacture an airplane, car, or even candy. Stepping in
to help explain how many everyday things are made is this fine Web site
developed by the Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing at Stanford
University and design 4x, a company that develops online courses on
manufacturing topics. The site begins with a brief introductory video clip
orienting new visitors to the materials available on the site, and on how
best to navigate the site's features. Dozens of products are covered here,
including airplanes, motorcycles, cars, jelly beans, chocolate, glass
bottles, crayons, and golf clubs. Additionally, the site also contains
information on various careers in manufacturing, along with a list of books
on the field of manufacturing. Another helpful aspect of the site is the
Think About It feature, where visitors are asked to offer their comments on
how they think a certain process works, along with reading the previous
comments of other visitors.
The National Security Archive, Nixon Tapes: Secret Recordings
from the Nixon White House on Luis Echeverria and Much Much More
http://www.nsarchive.org/NSAEBB/NSAEBB95
Released in August 2003 by the National Security Archive as part of its
Electronic Briefing Book series, this compilation offers primary documents
and audio selections dealing with the relationship between President
Richard Nixon and the former president of Mexico, Luis Echeverria Alvarez.
While normally the public would not be privy to the contents of their
discussions (held in June 1972), hidden microphones that had been planted
by Secret Service technicians in 1971 were recording the conversations
between these two world leaders in their entirety. Interestingly enough,
the two presidents only occasionally discussed the most-frequently debated
issues between the two nations (such as drugs or trade), but rather mused
back and forth about geopolitics for much of the time. All in all, the site
includes 32 transcripts, and around a dozen audio excerpts from the
conversations.
A Practical Guide to GPS - UTM
http://www.dbartlett.com/
Don Bartlett, in association with National Resources Canada, has developed
an educational instruction manual addressing many key elements of GPS
units. First he describes the basic features a buyer should consider when
purchasing a handheld unit. Bartlett then discusses in detail the
limitations and the accuracies of the readings collected by a GPS unit.
Users can learn how GPS systems work and how the readings correspond to map
coordinates. The site also discusses many features of a GPS unit such as
storing points of interest (waypoints) and tracking routes. Because of the
difficulty many people have in understanding UTM (Universal Transverse
Mercator grid), Bartlett explains in detail the coordinate system. This
site is extremely beneficial for "hikers, fishermen, hunters and all
persons who wish to traverse the wilderness in the full knowledge of where
they are, where they have been and where they wish to go.
The Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World
War I, 1918-1919
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/sashome.html
The Stars and Stripes was a newspaper written by troops (and for the
troops) serving in the American Expeditionary Force of the United States
Army during the United States' involvement in World War I. The newspaper's
existence was endorsed by official order of General John J. Pershing, who
wanted the publication to strengthen the moral of the troops and to promote
unity within the American forces. The paper ran from February 1918 to June
1919, and by the time it ceased publication, it had a readership of over
500,000. As part of the American Memory series of online collections, the
Library of Congress has created this Web site containing a complete
digitized and searchable run of the Stars and Stripes for the general
Web-browsing public. Users may elect to browse the issues by date, or to
search the entire collection of papers. Additionally, the site features an
in-depth look at the paper, including a detailed discussion of the noted
editorial staff that ran the paper, along with a complete roster of the
paper's employees.
World Heritage Tour
http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/
The purpose of the World Heritage Tour site is to offer greater exposure to
the truly diverse set of cultural heritage sites designated by UNESCO
around the world. While there are over 750 cultural and natural sites on
the World Heritage List, only 52 sites are currently covered on the site.
The site itself features over 250 virtual reality movies from 52 sites,
ranging from the Philippines to Egypt. Visitors can browse a list of sites
currently covered, with each list noting how many virtual reality movies
are available, along with providing the UNESCO identification number
assigned to each site. From the site's homepage visitors can sign up to be
notified when new movies become available, contact staff members, and read
a paper about the World Heritage Tour.
August 29 2003
National Postal Museum: The Art of the Stamp http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/artofthestamp/index.html
The Art of the Stamp online exhibit presented by the National Postal Museum
is designed to complement the exhibit on display at the Museum itself in
Washington, DC. The online exhibit begins with a brief description of how
subjects and themes for postage are suggested, and then continues to
discuss the timeline for developing a stamp, which often can take two years
or longer. The main material on the site is divided into various
categories, such as American History, Stamps with a Story, and Love. For
each stamp, visitors can learn about the artist who created each design,
along with information about the first day of issue. The Stamps with a
Story section is rather engaging, containing stories about the creation of
the Bugs Bunny stamp (visitors can take a look at some of the more
irreverent designs considered) and of course the famous Elvis Presley
stamp, which was first issued on January 8, 1993.
Indian Parliament
http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/
With one of the largest parliamentary bodies in the world, it is not
surprising that the Web site for the Indian Parliament contains a
staggering amount of information about its operations, its members, bills,
budget proposals, and other important governmental proceedings. Visitors
will want to begin by browsing through the section on the president of
India (currently this is Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam) to learn about his recent
statements and speeches, along with information about the beautiful
presidential palace and the exquisite Mughal Garden. The other sections of
the site are also compelling, and include areas devoted to the Rajya Sabha
(Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People), where guests
can read recent debates (some of which are only available in Hindi), and
learn about the members of each body. Additionally, there is a frequently
asked questions area that answers some basic queries about the organization
and history of the Parliament.
Ben Jonson
http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/jonson/
Buried in Westminster Abbey (under a plain slab adorned with the words,
Rare Ben Jonson), Ben Jonson was one of England's most renowned playwrights
during the 17th century. A contemporary of Shakespeare, Jonson was born in
1572, educated at the Westminster School, and as a young man joined the
theatrical company of Philip Henslowe in London. Shortly after joining the
company, Jonson's second play, Every Man in His Humour, was performed in
1598 at the Globe, with a cast that included William Shakespeare. Ever the
quick wit and satirist, Jonson's reputation was firmly secured by the
comedies he wrote between 1605 and 1614, which included The Alchemist and
Bartholomew Fair. This site, provided by the Luminarium, contains most of
Jonsons' plays and lyric poetry, a brief biography (with hypertext links),
additional Web resources, and a number of critical essays on Jonson's body
of work. Visitors will want to make sure to read Jonson's homage to William
Shakespeare, titled "To the Memory of My Beloved the Author, Mr.
William Shakespeare."
The Norman Rockwell Museum
http://www.nrm.org/
With a style that is immediately recognizable, Norman Rockwell was
America's foremost illustrator throughout the 20th century, working for the
Saturday Evening Post for over forty years, and then for Look
magazine. Located in Rockwell's longtime home of Stockbridge,
Massachusetts, the Norman Rockwell Museum was founded in 1969 with the
assistance of Norman Rockwell and his wife, Molly Rockwell. The museum
itself includes over 500 works by Rockwell, along with the Rockwell
Archives, which contain over 100,000 items. The Web site provides basic
information about visiting the museum and its collections, along with a
nice selection of pictures by Rockwell. Visitors to the site will want to
take a look at the Eye Opener section of the site, as it features some of
his most famous works, including The Gossips, Family Doctor, The Four
Freedoms, and The Problem We All Live With.
Subterranean Rome - Roma sotterranea
http://www.underome.com/
Presented by the Roma sotterranea association, a group of urban
speleologists (also known as urban archaeologists), allow you to explore
the Last Frontier" underneath Rome. Any large, long-inhabited city
such as Rome always has some underground structures like catacombs, sewers,
and aqueducts. In addition, in part the result of quarrying to obtain
building materials and in part due to the growth of the city, hypogeums or
underground chambers have formed under Rome. While some areas of the Roma
sotterranea Web site are for members only, the Underground site's list
includes entries on about 30 points of interest under Rome. Each entry
includes a lengthy description, pictures, information on the hours open and
if special permission is needed to visit, and a reservation form for
booking a guided tour. Also at the Web site are maps of ancient and modern
Rome, information about the organization and how to join, and a chat area
for communicating with urban speleologists worldwide.
Psychology Free Online Medical Advice
http://www.web4health.info/
First released on July 1, 2003, this online service provides answers to
hundreds of questions about lifestyle issues such as post-traumatic stress
syndrome, child guidance, obesity, and eating disorders. The project is
funded by the EU, and the questions are answered in full by a team of
psychological and psychiatric experts from a number of European countries.
Visitors can elect to send in their own question directly to an expert, or
read through a list of previously answered questions organized around
topics ranging from psychotherapy to depression. Additionally, users may
take part in a number of ongoing forums where they can discuss their issues
anonymously, and seek advice from experts. Finally, the homepage features a
list of recent discussions that are currently in progress, and questions
that have recently been answered. Appropriately enough, the site is also
available in Greek, German, and Swedish.
The Ibsen Centre
http://www.hf.uio.no/ibsensenteret/index_eng.html
The Centre for Ibsen Studies was begun in 1992 at the University of Oslo,
largely to serve as a place for scholars and students to gain access (and
work on) projects related to Henrik Ibsen, one of the most celebrated
playwrights of modern drama. The site contains a good deal of basic
information about the activities of the Centre, along with upcoming
conferences dealing with Ibsen, and forthcoming and recently released
publications originating from the Centre. The site offers a searchable
Ibsen bibliography, and access to manuscripts and papers written by Ibsen
himself (all of which are, understandably, in Norwegian). Persons
interested in finding out more about Ibsen should head to the Ibsen links
area, which contains a fine selection of thematically organized links to
online materials, including electronic texts, exhibitions, concordances,
and critical essays and commentaries. Overall, this site is a good
introduction to the breadth and scope of Ibsen's works, and the worthwhile
agenda of the Ibsen Centre in Oslo.
Great Lakes Maritime History Project
http://webcat.library.wisc.edu:3200/GreatLakes/
Drawing on the fine collections of several local and regional institutions
(including the Wisconsin State Historical Society and the Milwaukee Public
Library), this online archive of historical photographs serves as a visual
record of Wisconsin maritime history, set on the waters of Lake Michigan
and Lake Superior. Maritime commerce began during the days of the French
and Native American trappers, but gained significant momentum after the
conclusion of the War of 1812. Over the past two hundred years, the two
lakes have seen a number of passenger vessels and large bulk freighters ply
their waters. The site contains hundreds of photographs, and visitors may
elect to search the entire collection of keywords, or browse through a list
of predefined image collections such as barges, cargo ships, and
shipwrecks. Each photograph is returned along with an image record that
gives a brief description of the subject, the holding institution, and the
place and time the photograph or image was generated or taken.
August 22 2003
Nuremberg Trials Project: A Digital Document Collection
http://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/php/docs_swi.php?DI=1&text=overview
Any project to document the long and complex history of the Nuremberg
Trials (held between 1945 and 1949) would have to be extremely ambitious,
and this site provided by the Harvard Law School Library certainly fits
that description. The Harvard Law School Library has approximately 120,000
Nuremberg documents, and this project (when it is fully completed in 10
years) will contain 82,000 documents and 650,000 pages of material. The
work is being funded by a generous grant from the Kenneth & Evelyn
Lipper Foundation, and currently visitors can search 3800 documents from
the Medical Case, as it is often referred to. This case (USA vs. Karl
Brandt, et al.) was prosecuted in 1946-47 against 23 doctors accused of
organizing and participating in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Various types of documents are included in these collections, including
evidence files, trial transcripts, and various visual material. The Web
site is rounded out by a Who's Who of the Nuremberg Trials, and a list of
additional resources related to the Nuremberg Trials.
AskERIC: Education Information with the Personal Touch
http://www.askeric.org/
AskERIC is a "personalized Internet-based service providing education
information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents,
and anyone interested in education throughout the United States and the
world." Quite comprehensive in its overall scope, AskERIC began in
1992 as a project of the Educational Resources Information Center, and is
now a component of the Information Institute of Syracuse at Syracuse
University. Currently, AskERIC consists of a question and answer service
(where education questions submitted by users are submitted to a specialist
in the field), a resource collection, a question archive, and over 200
lesson plans submitted from teachers across the United States. The resource
section is particularly useful, as the AskERIC information specialists have
compiled over 3000 internet-based resources on educational issues ranging
from peer education programs to classroom management. This impressive Web
site will be extremely valuable to a number of interested parties in the
field of education, including administrators, teachers, and policy
makers.
