The Scout Report -- Volume 15, Number 15

http://www.onguardonline.gov/default.aspx

Created by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the OnGuard website "provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information." The three main sections on the homepage include "Topics", "Games", and "Videos". Visitors should start with the "Topics" area, which includes interactive features on proper computer disposal, cross-border scams, email scams, and identity theft. Within this section (and all of the other sections), visitors will find a quick quiz that will allow them to learn about a number of topical issues. Moving on, the "Games" area features hands-on activities that include "Invasion of the Wireless Hackers", "Invest Quest", and "Phishing Scams". Finally, users shouldn't miss out on the "Tools" area. Here they can find helpful software and applications related to online security and also sign up to subscribe to receive cyber security tips. [KMG]

http://www.who.int/malaria/

The World Health Organization (WHO) created the Global Malaria Programme to craft malaria policy and strategy formulation, along with creating guidelines for malaria prevention and control across the world. On their homepage, visitors can learn about their work through their annual reports and their specific prevention efforts targeted towards pregnant woman and infants. A good way to get started on the site is by looking at the list of themes on the left-hand side of the homepage. One area that's worth perusing is the "Diagnosis and Treatment". Here visitors can learn about the most effective way to treat malaria and how the disease can be managed over time. Those persons travelling to malarial areas will want to click on the "Malaria and travelers" section. This area provides a section of tips for those entering such regions, along with information about areas currently dealing with malarial outbreaks. [KMG]

http://www.evolution-of-life.com/en/home.html

A number of groups are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" by Charles Darwin. This educational site, created with funds provided by Volkswagen Stiftung, celebrates this anniversary by offering videos, animations, and documents for teachers that explore the origins of life and evolution. The materials here are divided into three sections: "Observe", "Explore", and "Teach". In the "Observe" area, visitors can watch several short films, including the "O as Origin" movie, which follows a water molecule named "Piccolina" as she moves forward through time and becomes more and more complex along the way. There's also another film here that follows Darwin as he works on some of his discoveries and theories. Visitors can also elect to listen to these videos in French, English, and German, and they will also want to sign up to receive email updates when new material is added to the site. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ti/podcasts/index.php

Created by science teachers for science teachers, the Teacher Institute Podcasts are five-minute podcasts that give educators science facts, science history, and pedagogy tips for new teachers. The podcasts are hosted by the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and support for the project comes from the National Science Foundation, The Noyce Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and others. Visitors can browse through the podcast series, and they will find thoughtful and fun suggestions on how to make a straw oboe, how to better manage the classroom, and how to build a Brazilian instrument called the cuica. Also, visitors can read up on the Teacher's Institute's summer institute program for science educators and also sign up to receive new podcasts via iTunes or RSS. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://www.ppic.org/main/mapindex.asp

The Public Policy Institute of California provides timely research papers and policy briefs on various issues affecting the Golden State, including those related to public education financing, economic development, immigration, and transportation. As of late, they have also been beefing up their online map room area, which is a great resource for those with an interest in policy matters, geography, and urban studies. The interactive maps here are divided into four categories, including housing, population, water, and environment. With each map, visitors can click through to learn about different details and features, and many of the maps have additional layers of data as well. Perhaps the most interesting maps here include "Inland Empire Demographics: 2005 and 2015" and "Home Affordability in California's Counties". [KMG]

http://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/2009/RAND_CF256.pdf

During June 2008, the RAND Corporation brought together representatives of government, industry, advocacy groups, and the research community to discuss policies for mitigating climate change. This series of discussions was made possible by a grant from the McCormick Foundation, and included discussions on the role of federal and state government in such matters, along with public engagement, potential legislative and regulatory solutions, and technological innovation. The 54-page document released in March 2009 is not meant to be an exhaustive transcript of these discussions, but rather is meant to serve as a general overview of the main topics discussed. All told, the report contains four chapters and an appendix which lists all of the participants. For anyone with an interest in such policy matters, it's a very worthy read. [KMG]

