NSDL Scout Reports for the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/nsdl-reports/life-sci/2003/ls-030808.html
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/nsdl-reports/phys-sci/2003/ps-030808.html
The sixteenth issues of the second volumes of the Life Sciences Report and Physical Sciences Report are available. The Topic in Depth section of Life Sciences Report annotates sites on Culinary Microbes. The Physical Sciences Report's Topic in Depth section offers Web sites and comments about Stormwater.
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American Rhetoric.com [RealOne Player]
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. [KMG]
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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. [KMG]
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The Futures Project: Policy for Higher Education in a Changing World [pdf]
http://www.futuresproject.org/
Hosted by Brown University's A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, the Futures Project prime directives are to "stimulate an informed debate about the role of higher education in our new global society" and to "develop policies that ensure a skilled use of market forces to maximize the opportunities while minimizing the dangers." The Project itself is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Ford Foundation, and the Atlantic Philanthropies. One of the more compelling areas of this site is dedicated to presenting several policy alternatives as regards to what may happen to higher education in the near future, along with an area for comments and suggestions. The site also contains various articles, briefing papers, reports, and fact sheets that will be of interest to policy makers, educational administrators, and students. [KMG]
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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. [KMG]
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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. This site is also reviewed in the August 8, 2003 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [JAB]
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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. [KMG]
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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. [KMG]
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The Evolution of the American Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amrvhtml/conshome.html
The development of a conservation ethic in the United States was (and is) a process that displayed a great deal of heterogeneity, and to a certain extent, a good deal of contentious debate about what might be done to conserve natural resources and landscapes throughout the country. Some of the phenomena that manifested themselves during this period included a perceived crisis in American national identity and purpose, expressions of anti-urbanism, and the growth of travel literature. All of these subjects (and quite a few more) are explored within this fine documentary archive of materials developed by the American Memory group at the Library of Congress. In total, the archive contains 62 books and pamphlets, 140 Federal statutes and Congressional resolutions, various Presidential proclamations, 170 prints and photographs, and 2 motion pictures. The collection can be searched by keywords, or users may elect to browse an index of subjects, authors, or document titles. [KMG]
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Neighborhood Funders Group [pdf]
http://www.nfg.org/
The Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG) is a "national network of foundations and philanthropic organizations." Based in Washington, DC, the NFG supports community-based efforts that improve economic and social conditions in low-income communities. On their Web site, visitors can learn about the Group's core values and how organizations can apply for membership. The news and resources section of the site contains information about professional opportunities, recommended reading lists (along with links to selected online readings), and links to related sites on the Web such as the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. Visitors may also want to look at the organization's newsletter (which is archived back to 1998), and check out its publications, which include papers dealing with the affordable rental housing market and community organizing. [KMG]
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St. Augustine: America's Ancient City [Macromedia Flash Reader]
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/staugustine/intro.htm
While many persons think of Boston as the first major European settlement in what is now the United States, the once tiny military outpost of Spain, St. Augustine, is significantly older. In fact, the settlement of the area that is St. Augustine predates the European settlements at Jamestown by 42 years. Much of the interesting historical development of St. Augustine can be explored in this online exhibit presented by the Florida Museum of Natural History, located at the University of Florida. The exhibit is divided into six historical periods, beginning with the founding of St. Augustine in 1565, and concluding with a special section dedicated to the role of archaeologists and historic preservationists in preserving the area's unique history. Within each chronological section visitors can view images of artifacts from each respective period (such as recovered pottery fragments), and examine maps and drawings as well. [KMG]
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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. [KMG]
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California Sheet Music Project [RealOne Player]
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. [KMG]
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Indie Toolbar 2.0
http://www.awstudios.net/software.php?Show=indietoolbar
Developed by Alexander Wilson, this handy little application allows users to create a customizable standalone internet toolbar. This latest version also contains a host of new icons, bringing the total that may be used to over 300. The icons themselves are divided into a number of different themes such as those related to Macs, and those representing the Web sites of different nonprofit organizations. The Web site for Indie Toolbar 2.0 also features several screen shots and an area where users can send bug reports to Mr. Wilson directly. Indie Toolbar 2.0 is compatible with all systems running Mac OS X 10.1 and higher or Windows 95 and higher. [KMG]
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ANYwebcam 3.17
http://www.anywebcam.com/
During the past few years, there have been a number of webcam programs released that allow fellow computer users to chat with each other. With this latest free version of ANYwebcam, users can choose from a variety of webcam categories, and read about other users via their individualized profile pages. From the program's homepage, users can create their own profile page, chat with other users, and ask questions about the program and how it works. ANYwebcam 3.17 is compatible with all systems running Windows 98 and higher. [KMG]
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Harley-Davidson Gears up for 100th Anniversary
Voice of America: America Celebrates 100 Years of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=3366200A-C6F0-41ED-8384B7DC91B121F4
Harley-Davidson: 100th Anniversary
http://www.harley-davidson.com/an/100/en/anniversary.asp?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US
No inroads into China for Harley-yet
http://www.jsonline.com/bym/News/jul03/159170.asp
Woman makes Harley-Davidson from butter
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_806844.html
The Official Sturgis Rally Website
http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/
Motorcycles Trivia and Quizzes
http://www.funtrivia.com/dir/785.html
100 years ago, William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson built their first motorcycle in a 10 by 15-foot wooden shed marked only by the words Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Not long after, the first Harley-Davidson dealer opened for business in Chicago, and the brand quickly became a part of American culture and folklore. While some persons may still associate Harleys solely with certain groups like the Hells Angels, the bikes have been popular items with celebrities for decades, including the late Malcolm Forbes and popular late-night television host Jay Leno. Numerous events have been planned to celebrate the anniversary, including The Ride Home, in which hundreds of motorcycle fans will ride along one of four organized routes across the United States on their way to Milwaukee, where the corporate headquarters of Harley-Davidson is located. The festivities will reach a feverish peak from August 28th to the 30th, when it is expected that over 200,000 Harley riders from around the world will arrive in Milwaukee. Events planned for those three days include exhibits, bike displays, and performances by such notables as Peter Frampton, Steppenwolf, and Kansas.
The first link will take users to a recent news story from Voice of America about the festivities surrounding the 100th anniversary of the Harley-Davidson company. The second link leads to the rather engaging Harley-Davidson Web site devoted to providing information about the company's past one hundred years, along with details about the events of the coming weeks. The third link is to a news piece from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the efforts of the Harley-Davidson company to enter the Chinese market. The fourth link leads to a story about one Norma "Duffy" Lyon, an Iowan who is in the process of creating a full-scale motorbike using 5-year-old butter. No feature about the legendary Harley-Davidson would be complete without a mention of the Sturgis Motocycle Rally Web site, where visitors can learn about this legendary gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts, along with learning about the ongoing events that take place at this annual meeting. The final site is provided by Fun Trivia.com, and contains seven quizzes designed to test users' knowledge of motorcycle brands, Harley-Davidson history, and general lore surrounding these machines. [KMG]
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