John Stuart Mill Links
http://www.jsmill.com/
Considered one of the most important philosophers of the 19th century, John
Stuart Mill was born in 1806 to one James Mill, part-time philosopher and
economist, and full-time official in the East India Company. Educated by
both his father and the philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Mill learned Greek by
age three, Latin shortly thereafter, and was a competent logician by age
12. After suffering a mental breakdown at the age of 20, Mill decided he
would commit himself to persuading the general public of the need for a
scientific and rational approach to understanding social, political, and
economic change. Mill penned some of the most powerful statements on the
behalf of utilitarianism during his life, including one of his most
enduring works, Utilitarianism. This Web site (offered in numerous
different languages) is a compilation of links to works by and about Mill,
including full-text versions of such works as On Liberty, Principles of
Political Economy, and his Autobiography. Equally compelling are the works
about Mill also to be found here, most notably Isaiah Berlin's 1959
article, John Stuart Mill and the Ends of Life.
Forgotten NY
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/
Like many urban areas throughout the world, New York has experienced
numerous transformations during its storied past, with certain elements of
the built environment existing as mere palimpsests amidst more modern
surroundings. Kevin Walsh, a lifelong New Yorker, has fashioned this fun
and informative tribute to the various elements of the city's compelling
past. The sections featured on the site pay homage to street scenes from
the past, subways and trains (honing in on such elements as outdated signs
and closed stations), cemeteries, and alleys. One rather notable section is
called "You'd never believe you're in NYC," and offers profiles
of the more pastoral parts of New York, such as Van Cortlandt Park in the
Bronx and the Queens County Farm Museum, which is the last operating farm
within the city limits. For people planning a visit to New York, there is
also a section where visitors can learn about Walsh's highly interactive
tours, which highlight some of New York's most unusual and overlooked
locales.
EarthCam
http://www.earthcam.com/
Started in 1996, the EarthCam company was one of the first corporations to
begin delivering services designed to assist those persons seeking to set
up the necessary infrastructure to send live images across the globe. This
free site is a helpful way to take a peek at literally thousands of places
(including some rather unusual ones) around the world. Visitors will want
to begin by exploring some of the fun cameras set up by the EarthCam group
in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Seattle, Dublin, and Las Vegas. Also featured
on the Web site's home page are the Top Ten Cam Sites, which feature the
most popular Web cams from around the world. There is a search engine
provided on the site, or visitors may elect to peruse the available cams by
theme, such as those focused on weather, schools, beaches, or businesses.
Overall, the site is quite entertaining, and more than a bit addictive.
August 15, 2003
History of the FBI
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/historymain.htm
Founded in 1908 by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation has served the people and government of the United States
for close to a century. Interestingly enough, many of the first FBI agents
were in fact former Secret Service Employees appointed by Bonaparte.
Provided and maintained by staff members at the FBI, this site provides
brief essays about the different periods of the organization's history,
ranging from the so-called "Lawless" years from 1921 to 1933 to
the rise of international crime in the 1980s. The essays address a wide
array of topics ranging from the long career of J. Edgar Hoover as the
head of the FBI, the creation of the "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives"
list, and combating domestic Communist activity in post-World War II
America. The site is rounded out by transcriptions of relevant historic
documents dealing with the organization's early history, such as Attorney
General Bonaparte's request for a detective force within the Department of
Justice.
Extra Ordinary Every Day: The Bauhaus at the Busch-Reisinger
http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/sites/eoed/index.html
Led by Walter Gropius and his fellow design collaborators, the Bauhaus was
one of the most important and influential design schools of the twentieth
century, extending its influence throughout much of Europe and the United
States. Within the Bauhaus there was also a strong interest in designing
objects for everyday life and utility. Drawing on the collection of the
Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard, this online exhibit "highlights
the alternatively individual and collective aspects of creativity at the
Bauhaus, and asks the visitor to consider what other connections might
emerge amongst these objects." The exhibit itself explores five
primary categories of objects produced by members of the Bauhaus,
including lamps, chairs, homes, stages, and automobiles. Particularly
fascinating is the automobile section, where visitors can view the
drawings by Herbert Bayer and the angular abstractions of Paul Klee.
Moving Here: 200 Years of Migration To England
http://www.movinghere.org.uk/
Though it can truly be said that during the nineteenth and most of the
twentieth centuries that "the sun never set on the British
Empire," the story of those who came to Britain from various
far-flung corners of the Commonwealth is sometimes overlooked. This lovely
archive of documents, images, and first-hand narratives celebrates and
explores why people came to Britain, along with looking at the current
experiences of these various groups today. Culled from over 30 local,
national, and regional museums and libraries around Britain, the site
primarily looks at the Caribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian
communities. First-time visitors will want to begin by looking at the
migration histories area, which contains detailed portraits of these
communities, illuminated by first-hand accounts, digitized primary
documents, and sound clips. Without a doubt, the most moving part of the
site is the stories section, where fellow travelers have submitted their
own personal migration stories, accompanied in many cases by family
photographs and other visual materials.
August 8, 2003
American Rhetoric.com
http://www.AmericanRhetoric.com/
The power of the spoken word, especially when well-delivered and
articulated, is immense; and this archive of speeches and rhetoric,
developed and maintained by Michael E. Eidenmuller, (an assistant professor
of communications at the University of Texas at Tyler) is an excellent way
to delve into this subject. The core of the site is a truly comprehensive
online speech bank that contains over 5000 speeches (in a host of formats),
along with other recorded media events. The links in the speech bank are
arranged alphabetically by first name and are checked for errors at least
once every two weeks. One particularly compelling feature of the site is an
area devoted to the rhetoric of 9/11, which contains over 150 active links
to speeches dealing with the events on and around that date. Here visitors
can listen to a 1998 interview with Osama Bin Laden or listen to President
Bush's address to the United States on that tragic day. Overall, this site
will be both useful to students and teachers alike, along with the
Web-browsing public.
William James
http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/james.html
Raised in a highly educated household (his father was a Swedenborgian
theologian), William James is rightly considered one of the most important
American philosophers of the 19th century. James began his studies in art
and geology as a young man before he received a medical degree from
Harvard, where he later taught for thirty-five years. Today he is best
known for his elaborations on pragmatism, along with works on psychology,
religion, and truth. Developed by Frank Pajares, a professor of education
at Emory University, this site contains writings by and an extended
biographical essay on James, and links to other internet resources for
those interested in learning more about his life and work. Finally, the
site also contains critical interpretations and examinations of his various
philosophical writings and musings.
Asian Historical Architecture: A Photographic Survey
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/
Edited by a number of professors and graduate students from Columbia, Yale,
and the University of Virginia, this site offers thousands of photographic
images of Asia's diverse architectural heritage. In total, the site
contains over 6450 photos of 457 sites across seventeen countries. The
geographical parameters of the site are limited to areas heavily influenced
by Buddhism, Confucianism, or Hinduism. From the site's homepage, visitors
can click on any one of the seventeen countries covered here, and look for
various items of interest. One rather novel feature is that there are
numerous clickable maps of large urban areas, which visitors can use to
locate specific landscapes or other aspects of the built environment.
Several highlights of the site's photographic images include those locales
in Afghanistan, such as the Citadel of Heart (built on the foundations of a
fort built by Alexander the Great) and the Minaret of Jam, which stands in
the remote Hari Rud river valley.
Household Products Database
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
The Household Products Database is a new offering from the National
Institute of Health and the National Library of Medicine that contains
information on over 4,000 consumer brands, allowing consumers to research
products based on chemical ingredients. The database "helps answer
questions such as: What are the chemical ingredients and their percentage
in specific brands? Which products contain specific chemical ingredients?
Who manufactures a specific brand? How do I contact this manufacturer? What
are the acute and chronic effects of chemical ingredients in a specific
brand? What other information is available about chemicals in the
toxicology-related databases of the National Library of Medicine?"
Users can browse or search the well-designed database by products,
ingredients, or Material Safety Data Sheets to easily locate the desired
information.
Columbia Journalism Review: Who Owns What
http://www.cjr.org/owners/
Created and maintained by Aaron Moore, a professor of sports media at
Ithaca College, this Web page documents which publications (and other
ancillary businesses) are owned and controlled by various media
conglomerates around the United States. Some of the media conglomerates
covered by this rather revealing site include such newer upstarts in the
media business such as Clear Channel Communications (which owns hundreds of
radio stations around the United States), and a few of the more venerable
media moguls, including the Hearst Corporation and the Tribune Company.
Along with listing the holdings of these various corporations, the site
includes a number of articles from the Columbia Journalism Review that deal
with media ownership. One rather fascinating article addresses the life and
career of Dean Singleton, CEO of the privately held MediaNews Group, which
is the seventh-largest newspaper company in the U.S.
Science, Art, and Technology [QuickTime]
http://www.artic.edu/aic/students/sciarttech/
This fine exhibit and pedagogical tool was developed by the Art Institute
of Chicago in order assist science teachers in their efforts to explore the
relationship between science and art in a museum setting. Supported by a
grant from the Polk Brothers Foundation, the various sections of the site
reveal "how the scientific method is applied to the making,
conserving, and exhibiting of art." The online exhibit is divided into
six primary sections, including Perception, Light, and Color, Art and
Astronomy, and Conservation: Light in the Making and Viewing of Art. Within
each section, there are a number of lovely features, including
self-contained units that include short video selections that illustrate
the general themes of each module, along with providing a transcript of the
lecture. Educators will also find the lesson plans section particularly
useful, as it contains plans that deal with topics such as the connection
between pigment and light colors and the effects of acid rain on stone
sculpture.
The Healthy Refrigerator
http://www.healthyfridge.org/
In recent years, Americans have grown more concerned about their health.
The Healthy Refrigerator site is a good way for users to learn about how to
eat healthier and improve their cholesterol at the same time. The site is
divided into four separate sections, including The Healthy Fridge, Good
Nutrition, Heart of the Matter, and Just for Kids. The Healthy Fridge area
is a good place to start, as it contains a "top 10" list of ways
to maintain a refrigerator with healthy food options, along with
introducing the "Refrigerator Makeover" program, where various
celebrities (such as Mike Ditka) agree to have their refrigerators
"made over" to incorporate healthier foods. The Heart of the
Matter section is also a valuable area, as it contains a place where users
can calculate their risk for heart disease and learn more facts about heart
disease.
California Sheet Music Project
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~mkduggan/neh.html
With oversight provided by Professor Mary Kay Duggan of the University of
California at Berkeley, the California Sheet Music Project provides online
access to some 2000 pieces of sheet music published in California between
1852 and 1900. The project was funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and
Library Services, and also contains interesting ephemera ranging from a
music publisher's catalog from 1872, advertisements, and photographs. The
entire database may be searched or browsed by image subject (from the
frontispiece of each composition) or by the subject addressed by each piece
of music. Some of the songs included in the archive deal with beggars
("Just One Penny to Buy Bread," babies ("Baby's
Asleep"), and politicians ("Horace Greeley's Grand March").
Finally the site also has several musical performances of pieces from the
collection for the listening pleasure of those compelled to visit this
interesting tribute to the sheet music of the Golden State.
August 1, 2003
Historical Research in Europe: A Guide to Archives and Libraries
http://webcat.library.wisc.edu:3200/HistResEur/
Long known for their fine online digital projects and initiatives, the
University of Wisconsin Digital Content Group has developed this Web site
to assist researchers seeking to use European libraries and archives. With
a focus on Western Europe, the prime function of the interactive database
is "to unite both Web-based and printed resources which provide
information about European libraries and archives." The project itself
is supported by a grant from the US Department of Education and the
University of Wisconsin General Library System. The database can be
searched by keyword or subject headings, which include Science,
Audio-Video, Church Archives, and Foreign Relations. Within these subjects,
individual records are returned that include the title, subject, creator,
and in many cases, an URL. Without a doubt, this database will be a great
research tool for those persons traveling to Europe to perform research in
a host of disciplinary traditions.
Art of the First World War
http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/index2.html
While many of the literary accomplishments that arose out of the trauma and
desolation wrought by the experiences of World War I remain at the
forefront of literary and philosophical explorations, the paintings from
this period are at times overlooked. This thoughtful exhibit, supported by
UNESCO (working in tandem with partner museums throughout Europe) brings to
the Web approximately 110 paintings from 54 painters. The exhibit begins
with an introductory essay by art historian and exhibition curator Philippe
Dagen. Visitors can elect to continue through the exhibit thematically
through areas devoted to the declaration of war, the use of artillery, the
battlefield, and suffering. Some of the works profiled here including
William Roberts' "The First German Gas Attack at Ypres" (which
gives dramatic representation to the use of toxic gases by the German
artillery) and Felix Vallotton's "Le plateau de Bolante", which
depicts the war-swept landscape of the Artois region of France.
