·http://www.nano.gov/education-training/teacher-resources

As this informative page from the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative notes, there is an ongoing debate in STEM circles about how to teach nanotechnology. Should it have its own individual curriculum or should it be woven into the many curriculums from which it draws? While this site does not attempt to answer such questions, it does provide a huge range of resources for high school teachers who are working to introduce students to this fascinating field. Here readers will find sections dedicated to Classroom Resources, Professional Development Programs for Teachers, and the National Science Board's STEM Education Resource Website. Many of the resources here offer rich experiences. For instance, the link to the Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU) at the Penn State College of Engineering offers a page with webcasts, videos, presentations, and other resources pertaining to all aspects of micro- and nanotechnology. [CNH]

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·http://library.si.edu/digital-library/collection/fantastic-worlds/all

Fantastic Worlds serves as the online companion collection to the Smithsonian Libraries exhibit, Fantastic Worlds: Science and Fiction 1780-1910. Here readers will find works of science-based fiction written over a period of 130 years when physics, geography, biology, and the steam engine were transforming our relationship with the planet. By selecting the titles, readers may enter these various works, which are often gorgeously illustrated and always fascinating. For instance, Sara Weiss's Journeys to the planet Mars, or, Our mission to Ento, published in 1903, offers an interesting exploration of what the red planet might be like, and may be read in its entirety on this site. Readers can also link to the exhibit itself, which is available through 2017, by selecting the bolded blue link, "Fantastic Worlds: Science and Fiction 1780-1910" on the landing page. [CNH]

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·http://www.webenglishteacher.com/ap.html

This resource page from Web English Teacher will be a welcome find to educators of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) English classes. The resources are divided into three sections, AP Literature, AP Miscellaneous, and International Baccalaureate. In all three categories, readers will find links to informative items from around the web. For instance, selecting Advanced Placement English 12, the first link under AP Literature, will navigate to lesson plans, resources, book lists, and other information concerning such classics as Native Son, Oedipus Rex, Canterbury Tales, and other works. Another great resource is the Close Reading of Contemporary Literature link which reveals a 44-page curriculum module complete with three lessons, including one that brings to life Edwidge Danticat's powerhouse short story, "The Funeral Singer." [CNH]

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·http://www.nsta.org/publications/freebies.aspx

With new resources being added almost daily, this page from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is worth bookmarking for science educators of all ages. Readers may like to begin by scrolling down the list of the latest resources, which, at the time of this writing, included a report on learning outcomes for second graders studied in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a safety coloring and activity book for preK through first grade students, a free app for middle schoolers that "explores chemical structures, chemicals that help our environment, and the health effects of toxic chemicals." The resources may be filtered by type (CD-ROMS, Publications, Videos/DVDs, Kits, and Other Materials) or searched by keyword as well. [CNH]

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·http://www.teachertube.com/

TeacherTube is a content management community that allows its users to publish publicly and privately, as well as share, edit, and modify content. With over 1.5 million users from around the world, TeacherTube has produced more than half a million educational resources. While the site features a paid service that allows users to better manage their content, proceed ad free, and create more complex tools, the free service will likely serve the needs of most readers. The site is organized by category, including Videos, Docs, Classrooms, Collections, and On-Demand. The On-Demand section features some of the best content on the site, with many well-produced movies on a range of topics, from the Civil Rights Movement (from the American Institute for History Education) to the possibilities for teaching empathy in the classroom (from Ashoka StartEmpathy). [CNH]

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·http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12192/on-being-a-scientist-a-guide-to-responsible-conduct-in

While some readers may choose to buy a paperback copy of On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, most will likely choose to either peruse the material online or download it as a free PDF. This thorough volume clearly articulates the responsibilities of the scientific endeavor in the introduction before offering carefully written chapters on The Treatment of Data, Mistakes and Negligence, Research Misconduct, Human Participants and Animal Subjects Research, Sharing of Research Results, and half a dozen more important topics. In addition, readers may view the seven-minute supplementary video, under the multimedia tab, which presents some of the book's core concepts in an easily accessible manner. [CNH]

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·http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/norris-geyser-basin-tour.htm

Among the nine active geyser basins at Yellowstone National Park, the Norris Geyser Basin is recognized as the hottest. With its 193 geysers, including Steamboat Geyser, which is the tallest active geyser in the world, Norris Geyser Basin is well worth the international attention it receives every year. The tour of the Norris Geyser Basin, featured here on this National Park Service page, includes "stops" dedicated to the Congress Pool, the Blue Geyser, the Whirligig Geysers, Colorful Water, Crackling Lake, Emerald Spring, and many other points of interest. Along the way, the site treats readers to stunning photos and informative text. For educators who are looking for ways to bring Yellowstone to life in the classroom, or for anyone with an interest in this most famous of parks, this tour offers a window into the Park's fascinating geothermal features. [CNH]

