http://www.museumofbadart.org/

Some museums of fine art pride themselves on their diverse collections of Old Masters, or their attempts to locate the latest visual artists working on the very cutting-edge of contemporary aesthetic or political expression. Thankfully, there is a playful and compelling alternative presented within the virtual context of the Museum of Bad Art. Simultaneously skewering the sometimes overwhelming world of the art intelligentsia and its own mission, the Museum of Bad Art website presents some of the more notable pieces in all their glory, divided into sections titled Portraiture, Landscape and Unseen Forces. Equally entertaining (and insightful) are the artworks' respective captions, such as the one for Dog (in the Landscape section) which begins, "A remarkable fusion of ski resort and wolf puppy..." Visitors can also read about preservation efforts, browse selected issues of their newsletter, and learn about the process by which new acquisitions are located (which is often focused around trips to the local Salvation Army or a neighbor's dumpster). [KMG]

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/genius/

To celebrate 20 years of collecting photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, this exhibition presents works by 38 photographers, 20 of whom are featured on the website: Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Eugène Atget, Hippolyte Bayard, Walker Evans, Roger Fenton, Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, David Octavius Hill & Robert Adamson, Lewis Hine, André Kertész, Gustave Le Gray, Dorothea Lange, Lázló Moholy-Nagy, Eadweard J. Muybridge, Timothy H. O'Sullivan, Man Ray, August Sander, Alfred Stieglitz, Weegee, Carleton Watkins, Edward Weston. Each photographer's entry includes one signature picture; links to digital images in the Getty's online collection; biographical and technical information; and sometimes audio and/or video. For example, in addition to viewing Man Ray's photograph, Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924, and reading about how it was made, visitors can listen to Man Ray interviewed on his philosophy of photography, Getty curators discussing the pun in the picture, and also browse over 100 additional pictures by Man Ray at the Getty. [DS]

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/colosseum/colosseum.html

Serving as the inspiration for countless other arenas of sport and battle over subsequent millennia, the Colosseum in Rome (finished in AD 80), continues to hold a great deal of interest for both scholars and the general public. Recently, the Discovery Channel teamed up with the BBC to create a special television program dedicated to this most august structure, along with a nice website that contains some useful features. Visitors will want to start by heading to the section that allows them to explore a virtual reconstruction of the Colosseum, which includes the opportunity to learn about the importance of different architectural elements and, of course, the Gate of Death. The video gallery offers some nice clips from the television program, such as the opportunity to witness a computer-generated recreation of one of the famous sea battles that took place within the expanse of the Colosseum's main arena floor. The site is rounded out by a brief slide show and a 10 question quiz on the Roman Empire. [KMG]

http://www.smallstep.gov/

Recently a new study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control indicated that deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity rose by 33 percent over the past ten years, and may soon overtake tobacco use as the leading preventable cause of death. In an attempt to combat what can only be described as a potential public health nightmare, the Department of Health and Human Service has created this site designed to provide information on the subject of diet and exercise that will help people make improvements through incremental change in various habits. The site is divided into four primary sections, each containing a brief tip (such as "eat better," complete with a brief essay and numerous hyperlinks and additional resources. Visitors can also read success stories -- such as the inspiring story of government employee Marcia Potts -- sign up to receive a helpful e-newsletter, and read news updates. [KMG]

http://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/

Tucked away within the numerous specialized subject libraries at the University of Washington is a gem known as the Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural Library. The library has several main directives, including service to the Center of Urban Horticulture (which is located on campus as well) and as a clearinghouse of gardening material for the general public. While much of the material available online is geared primarily towards working with gardens in the Pacific Northwest, there are a number of helpful general materials here as well. The web resources section is quite nice, as it contains a number of weblinks (selected by staff at the Library) organized around a host of themes, including botany, ecology, and arboreta. The Booklists By Topic area culls together various lists of important books by topic (over 40 to date), covering areas from alpine and rock gardening to water gardening. Visitors with young children (or teachers) should find a thorough 20-page bibliography, titled Children and Nature, to be an invaluable resource. [KMG]

http://www.clui.org

Founded in 1994, the Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) is a research organization "interested in understanding the nature and extent of human interaction with the earth's surface." To this end, CLUI has adopted a multidisciplinary approach to engaging themselves with its mission and actively produces a number of exhibits on land use themes. The site contains information about visiting the center's headquarters in Los Angeles, and a complete archive of the in-house newsletter, Lay of the Land. Visitors will want to take a look at the ongoing programs and projects, which include tours, information on the residency program for landscape interpreters, and the rather creative extrapolative projects. The definitive highlight of the site is the online CLUI Land Use Database which allows users to search an interactive map of the United States or perform a keyword search to look for sites that are unusual and exemplary throughout the country. Each listing generally contains a brief description, some type of visual documentation, and external website links where available. [KMG]

http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities.html

Online since 1996, the Humanities Magazine is the magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Designed to complement the detailed information on the operations and grant opportunities presented on the main NEH website, visitors to this website can browse and read articles from the magazine dating back to the November / December 1996 issue. Not surprising, the magazine is designed to explore the projects and various endeavors sponsored by the NEH, and visitors will find a wide range of material here, including pieces on archaeology in Guatemala and a recent documentary on the Reconstruction. Another nice feature is the profile section offered once each year on the recipients of the National Humanities Medal. The profiles from 2003 are quite compelling, as they provide information on each of the ten recipients, including Robert Ballard (who is best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic) and Hal Holbrook, the actor who is immediately recognizable for his animated and multifaceted portrayals of Mark Twain over the past fifty years. [KMG]