Natural History Museum's Wildlife Garden
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/museum/garden/
Britain has at times been referred to as "a nation of gardeners,"
so the Web browsing public should not be taken unawares to read that the
Natural History Museum's Wildlife Garden in London has developed a Web site
that is both pleasing to the eye and rather informative as well. For those
planning a visit to London, there is information about the hours and
operation of the garden itself, along with details about the various
scientific work conducted there on a regular basis. The Habitats section
offers a brief overview (along with some nice photos) of each of the major
regions represented in the Garden's grounds. Those covered here include the
chalk downland, lowland heath, oak woodland, and that most British of
environments, the hedgerow. Perhaps the most entertaining section of the
site is the interactive area, where visitors can listen to bats flying over
the garden, peruse a gallery of lovely images, and examine a pictorial
record of the garden during the year 2000.
Vatican Museums
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
With some of the most exquisite frescoes in Europe, the Vatican created
this Web site that highlights some of their remarkable holdings, many of
which are situated within the various rooms of the Apostolic Palace. As
many travelers may be unable to wait in the seemingly endless lines that
are a hallmark of visiting the Vatican, the site offers a nice overview of
some of the works that have been commissioned by different popes over the
past five hundred years. In the "Vatican Museums Online" section,
visitors can browse through the various rooms, including the Sistine
Chapel, the Ethnological Missionary Museum, and the Gregorian Egyptian
Museum. Visitors may also take a virtual tour of each room, aided by a Java
interface that includes a zoom and scroll feature. Additionally, a
highlights section features 30 works of great importance within the
Vatican, among them the works of Raphael, Botticelli, and Michelangelo.
July 25, 2003
The Library of Congress Federal Research Division: Country
Studies
http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
The Federal Research Division (FRD) provides customized research and
analytical services on foreign and domestic topics to United States
Government and District of Columbia agencies. This Web site "presents
a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social,
economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of
countries throughout the world and examines the interrelationships of those
systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors." The online
books can be searched or browsed by particular country and include
everything from a country profile, history, and physical environment
description to economy, government, and national security information.
Perhaps the most unique part of the site is an attempt to include only
lesser known areas, making the conglomeration a good source of uncommon
knowledge.
The Dickens Project
http://humwww.ucsc.edu/dickens/index.html
Found in 1981, the Dickens Project at the University of California-Santa
Cruz, promotes the study and enjoyment of the life and work of Charles
Dickens. With a research focus on both Dickens and the Victorian age, the
Project disseminates research results through a combination of
publications, institutes and its annual conference -- The Dickens Universe.
The 2003 conference, held this weekend, will focus on the The Old
Curiosity Shop. Links to overviews of prior conferences are available
from the project's well organized Web site. Also provided are a succinct
list of appropriate links, information on Dickens-related organizations,
and media and text materials suitable for integrating Dickens into the
classroom.
Archivos Virtuales: Papers of Latino and Latin American Artists
http://artarchives.si.edu/guides/archivos/index.cfm
Based on the published guide to the Archives of American Art manuscript
collections, "The Papers of Latino and Latin American Artists,"
this site offers a variety of documentation on Latino and Latin American
artists. There are brief descriptions of over 150 collections in the
Collections Guide, as well as 16 Finding Aids (lengthier descriptions of
the manuscript collections, prepared by archivists, including biographies
and organizational histories of the creators of the records). There are
also oral histories, many with transcripts. The search function permits
searching across all collection descriptions, finding aids, and oral
histories. For users who simply want to look at materials, limit the search
to Digital images/Documents to see pictures of both artists and their work
-- such as a view of Frida Kahlo in her studio with The Two Fridas,
ca. 1943.
Aesops Fables Online Collection
http://www.aesopfables.com/
"Nearly as old as the Olympics, bigger than Dinosaur, older than the
Titanic, more complex than Pokemon and more of them than Beanie Babies are
Aesops Fables," explains Web site creator John R. Long, who offers
free access to over 655 Fables with more on the way. The Fables are listed
by title and by moral of the story -- many include illustrations and over a
dozen are available as audio narrations. The site also provides links to
lesson plans, including those submitted by site visitors. Unsure where to
start in this extensive online library? Long provides an excellent subset
86 Fables "selected for their ease of reading and concise moral
understanding."
Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
http://www.aldha.org/
There are people out there who would eagerly take a great pair of
wool-blend socks and sturdy boots over Italian leather shoes any day. These
are the people who carefully examine their calendar each winter, tallying
and re-tallying their days off from work en route to finding ways to
combine them with paid holidays. All so that they can have just one more
day "on the trail." These are the people who are a bit reclusive
and despondent once back at work -- a bit naked without a good skim of body
odor and sweat and sheepish about their freshly starched clothes. If you
are one of these, or aspire to be one, then the exceptionally informative
Web site of the ALDHA will be of great interest. Included on the site are
links to the Trail Grapevine which includes news from the trail,
information on work trips to help build or maintain sections of the trail,
a link to join ALDHA, and a section on the upcoming Gathering -- the annual
meeting of the ALDHA to be held at Dartmouth College in October this year.
This information, along with lots more, is accessible easily by clicking on
the little white blazes, emblematic of the trail itself. Have a great time
hiking along this very well organized site.
July 18, 2003
By the Way Online
http://www.btwmagazine.com/
Road Age Media produces content for the heritage travel industry, focusing
on back roads and main streets. Their fun and informative publication, By
the Way Magazine, finds the "gems of the back roads" across
America. Their colorful Web site offers the current issue as well as
archived features and reports. The Features section on the site offers
video reports of various interesting topics such as vintage diners on the
move. The latest report follows Minella's Main Line Diner as it leaves its
birthplace in Wayne, PA. Check out the gift shop to purchase back issues of
the print edition, post card booklets, and a Diner Finder guide. Whether
you are looking to discover gems of the backroads in your own hometown or
planning a trip across America, this site and magazine are well worth
stopping at along the way.
Tate Gallery: Turner Online
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/turner/
This Web site is devoted to Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851),
one of Britain's most famous, and somewhat controversial, artists. Turner
displayed his first oil painting at the Royal Academy at the age of 21, and
he remained actively involved at the Academy for the rest of his life. The
site provides a brief biography of the artist as well as a timeline in
which Turner's accomplishments are placed in the context of other political
and cultural events. Since Turner's art was somewhat controversial this
site also includes feedback from other artists and writers, such as
Constable, Ruskin, and Matisse. Finally, the Web site includes Focus Sheets
for teachers who take their students to Tate, the location of the national
collections of British Art and international modern art.
Simple Steps to Better Dental Health
http://www.simplestepsdental.com/SS/ihtSS/r.WSIHW000/st.31819/pr.3.html
Simple Steps to Better Dental Health is a joint project of the University
of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the health insurance company,
Aetna. The site serves as "an independent consumer dental
portal," offering loads of nicely presented Web pages on just about
anything youd ever want to know about dental health. The content falls
into three main sections: Prevent Problems, Understanding Conditions, and
Explore Treatments. The site is bursting with interactive tools and
easy-to-understand diagrams, and also includes a section just for kids.
From head and neck anatomy to cosmetic dentistry to your basic cavity, this
Web site is a fantastically comprehensive resource that would be worth
bookmarking for future reference.
Teenreads.com
http://www.teenreads.com/
The Book Report Network "is a group of websites founded in 1996 that
share thoughtful book reviews, compelling features, in-depth author
profiles and interviews, excerpts of the hottest new releases, literary
games and contests, and more with readers every week." Teenreads.com,
which is part of a network described as "THE place online for teens to
talk about their fave books --- and find the hippest new titles!"
Visitors to the site will find book reviews and highlights, newsletters,
author spotlights, book club information, reading guides for teens, and
much more. The quality abundance of material provided on the site is
in-depth enough for the hard-core bookworm and fun and inviting enough for
the occasional teen reader who's looking for a summer read.
July 11, 2003
Genealogy Today.com
http://www.genealogytoday.com/
Humans have had a fascination with genealogy and the record of familial
ties for thousands of years, and one need only look at the fastidious
nature of dynastic record-keeping in ancient Egypt or the genealogies
recounted in the Bible for ample evidence of this phenomenon. For the
beginning researcher, or the more advanced genealogist, Genealogy Today.com
will be a welcome addition to the numerous sites dealing with researching
family history, both online and in archives. The site is divided into
several broad sections, including Getting Started, Family History, and
Research Tools. Along the left side of the sites home page are a number
of additional themed areas, such as a surname search engine, Team Roots
(which contains free research tools), and an area dedicated to explaining
genealogy to young people. The Getting Started section may have some of the
most helpful material on the site, as it addresses the nature of beginning
a new family genealogy project, along with providing some information about
how best to use resources such as the United States census and newspapers.
Ballparks of Baseball
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/
In some ways, nothing says summer in the United States like sitting outside
in a ballpark and watching nine innings of Americas favorite sport. This
loving tribute to the venues (past, current, and future) that have housed
various professional baseball teams is a great way to learn about some of
the most hallowed (and most reviled) ballparks around the country. The
Features section of the site has some fun material, including updated news
about ballparks (such as Citizens Bank Park, which is now under
construction in Philadelphia), webcams, seating charts, and attendance
figures. Within that same section, visitors can chime in and rate their
experiences at the different ballparks around the country. For those
looking for a trip down memory lane, look no further than the Past section,
which is devoted to ballparks that are no longer in existence. Here
visitors can read brief profiles and look at photographs of such legendary
parks as old Shibe Park, and ones that have recently gone to their eternal
reward, like the Kingdome in Seattle.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
http://www.nthp.org/index.html
Chartered by the United States Congress over fifty years ago, the National
Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit organization which
was formed in order "to encourage public participation in the
preservation of sites, buildings, and objects significant in American
history." Since that time, the National Trust has worked to preserve a
host of structures that have some importance to American culture and
history, along with providing stewardship to 21 sites (including the home
and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright) under their immediate direction. From the
home page, visitors can learn about assistance programs available from the
National Trust for preserving local Main Streets or structures, along with
learning about the various sites administered by the Trust. Perhaps the
most helpful section of the site is the area devoted to articles from the
Trusts monthly publication, Preservation. Here visitors can learn
about ongoing preservation issues and read selected issues from the current
issue and the online archives.
Pathfinders & Passageways: The Exploration of Canada
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/24/index-e.html
From the first ancestors of the Paleo-Indian peoples who crossed the Bering
land bridge to the northward explorations of Roald Amundsen many millennia
later, many have sought to explore and map the modern-day country of
Canada. This fine online exhibit from the National Library of Canada
(available in French and English) tells the story of these travelers and
explorers through maps and essays that contain a number of helpful
hyperlinks. Not surprisingly, the site is divided chronologically, with
areas that address the prominent explorers from each era, along with
shorter background profiles about germane topics, such as medical risks
faced by these hardy individuals and their methods of transportation. Of
course, no discussion of these explorers would be complete without
providing material on the development and technology involved with the
creation of meaningful and accurate maps. In this regard, there is a
four-part essay that addresses the history of mapmaking and map production.
Overall, this site offers a nice overview of the exploration of the country
over its long history.
June 27, 2003
USGS West Nile Virus Maps
http://westnilemaps.usgs.gov/
Given the increased concern over contagious diseases and viruses spread by
various host animals and insects (such as the West Nile virus), these maps
provided by the USGS are both helpful in their pragmatic applications, and
for those studying the spatial distribution of the West Nile virus. The Web
site begins with a brief background essay on the history of the virus, how
the virus is transmitted, and the symptoms that may be evident by those who
have become infected. The maps track which states have tested various
carriers (such as birds, humans, and mosquitoes) for West Nile virus, and
where these tests have turned up positive results. The Web site is updated
frequently, and where available, also contains links to state and county
public health agencies.
