Research and Education
http://www.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/history/women/wh-timeline.html
There are many resources that detail the contributions of women in American history, but this particular site does so in an organized and intelligent fashion. Created by Ken Middleton, a reference librarian at Middle Tennessee State University, the site is chronologically organized, and visitors can read through each area to learn about various online resources that deal with each historical era. The primary timeline covers the world of Native Americans all the way up to the year 2001. The site also has a “Other Timelines” section, which includes links to timelines that tell the stories of notable women in history and topical ones as well, such as those dealing with feminism, Jewish women, and women in the military. [KMG]
http://media.brookings.edu/mediaarchive/pubs/metro/pubs/massgateways.pdf
Economic restructuring in the United States has taken many forms over the past few centuries, and the rise and fall of different regions can be charted by looking at some of these staggering changes. One well-known story is the transformation of Massachusetts in the past century as many cities in the state went from traditional industrial powerhouses to finding themselves with high levels of unemployment and in economic decline. This fascinating report from the Brookings Institution takes a look at some of these cities (such as Worcester), which have struggled in recent decades to reinvent themselves as centers of other economic activity. This 68-page report, published in February 2007, discusses how Worcester and other “gateway cities” might be rejuvenated through a sustained commitment on the part of various government entities and private corporations. [KMG]
The British government created the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) in order to improve citizen’s quality of life through good design. It is a lofty and admirable mission, and persons with an interest in architecture, urban design, and public space will enjoy wandering around this site. First-time visitors can look over the news updates on the homepage to get a sense of CABE’s mission and focus, and then move on over to the “Latest Publications” area. Here visitors will find a number of gems, including the instructional manual “Better public building” and “Actions for housing growth: creating a legacy of great places”. Visitors looking for high-quality case studies on designing commercial buildings, educational facilities, and civic buildings will find plenty to view on the site. Finally, the site is rounded out by the “Teaching Resources” area, which includes instructional materials for educators seeking to teach their students about what makes places work well for different users. [KMG]
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLAC/Resources/Synthesis_ConferenceEditiion_FINAL.pdf
With an increasing interest in the role of indigenous peoples in the economy, the World Bank’s Latin America & Caribbean division has created this 55-page report on that very subject. Published in February 2007, this report is primarily concerned with the fact that more than 80 percent of Latin America’s indigenous population still lives in abject poverty. Some of the results from the paper include the finding that many indigenous persons tend to be concentrated in few occupations, and that they mostly work in the informal economy. The report’s authors, Emmanuel Skoufias and Harry Patrinos, do have a number of policy suggestions, including designing development programs that improve infrastructure in areas where indigenous persons live and also raising the general awareness of the needs of indigenous people at the national and international levels. For persons with an interest in this region and public policy issues, this report will be a most valuable read. [KMG]
http://www.understandingrace.org/
As this website opens, users will see a set of overlapping images of different human faces, as a narrator’s voice intones: “Race: Are we so different?” It’s an intriguing and important question, and one that is addressed through a number of lenses on this site, created by the American Anthropological Association, with funding from the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. As their website observes, “The Race project explains differences among people and reveals the reality-and unreality-of race.” The site is divided into three primary sections, which include “History”, “Human Variation”, and “Lived Experience”. In the “History” section, visitors can move through the timeline that looks at the history of race in the United States, and along the way they can read different essays that talk about subjects such as the civil rights movement, U.S. control of American Indians, and so on. The “Human Variation” section contains interactive and informative essays on human genetics, the variation in human skin color, and several quizzes on these materials. Finally, the “Lived Experience” area includes a race blog, an interactive feature on “Who is White?”, and a blog where visitors can talk about their own experiences with race. [KMG]
http://www.nabt.org/sites/S1/index.php?p=25
For several years, the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) has created a number of very fine instructional materials designed for use in the classroom, and even seasoned educators will find new approaches to teaching bioethics, gene sequences, and other related topics on the site. The materials are arranged in one simple list, and they include lesson plans that take on the subject of forensic science and the world of the “hooey stick”. The “hooey stick” exercise is quite a bit of fun, and along with being aligned with National Science Education standards, it allows students to learn about empiricism and logic in science. Overall, there are some very good resources for educators here, and a few of the resources are so intriguing that even casual visitors may find themselves making repeat visits here. [KMG]
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/enable/index.html
Millions of women around the world live with disabilities, and this site from the United Nations’ Women Watch initiative provides information on this particular group of individuals. On this site, visitors can learn about the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and also look over a related fact sheet about girls and women with disabilities. Visitors should also look over the “Resources” section, which includes links to online materials from other UN websites, including the Regional Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the World Health Organization. Finally, visitors can also watch a webcast of the United Nations committee Ad Hoc Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [KMG]
Accounting can strike fear into the hearts of many, particular around the ides of April here in the United States. Beginning students of the field and small business owners will breathe a bit easier after looking over this easy to use and informative site. As the homepage remarks, this site will help users learn the basics of accounting and also give them the opportunity to solve common-place accounting problems. The four primary sections of the website include “Lessons”, “Problems”, “Solutions”, and “Downloads”. In the “Lessons” section, visitors can make their way through eight separate lessons which cover the elements of financial reporting all the way up through natural resources and depletion. The “Problems” section contains a basic set of accounting problems keyed to the eight lessons mentioned above, and the “Solutions” cover all of the problems and their execution in detail. [KMG]