http://myloc.gov/exhibitions/lincoln/Pages/default.aspx

Abraham Lincoln's accomplishments have been reaffirmed in the nation's conscience over the past two years in part due to President Obama's great respect for him. But President Obama is not the only one who brings attention to the already revered Lincoln. The Library of Congress is honoring Lincoln's 200th birthday with online exhibit and physical exhibits in Washington, D.C., along with several other locales throughout the year. One of the more eye-catching features of the online exhibit is called "Lincoln Vignettes", on the far right side of the page. Here, drawings, photos, or sculptures of Lincoln represent different time periods of his life. Clicking on each image will take visitors to several items representative of that time period in his life, including photos and documents written by him or about him. Especially noticeable is the way that Lincoln's appearance changed not only as he grew older, but also as he grew more challenged by the strife and war in the country. The photo "At War's End" is a striking example. The tab "Exhibition Items", near the top of the homepage requires downloading Microsoft's Silverlight software to view, which takes just a minute or two, and it allows the feature to work like a sophisticated album. The images can be enlarged or viewed in full screen, and each image has an informative description. The images can be viewed alphabetically or by theme. [KMG]

http://www.organic-center.org/

The Organic Center is a great website that focuses on the science behind organic agricultural production. Their mission is "to generate credible, peer reviewed scientific information and communicate the verifiable benefits of organic farming and products to society." Under the "State of Science" tab at the top of the page visitors should check out the "Hot Science" section. The articles listed here will give the visitor an idea of all the aspects of organic production there are, and why they are important. For instance, articles such as "Common Insecticide Causes Neurological Deficits in Children", "Soil Quality from Long-term Organic Management Nearly Doubles Flavonoids in Organic Tomatoes" and "Hormone Growth Promoters Feed to Beef Cattle Linked to Adverse Impacts on Male Sexual Development". The "Organic Resources" tab at the top of the homepage has links to "Consumer Resources" and "Science Resources", which are loaded with links to websites regarding all aspects of organic agriculture. The "Leaders in Organics" link, also under the "Organic Resources" tab, has articles by a food scientist and by the chief marketing executive of an organic food company. Visitors interested in receiving the Organic Center's monthly e-newsletter, The Scoop, can sign up by clicking on the "News & Media" tab, and then clicking on the "Newsletter Archive" link. After signing up, visitors should browse the archives of the newsletter, which go back to the beginning of 2007. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science Educational Repository at http://amser.org.

http://www.nea.gov/av/index_v.html

The NEA's audio and video portion of their website allows visitors to see and hear some of the leading artists in the U.S. Under the "Video" tab, visitors will find videos of interviews, performances, and readings by such greats as Ray Bradbury, Leontyne Price, the NEA chairman, and Quincy Jones. Each video is captioned, but the captioning can be turned off by clicking on the caption bubble in the lower right hand corner of the video screen. Visitors who love jazz shouldn't miss "Meet the Jazz Masters" to watch a panel with the 2008 NEA Jazz Masters, exploring their careers, influences, and stories." The "Audio" tab offers "NEA Literary Moments", "NEA Jazz Masters Moments", and "My Antonia Audio Documentary". The My Antonia audio documentary can be listened to or read via the transcript. Throughout the documentary, Garrison Keillor reads from segments of the book with his wonderful voice, and visitors who are of the hearing community should take the opportunity to listen to his lyrical interpretation of My Antonia. [KMG]

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/theatre_performance/features/Costume/index.html

This site offers an excellent online exhibit from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The exhibit highlights stage costume designers, costume makers, and the costumes themselves. Even the introduction to the exhibit, entitled "The Art and Science of Designing Stage Costumes" is excellent, as it challenges the "much-repeated clich...that theatre costumes are badly made, tawdry, unfinished and dont bear close inspection", by explaining the demands of a stage costume. Visitors should definitely start with the "Guided Tour of Stage Costuming" to see examples from the museum's collection that demonstrate the incredible art and skills costume designers and makers must have to create the illusion that is theater. The link can be found below the introduction, located about mid way down the homepage. "Designing Stage Costumes" and "Making Stage Costumes" are links which also contain great explanatory text as well as original designer sketches, and even a part of a costume from around 1750. Finally, the "Links" section provides half a dozen websites of costume collections from around the world. [KMG]

http://www.electronicsrecycling.org

Used cellphones and laptops can't go in the recycling with the empty soda cans and cereal boxes. So where do they go to be recycled once consumers find new ones? The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) is working on that very problem. Visitors can click on the "Ecycling Basics" tab on the left side of the page to be taken to links to three websites that allow you to search by zip code or an interactive map of the U.S. Once visitors have found some recyclers in their area, the next task is to make sure the recycler is reputable. NCER offers the tools to do that as well, in the "Ecycling Basics" section titled "How To Choose an Electronics Recycler". In the "Resources" tab on the left side of the page, there are many links to resources that include Advocacy Group Reports, Electronics Disposal Studies, Environmentally Sound Management Guidelines, and International documents. Visitors interested in keeping up with the news from NCER, can sign up for their newsletter in the Google groups box, which is located below the menu on the left side of the page. [KMG]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/blackmoney/

