NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
The fourth issue of the first volume of the MET Report is available. Its Topic in Depth section offers Web sites and comments about hydroelectric dams.
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Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
http://www.nap.edu/books/030908265X/html/
Presented by the National Academy Press, this in-depth report examines healthcare disparities between racial minorities and whites. Although those categorized as minorities make up more than half the US population, they still receive a lower quality of healthcare than whites even when insurance status and income are compatible. According to the report, sources of this incongruence is rooted in historic and contemporary inequities and involve many participants at several levels. The study committee focused part of its analysis on the patient/system level factor and the clinical encounter factor. For those interested in learning about these healthcare disparities as well as systematic multi-leveled strategies to counteract them, the information is merely a click away. Viewers have the option of reading the whole report online, or downloading and printing the document in .pdf. The report is 191 pages long (excluding references); therefore, printing the entire report may take some time. [MG]
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Washington During the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/tafthtml/tafthome.html
Although diaries are personal memoirs not usually meant for public viewing, they can sometimes reveal history more vividly and accurately then actual history books. With that said, Washington during the Civil War: The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft presents three manuscript volumes, totaling 1,240 digital images, that document daily life in Washington, DC through the eyes of Horatio Nelson Taft (1806-1888). An examiner for the US Patent Office, Mr. Taft logged events in Washington during the Civil War years, including his connection with Abraham Lincoln and his family. Of special interest is Taft's description of Lincoln's assassination, based on the accounts of his friends and his son, the latter being one of the attending physicians at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865, the night Lincoln was shot. Donated as a gift from Mrs. Willoughby Davis, a Taft descendant, the three-volume diary is now housed in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress. This online collection spans the years 1861 to 1865 and is browseable by date of entry. [MG]
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Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
http://hirshhorn.si.edu/
The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, located in Washington DC, has recently launched this new Web site. Created with Second Story Interactive Studios, this innovative online premiere brings together about half of Hirshhorn's collection, allowing Internet users to view and research artworks and holdings that have been previously inaccessible online and rarely on public display. A few of the site's highlights include a rotating display of individual artworks featured on every page; an interactive educational component that teaches visitors of all ages about the process of making art by allowing them the opportunity to construct their own sculptures using a palette of shapes, colors, and effects; and a cinematic slide show of the Hirshhorn story that documents the history of the institution, the building, and the founding donor (including an audio clip of Joseph H. Hirshhorn's 1974 inaugural speech). In addition, the site contains and a pop-up calendar that gives instant access to listings of current and upcoming events, and offers downloadable worksheets and other resource materials regarding the collection. Teachers, parents, students, and art enthusiasts may find this site worthy of attention. [MG]
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Los Angeles: Past, Present, and Future
http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/la/index.html
One of the most unique and famous cities in this country, Los Angeles (LA) has an invigorating persona that attracts people from all over the world. For this reason, its media images and portrayals are ubiquitous and incessant. However, LA, also known as the "Queen of the Angels", is much more than what one sees on the evening news or views on the movie screen. It is a lively city drenched in art and ethnic culture, with a rich past, an exciting present, and a promising future. The basis for this Web site was started in 1996 by the late Dennis Thomison, a Reference Librarian at the University of Southern California, and is now maintained by members of USC's Information Services Division. This online collection utilizes the extensive archival resources available at the University of Southern California and takes viewers on a journey that explores various dynamics of LA's past, present, and future. Each category provides Internet links that opens a window into the world of LA and offers users the opportunity to broaden their horizons regarding LA's diversity and richness. Viewers have access to information such as LA's discovery and settlement, its historical cemeteries, images, and personalities, as well as ideas and visions of what the future may hold for the city. Current LA residents, as well as those looking to one day visit or relocate to the area, may want to bookmark this site. [MG]
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Office of Naval Research Science and Technology Focus: Oceanography
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/default.htm
Alive with facts, breathtaking images of the deep, and a wealth of information, the Office of Naval Research's Science & Technology Focus site is bound to be a hit with everyone, young and old. As rich in detail as the sea is in life, the site features a number of lessons, or tutorials, for those ready to get their feet wet in the field of oceanography. From the beginning, users will be drawn in by dynamic modules like the introductory section entitled Ocean in Motion; it presents the seven major sea currents, the forces that drive them, and their perceptible effects. Further modules offer information on the composition of the sea, including an analysis of sea water, the topography and geology of the ocean floor, and the profusion of life that calls the sea home. Also sure to amaze is the site's extensive tour of deep sea exploration vessels and their research missions. [WH]
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Afghanistan: Images from the Harrison Forman Collection
http://www.uwm.edu/Library/digilib/afghan/
