http://www.wordcount.org/

Words are used as invectives, toasts, and tirades, among other forms of human expression. As a type of artistic experiment, Jonathan Harris of Flaming Toast Productions decided to create this engaging website that documents the 86,000 most frequently used English words, ranked in order of commonality. Nay-sayers beware: This is no simple listing of the words, contained within a mundane series of connected web pages. As visitors quickly realize, this articulated end-to-end listing of these 86,000 words features scaled versions of each word, giving a "visual barometer of relevance." As the site notes, "The goal is for the user to feel embedded in the language, sifting through words like an archaeologist through sand, awaiting the unexpected find." Interestingly enough, the word "God" is one word from "began" (which is at number 375), and six words from "war." Budding urbanologists will find it interesting that the word "Chicago" is at number 6,692 and that "Shanghai" makes into the list at 18,242. [KMG]

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/?src=e_ce

Frogs have been on Earth for more than 200 million years, and range in size from half an inch (the Cuban tree toad) to the much larger goliath frog of West Africa, which can grow to 15 inches and weigh up to 7 pounds. As a public service, the American Museum of Natural History has created this thoughtful online site that introduces visitors to the world of frogs, and as a way of highlighting their own work with these amphibians, both in the field and at the Museum. After reading an introductory essay, visitors can peruse a section on a number of frog species, which include some fine photographs and general information. Visitors will want to take a look a the Budgett's frog, which can puff up its body with air, arch its back, and scream like a cat in order to frighten intruders. The rest of the site is equally delightful, including a nice area on the reproductive cycle of frogs, a live "FrogCam" direct from the Museum, and a great section containing the sounds of frogs from the island of Madagascar. [KMG]

http://birds.fws.gov/

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the primary federal agency charged with "protecting and enhancing the populations and habitat of more than 800 species of birds that spend all or part of their lives in the United States." As such, this site serves as a good clearinghouse for information on the various programs administered by the Service, such as the Waterfowl Population Surveys which have been conducted over the past half-century. The site is divided into four primary sections and visitors will want to take an extended look at the Education and Research area. Here individuals can learn about the various surveys that are conducted annually; and, more importantly, read through some of their helpful educational materials, such as the informative Birdscapes Magazine and the fact sheets on migratory birds. Those persons interested in the broader legal and policy context of their work will want to look through the Laws, Regulations, and Policy area, which contains policy statements, information on hunting regulations, and the text of such legislative actions as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. [KMG]

http://www.chem.yale.edu/~cas/main.html

This Yale University website presents the Schmuttenmaer chemistry group's research in the development of experimental techniques that observe low frequency motions and absorptions directly. After reading the series of intriguing unanswered questions, students and educators can find an introduction to THz spectroscopy. The Research link offers colorful images and comprehensible text about several of its THz spectroscopy investigations. Within the descriptions, links are provided to better explain otherwise complicated phenomena. Researchers can find lengthy lists and a few downloads of the group's publications. [RME] This site is also reviewed in the August 20, 2004 NSDL Physical Sciences Report.

http://www.ich.gov/

Given the complex nature of addressing such a broad problem as that of homelessness, it is not so surprising that there exists a federal initiative in the United States to collaborate on "out of the box" approaches to alleviating this situation. In 1987, with the passage of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, Congress established the Interagency Council on Homelessness in order to provide organized leadership in the area of providing assistance to homeless families and individuals. From the homepage, visitors can read about the Council's latest activities, then continue on to learn about funding opportunities and information from states and local municipalities on their own homelessness-based initiatives. Specifically, visitors can learn about the various regional coordinators employed by the Council, and read some rather ambitious 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness adopted by cities such as Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Chicago. [KMG]

http://www.crpe.org/

It would seem that it is impossible to avoid the constant hand-wringing that goes on in academic and popular circles about the problems faced by most, if not all, major urban school districts across the United States. The Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington's Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs has been preoccupied with that question since 1993, and has developed a national program of research and analysis that examines a range of alternatives that "rethink and challenge" the current system. On their site, visitors can learn about their research initiatives, learn about their staff of experts, and download any number of helpful working papers, full-length research reports, and opinion pieces. Some of the more compelling full-length works include such publications as "Making Sense of Leading Schools: A Study of the School Principalship" and "An Impossible Job? The View from the Urban Superintendent's Chair." [KMG]

http://geography.berkeley.edu/ProjectsResources/SF_Estuary/Main_Page.html

Created by researchers from the Geography Department at UC-Berkeley, this cool website was created as an image resource for researchers working to identify seeds collected in sediment cores -- thereby allowing them to date a species occurrence in a given area. The seeds available for viewing represent both saltwater and freshwater plants and "were selected from a list of common vascular plants in tidal marshes of the San Francisco Bay Estuary included in Atwater et al, 1979." Common and scientific names are provided for each plant, and the species are organized alphabetically by family. Species are included from over twenty different families including Alismataceae, Caryophyllaceae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, and more. Most seed image profiles contain two photographs taken at both lower and higher levels of magnification. [NL] This site is also reviewed in the August 20, 2004 NSDL Life Sciences Report.