The LOC.gov Wise Guide
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide
The federal government and the Library of Congress, in particular, maintain
and develop hundreds of Web sites. For the user, navigating this online
labyrinth can be rather daunting. Thankfully, the Library of Congress has
partnered with the Ad Council to create the "Wise Guide," which
is refreshed monthly (much like a magazine or periodical), and offers links
to "the best of the Library's online materials." Currently, the
site has eight archived issues of the Wise Guide and the most current
edition as well. In the most recent edition (June 2003), visitors can
follow links to materials dealing with Father's Day, John Philip Sousa (and
the recent reconstruction of his "Library of Congress March"),
and an amusing collection of dance instruction manuals from 1490 to 1920.
This helpful online compendium will be a great boon to those looking to
keep up to date about some of the most useful online materials available
from a number of federal government sponsored sites.
Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph Of Flemish Manuscript
Painting
Manuscript Painting In Europe
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/flemish/home.html
Visitors to the Web version of this Getty Museum exhibition may well have
an advantage over on-site visitors. While the physical exhibition features
more than 130 illuminated books produced in Flanders between 1470 and 1560,
viewers at the Web site have a chance to get much closer to twenty selected
manuscripts, using the Zoom & Explore functions provided. Click a
thumbnail to investigate a single page, zooming, panning,
"pushing" the image around with the mouse, and linking to audio
and additional information. For example, Alexander takes the hand of
Roxanne, from the Book of the Deeds of Alexander the Great, ca. 1468-70,
shows Alexander choosing his future wife from thirty virgins assembled at a
banquet. Although Alexander lived over a century before the book was
created, the people depicted are dressed in the height of Renaissance
fashion, and links provide more information on their clothing, hats, and
hair styles.
Colonial Williamsburg [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.history.org/
In 1926, at the urging of the Revered Dr. D.A.R. Goodwin, John D.
Rockefeller Jr. began a complex and elaborate restoration project in the
quiet town of Williamsburg that sought to preserve a few of the more
important Revolutionary War-era buildings around the town. The project
became increasingly ambitious, and eventually grew to encompass around 85
percent of the town's area from the 18th century. Today, Colonial
Williamsburg is the world's largest living history museum, and is noted for
its ability to incorporate and interpret diverse perspectives on America's
colonial period. Those persons unable to visit Colonial Williamsburg in
person may want to first peruse the "Explore & Learn" section
of the site, where they can learn about the different social and ethnic
groups that inhabited the town (such as African-American slaves and
colonial children), and see the various buildings within the community. The
archaeology section of the site is particularly compelling, as visitors can
learn about the many ongoing projects underway, and younger users can learn
about the practice of archaeology through various games, quizzes, and
puzzles. Additionally, users can read selected articles from the
organization's popular history magazine, "Colonial Williamsburg,"
dating back to 1992.
Medieval Writing [Macromedia Flash Reader]
http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/writing.htm
Developed and maintained by Dr. Dianne Tillotson, this site is a good
location to begin learning about handwriting and manuscript production in
the Middle Ages. Needless to say, the art and science of deciphering these
manuscripts is terribly time-consuming and complicated. The site is divided
into approximately thirteen sections, and first-time visitors would do well
to read the "What is paleography?" essay first, in order to learn
about this elaborate decoding process. The other sections of the site
describe (through words, illustrations, and photographs) the life of a
scribe during the Middle Ages, the tools utilized to produce the
manuscripts, and the various forms that manuscripts took during this
historical era. One rather delightful aspect of the site are the
paleography exercises where visitors can try their hand at deciphering
various passages from medieval manuscripts, including Dante's Inferno and
the Book of Hours.
June 20, 2003
Old Bailey Proceedings Online
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
Formally known as the Central Criminal Court of London, the Old Bailey is
arguably the world's most well-known criminal court. Serving the
Commonwealth since the 17th century, the Old Bailey has seen hundreds of
thousands of trials for every offense imaginable, along with serving as the
setting for many important trials of the famous and infamous. Designed as a
collaboration between the University of Sheffield and the University of
Hertfordshire, this ambitious project aims to create a fully searchable
digitized collection of the Old Bailey's entire proceedings from 1674 to
1834. Currently, visitors can browse through 22,000 trials, from December
1714 to December 1759. The Web site indicates that the entire proceedings
should be online by spring of 2004, so interested persons should continue
to check back frequently. From the main page, visitors can search the
proceedings (and elect to read a transcription of each trial or view the
original document), read about the nature of the proceedings, and read some
engaging background essays on crime and punishment through the court's
history.
The Robert Louis Stevenson Web Site
http://wwwesterni.unibg.it/siti_esterni/rls/rls.htm
Perhaps best known for his novels "Treasure Island" and "Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Robert Louis Stevenson receives a fine tribute
on this site, which serves both as a compendium of links, and as a nice
resource for primary documents and writings by, and about, this notable
19th century writer. Created and maintained by Richard Drury, a graduate of
the University of Manchester and a professor at the Universita di Bergamo,
the site contains a number of thematic sections that address Stevenson's
life, available online electronic editions of his works, and extended
bibliographies. Visitors unfamiliar with the life of this rather
fascinating man may want to start by reading one of the online essays about
his life, or by diving right into one of the electronic editions of his
works. Of particular interest to Stevenson scholars and aficionados will be
the "Critical Reception" area of the site that explores the ways
in which his work has been received over the past century or so.
The Brooklyn Museum of Art
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/
Brooklyn Expedition
http://www.brooklynexpedition.org/
Those of us who are not New Yorkers probably associate the Brooklyn Museum
(BMA) with modern art from the controversial exhibition, SENSATION: Young
British Artists from the Saatchi Collection, October 1999-January 2000. But
the museum's permanent collection includes Egyptian, Greek and Roman, and
Ancient Middle Eastern Art; American and European paintings and sculpture
from the 14th century to the present; as well as decorative arts, prints,
costumes and textiles, and photography. The BMA Web site provides overviews
and selected images from these collections, descriptions of current and
upcoming shows, and research resources, such as the Learning Center, a
multimedia center for students, teachers, and families providing art books,
exhibition catalogues, and computers with internet access for art research
(available by appointment), and the BMA Libraries and Archives. Much of the
information on the BMA Web site is helpful for planning in-person visits to
the museum. But there is also one entirely online resource, the Brooklyn
Expedition, a kids' access point to explore Brooklyn via collections at the
BMA, Brooklyn Children's Museum, and the Brooklyn Public Library.
Animaland.org
http://www.animaland.org/
Provided as a public service by ASPCA, this colorful Web site is designed
to serve as a source of information about pets and other animals for young
people. The site is divided into several main areas, including a pet care
guide, "Real Issues," a section on humane education, and
"Ask Azula" -- where young people can write in with their
questions about animals, and Azula will respond accordingly. Many of the
questions (and their answers) are archived here, including such queries as
"What animal has the biggest ears?" and "Are white tigers
rare?" The pet care guide is well designed, as visitors can learn
about how to best care for their friendly animal companions. The humane
education area provides age-appropriate material on alternatives to
dissection, information about animal-safe science projects, and a
children's bibliography that highlights books dealing with animals in some
fashion.
National Park System: American Battlefield Protection Program
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/index.htm
Working under the aegis of the National Park Service's Heritage
Preservation program, the goals of the American Battlefield Protection
Program are "to protect battlefields and sites associated with armed
conflicts that influenced the course of our history" and "to
raise awareness of the importance of preserving battlefields." To that
end, the NPS developed this site which collects a host of information about
historically significant battlefields ranging from the Revolutionary War to
the Civil War. Persons looking to learn more about ongoing and current
developments in the field will want to be sure to read the group's
publication, "Battlefield News," which is available here for the
years 1998 to 2002. As might be expected, the online publications area is
quite strong. Here visitors can read publications that tell about the
importance of protecting these sites, along with various studies that have
detailed the existing conditions of battlegrounds such as those in the
Shenandoah Valley.
Performing Arts in America, 1875-1923
http://dlc.nypl.org/lpa/nypl/home.html
Developed with the financial assistance from the NEA, this wonderful
collection created by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts,
looks at the exuberant and dynamic world of the performing arts from the
Gilded Age to the Roaring Twenties. The main element of this site is a
searchable database of approximately 16,000 objects culled from the
archival materials within the library's holdings. The printed ephemera
contained within the database includes sheet music, newspaper clippings,
photographs of theater and dance performances, and publicity posters.
Visitors to the site can also elect to browse through the collection by
selecting a number of formats, including books, moving images, or drawings.
Included on the site are a number of brief introductions to the various
collections, such as those dealing with music, theatrical productions, and
dance. Overall, this is a very fine resource for those hoping to explore
this fruitful period of American performing arts culture.
June 13, 2003
Music Theory Online: A Journal of Criticism, Commentary,
Research, and Scholarship
http://www.societymusictheory.org/mto/
In the past few years more academic journals have been moving online, and
some have been established to be solely available via the Internet. Edited
by Thomas Koozin (a professor of music theory at the University of
Houston), Music Theory Online has been online since 1993. Each issue
usually contains several full-length scholarly articles, commentaries on
previous works, and other like correspondence. At the site, visitors can
read the contents of the entire journal, as well as every issue published
since its inception. Along with a chronological list of journal contents,
the site has an author and dissertation index. For parties interested in
submitting material to the journal, there is a complete list of guidelines
for contributors. Visitors can also elect to receive each issue of the
journal electronically, along with the option to subscribe to a discussion
forum, mto-talk. The site is rounded out by an assortment of links to other
online music journals.
National Center for Education Statistics: The Condition of
Education 2003
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003067.pdf
Organized and researched by John Wirt, Susan Choy, Stephen Provasnik,
Patrick Rooney, Anindita Sen, and Richard Tobin at the National Center for
Education Statistics, this annual report (whose production and publication
is required by federal law) offers a broad and thorough inquiry into the
current state of education in the United States. Drawing a number of
massive data sets, the 327-page report released in June 2003 begins with a
nine-page synopsis of the findings offered by Valena Plisko, the Associate
Commissioner of the Department of Education. Of particular interest in the
synopsis is a discussion of this year's special analysis, which examines
childrens' reading achievement and classroom experiences in kindergarten
and the first grade, with "a focus on the school, classroom, and home
factors associated with the likelihood of children becoming good
readers." This synopsis also offers overviews of the other large
sections of the report, including discussions of learner outcomes, societal
support for learning, and contexts of postsecondary education. Overall,
this report will be of great value to educators and those working in
education policy implementation and development around the United States.
National Park Service Data Information
http://www.nps.gov/gis/data_info/clearinghouse.html
The National Park Service Data and Information Web site contains several
helpful links for data related to the Parks. The Data Clearinghouse link
has national and regional data sets such as civil war and land status data,
local and regional historic and scenic trails data sets, and information on
the Virgin Islands in a well designed and easily browseable format. The
Interactive Map Center allows visitors to explore the National Parks using
interactive interfaces, while other links explain the National Park
Service's standards and specifications, and how to use metadata correctly
with other data. The unique and limited scope of the data makes the site a
good example of how the Web is increasingly becoming an excellent source
for hard-to-find free information.
Arlington National Cemetery Homepage [Real One Player]
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/homepage.htm
Despite the overly loud version of the Irish ditty, Kathleen Mavourneen,
which greets visitors to this homepage, this site is an important resource
of information about the Arlington National Cemetery. Developed and
maintained by Michael Patterson (the son of a former United States Army
officer), the site contains dozens of links to a number of thematic
sections, including those that offer a detailed history of the grounds, and
several nice sections on the various memorials located within Arlington.
One particularly nice document available here is a 1929 history of the
cemetery written by Enoch Aquila Chase. Other historical documents of note
are also located on the site, including stereographic photographs of
Arlington Cemetery and a National Geographic article on the Cemetery from
1928. The site also includes several nice audio selections from various
persons buried on the grounds, including Robert F. Kennedy's remarks about
the late Martin Luther King Jr.
Jazz Roots: Early Jazz History
http://www.jass.com/
Focusing primarily on the first thirty years of jazz, this site offers a
nice introduction to the development of the idiom, along with information
about the various musicians and composers who contributed to this truly
American art form. This site was developed as a labor of love by Tom
Morgan, a radio producer and host of a well-regarded jazz show in New
Orleans. Visitors unacquainted with the history of jazz may do well to read
over the overview essay, which contains hyperlinks to various seminal
performers and composers during the genre's early period. The Early Jazz
Musicians section is a compendium of Web sites that discuss hundreds of
performers, ranging from Henry (Red) Allen to Fats Waller. The pictures
section of the site contains a number of scanned sheet music covers, along
with a short piece about the importance of the work, and its context within
the development of jazz. Finally, the Fun Facts section allows visitors to
find out where early jazz musicians were born and read some musings on the
origins of the word jazz.