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·http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/

Art History Teaching Resources (AHTR) is designed to be "a peer-populated platform for art history teachers." In other words, the site is authored by and for art history teachers with the express purpose of providing lesson plans, video instructions, and classroom and museum activities. Art educators are sure to find a huge range of content here; lessons plans elucidate everything from the Italian Renaissance to Disability in Art History. Notable resources include a guide for museum visits and a section dedicated to syllabi/assignments/rubrics, among other helpful items. There is also a weekly blog (AHTR Weekly) and an e-Journal where art history teachers will find much to integrate from this wonderful, peer-run, and attractive site. [CNH]

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·http://www.studio360.org/

Drawn together by Public Radio International (PRI) and WNYC Radio, Studio 360 is a Peabody Award-winning guide to pop culture and the arts. Hosted weekly by novelist, journalist, and magazine editor Kurt Anderson, the podcast offers conversations with a range of cultural creatives, from Yo-Yo Ma to Zadie Smith to Sean Penn to Dolly Parton. After perusing the colorful landing page, readers may scout the site by the categories of Music, Movies + TV, Art, Design, Performance, Sci+Tech, and Books. Recent shows have explored the rock and roll lifestyle of Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer of the Pretenders, and revealed the troubled history of the Lincoln Memorial. Readers will also find much to appreciate on the regularly updated Studio 360 Blog. [CNH]

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·http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur201508.pdf

This fact-filled report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Center for Health Statistics illuminates health insurance coverage trends for "civilian noninstitutionalized" people in the United States. Based on survey data dating back to 1997, the report traces a number of categories, including the percentage of uninsured adults and children, the percentage of the population with private vs. public insurance, and others. Highlights from the report reveal that the number of uninsured people in the U.S. fell dramatically between 2013 and 2015, the first time in more than a decade, and those living in poverty were among the benefactors of the uptick in health coverage. For readers who are tracking the results of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), this well-validated report provides excellent information. [CNH]

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·https://www.headspace.com/blog

Headspace bills itself as a digital health platform. Providing guided meditations and mindfulness training, the website has been accessed by more than 2 million people in over 150 countries since it was founded in London in 2010. In addition to meditation training offered on the site, readers will find much to enjoy at Headspace Daily, the much-updated blog where authors share everything from how mindfulness has positively impacted their lives to tips on how to integrate meditation into relationships, childrearing, breakups, stressful situations, and just about anything else one could think of. For readers looking for a practical introduction to mindfulness and meditation, Headspace Daily provides a great deal of entertaining guidance. [CNH]

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·http://www.brookings.edu/research/topics/metropolitan-areas

This special section from the Brookings Institution focuses its considerable intellectual vigor on the problems and promises of metropolitan areas around the world. Readers may scout by a number of filters, including Concentrated Poverty, Demographics, Economic Development, Exports, and others. Another great place to start is with the Recent Activity section, which may be scouted using the categories of All, Research, Books, Testimony, and Commentary. Of special interest, Jennifer Bradley's Brookings Essay entitled, "The Changing Face of the Heartland: Preparing America's Diverse Workforce for Tomorrow," features an exploration of the changing demographics of the state of Minnesota and what needs to be done to create equitable economic growth for all those living in the state. [CNH]

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·http://lawneuro.org/blog/

In the past two decades, neuroscience has shed new light on everything from adolescent decision making to how the brain evaluates distinctions between right and wrong. Many of these breakthroughs could - and perhaps should - influence the way that legal systems operate. The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience at Vanderbilt University was created to explore this intersection. The Center's blog, which is updated weekly, seeks to translate the insights of the Center's research into terms that any educated layperson can understand. Here readers will find articles about adolescent brain cognitive development studies, the ethics of convicting adolescents to life without parole, various posts on pain and the brain, and many others. [CNH]

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·http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html

This special section from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus website provides information about drugs, herbs, and supplements, including detailed material on prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines. The site is divided into basic sections, one for drugs and one for herbs and supplements. Each section is organized alphabetically. For instance, selecting "A" under Drugs calls up A-200, the lice-killing shampoo, the atypical antipsychotic, Abilify, and dozens of others. Meanwhile, selecting "F" under Herbs and Supplements calls up Fenugreek, Feverfew, and others. Selecting any item opens to an information page, for example, the Fenugreek record notes, "a few small studies have found that fenugreek may help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes." [CNH]

