General Interest
As the weather here in the northern hemisphere begins to get a bit chilly and the sun bids farewell around 5 p.m., many people will begin to adjust their menus by including more soups as part of their daily fare. Those persons looking for fun new ways to prepare soup should definitely take a look at The Joy Of Soup website. The creator of the site, Sue Pleydee, has assembled a rather impressive collection of soup recipes. Many of them are organized under the Plogs section (a word created by eliding soup and blog. This section includes such soups as buttermilk, ham and tomato, and asparagus and escarole. The Let's Eat Out section features recipes taken from various restaurants and another area entitled The Joy of Cookbooks features Pleydee's musings on such classic cookbooks as In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy and The Crisco Family Cookbook. [KMG]
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/cushman/index.jsp
The Digital Library Program at Indiana University (IU), with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, presents this digital version of 14,500 color slides taken by amateur photographer Charles Cushman between 1938 and 1969. Cushman, an IU alum who graduated in 1917, left the University his entire collection of photographs, along with a set of notebooks, in which he recorded descriptions of the thousands of images he shot. Cushman's photographs provide wonderful documentation of the first half of the 20th century, from a girl with pigtails jumping rope on a sidewalk in Indiana, to Chicago architecture, to over 100 pictures of Istanbul, Turkey. Subject headings were added to Cushman's descriptions by image catalogers, providing the basis for the searching and browsing capabilities of the digital version. Currently, users can browse by date, location, subject, and genre, as well as viewing page images of Cushman's notebooks. In December 2003, search enhancements will be released, such as the ability to broaden or narrow a search using related terms, and browsing based on the structure of the subject heading sources. [DS]
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/
People have been meeting in informal groups to discuss works of literature for hundreds of years, and in recent years reading groups have continued to increase in general popularity. This website, designed by a team of avid readers, provides a host of helpful resource materials for those seeking to start and maintain an effective reading group. Launched in January 2001, the site now includes over 1220 reading group guides, thematically and alphabetically organized, and filled with helpful discussion questions, along with links to websites with additional background material. Another section provides detailed advice on starting a reading group and making informed decisions about how to pick a piece to read. Not surprisingly, this section also contains a nice list of books about reading groups as well. Existing reading groups may want to sign up to be interviewed by the online staff, or just choose to browse those who have already the good, the bad, and the ugly truths about the reading group experiences. [KMG]
http://www.thestonehengeproject.org
The mystical and enigmatic stone formations located England and known collectively as Stonehenge is the most substantial reminder of the ingenuity of prehistoric civilization in this region of the world. Regrettably, in recent decades the site has seen the intrusion of major roads and a general degradation of the surrounding environment. By 1993, the situation grew so dire that the setting of this important cultural landscape was referred to as a "national disgrace" by the United Kingdom's House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. Fortunately, a plan to restore the dignity of this site was developed by the English Heritage foundation and the British government, and this site provides the full details on this ongoing project. Visitors to the site can learn about the project and read about the landscape restoration project that is already underway. The Documents area is quite strong, as visitors can read a summary of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan and read environmental reports produced by Britain's Highways Agency. [KMG]
http://girl-with-a-pearl-earring.20m.com/
The artistic endeavors of the 17th century's, Old Master Johannes Vermeer have fascinated many. Now a popular book based on one of his canvases, Girl with a Pearl Earring, has brought him squarely into the minds and hearts of many in the 21st century. Even though the picture has been studied intensely for over a century, many questions remained unanswered about various aspects of the work. This website, designed by Jonathan Janson, provides a multifaceted portrait of this masterwork, and is divided into well-organized sections that deal with its subject matter, its provenance, the methodology deployed in the work's execution, and the various debates surrounding the work. The section devoted to the genesis of the painting is particularly engaging, as it features a discussion of the work within the broader setting of Vermeer's oeuvre and possible precedents that may have set the stage for this work. [KMG]
http://www.hanford.gov/doe/culres/historic/
During the Manhattan Project, a number of sites were developed around the U.S. in order to assist in the production of high-grade plutonium in order to create nuclear weapons. One of the best-known sites was the Hanford Site, located in the stark landscape of eastern Washington state. At the conclusion of the Cold War, many of these nuclear weapons production facilities were mothballed, yet there was a growing interest in preserving some of these facilities as historic sites. This website documents the creation of this fascinating historic site, along with offering ample written materials on the site's history along with some visual materials, such as plans and photographs. Visitors can read the programmatic statement between the Department of Energy and the Washington State Historic Preservation Office, the curation strategy for the site, and the historic site treatment plan, which was prepared in 1998. Also, visitors can peruse a number of documents on the history of plutonium production on the site, a history of the plant facilities, and an 80-page book that documents the history of the Hanford Site in great detail. [KMG]
Despite mountains of evidence that indicates the paramount importance of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, many Americans are still not getting enough of either of these types of foods. The 5 a Day for Better Health Program website is designed to increase public awareness of the importance of eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables and to provide individuals with specific information about how to include both of these foods into their daily eating routine. The Quick, Easy Tips area of the site offers some easy-to-follow materials about how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into meals and about what constitutes a serving size or portion. Additionally, the site offers a number of helpful recipes and menu plans that integrate both fruits and vegetables into snacks, salads, desserts, and beverages. [KMG]