June 6, 2003
Nation Master
http://www.nationmaster.com/
If you have ever wanted to look up any number of national statistics, the
Nation Master Web site is an excellent resource for finding out any number
of current details about just about any country in the world. Currently,
Nation Master has 335 statistical data sets, ranging from library books,
forested land, Internet users, and airports. For easy reference, the main
Web page features the most frequently requested stats, such as televisions
and military expenditures per capita. Nation Master also allows visitors
the option of creating their own graphs in order to effectively compare
different nations. The site also has links to national profiles, which
include the available statistics for each country, and images of the
country's flag and a political map. Additionally, the site has a search
engine, and a place where visitors can read short facts on the different
countries. Apart from being interesting to browse through, the site will be
helpful for students looking for basic statistics on the world's different
countries.
100 Years of Flight
http://www.time.com/time/2003/flight/
This overview of the past one-hundred years of flight was developed by the
Time.com organization, and pays tribute to the men, women, and planes that
have contributed to the technological innovation that has transformed
transportation -- and, to a larger extent, how humans experience the world.
Visitors will want to start by browsing the section devoted to telling the
stories of the influential individuals involved in the enterprise of
flight, such as Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, and William Boeing. Another
section highlights twenty memorable moments in aviation, such as the first
crossing of the English Channel and the arrival of Charles Lindbergh in
Paris after making his way across the Atlantic. Interspersed amidst these
sections are the many distinctive Time magazine covers that have served as
tributes to the accomplishments of those flying pioneers, including the
1949 cover with Chuck Yeager.
Genome News Network
http://gnn.tigr.org/main.shtml
While there is a great deal of information about genes and genomes
available in the mainstream media, it may be difficult for many to obtain
more objective and scientifically-informed material about these complex
subjects. To that end, the Genome News Network provides this bi-weekly
publication that features stories about human medicine, microbes,
biotechnology, and agriculture. Visitors who may be less familiar about
genes and genomes will want to start with the "Quick Guide to
Sequenced Genomes," or the basic overview provided in the "What's
a Genome" area. The site also features news updates on topics ranging
from the African-American Biobank, the first cloned mule, and how
geneticists recognize cancer cells. Additionally, visitors can browse
through the archives of the News Network (back to the year 2000), and elect
to receive the bi-weekly report via email.
African-American Poetry, 1760-1900
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/AAP/
Utilizing software developed at the University of Chicago, this online
database of African-American poetry is a fine resource for people looking
for a compendium of poems by numerous notable 18th and 19th century
African-American poets. First-time users will want to read the users
manual, which explains the software used to design the database, and how to
best utilize the available search engine, which allows for a number of
detailed searching methods. The database itself contains 12 million words
from a total of 86 works. Visitors looking to browse the online works
should consult the bibliography section, as it contains a detailed
description of the authors and works covered within the database. Visitors
familiar with this genre will note the inclusion of many notable poets,
including Paul Dunbar, James Corrothers, and Albery Allson Whitman.
The Wagner Library
http://users.belgacom.net/wagnerlibrary/
For many lovers of opera, there are composers who have written opera, and
there is Richard Wagner. During his lifetime, Wagner wrote and staged some
of the most detailed and densely-structured operas of the 19th century,
including Gotterdammerung, Die Walkure, Das Rheingold, and Tristan und
Isolde. Edited and designed by Patrick Swinkels, this Web site represents
what is perhaps the most ambitious effort thus far to present many of
Wagner's prose writings online, along with his correspondence and libretti.
On the site, visitors can read reviews of his operatic productions from the
19th century, and read background essays about the myths and legends he
drew on for his many works. Additionally, the site presents (in English
translation) the complete text of the 1911 edition of Wagner's letters to
his family, and also features links to the legendary correspondence between
Wagner and Liszt housed at the Project Gutenberg Web site. It may be worth
taking a look at the site just to read some of Wagner's elaborate (if not
always well-structured) musings, particularly "The Artist and
Publicity," which begins with a characteristically dramatic flourish:
"When I am along, and the musical strings begin to stir within me,
strange whirling sounds take shape of chords, until at last a melody
springs forth, revealing to me the idea of my whole being."
Experiencing War: Stories from the Veterans History
Project
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/stories/
Developed by the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, this
site offers visual and written testimony about the experiences of United
States veterans ranging from those who served in World War I, to those who
served in the first Gulf War. The documents are organized into three main
topical areas, including courage, patriotism, and community. The community
section features recollections of the communal experience found by many who
served in the Armed Forces, including those of John Walter Earle, who was a
Special Services Officer during World War II. The patriotism section
contains documents that relate the first-hand experiences of seven who
served, including the harrowing and terrifying account of James Walsh's
time in the Korean War. Each one of the narratives contains information
about the individual's time of service, primary documents, and in some
instances, video clips from recent interviews.
Mostly Medieval: Exploring the Middle Ages
http://skell.org/SKELL/index2.htm
After researching and writing a novel set in 13th century Scotland, Susan
Wallace decided to develop a Web site that would contain information about
heraldry, myths, religion, and medicine during the Middle Ages. The site is
divided into seven thematic areas, including "Ballads,"
"Beasties," "Heraldry," and "Medicine." In
the "Ballads" section, visitors can read a complete text version
(or synopsis) of numerous ballads from the Middle Ages, such as the ballad
of Gude Wallace, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne, and The Unquiet Grave,
where a dead woman expresses her distaste for mourning. The
"Heraldry" section is one of the most engaging, as it includes a
brief introduction to this time-honored practice, and features a wonderful
dictionary of fabulous beasts used as part of the coat-of-arms. These
fascinating creatures include the calopus (a wolf-like animal with spiked
horns), and the lindorm (a huge snake-like creature). Intended for those
with a casual interest in the Middle Ages, this site will be a nice
diversion, and perhaps spark a trip to the library for more works dealing
with the era.
May 30
The Supreme Court Historical Society [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.supremecourthistory.org/
Dedicated to "the preservation and dissemination of the history of the
Supreme Court of the United States," the Supreme Court Historical
Society was founded in 1974 by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. The
Society has a number of public outreach programs, including an annual
series of lectures by distinguished scholars. Serving as the online
presence of the Society, their site contains a number of helpful features
that will be of use to students studying the Supreme Court, or persons
looking for background information on the court's history and various
justices. Visitors will want to take a look at the Timeline of the
Justices, an area devoted to providing biographical sketches of the chief
and associate justices beginning in 1789 when the Court held its first
session. Information about the current Court justices is also available
here, along with a detailed history of the Court and its major decisions
during the tenure of each Chief Justice. For students, several quizzes are
provided, along with a multimedia presentation on the Supreme Court packing
controversy that transpired during President Franklin Roosevelt's second
term.
Einstein Archives Online
http://www.alberteinstein.info/
Officially released on the Web last week, this impressive digital archive
features the writings, scholarship, and thoughts of Albert Einstein, one of
the 20th century's greatest scientists. The site allows visitors to view
and browse 3,000 high-quality digitized images of Einstein's writings,
ranging from his travel diaries (many of which are in German) to his
published and unpublished scholarly manuscripts. The online archive draws
on the manuscripts held by the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, and was produced by the Jewish National &
University Library's Digitization Project. Additionally, visitors have
access to the archive database, which contains 43,000 records of Einstein
related documents, such as his notebooks and third-party items. More casual
visitors will want to visit the online gallery, which contains a selection
of some of the key documents available here, such as his famous article
that mentions the equation E=mc2. Overall, this is a thoroughly engaging
and informative trove of digitized material on one of the world's most
respected scientists.
Theatrecrafts.com
http://www.theatrecrafts.com/
Developed in part by the University of Exeter's School of Performance Art
(with the help of Jon Primrose), the aim of Theatrecrafts.com is "to
eventually be the best resource for practical information and advice about
technical theatre techniques for theatre folk at any level." The site
is divided into a number of thematic sections where browsers can go to find
out information about props, lighting, rigging, sound, and stage
management, along with eleven other topics. For those looking to find out
about a particular theatre term, they should take a look at the online
glossary, which contains over 1400 terms. The glossary is searchable by
first letter, word, or for fun, there is a random word finder as well. The
costume section is also rather useful, as it features links to online
costume galleries, sites featuring research on costumes, and a link to
businesses that supply and rent costumes to theatre organizations.
Uncle Sam's Reference Shelf: County and City Data Book
http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html
Uncle Sam's Reference Shelf: County and City Data Book contains official
population and housing data from the 2000 Census plus business and other
data for all US counties, cities with 25,000 or more inhabitants, and
places of 2,500 or more inhabitants. Information includes percent
population change by state; counties with populations of one million or
more; top 40 cities by population; state, county, and city area and
population; population by age, race, and sex; relevant maps, and much more.
The PDF files include easy-to-read tables and graphs making the information
an easily-accessible source of the country's latest geographic data.
May 23
The Crisis of the Union
http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/abolitionism/
Created and maintained by the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and
Image at the University of Pennsylvania Library, this online document
archive contains material related to "the causes, conduct, and
consequences of the US Civil War." The collection is largely comprised
of books, broadsides, cartoons, pamphlets, and other printed ephemera from
1830 to 1880. Drawing heavily on materials held by the Library Company of
Philadelphia, the documents include speeches by Charles Sumner, cartoons by
Thomas Nast, and promotional material from the Know-Nothing Party. The
entire archive can be browsed by author, date of publication, title, or
subject. Using a built-in viewer, each document can also be viewed in its
original format, and visitors can zoom in or out on discrete areas.
Finally, visitors can also search the entire archive by keywords, subjects,
graphic elements, or date.
High School Hub
http://highschoolhub.org/hub/hub.cfm
Developed by Wanda G. Wojcik and Dyann K. Schmidel, the High School Hub is
an omnibus of links designed to be of assistance to high-school students
looking for any number of online resources ranging from school subjects to
reference works. Many of the links are quite topical, such as the daily
news quiz (provided by the New York Times) or the Today in History feature,
provided by the Library of Congress's American Memory project. The Homework
Help section will be one that students will want to return to multiple
times, as it is organized around academic subject; and each one contains
several dozen links to features like an online table of chemical elements
and famous American trials. Finally, the site also contains some pastimes
and diversions, such as word puzzles and a typing challenge.
Cool Antarctica
http://www.coolantarctica.com/
Paul Ward, the designer of this site, spent over two years in Antarctica as
a marine biologist with the British Antarctic Survey. Currently a teacher
at a community college in Britain, Ward decided to develop this site to
provide information about Antarctica's history, wildlife, and the various
explorers who have traveled across the continent. The section featuring
Ward's photographs is quite compelling, featuring hundreds of pictures of
wildlife, the area's mountains, and icebergs. The historical pages are
quite detailed, particularly those about the legendary Ernest Shackleton
and his amazing Trans-Antarctica Expedition of 1914 to 1917. Persons
looking for material about visiting Antarctica will find a section
dedicated to helping people prepare for a visit to the area, including
information about various cruise operators and what type of clothing is
most suitable
The National Museum of American Illustration
http://www.americanillustration.org/
Founded in 1998 by Judy A. G. Cutler and Laurence S. Cutler, The National
Museum of American Illustration is housed at Vernon Court (Newport, RI), a
mansion designed 100 years previously by the firm Carrere and Hastings,
architects of other notable buildings such as New York Public Library and
the Frick Collection. Portions of the six acres of grounds surrounding
Vernon Court were originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead. At the
Web site, visitors can view a sampling of works by artists such as N.C.
Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell, and Elizabeth Shippen Green.
Probably the best way to see the museum online is to take the virtual tour.
