Musee Rodin
http://www.musee-rodin.fr/
The physical Musee Rodin consists of two buildings -- Hôtel Biron in Paris and Villa des Brillants in Meudon (a suburb) -- but the museum's Web site makes it easy to visit both. Hôtel Biron, an 18th century structure that is surrounded by gardens, has a long history available at the Web site. Acquired by the French government in the early 1900s, Rodin rented space there and always intended the building to be a museum of his works. There are over 6,000 sculptures in many media - terracotta, plaster, bronze, marble, wax, glass, and stoneware. Finished sculptures in marble and bronze -- such as bronze casts of Rodin's most famous works, The Thinker and The Burghers of Calais, and The Kiss in marble -- are housed at Hôtel Biron, while preliminary sketches, studies, and maquettes are at Meudon, where Rodin lived and kept a studio from 1893 until his death in 1917. Works are presented as illustrations in essays from the Collections section of the Web site; larger views open in a new window, which may not facilitate browsing but may encourage reading. The site is available in both French and English. [DS]
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Friends of Trees
http://www.friendsoftrees.org/home/index.php
Based in Portland, Oregon, the Friends of Trees organization is dedicated to restoring urban forests around the country, with a particular emphasis on the Portland metropolitan area. As their Web site notes, "Tress are an essential part of the urban ecosystem. They help keep our water and air clean, prevent erosion, provide wildlife habitat, and make neighborhoods greener, more beautiful places to live." On the site, visitors can read about their ongoing planting activities and browse the newsletter they publish three times a year. For most visitors, the most helpful area of the site will be the Tree Resources section. Here, users can look through a fact sheet on the benefits of trees in urban environments, the care and maintenance of trees, and a large tree database. [KMG]
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DisabilityInfo.gov
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/
On August 28, 2002, President George W. Bush issued an executive memorandum as part of the New Freedom Initiative that directed all federal agencies to cooperate in building an interagency Web portal for people with disabilities, their families, employers, and the general public. As a result of this directive, DisabilityInfo.gov was developed to service these different groups. The site is divided into ten broad thematic areas, including housing, education, health, technology, and civil rights. Within each area, visitors can look through a number of press releases and links dealing with each area and, in many cases, specifically addressing the rights of the disabled. The site includes a search engine and, appropriately enough, is also available in several different versions, including a high-contrast version. Finally, the site also contains a number of federal grant opportunities for persons and organizations serving and working on behalf of the disabled. [KMG]
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Philippine Golden Links
http://www.filipinolinks.com/
Designed by Kenneth Y. Ilio, Philippine Golden Links (also known as Tanikalang Ginto) has been online since 1994. The site contains numerous links, divided into thematic areas in an attempt to provide a broad range of online resources dealing with the Philippines. Two nice features on the site are the Golden Links of the Day and the Noteworthy Discovery of the Day. The Golden Links of the Day profile important links dealing with the Philippines, while the Noteworthy Discovery profiles new material on the Web. While the site does feature some commercial advertisements, there are some important resources covered here, and in particular, the sections dealing with travel and tourism throughout the area are thorough and authoritative. [KMG]
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Photographs of the Historic American Buildings Survey: Georgia
http://www.library.gatech.edu:80/archives/habs/
In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the federal government developed a host of programs designed to alleviate unemployment and put people back to work. Out of these efforts came the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and a host of programs that utilized the talents of those persons who were still unemployed. These included the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, and the Federal Writers Project. One of the most under-appreciated programs was the Historic American Buildings Survey that was designed to record the structures and buildings of historical and cultural importance around the US. The staff of Georgia Tech's library has created and placed online this fine archive of photographs from the Buildings survey done around the state in the middle of the 1930s. Containing close to one hundred images, the archive can be viewed in a scrapbook format or by browsing through a list of the buildings covered in the survey. The site is rounded out by an introductory essay written by Grace Agnew that traces the role of the WPA in documenting American culture and history during the 1930s. [KMG]
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Jazz Institute of Chicago
http://jazzinstituteofchicago.org/
For all the attention paid to the fantastic blues music that is often closely associated with Chicago, many people seem to forget that Chicago has also been fertile ground for jazz musicians as well. Some of the many famous musicians produced by the Second City include Gene Ammons, Eddie Harris, Benny Goodman, Von Freeman, Herbie Hancock, and numerous others. Of course, the Jazz Institute of Chicago has never forgotten this legacy, and for the past thirty years, they have been keeping the jazz spirit alive throughout the entire city. Additionally, the Institute has programmed the city's Jazz Festival since it began in 1979. Along with reading about upcoming events sponsored by the Institute and letters from fellow jazz fans, visitors can browse the Jazzgram. The Jazzgram contains interviews with jazz musicians such as Buddy De Franco, commentary on recent recordings, book reviews, and pieces about jazz in Chicago. [KMG]
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One Scotland, Many Cultures
http://www.onescotland.com
With increased immigration from across Asia, Africa, and India over the past few decades, certain parts of Scotland have witnessed a dramatic increase in local conflicts concerning racism and the growing immigrant populations, particularly in the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Developed by the Scottish Executive, this Web site examines many of these belief and attitudes, along with offering a broad appraisal of immigration to Scotland over the past few hundred years. From the homepage, users can browse a timeline of Scottish immigration, examine demographic data on these ethnic groups, and read about racism in Scotland. The research section is particularly helpful, as it contains reports on asylum seekers and the results of recent discrimination surveys. Finally, users have the ability to send feedback to the site administrators, or submit their own stories of discrimination. The site will be useful to teachers looking for resources that explore the complex nature of race relations and cultural change in other countries. [KMG]
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