The website for the PBS television program Frontline offers a host of valuable supplemental materials for their investigative video, Black Money, including a video of the full program itself. What is black money? It's a business tactic "where multinational companies...have routinely made secret payments -- often referred to as "black money" -- to win billions in business." In a nutshell, it's bribery. Check out the "Introduction" link near the top of the page to read about the basis for the video, which was a Saudi prince who bribed a British company to make fighter jets for Saudi Arabia. In the "Interviews" link, below the "Introduction" link, there are four interviews available with people who represent the various parties involved, including a U.S. prosecutor, the British journalist who broke the story, and a former FBI director who now represents the accused, Saudi Prince Bandar. In the "Documents" link there are copies of Tony Blair's memo to end the investigation of the bribery, suspicious Saudi money transfers, and a statement from BAE, the British company accused of taking bribes. Visitors who are interested in more information on bribery, should check out the Additional Resources and Government/International Resources sections of the "Documents" link as it provides such items as a map of corruption cases throughout the world, the World Bank hotline (BRIBEline) which allows people to anonymously report bribe requests, and the full text of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. [KMG]

http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/stryker/

Deena Stryker has spent her entire life travelling the globe documenting the people and cultures of Cuba, France, Italy, and Holland. In the early 1960s she took two trips to Cuba that resulted in one of her major photographic endeavors. On the second trip she took in late 1963 to early 1964, she spent a substantial amount of time interviewing and photographing Fidel and Raul Castro, along with Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Rene Vallejo. She also found time to document everyday life in Havana and rural Cuba, as she focused in on farms, development projects, and schools. This digital collection of her work created by Duke University Libraries contains over 1850 of her photographs. Visitors can browse through the offerings at their leisure, and they can display each page of photographs as a grid, a list, or as a 3D wall. For those who are looking for specific themes or persons, there is also a search engine provided. [KMG]

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/exhibitions/on-view-now/third-mind

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, American artists and thinkers began to explore the possibilities of Asian culture and ideas, and along the way created a new understanding of existence, nature, and consciousness. Even a cursory glance into such developments reveals that there are Asian influences within the world of Conceptual art, Minimalism, modern poetry, and so on. This remarkable exhibition from the Guggenheim Museum in New York explores this rather interesting set of intersections, and this site includes an online exhibition that looks into the major themes and artists of this movement, which include John La Farge, James McNeill Whistler, Mark Tobey, Isamu Noguchi, John Cage, Jack Kerouac, and Jasper Johns. The exhibition is divided into smaller themes, and visitors can also make their way through a chronology of key events. Also, the site includes clips of poems read by Gary Synder, who was selected to offer up a few complementary poems that would elucidate some of the themes explored by this remarkable collection. [KMG]

http://www.ewht.org.uk/Home.aspx

The ancient Scottish city of Edinburgh is well known for its historic architecture and town planning and it has been a World Heritage site since 1995. In 1999, the Edinburgh World Heritage group was created as part of a merger between two existing preservation-minded organizations. Since then, the group has worked to promote the heritage aspects of this city, and their website provides a wealth of information about their activities. First-time visitors should click on the "What's Going On!" area to learn about their online exhibitions of photographs and prints of this historic city and also listen in to their podcasts. These podcasts are a real treat, and they include walking tours of the city and information about local landmarks like the Museum of Edinburgh and the Writers' Museum. Also, visitors with a bent towards historic preservation and planning should look at the "Management Plan" area, as it includes the most recent version of the historic site's integrated plan, which is intended "to help protect the site's special qualities and promote best practice." [KMG]