Starting at the floor plan, click any room to see orientating photos and
artworks arranged as they are on the walls. There are also images of murals
and sculptures, as well as some furnishings, site plans for the gardens,
and aerial views of the exterior of the house
May 16
Africana Digitization Project
http://libtext.library.wisc.edu/Africana/
Produced by the Digital Content Group at the University of Wisconsin
Library, the Africana Digitization Project provides a excellent template
for further projects to make works dealing with Africa more accessible to
researchers and other interested parties. Currently, there are eight works
available for browsing on the site. These important resources include Andre
Alvares Almada's Brief Treatise on the rivers of Guinea from 1594,
P.E.H. Hair's Barbot's West African vocabularies of 1680 from 1992,
and Manuel Alvares's account of travels through modern-day Ethiopia from
1615. All of the works here are in English, and can be searched
individually using the online search engine provided. For persons doing
work in the field of African history, or those interested in reading travel
narratives from Europeans, this repository will prove to be a helpful find.
Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus On Line
http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/
Developed as a public online resource by the Getty Institute, the Art and
Architecture Thesaurus is a structured vocabulary containing 125,000 terms
and other information that may be used to describe art, architecture,
decorative arts, material culture, and archival materials. Each record
within the Thesaurus is returned as a concept, which in turn, is linked to
various terms, related concepts, sources for the data, and notes. For
example, if a user types in the term "gargoyle," all of this
valuable information is returned, including a chart that notes the terms
hierarchical position within the Thesaurus. An online help feature will
assist first-time visitors get better acquainted with the system, and a FAQ
section provides answers to a number of common queries. Finally, users can
provide feedback to the editors via an online form.
Big Dig Archeology [QuickTime]
http://www.mos.org/bigdigarch/
From the Boston Museum of Science comes the Big Dig Archeology educational
Web site. Visitors get a chance to explore Spectacle Island, an
archaeological site just offshore from the City of Boston. They begin by
learning about the site itself, what it looked like, what tools the Native
Americans used, what food they ate, and other physical and natural
histories of the island. A wide range of descriptions and photographs are
available, as well as several interesting QuickTime movies of the island's
early history, its recent history, and a description of the excavation from
an actual archaeologist. The well-designed site does a good job of
providing nontechnical descriptions and enough multimedia content to make
it enjoyable for kids of all ages.
May 9, 2003
The Medici Archive Project
http://www.medici.org/
The Medici family is widely considered one of the most famous and respected
patrons of arts during the Renaissance, and their legacy perseveres in the
numerous works of art, music, and sculpture that were produced as a result
of their beneficence. The archive of the Medici Grand Dukes contains almost
three million letters, and offers "the most complete record of any
princely regime in Renaissance and Baroque Europe." Currently, the
Medici Archive Project is developing this site to place many of these
letters online, along with a strong interest in the history of costumes and
Jewish history during the Renaissance. One of the site's strongest element
is the Document of the Month, where the Archive's curators have selected an
item from their holdings to place online, along with a long-form essay
detailing the provenance and importance of the document. Visitors to the
site can also search the currently available documents in a variety of ways
or by browsing a complete list.
Musee Rodin
http://www.musee-rodin.fr/
The physical Musee Rodin consists of two buildings -- Htel Biron in Paris
and Villa des Brillants in Meudon (a suburb) -- but the museum's Web site
makes it easy to visit both. Htel Biron, an 18th century structure that
is surrounded by gardens, has a long history available at the Web site.
Acquired by the French government in the early 1900s, Rodin rented space
there and always intended the building to be a museum of his works. There
are over 6,000 sculptures in many media - terracotta, plaster, bronze,
marble, wax, glass, and stoneware. Finished sculptures in marble and bronze
-- such as bronze casts of Rodin's most famous works, The Thinker
and The Burghers of Calais, and The Kiss in marble -- are
housed at Htel Biron, while preliminary sketches, studies, and maquettes
are at Meudon, where Rodin lived and kept a studio from 1893 until his
death in 1917. Works are presented as illustrations in essays from the
Collections section of the Web site; larger views open in a new window,
which may not facilitate browsing but may encourage reading. The site is
available in both French and English.
Friends of Trees
http://www.friendsoftrees.org/home/index.php
Based in Portland, Oregon, the Friends of Trees organization is dedicated
to restoring urban forests around the country, with a particular emphasis
on the Portland metropolitan area. As their Web site notes, "Tress are
an essential part of the urban ecosystem. They help keep our water and air
clean, prevent erosion, provide wildlife habitat, and make neighborhoods
greener, more beautiful places to live." On the site, visitors can
read about their ongoing planting activities and browse the newsletter they
publish three times a year. For most visitors, the most helpful area of the
site will be the Tree Resources section. Here, users can look through a
fact sheet on the benefits of trees in urban environments, the care and
maintenance of trees, and a large tree database.
DisabilityInfo.gov
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/
On August 28, 2002, President George W. Bush issued an executive memorandum
as part of the New Freedom Initiative that directed all federal agencies to
cooperate in building an interagency Web portal for people with
disabilities, their families, employers, and the general public. As a
result of this directive, DisabilityInfo.gov was developed to service these
different groups. The site is divided into ten broad thematic areas,
including housing, education, health, technology, and civil rights. Within
each area, visitors can look through a number of press releases and links
dealing with each area and, in many cases, specifically addressing the
rights of the disabled. The site includes a search engine and,
appropriately enough, is also available in several different versions,
including a high-contrast version. Finally, the site also contains a number
of federal grant opportunities for persons and organizations serving and
working on behalf of the disabled.
Jazz Institute of Chicago
http://jazzinstituteofchicago.org/
For all the attention paid to the fantastic blues music that is often
closely associated with Chicago, many people seem to forget that Chicago
has also been fertile ground for jazz musicians as well. Some of the many
famous musicians produced by the Second City include Gene Ammons, Eddie
Harris, Benny Goodman, Von Freeman, Herbie Hancock, and numerous others. Of
course, the Jazz Institute of Chicago has never forgotten this legacy, and
for the past thirty years, they have been keeping the jazz spirit alive
throughout the entire city. Additionally, the Institute has programmed the
city's Jazz Festival since it began in 1979. Along with reading about
upcoming events sponsored by the Institute and letters from fellow jazz
fans, visitors can browse the Jazzgram. The Jazzgram contains interviews
with jazz musicians such as Buddy De Franco, commentary on recent
recordings, book reviews, and pieces about jazz in Chicago.
May 2, 2003
Psychiatry On-Line
http://www.priory.com/psych.htm
The field of psychiatry is one that is vast and rather complex, and
fortunately for academics and practitioners in the field, the Psychiatry
On-Line Web site provides a well-conceived international forum for the
discipline. Edited and maintained since 1994 by Dr. Ben Green (a licensed
psychiatrist in the United Kingdom), the site features peer-reviewed
articles, papers, and case reports from around the world. Part of the
Priory group, Psychiatry On-Line contains links to other germane online
journals, including the Italian and Brazilian counterparts to the
English-language version of Psychiatry On-Line. Visitors will want to
browse the archives of previously featured papers, which are thematically
organized under topics ranging from affective disorders to substance abuse.
The general public will find the section Psychiatry in the Cinema of note,
as Dr. Green offers commentary on the depiction of persons with psychiatric
conditions (such as schizophrenia) in films like "A Beautiful
Mind" and "As Good as it Gets."
Literacy.org
http://www.literacyonline.org/
Jointly sponsored by the International Literacy Institute and the National
Center on Adult Literacy at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate
School of Education, Literacy.org is a cornucopia of valuable resources
related to adult literacy in the United States and throughout the entire
world. Particularly impressive, the search engine allows users to browse
their holdings by country or region, topics, or perspective (such as
teacher, practitioner, and so on). Their publication section is quite
authoritative in its scope and depth, containing numerous technical
reports, policy briefs, and international papers. Equally compelling are
the sections devoted to the organization's ongoing projects, such as
Tech.21, which is a hands-on dissemination system for the implementation
and enhancement of high quality IT applications in adult education.
Additionally, the Web site is frequently updated, and new developments in
the field of adult literacy are prominently posted on the site's homepage.
For anyone working in the field of adult literacy, this site will most
likely prove to be an indispensable resource.
Internet Sacred Text Archive
http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
The world's philosophical and religious traditions have found a fine home
at the Internet Sacred Text Archive, which, as the homepage notes, is
"a quiet place in cyberspace devoted to religious tolerance and
scholarship." Working together with a number of colleagues and
volunteers, JB Hare has compiled this vast archive of sacred and
philosophical texts from a number of public-domain sources and placed them
on the site. What makes the site so intriguing is that Hare has placed
detailed information about the sources and standards that have been
deployed for each separate project, which will be of great interest to
scholars. While the entire site can be searched, there is much to be
learned by looking through the topics listed on the main page, which range
from Atlantis to Zoroastrianism. Each separate topic contains a number of
accurately transcribed (and some times, translated) primary and secondary
documents, such as first-hand collections of oral traditions. For persons
looking for their own copy of the material contained on the site, a CD-ROM
is available for purchase as well.
Internet Geography
http://www.internetgeography.co.uk/
Created by teacher Anthony Bennett, the Internet Geography Web site seeks
to be a center for shared geographical resources and knowledge. A wide
range of information and teaching tools can be found here, including links
to original works that describe general physical, environmental, human,
and economic geography subjects. Special sections of the site are geared
specifically for students and teachers; the site provides them with
homework help and lessons for teaching geography. Additions are regularly
made to the site, making repeated visits necessary and fruitful.
April 25, 2003
Ancient Near East.net
http://www.ancientneareast.net/
The ancient Near East has been the birthplace of some of civilization's
most important advances, among them written language, the impulse to
urbanism, and crop cultivation. Created and maintained by Paul James Cowie
(a doctoral student at Australia's Macquarie University), the site is a
fine resource for both scholars and the general public. Scholars will want
to make sure and take a look at the conference diary section, which lists
upcoming conferences and various calls for papers and other submissions.
The announcements section is of additional interest, as it gives advance
notice regarding related activities, including international symposia. For
the general public, a host of sections (such as museums and galleries)
offer comprehensive listings of Web-based resources ranging from Egyptology
links to those dealing with cuneiform. The Web site also contains a listing
of links to museums that specialize in the antiquities and archaeology of
the Near East located around the world.
Mathematics Help Central [.pdf]
http://www.mathematicshelpcentral.com/
This helpful site offers a number of resources, mainly intended for
college-level mathematics students. The bulk of the site's material is
contained in the Lecture Notes section. Seven complete sets of notes from
math professors are presented, with emphases on courses in college algebra,
pre-calculus algebra and trigonometry, and calculus, among others.
Ready-to-print graph paper can be downloaded in a variety of grid sizes and
layouts. A section of lecture notes on discrete mathematics is also given,
although it is a work in progress.
Modern Haiku
http://www.modernhaiku.org/
With its origins in 15th century feudal Japan, the haiku is one of the most
delicate forms of poetry and, despite its deceptively simple meter, can
convey a wide range of emotion, feeling, and nuances. Started in 1969 by
Kay Titus Mormino, Modern Haiku is a journal dedicated to promoting and
publishing the work of those writers and poets working on this particular
form of poetic expression. On this site, visitors can browse the last seven
issues of the journal, which is published three times a year. Each issue
features a number of poems, featured cover art, a note from the editor, and
a featured critical essay. From the main page, visitors can browse a list
of recent and past book reviews featured in the journal, along with
information about submitting work to the editor.
The Victory Garden
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/
Over the past 28 years, "The Victory Garden" (broadcast on PBS)
has become one of the most enduring and respected "how-to" show
on television. The show's current host is Michael Weishan, a nationally
known horticulturist who leads viewers through some of America's finest
gardens, along with offering a number of segments devoted to small and
large-scale projects for those with a green thumb who watch the show. Their
Web site serves as a valuable adjunct to the television program, as it
features detailed information on the projects covered in each segment, such
as how to start a miniature terrarium, backyard composting, and selecting
aesthetically pleasing planters. The Inspired Gardens section allows users
to re-visit places from the program, including the Blithewold Mansion and
Gardens in Rhode Island and the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Epicureans will
also find the several dozen recipes available here a delight, as they range
from an adventurous crawfish and dill pizza to the more understated
old-fashioned omelet.
Musicals101.com
http://www.musicals101.com/
Around for close to two hundred years in one form or another, musicals are
much loved by many professional and amateur companies who tread the boards.