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·http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/science-knowledge/

This entertaining Science Knowledge Quiz from the Pew Research Center lets users test their science knowledge via 12 basic science questions, including such must-know trivia as who invented the polio vaccine and what light looks like when it passes through a magnifying glass. Upon completion, the program automatically informs readers how they performed when compared to the nationally representative sample of U.S. adults surveyed online and by mail between August 11 and September 3, 2014. Analysis of the findings of the poll can also be found by selecting "A Look At What the Public Does and Does Not Know About Science," which links readers to a full report on the Center's findings. [CNH]

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·http://artbabble.org/partner/indianapolis-museum-art

Visitors to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) ArtBabble website will find a collection of short videos on a variety of IMA-related topics, ranging from interviews with artists and museum staff, to exhibition highlights, to "Live at Love", an investigation of what's going on around one of the IMA's most famous works, Robert Indiana's original LOVE sculpture, installed in 1970. A two-minute video, "On the Flip Side: Secrets on the Backs of Paintings" introduces provenance research, the work that curators do to establish a chain of ownership for a work of art. Annette Schlagenhauff, Curator of Special Projects at IMA, discusses the evidence of ownership discovered on the back of a Franz Hals self-portrait. It's also possible to link off to the main ArtBable site to see videos contributed by over 1,700 partner museums in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North and South America. [DS]

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·https://www.wikispaces.com/content/classroom

As the site notes, Wikispaces Classroom is "a social writing platform" where teachers and students can use the latest technology to seamlessly communicate and collaborate. This virtual workspace allows teachers to create a safe, private network where students may work on writing projects, either independently or in teams. Creating a classroom is relatively easy, but does require a free account. Once an account is created, users can build a space of their own by creating new pages, uploading files, starting discussions, and adding projects and tags. For educators looking for ways to make homework more interactive and dynamic, Wikispaces Classroom is a big step forward. [CNH]

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·http://www.proginosko.com/leechblock/

Since it first appeared in 2007, LeechBlock has provided Internet users with a simple tool intended to increase productivity by blocking "those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day." With many customizable options, this Firefox browser extension allows users to select specific sites to block while leaving access to those that may be needed for school or work. It also tracks the total amount of time spent browsing websites within a specific block of time, a helpful feature for staying on top of your good and bad browsing habits. Interested users will want to explore this website before installing, which features Examples of various uses of the different settings, as well as a comprehensive FAQ section, and four-step Installation guide. [CBD]

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Processed meats rank alongside smoking as cancer causes - WHO
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/26/bacon-ham-sausages-processed-meats-cancer-risk-smoking-says-who

Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat
http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/

What the New Dietary Guidelines Mean for You
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/03/04/what-the-new-dietary-guidelines-mean-for-you

How strong is the science behind the U.S. Dietary Guidelines?
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/24/health/dietary-guidelines-science/

Why the new, proposed U.S. dietary guidelines are provoking controversy and ire
http://fortune.com/2015/10/07/dietary-guidelines-usda/

Health.gov: Dietary Guidelines
http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/qanda.asp

When the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report this week ranking the carcinogenic risks of processed meats alongside alcohol, arsenic, and tobacco, the responses from competing interest groups were emphatic. On the one hand, a number of cancer research groups came out in support of the suggested guidelines, which seek to limit red meat consumption among adults. Meanwhile, representatives of the meat industry, including some researchers, felt the comparison between consuming red meat and smoking cigarettes in terms of its health impacts to be "very inappropriate," and accused the writers of basing their report on "old, weak, inconsistent, self-reported data." Consumers may be left wondering whom to trust on the issue, and this dynamic is nothing new in the world of nutritional recommendations. Take, for example, the equally vociferous debate about the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines, to be released by the end of this year. Pundits on multiple sides of that debate are already questioning the objectivity of the authors, and the controversy only seems to be deepening as the U.S. Department of Agriculture prepares to release the guidelines in the coming months. In sum, consumers looking for a reliable consensus on what to eat may be waiting for quite some time. [CNH]

The first article takes readers to an article about the new World Health Organization study, published in the Guardian. Next, readers may like to peruse a question and answer about the new report on the WHO website. The next three articles, from U.S. News and World Report, CNN, and Fortune, respectively, examine controversy surrounding the proposed new U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines. Finally, the last link navigates to the Health.gov site where readers may examine information about how members of the 2015 Advisory Committee were selected, how the committee reviewed evidence, what kind of methodology they used, and other helpful pieces of information.