General Interest
http://www.foundationforlandscapestudies.org
Geographers, historians, landscape designers, urban planners, and poets have all been fascinated with both natural and human-made landscapes for centuries. The mission statement of the Foundation for Landscape Studies might resonate with many of these groups of people: “To foster an active understanding of the importance of place in human life.” From the organization’s homepage, visitors can learn more about their organization, read about their overarching goals, and examine their photo gallery. In the gallery, they will find photo essays that include “Ancient Sites of the Andean Desert” and “New Orleans After the Flood”. The site is rounded out by their in-house journal, “Site/Lines”. Visitors can look over the complete run of the journal, which includes pieces on landscape architecture, landscape management, and the portrayal of idealized landscapes. [KMG]
After their tenure as chief executive of the United States, some presidents retire from public life, some become Supreme Court justices, and many of them continue their dedication to public service. The Carter Center at Emory University is testimony to Jimmy and Rosalynn’s Carter commitment to public service. Established in 1982, the Carter Center is “committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering.” Specifically, the Center is primarily interested in a broad range of thematic initiatives and public outreach programs dealing with peace and public health. Visitors can learn about these programs within the “Peace” and “Health” sections of the site, where they will find information about their work in combating malaria around the world, observing various elections, and other related initiatives. More casual visitors may wish to just browse through the “Carter Center News” area, or if they are so inspired, they can even learn about internship and volunteer opportunities at the Center. [KMG]
http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/TL/
Jonas Salk referred to the late Mary Lasker as “a matchmaker between science and society.” Lasker passed away in 1994, but her influence is still felt today, as she was a major player in the struggle to expand the National Institutes of Health after World War II. During the post-war period, Lasker successfully entered the largely male-dominated world of policy making and scientific research. On this site created by the National Library of Medicine, visitors can read primary documents related to Lasker’s life and career. Visitors can start by reading a biographical essay about Lasker, and they can delve into some of the digitized documents offered here. These documents include letters to Hubert H. Humphrey, Senator Ted Kennedy, and other politicians of the period. The site is rounded out by the “Further Readings” area, which contains links to helpful web-based resources, books, and articles. [KMG]
http://whitney.org/www/exhibition/SOL_exhib.jsp
The memories of 1967’s “Summer of Love” may have faded from the minds of some, but for those who were there it will be hard to forget the music or the spirit of those times. The Whitney Museum in New York has not forgotten this brief, yet productive, period in American contemporary art and popular culture. To explore this period from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, they have brought together a wide ranging selection of paintings, photographs, sculptures, important posters, and other ephemeral items from that period. While the show will not leave New York, the Whitney has created this nice selection of materials from the galleries and placed them online here. Visitors can listen to a podcast about the show, click on digitized versions of some of the artworks, and also view a timeline of some of the period’s notable “happenings”. [KMG]
There are in fact many, many sites about ornithology, but few have as much of a user-friendly and lively appearance as Geobirds. Billed as “your online birding community”, the site contains sections like “What bird was that?”, “Share”, and “Learn”. In the “What bird was that?” area, visitors are taken into the colorful “BirdBrain” interface, which allows them the opportunity to navigate around the United States to begin determining which type of bird they may have spotted. It’s quite a bit of fun, and the interface is easy to use. In the “Share” section, visitors can let fellow users know what they have seen recently by adding their bird-watching data to this interactive map of North America. The site is rounded out by the “Learn” section, which includes an online field guide (complete with photographs and full descriptions) that allows users to learn about everything from the Albert’s Towhee to the Zone-tailed hawk. [KMG]
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/collection/patient_page
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has been committed to providing the general public with a number of high-quality print and online resources in recent years, and their collection of Patient Pages is quite thorough and most welcome. With over 390 entries, each Patient Page contains a basic overview of such topics as Lyme disease, dementia, lymphoma, and dozens of other conditions, medical procedures, and practices. Along with succinct and accessible summaries for each entry, visitors will also find illustrations, graphs, and diagrams that help explain each topic. All in all, this site is a tremendous resource, and it is worth noting that many of these Patient Pages are also available in Spanish. [KMG]
http://www.apc.maxwell.af.mil/main.htm
While Alfred Thayer Mahan may have been obsessed with the role of naval power in warfare, the 20th century saw the rise of air and space power in a way that might have surprised even Mahan himself. Persons with an interest in the history of air and space power in the United States will definitely appreciate this interactive online course, which was created by the United States Air Force. After completing a free registration form, visitors can go through modules that deal with airpower theory, the foundations of airpower doctrine, and some of the deviations from airpower doctrine that occurred from 1947 to 1986. Some of the material offered here may be most relevant to those serving in the Air Force, but as the site notes “Air and space power enthusiasts of all persuasions are welcomed”. [KMG]
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/howweare/
At first glance, the web site for this show of photography at the Tate Britain – the first major exhibition of photography ever to be held at the museum - doesn't seem to include digital version of many photographs from the physical show. There are two albums of historical photos: Mr. & Mrs. Welford's photograph album, and The Ragged School Union, that hold roughly 200 hundred pictures, along with handwritten texts and captions that, although faithfully scanned, are a bit hard to read. There are also a few examples of professional and documentary photography on the site. First impressions can be deceiving though, because the other first about this exhibition, is that the Tate Britain is inviting members of the public to contribute, using the photo sharing service, Flickr. The section entitled How We Are Now links to hundreds of photographs submitted to the exhibition's Flickr pool, in four categories: portrait, landscape, still life or documentary. Submissions will close on July 25th, and curators at the Tate will select 40 images - one from each category - and these final 40 images will be added to the exhibition's website. [DS]