Authored and maintained by John Kenrick, an expert on musical theater
history (and a personal assistant to six Tony-winning producers), the site
contains close to 900 Web pages of information about the history,
development, and current traditions of musical theater. Persons seeking
basic information about the history of the art form will want to read the
essay "What is a Musical?" Each historical section is divided
into smaller sub-sections, so users can move to each section quickly. One
of the best sections on the site is devoted to Mr. Kenrick's reviews of
cast recordings, current and past productions, and those recordings that
should be avoided. Finally, Mr. Kenrick also offers brief
"courses" online dealing with some of the great names of musical
theater, such as George M. Cohan and Ethel Merman.
Lewis and Clark as Naturalists
http://web4.si.edu/lewisandclark/
In late May of 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark sent forth from St.
Charles, Missouri with a directive from President Thomas Jefferson. One of
their charges was to collect and record information about the plants and
animals they found along their journey westward. Anticipating the
bicentennial of their departure, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
has created this fine Web site that allows visitors to travel with Lewis
and Clark as they moved across the Great Plains and into the Pacific
Northwest, examining the plants and animals they encountered. Regrettably,
very few of the actual specimens collected by the explorers are intact, so
the Smithsonian has drawn on its own massive collections to stand in as
surrogates for the original specimens. Visitors can browse the collection
by species, state in which each specimen was collected, or by date each
specimen was collected. Each specimen contains information about where it
was found and comments from the explorers about each specimen. The
interactive map allows viewers to move along the trail of Lewis and Clark
and click on each place where specimens were collected to obtain a detailed
description of the locality and the object. Finally, there are a number of
lesson plans designed to be used in conjunction with the Web site.
ThreeStooges.net
http://threestooges.net/default.asp
There are two types of people in this world: those who love the Three
Stooges and those who cannot stand them. The latter group will probably
want to avoid this site, but for Stooges aficionados out there, this site
is a great place to visit. Developed by Robert Davidson, this Web site is a
cornucopia of sounds, Stooge shorts, transcripts, and videographies all
related to the Stooges' long performing career. From their vaudeville
beginnings, the Stooges became a household name through their short films.
Later, they then experienced a type of renaissance as the shorts made their
way to television syndication in the 1950s. The site contains lists of the
Stooges fabled physical comedy routines, a filmography, production crew
listings, and monitor screen wallpaper that users can download for their
own use. Additionally, visitors can find over twenty complete Stooge shorts
to watch here, including the much-loved "Disorder in the Court,"
"Three Little Beers," and "Calling all Curs." Overall,
this site is a great deal of fun and rather addictive.
The Handbook of Texas Online
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/index.html
Sponsored by the Texas State Historical Society, this online guide to
Texas is an excellent resource for students looking for information about
the Lone Star state. The casual browser may want to look in the Browse
section, which is divided into place names; "what" (covering
many subjects, such as business and education); "who;" and
"when." The Handbook also contains many images, which can be
immediately located by going to the Multimedia section, which lists them
all alphabetically. The Handbook can also be searched in its entirety,
although most of the entries can be found quickly through the Browse
section. For those persons looking to purchase a hard copy of the
Handbook, information is available on the site. There is also an online
form where visitors can make article revision suggestions, or suggest new
article topics to be covered in future editions.
April 18, 2003
National Archives and Record Administration: Access to Archival
Databases
http://www.archives.gov/aad/
The National Archives has recently created this valuable online database
that contains close to 50 million historical records, culled from 350
archival sources from 20 different federal agencies. Some sources include
the Japanese-American Internee File, the Community Action Program Grant
Master Files, and the Civil War Sites Database. From the homepage, visitors
can learn about the architecture of the database, read about the
terminology used on the site (and in the archives more generally), and how
to get help using the archives. To begin, users will want to select a file
unit, which are divided by subject, geography, organization, time span, and
creator (such as civilian or military agency). After making this selection,
a list of relevant file units will be returned, and users can select the
one that is most germane to their area of interest. At this point, users
can perform a more detailed search within the particular database they have
selected. When users have found the information they are looking for, they
have the option to view the records, print them out, or copy them to their
own computer. Overall, this is an important addition to the extensive
number of federal data sets available online.
This American Life
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
On their Web site, the staff of the radio show "This American
Life" describes their innovative and popular show in these words:
"Its mission is to document everyday life in this country. We
sometimes think of it as a documentary show for people who normally hate
documentaries. A public radio show for people who don't necessarily care
for public radio." Hosted by Ira Glass since its inception in 1995,
the show has run the gamut of compelling and fascinating topics, ranging
from summer camp to gun control in the United States. On their Web site,
listeners can listen to over 150 previous episodes, learn about
contributors to the program, and read about how to submit story ideas and
internship opportunities. Educators may also want to take a look at the For
Educators section, which offers some perspectives on how This American Life
may be used in the classroom. Finally, visitors can also view a list of the
staff's favorite shows, including a rather memorable tribute to Frank
Sinatra that features Gay Talese reading some of his own reporting on
Sinatra from the 1960s.
Smithsonian Physical Tables
http://www.knovel.com/knovel2/Toc.jsp?SpaceID=10093&BookID=736
From the Online Interactive Books and Database Web site Knovel comes the
Smithsonian Physical Tables 9th Edition. "Originally published by the
Smithsonian Institution Press, this classic reference source comprises 901
tables of general interest to scientists and engineers, and of particular
interest to those involved with physics in its larger sense." The
downloadable tables include general physics constants, constants for
temperature measurement, the blackbody and its radiant energy, temperature
characteristics by material, latent heat, thermal properties of gases,
acoustics, geomagnetism, and many more. This free service provides a wealth
of important and helpful information that scientists and researchers
everywhere should fully utilize.
A Tapestry of Time and Terrain
http://tapestry.usgs.gov/
This helpful teaching tool from the United States Geological Survey brings
together the comprehensive geological and topographical maps of the United
States. As the site suggests, "... this digital tapestry outlines the
geologic story of continental collision and break-up, mountain-building,
river erosion and deposition, ice-cap glaciation, volcanism, and other
events and processes that have shaped the region over the last 2.6 billion
years." First-time users will want to watch the Quick-Time film that
shows the merging of the two maps, along with a brief description of how
each individual map portrays the United States. Within the features
description section of the site, visitors can interact with a clickable map
surface that details the prominent features of the United States, such as
the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin and the Olympic Peninsula in
the state of Washington. Equally helpful for learning about geologic time
is the interactive map legend that allows users to learn about the
different eras, like the Paleozoic or the Precambrian. For people who are
looking to learn more about geology, this Web site will be one they will
want to peruse several times.
Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains
http://libmuse.msu.montana.edu/epubs/nadb/
Created with grant support from the Institute of Museum and Library
Services National Leadership Grant Program, this online database highlights
the photographic and visual record of current and former Indian groups from
the Northern Great Plains. Housed at Montana State University, this
particular online collection was designed to provide students, researchers,
and the general public with direct access to valuable primary source
material on Plains Indian cultures. The general organization of the site's
archival materials is by tribe, but there are several themed collections,
including one of Blackfeet tipis. The search options are quite impressive,
as users can search by subject, date, location, tribe, and artist or
photographer, along with further refining each search by looking by the
geographical location of where the item is currently held.
International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions
http://www.ifla.org/
The International Federation of Library Association and Institutions is
"the leading international body representing the interests of library
and information services and their users." Started in 1927 in
Edinburgh, the Federation currently has over 1700 members located in 150
countries. From the sites main page, visitors can read the
Federations governing documents, search a directory of current members
and affiliates, and learn about their annual conference. The section
detailing the fellowships and grants administered by the Federation will be
especially helpful to aspiring library and information professionals who
are seeking to enhance their training, or those looking for funding for new
projects in the arena of librarianship. Library and information
professionals will definitely want to check out the past conference
proceedings (which include many papers presented in each session), which
date back to the 1993 conference held in Barcelona. Finally, the Electronic
Collections portion of the page holds a number of useful links, including
many dealing with metadata resources, upcoming digital collections from
around the world, and information on copyright and intellectual property
issues.
April 11, 2003
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/
Born in Stonewall, Texas in 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson would later become
president of the United States after the assassination of John F. Kennedy
and oversee one of the most turbulent periods in recent American history.
Located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, the Johnson
Library and Museum was dedicated in 1971 and is part of the system of
presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records
Administration. First-time visitors will want to tour the online research
section, which contains a timeline of Johnson's life; information about
Lady Bird Johnson; and quick facts about his presidential cabinet,
religious affiliation, and favorite foods. The online primary documents are
impressive, ranging from selected speeches given by Johnson during his
administration, photographs, and most notably a number of oral histories.
The oral histories are taken from dozens of his associates, fellow
politicians, and friends, including Billy Graham and the late Senator
Everett Dirksen. Visitors will also enjoy looking through the audio and
video files, including conversations with Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood
Marshall, and Jacqueline Kennedy. The site is rounded out by a nice section
especially aimed towards young people.
Online Journalism Review
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/page_one/index.php
Based at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of
Southern California, the Online Journalism Review was launched in 1998 with
the intention of "evaluating the emerging field of online journalism,
providing readers commentary, monthly features, and Web resource
databases." The Review is also committed "to identify who is best
serving the public on the Web, and who, hiding in the cloak of journalism,
belongs in different garb." To that end, the Review's team of
journalists reports on a host of online topics, ranging from Web site
designs, private online news sources, and ongoing developments within the
world of online journalism. Some of the primary resources available here
include the Japan Media Review (focusing on the electronic media coverage
within, and about, Japan) and a number of online forums. Additionally,
interested visitors can elect to subscribe to the Online Journalism Review
via email.
Cornell Library Historical Monographs
http://historical.library.cornell.edu/cdl/
Beginning in 1990, the Cornell Library initiated an ambitious early attempt
to create digital surrogates for materials that were rapidly deteriorating
and becoming brittle. Utilizing prototype equipment developed in tandem
with Xerox, the materials were scanned and placed online. Currently, the
materials available include 441 entire monographs, totaling 159,961 pages.
The search engine located on the site allows visitors to search the holding
by author, title, and text. Additionally, visitors can browse the
collection by author or title. The monographs include Shelley's "An
address to the Irish people," Comte's "Positive Philosophy,"
selected writings of Richard Wagner, and Sir Richard Burton's
"Personal Narrative of a pilgrimage to el Medinah and Meccah."
The Web site concludes with a help section that contains information about
searching and browsing this interesting collection of online monographs.
The Papers of John Jay
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/archives/jay/
Contributor to The Federalist, the first Chief Justice of the United
States and a two-term governor of New York, John Jay gave much of himself
to the fledgling nation. Given that he was an alumnus of Columbia
University, it is fitting that this institution has created this omnibus of
his collected papers and placed them online. Funded in part by the National
Endowment for the Humanities and the Florence Gould Foundation, the Jay
materials may be searched by the name of the writer, name of the recipient,
date of composition, name of holding institution, and accession number.
Along with an extended biographical essay, the site also features four
background papers. The papers include hypertext links to germane digitized
documents held in the archive and deal with topics such as Jay's work on
the treaty of 1794 with the British and his work with France throughout the
1770s. Overall, this is a fine repository of primary documents relating to
one of America's early statesmen.
Henry James Scholar's Guide to Web Sites
http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~hathaway/
Maintained and created by Richard Hathaway, an educator at the State
University of New York at New Paltz, this site is a compendium of links and
writings by and about the American writer Henry James. The site begins with
a collections of electronic texts of James' works. Some of the more recent
additions include short stories that James wrote specifically for The
Atlantic Monthly during the 1860s. While the site cannot be searched in
its entirety, a table of contents provides some assistance for those hoping
to navigate its sections. The contents include such topics as Henry James
conferences, Finding other etexts, The Henry James E-Journal, and an
on-line discussion group. The section dealing with writings by and about
James will be of great interest to scholars and students, as it includes
links to study guides and musings on his great works by other noted authors
and scholars.
April 4, 2003
The Global Threat of New and Reemerging Infectious Diseases
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1602/index.html
Authored by Jennifer Brower and Peter Chalk, working on behalf of the RAND
Corporation, this 140-page online book explores an in-depth analysis of the
security implications posed by the dissemination of various infectious
diseases. Throughout the work, the authors draw on two case studies, namely
the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in South Africa and the public health response
system within the United States. The book itself is available as six
separate chapters, including an appendix and bibliography. For those
looking for a brief synopsis of the work, a nine-page summary is also
available. The authors conclude their work by presenting several
recommendations that may address various existing shortcomings, including
increased coordination between public health authorities at all levels of
government, integration of the private sector into overall public health
efforts, and a large-scale education and information campaign.