Presented by the American Geographical Society Collection of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Afghanistan: Images from the Harrison Forman Collection is an online exhibit that documents the life and culture of Afghanistan in the late 1960s (several years before the Soviet Union invaded the country). Consisting of 186 images selected from a set of 733 slides of Afghanistan in the Harrison Forman Photographic Collection, the photographs were taken by Harrison Forman in 1969 and are housed in the American Geographic Society Collection. The site is organized into six browseable subject categories -- architecture, history, land, people, settlements, and transportation; each category consists of thumbnail images linked to full records. [MG]
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Buildingteam.com Codes Database
http://www.buildingteam.com/codes/
Consulting engineers and contractors will find a valuable database of codes at Buildingteam.com. A huge list of all 50 states and hundreds of major cities has information on building, structural, mechanical, electrical, and fire codes, among others. Licensing requirements for each state are also given. A very short, free registration process is required to access the codes database. To learn about non-residential construction projects in the pre-bid phase, Buildingteam.com has a nation-wide project locator (with many search criteria) that will help narrow the results. Anyone considering starting a construction project can use the site's Preliminary Project Cost Data calculator. This handy tool allows the user to input the building type, location, and the approximate square footage; and the total project cost is determined. This site is also reviewed in the March 29, 2002 NSDL Math, Engineering, and Technology Report. [CL]
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Encyclopedia Britannica: The 1911 Edition
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/
For students, teachers, parents, and researchers who do not have immediate access to encyclopedic information, fret no longer; the 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica is now online. This encyclopedic resource contains 29 volumes and consists of articles written by more than 1,500 authors within their various fields of expertise. Although this is an innovative and enriching resource tool, it is important to keep in mind the time period in which this particular edition was published. [MG]
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The North American Menopause Society
http://www.menopause.org/
No longer a "hush-hush" topic, menopause has become highly publicized in recent years and is now becoming a more openly discussed subject among women all across this country. In response to this publicity, the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) has created its own Web site to further the dialogue and discourse of menopause among and between women. NAMS is a leading scientific nonprofit organization devoted to promoting women's health during midlife and beyond through an understanding of menopause. Its site contains information on perimenopause, early menopause, menopause symptoms, long-term health effects of estrogen loss, and a wide variety of therapies to enhance health. NAMS has a membership of approximately 2,000 clinical and basic science experts from the fields of medicine, nursing, sociology, psychology, nutrition, anthropology, epidemiology, and education, while priding itself on providing accurate and unbiased information. For women and men wanting to learn up-to-date information concerning menopause, this is definitely a site to explore. [MG]
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Sickle Cell Anemia: What is it?
http://yourgenesyourhealth.org/ygyh/mason/ygyh.html?syndrome=sickle
Considered an African American disease, sickle cell is a recessive disorder that causes a mutation in a blood protein that changes the shape of the body's hemoglobin cells. Affecting approximately 1 out of 375 African American children, sickle cell blocks blood vessels and potentially damages the spleen, lung, and heart. In severe cases, it can cause a heart attack or stroke. A product of the Dolan DNA Learning Center, this site not only provides information on the disease itself but also reveals how the disease is caused, inherited, diagnosed, and treated. Also provided is a glossary of terms related to this inherited disease. For more information about this debilitating and devastatingly painful disease, users should visit this site. [MG]
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A New Deal for the Arts
http://www.nara.gov/exhall/new_deal_for_the_arts/index.html
During the Great Depression of the 1930s and into the early years of World War II, the Federal government sponsored a variety of art projects to provide work for unemployed artists. This remarkable effort is presented here with a unique selection of artworks, documents, and photographs provided by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Within this collection, users may view paintings such as Fishermen's Village by Edmund Lewandowski, History of Southern Illinois by Paul Kelpe, Years of Dust by Ben Shahn, Mine Rescue by Fletcher Martin, and many more. Providing an exceptionally diverse collage of artworks from this particular era, this colorful exhibit is divided into 5 categories -- rediscovering America, celebrating "the People", work pays America, activist arts, and useful arts. [MG]
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Herblock's History: Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/
Caricaturing twelve American presidents from Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton, editorial cartoonist Herbert Block has chronicled the nation's political history from the stock market crash in 1929 through the new millennium. Some of his many achievements include three Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning (1942, 1954, and 1979) and a fourth with Washington colleagues for public service during the Watergate investigation (1973). Herblock's History celebrates Block's gift to the Library of Congress of more than one hundred works, spanning seventy years of world history. His cartoons are not only humorous but also enlightening and inspiring. For political cartoon enthusiasts and users with a funny bone waiting for a tickle, this site is definitely one to explore. [MG]
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Canadian Timeline
http://www.micromedia.on.ca/Timeline/TIMELINE.htm
Provided by Micromedia ProQuest, this site provides an historical timeline of major Canadian events over the last 100 years. Micromedia, Canada's largest developer, publisher, and distributor of value-added reference information for the academic, library, government, and corporate markets, has recently aligned with ProQuest, a leading company in e-learning and e-publishing based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Micromedia ProQuest licenses content from media, government, and other sources, as well as organizing, abstracting, and compiling this content into databases. Simply, they provide a "one-stop shop" for Canadian historical and cultural information. Viewers may search this encompassing timeline by decade, subject, or text. [MG]