http://fletcher.lib.udel.edu/collections/dpc/index.htm

From New Castle to Sussex County, this very thorough collection of Delaware-themed postcards covers the entire state. Created by the University of Delaware Library Digital Collections group, this digital offering covers a wide variety of the Blue Hen state's history. Visitors might do well to start their journey by clicking on the link to the 1903 map by J.L. Smith titled "An Invitation to Delaware". It's a good way to get oriented to the state's geography, and it also may inspire a few keyword searches. The site also has two thematic essays, "Photographic Postcards" and "Images of the University of Delaware". The "Photographic Postcards" essay provides a basic primer on the function and purpose of these images, and it's a good introduction to anyone interested in this aspect of visual culture and history. Afterwards, visitors should delve into this collection of over 2700 postcards by browsing around by subject or geographically. [KMG]

http://musicbrainz.org/doc/PicardTagger

Those individuals with sizable (or not so-sizable) music collections may wish to take a look at the Picard Tagger application. The application allows users to create album-oriented tags that will work across different platforms, and it will also help them to create a more sophisticated way of accessing and organizing their music files. The site for this application also contains complete documentation and some video demonstrations of how the application can be used. This version is compatible with computers running Linux, Mac OS X 10.3 and newer, and Windows 98 and newer. [KMG]

http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/RESTORATION.html

If you've ever found yourself in a pickle after accidentally placing some needed files in the recycle bin, you'll appreciate this helpful application. Created by Brian Kato, the Restoration application effectively restores files which have been deleted from the recycle bin by mistake. Conversely, the program has another function that makes it almost impossible to restore all deleted files. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 98 and newer. [KMG]

Egypt to search 3 sites for Cleopatra's tomb
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041501087.html

Cleopatra bust among treasures found in Egypt temple
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080530-antony-cleopatra_2.html

Coin shows Cleopatra's ugly truth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/6357311.stm

Found: the sister Cleopatra killed
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5908494.ece

Dr. Zahi Hawass's blog
http://drhawass.com/blogs/zahi-hawass

Supreme Council of the Antiquities
http://www.museumsector.gov.eg/

Pyramid Challenge
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/launch_gms_pyramid_builder.shtml

Antony and Cleopatra Fact or Fiction
http://www.biography.com/video.do?name=weboriginals&bcpid=1811456834&bclid=1407950740&bctid=1453535908


A team of archaeologists believes that they are on the verge of locating the burial site of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and her Roman consort, Marc Antony. According to the roman historian Plutarch, Cleopatra and Marc Antony were buried together after they both committed suicide, Antony with a sword and Cleopatra with poison, after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Actium in 30 BC. The team, led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Council of Antiquities, has been excavating at the temple of Taposiris Manga for three years near the Egyptian city of Alexandria. They have already found 22 coins with the image of Cleopatra, two statues of Cleopatra, another statue of a king and tunnels that show that the temple was used for burial. The most important discovery was a large cemetery with over 20 tombs, one with 10 mummies covered in gold. The discovery of the tombs around the temple is especially important because this can signal that important persons are buried inside the temple. Kathleen Martinez, who leads the archaeological team from the Dominican Republic also working on the site, has found three sites near the temple where she believes Antony and Cleopatra could be buried. Using radar, the teams found a number of deep shafts inside the temple, three of which are believed to have been used for burials. Dr. Hawass is excited about the prospects and believes that, should the tomb of Antony and Cleopatra be found, it "will be the most important discovery of the 21st century." Dr. Hawass also states that the coins found at the site bearing the likeness of Cleopatra reveal that she was a beauty and contradict a study by a British University team, which contended that Cleopatra was ugly and had a crooked nose, "The finds from Taposiris reflect a charmand indicate that Cleopatra was in no way unattractive." [CMH]

The first link will take visitors to a piece from the Washington Post that discusses the plan to search the Taposiris temple for Antony and Cleopatra's tomb. The second link leads to a National Geographic article about some of the earlier finds at the temple, including a bust of Cleopatra and a mask believed to be Marc Antony's. The third link leads to a BBC news article that discusses the research performed on Egyptian coins at Newcastle University, which claims to demonstrate that Cleopatra's charms did not depend on her beauty. The fourth link will take visitors to an article from The Times, which discusses the find by archaeologists and forensic experts in Turkey, of Cleopatra's sister Arsine. If you are interested in staying up-to-date on Dr. Hawass's progress, the fifth link will take you to his blog which provides updates on the dig at the Taposiris temple as well as other important news and updates on all things Ancient Egypt. Think you could build a royal burial site? The sixth link will let you have a go at it using the BBC's Pyramid Challenge game. The last link leads to a short video from the Biography Channel about the facts and fiction surrounding Antony and Cleopatra. [CMH]