Iraq: The Cradle of Civilization at Risk
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~museum/iraq.html
As of late, there has been great consternation about the future of
antiquities and archaeological expeditions within Iraq, largely due to
political upheaval and military conflict in the area. With that in mind,
the H-Museum mailing list has assembled a host of materials gleaned from
their own discussion boards and scholarly resources that will help give
visitors some sense of the breadth and importance of the material reminders
of ancient civilizations located within Iraq's borders. The collection is
divided into five primary sections, including a compilation of recent
articles and documents that deal with the protection of cultural property
and details about ongoing archaeological projects within the country. Two
of the most important links on the site lead to the virtual online library
of Iraq's history at the University of Kansas and the resources for Near
Eastern archaeology provided by Arizona State University.
Storm Events Database
http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwEvent~Storms
From the National Climatic Data Center comes the Storms Events Database.
Events are included from 1993 to the present, but as is stated on the site,
the site is usually 90-120 days behind the current month. Users first
choose a state and then, if necessary, a county, date, and event type.
Results can be limited by tornado type, hail size, wind speed, number of
injuries or deaths, and even amount of property or crop damage. The
generated report lists all of the events during the time period specified
and, when clicked, contain specific information about that event. Although
the reports can not be downloaded, this powerful resource can be an helpful
addition to a researcher's toolbox.
Relax with a Book
http://www.relaxwithabook.com/home/index.cfm
Host of a BBC television program dedicated to books, David Freeman also
finds time to compile his interviews on this Web site for consideration by
the Web-browsing public. Conducted in a prestigious London hotel, the
interviews run the gamut from authors of "how-to" books to those
working in the genres of history and music. Visitors to the site can
perform detailed searches by author name, genre, publisher, or title. The
homepage features the most recent interview by David Freeman, along with a
brief introduction to the author and his or her work. The site contains
over 610 interviews, including one with Jamie Oliver (the popular
"Naked Chef") and Joan Collins musings on her recent book about
her life. Finally, visitors can leave feedback for Freeman on the site,
along with the ability to listen to his weekly radio program.
March 28, 2003
Social Security Online History Page
http://www.ssa.gov/history/
The creation of the Social Security program during the presidency of
Franklin D. Roosevelt is widely understood to be one of the most important
pieces of social welfare legislation in United States history. Drawing on
their vast repositories of oral histories, audio recordings, and primary
documents, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has established this
Web site that will be of great help and assistance to researchers looking
for a holistic appraisal of the Administration's historical development and
contributions to the welfare of the American public. Visitors will want to
check out the detailed explanation of how Social Security numbers are
assigned (and who received the first number back in 1936). One fascinating
feature is the sound and video clip section, which features radio debates
on the merits of the Social Security program taped during 1935 and Lyndon
B. Johnson's remarks on the passage of the Medicare bill in 1965. The Web
site also includes transcriptions of oral histories done with
administrators of the SSA over the past 65 years. All in all, this site
serves as a well-thought out archive that deals with the transformation of
the federal government's role in increasing its influence in the arena of
social welfare.
Women of Our Time
http://www.npg.si.edu/cexh/woot/index.htm
This lovely little exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery shows off
about three dozen portraits of prominent American women from the 20th
century. In the main Gallery, scroll through thumbnail portraits such as
Julia Child shopping in an Italian market in Boston in the 1970s, Marilyn
Monroe entertaining troops in Korea in 1954, or Maya Lin talking to a black
cat in her New York City apartment. Larger views and information about the
women depicted, as well as the settings of the photographs, are available
by clicking any thumbnail. There are two "sidebar" sections:
Biographical Moments and Styles, where visitors can watch and listen (or
read a transcript) of curator Frederick Voss's illustrated lecture on the
ways these portraits help us understand their subjects' lives, and the
evolution of styles in portrait photography.
Kenyaweb
http://www.kenyaweb.com/index.php
Web surfers looking for a wide variety of current news about Kenya will
enjoy looking through this Web site, which features news items from the
East African Standard and other local and regional newspapers. The main
page is divided into topic news areas, including sports, national items,
and weather. From the left-hand side of the main page, visitors can find
out more specific information about Kenya's government, ethnic groups, and
economy. The most helpful section in this area is the one devoted to Kenyan
history, as it offers a broad overview of the country's development, going
back to the late Stone Age and continuing up through independence from
Britain. Understandably, there is also an extensive section devoted to
tourism, which may be a boon to persons hoping to travel to Kenya in the
future.
March 21, 2003
Baseball Library
http://www.pubdim.net/baseballlibrary/
Baseball fans will be delighted to find out about the existence of Baseball
Library.com, a massive database devoted to one of America's favorite summer
pastimes. The core of the site is based on two printed works, "The
Ballplayers" by Mike Shatzkin and "The Baseball Chronology,"
edited by James Charlton. Currently, the Baseball Library contains profiles
of over 8,800 professional baseball players, 75 book excerpts totaling 840
pages, and a number of other special features, such as the "greatest
team" profiles. Looking up individual players brings up substantial
amounts of detailed information, including their total statistical profile
over their career, memorable highlights, and photographs. Equally exciting
is the "Teams" section of the site, where visitors can look at
rosters, statistics, and day-by-day season chronologies of every National,
American, and Federal League team. The site has numerous featured sections,
such as "Hall of Famers;" hypothetical "Historical Matchups;"
and one that is certain to generate much conversation (and perhaps many
arguments), the 12 selected as "Baseball's Greatest Teams." This
site is great fun and will be quite enjoyable for those with a passion for
baseball.
Locks, Docks and Beyond
http://www.locksdocks.com/
The history of waterways is a subject of great interest in both the United
States and Britain, and this novel online exhibit on the Huddersfield
Narrow Canal in West Yorkshire does a good job of exploring the importance
of the canal in community life and history. Originally built in the middle
of the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution, the canal was closed
in 1950 and reopened in 2001. Through personal reminiscences, photographs,
and illustrations by local schoolchildren, the exhibit reflects on various
facets of the canal and its value to residents living nearby. Within the
exhibit, visitors can look at a number of "now and then"
photographic essays of towns along the canal (such as the village of
Marsden), as well as hear older residents speak about their own experiences
working and playing along the canal. The site will be of interest in
educators and also to those who are hoping to perhaps create their own
local history Web site.
The Pantheon
http://www.the-pantheon.com/
The Greek world of gods and goddesses is extremely intricate, and The
Pantheon Web site provides an effective way to begin learning about this
world, both for beginners and for those looking to brush up on their
knowledge of their exploits and times. Beginners will want to start by
reading the essay on the creation of the world out of chaos, which then
leads into the piece on the creation of mankind. One helpful feature of
these essays is the many interactive hyperlinks that visitors can use to
access a brief synopsis about each god or goddess. A section on the
principal Greek gods contains an interactive family tree, beginning with
the union of Uranus and Gaea, and concluding with their great-grand
children -- Apollo, Artemis, and several others. The site is rounded out
with a selection of relevant links to other sites dealing with mythology
and a list of suggested readings.
March 14, 2003
Arab Human Development Report 2002
http://www.undp.org/rbas/ahdr/CompleteEnglish.pdf
Written and researched by a team of regional experts (working under the
auspices of the United Nations Development Programme), this 180-page report
outlines the current state of human development and its future potential
throughout the Arab world. The report begins by noting that Arab countries
have made significant strides in more than one area of human development,
although it also mentions that three significant deficits (freedom,
empowerment of women, and knowledge) constitute "weighty constraints
on human capability that must be lifted." While the full report is
quite lengthy, it is divided into more digestible sections dealing with the
overall state of human development in the region, the potential for
building human capability, and cooperation among Arab states. The report
also contains several appendices that offer detailed statistical
information gathered by the researchers and a list of background papers.
For those looking for a quick overview of their findings, the report also
has an 11-page summary.
FDA: Antibiotic Resistance
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/anti_resist.html
In the past few years, there have been more reports of bacteria that are
increasingly resilient to antibiotics. Understandably, this antibiotic
resistance is of great concern to the medical community in terms of public
health, and is due largely to the increased use of antibiotics. With this
in mind, the United States Food and Drug Administration has developed this
Web site to inform the general public about this phenomenon, as well as to
provide a number of documents generated by different government agencies
about this problem and strategies for combating it. For those unacquainted
with the situation, there are several helpful general fact sheets and
overviews provided online from the Center for Disease Control and the
University of Wisconsin. Additionally, the site contains several papers
outlining some general recommendations about how the problem can be
contained with the cooperation of doctors, hospitals, and increased
awareness of the populace.
Drawing the Western Frontier: The James E. Taylor Album
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/taylor/#
The National Museum of Natural History, in collaboration with the National
Anthropological Archives, has recently placed the James E. Taylor Album
online for ready access. James E. Taylor was a professional artist who
worked throughout the last four decades of the nineteenth century,
supplying numerous national newspapers with illustrations and drawings
based on on-site descriptions and first-hand observations. Over his long
career, Taylor collected photographs and newspaper clippings, which he
compiled into scrapbooks, along with various letters and other printed
ephemera. Taylor's eye for thematic organization is demonstrated by some of
the highlighted scrapbook pages available for inspection on the Web site,
including those dealing with gold mining, frontier life, and the Meeker
tragedy. Visitors to the site can look at any of the 748 images contained
here in detail, or browse through the different album pages. The site is
rounded out by an extended biographical essay about Taylor and his work,
which illuminates his role in creating the popular (and largely mythical)
image of the West and its inhabitants.
The Prokofiev Page
http://www.prokofiev.org/
Maintained by Sugi Sorensen, this Web site is dedicated to the life and
work of Sergi Prokofiev, one of the most accomplished composers and
pianists of the 20th century. New visitors to the site will want to take a
look at the detailed biography of Prokofiev provided here, along with a
timeline that highlights some key moments in his life. The site also
features a complete list of his works by genre, along with pertinent
details (such as instrumentation, length of work, and so on) and recordings
recommended by Sorensen and other contributors. The site also has a concert
list that notes when upcoming performances of works by Prokofiev will be
taking place, as well as sketches of "Prokofievians" such as
Jascha Heifetz, Neeme Jarvi, and Andre Previn. Perhaps one of the best
features on the site is the interviews, which include conversations with
Sviatoslav Prokofiev (his oldest son) and Harlow Robinson, a professor who
has written several biographical works about Prokofiev.
March 7, 2003
Business Schools.com
http://www.businessschools.com/
This site is designed to provide detailed information on many different
aspects of pursuing an undergraduate or advanced degree in business, along
with providing related information on available scholarships and potential
career options. Developed as part of the All Schools online network,
visitors to the site can search their database of over 1500 schools by
state, country, specialty, and educational level. The search engine will
return results based on visitors specifications that will contain links to
the different schools' respective programs, along with a link to send email
to the program directly. The site also has a helpful list of hundreds of
financial aid options available to students studying business, along with a
glossary and suggested reading for selecting an appropriate program.
Finally, the site contains numerous guidance articles written by experts in
the field of business education, such as a Yale business school professor
and a former Ocean Spray marketing director.
Manet/ Velazquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting
http://manetvelazquez.accenture.com
The opening sequence of this exhibition Web site depicts the bidding
process for an acclaimed Spanish painting, Murillio's "Immaculate
Conception," which was purchased by the Musee de Louvre in 1852.
Sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Accenture, this beautiful
site explores the great love of Spanish painting by the French throughout
the latter half of the nineteenth century. Visitors will want to start by
viewing the Artists' Journey through Spain section, which allows them to
look at an interactive map of the travels within Spain that led artists
such as Mary Cassatt, Edouard Manet, and others to produce such lasting and
powerful works of art. The Comparative Gallery section is a fine feature
that allows visitors to drag two different paintings from five different
online galleries and read text that compares these nineteenth century
French and American works with the Spanish paintings that inspired them.
The Artists and Paintings section offers a brief overview in the exhibit,
as well as a timeline that features crucial political, social, and cultural
events from 1780 to 1890 that affected the artistic milieu of Spain and
France. Perhaps the finest feature of the site is the ability to view the
legendary Prado Museum in Madrid as Manet would have viewed it in the
1870s. Utilizing the photographs of the museum's grand Sala Central taken
by Jean Laurent between 1879 and 1885, visitors can navigate around the
interior, and zoom in and out as they prefer.