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Finding Court Opinions On The Web
http://www.nlj.com/special/courts.shtml
Presented by the National Law Journal, this resource is a boon to anyone who has ever rummaged around in search of information on specific litigation and/or legal decisions. Adapted from The Best and Worst Legal Sites on the Web, a book written by Robert J. Ambrogi, the site is a great one-stop resource for those requiring direct access to credible information now. Constructed logically and solidly, the site serves as a gateway to resources on Supreme, circuit, and district court links, as well as presents courts and cases on a state-by-state basis. For legal students, scholars, jurists and other law enthusiasts, the page also highlights top decisions and major monetary judgments for the year in progress. Beyond that, the site also notes cases to watch, as well as recent court decisions and their potential impact on legal practice and legislation. [WH]
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Locally Controlled Scholarly Publishing via the Internet: The Guild Model [.pdf]
http://www.slis.indiana.edu/csi/WP/WP02-01B.html
Four major types of free publishing models help researchers and scholars communicate on the Internet: "electronic journals, hybrid paper-electronic journals, authors' self-posting on web sites, and disciplinary repositories where authors post their own unrefereed articles." A fifth model, called Guild Publishing, is "the research publication series that are called working papers or technical reports that are sponsored by academic departments or research institutes." Offered by the School of Library and Information Science at Indiana University, this report compares and contrasts Guild Publishing with the other four publishing models, highlighting both its strengths and limitations. Any scholar or student who uses the Internet for either research or publishing should find this report valuable, and users can read the report online or in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. [TS]
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CSShark Answers Frequently Asked Questions: The CSS Know-How Site
http://www.mako4css.com/
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is an Internet tool that separates the presentation from the structural markup of a Web site. CSS keeps the structure of a document lean and fast while controlling the appearance of its content. This product is not an adapted tool from print or programming; rather, it is a means of enhancing HTML. For users interested in learning more about this tool, this informative and well-constructed site answers some of those frequently asked questions regarding CSS. In addition, the site explains some of the basics of CSS, provides tips and tricks for tackling the problems with Netscape 4, offers a tutorial concerning positioning with CSS (CSS-P, Web design without tables), and gives various resource links to other related sites. In short, for those with questions concerning CSS and its functions, the CSShark is ready to provide answers. [MG]
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Movable Type Version 2.0
http://www.movabletype.org/
Movable Type has recently released version 2.0 (an upgrade from 1.4). Movable Type is a Web-based personal publishing system designed to ease the maintenance of regularly updated news or journal sites. Most importantly, this product runs on your own Web server, allowing complete control over your sites. Some of its many features include allowing the importation of entries and comments from other content management systems (Blogger, GreyMatter, NewsPro); enabling one-click publishing to multiple destinations and formats; permitting visitors to post comments on entries and engage in conversations with its built-in comment system; allowing selective exclusion of commenting on certain posts; and much more. This product is free for personal or non-profit use; however, there is a fee for commercial or for-profit sites. [MG]
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Legendary Filmmaker Dies at Age 95
United Press International: Pneumonia kills Hollywood director Wilder
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=29032002-051902-3686r
Associated Press: Film Director Billy Wilder Dies
http://library.northernlight.com/ED20020328420000044.html?dx=1006&rq=0#doc
Films by the Late Billy Wilder
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/wire/sns-ap-wilder-films0328mar28.story?coll=sns-ap-entertainment-headlines
American Cinema: A Tribute to Billy Wilder
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/1012/wilder.html
A Tribute to Billy Wilder - Part II
http://classicfilm.about.com/library/weekly/aa062401b.htm
Billy Wilder's Wit and Wisdom
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/wire/sns-ap-wilder-quotes0328mar28.story?coll=sns-ap-entertainment-headlines
Legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder, who went from being a crime reporter in Vienna and a refugee from Nazism to becoming the creator of such classic films as Some Like It Hot and Sunset Boulevard, died at the age of 95 at his home in Beverly Hills this past Wednesday. With an extensive movie career that spans several decades, Wilder was the recipient of six Oscars and was the first filmmaker to win three Academy Awards in a single year. He was a master storyteller who specialized in exploring the dark side of American life with a cynicism and humor that few movie makers have ever matched. A writer, director, and producer, Wilder produced some of the industry's best dramas, like Double Indemnity and The Lost Weekend, as well as some of its funniest farces -- Some Like It Hot and The Fortune Cookie. He also was the man who first paired Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, creating one of the screen's most beloved comic teams.
Wilder was born Samuel Wilder on June 22, 1906, in the Polish town of Sucha, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His mother nicknamed him Billy because of her fascination with the Western hero Buffalo Bill. In 1924, after briefly attending the University of Vienna, Wilder landed a job as a police reporter. His aggressive journalism led him to Berlin, where, enchanted by the city's film community, he decided to become a movie maker. For more information on this story, viewers may access the first two articles published by the United International Press and the Associated Press respectively. Those interested in a list of Wilder's many films may access the third site, also by the Associated Press. Sites four and five both give tribute to this filmmaking icon. Offered by the American Cinema, the first tribute provides biographical information on Wilder, as well as information on his filmography, academy awards, and co-screen writers. The second tribute offers various links to other Billy Wilder sites. Finally, the last site list quotations by Billy Wilder taken from "Conversations with Wilder" by Cameron Crowe. [MG]
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