http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/typhoid/

Mary Mallon was an Irish immigrant who worked as a cook in and around New York City during the first years of the 20th century. Today she is better known popularly as "Typhoid Mary", due to the fact that she infected approximately 47 persons with typhoid fever and also for the massive publicity that surrounded her later imprisonment and long battle to clear her name. This engaging website serves as a complement to the recent NOVA program about the life (and broader context of public health concerns) of Mary Mallon. The program is based on a historical study of Mallon written by Professor Judith Walzer Leavitt of the University of Wisconsin, and explores the various implications of this various case that combines both a heightened sensitivity to public health issues and the ways in which this sensationalized incident was portrayed by various officials and journalists. Here visitors can read a letter written by Mallon during her imprisonment and browse through an interactive feature on the history of quarantine. Finally, there is also a selection of links to other related websites and a teacher's guide. [KMG]

http://www.tate.org.uk/learning/learnonline/infocus.htm

The Tate Gallery in London has received numerous accolades for its fine online educational resources, including archived public presentations and lectures. The In Focus website is yet another one of these types of Internet resources, and allows those with an interest in art to hone in on various subjects in greater detail. By looking through their “In Focus” series, visitors may learn about landscape painting in America, the “pop art” movement of the 1960s, and surrealism. A real treat on the site is the “Works in Focus” section, which allows visitors close and contextual appraisals of a number of modern installations, such as Damien Hirst’s provocative “Pharmacy” and that most famous painting, “Ophelia” by John Everett Millais. The Millais feature is also notable as it includes a fine interactive timeline of Millais’s life, along with a detailed look at the materials and techniques deployed in the creation of this powerful and popular piece of craftsmanship. [KMG]

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

This year the National Book Festival celebrated its fourth year and played host to more than 70 different authors and their respective literary traditions. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, the authors include those who write biographies, works of poetry, and fantasy. On the website, visitors can learn about the various authors who appeared at the Festival, and learn about different ideas that will assist both teachers and librarians in creating a safe, nurturing environment that will allow people to learn more about reading. Of course, the real highlights on the site are the archived webcasts from the Festival. Here visitors can watch these talks and discussions by such authors as Clive Cussler, Peter Straub, Richard Peck, R.L. Stine, Arthur Frommer, and the ever-popular Anna Quindlen. [KMG]

http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml

There are certainly times for everyone where they cannot seem to remember a certain phrase or word, and it may become rather vexing and frustrating. Fortunately, there is now the OneLook Reverse Dictionary website which can help persons confounded by this situation. Essentially, users can type in a concept into a search engine and receive a list of words and phrases related to that concept. For example, typing in "joy from the pain of others" returns over one hundred results, including "schadenfreude" and "regret". There are several other uses to the site, including the ability to explore related concepts or to answer basic identification questions. Perhaps the most important function of the Reverse Dictionary is that users (if they are so inclined) may also use the database to solve crossword puzzle clues. [KMG]

http://www.architecturemag.com

There are a number of publications that deal with architecture and its related professions, such as interior design and landscape architecture, and Architecture is one such publication. With a strong web presence, the magazine offers persons searching the web a selection of materials from the current issue, along with valuable material on professional development programs and information about the latest trends in the field. The "Buzz" section features news from the world of architecture, and has recently featured updates on international housing competitions and notes on the passing of the well-known American modernist architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. Recent full-length pieces on the site have included commentaries from architects on rebuilding the inner city and new approaches to creating infill structures at the University of Pennsylvania. [KMG]

http://content.lib.washington.edu/protestsweb/index.html

The traumatic and unsettled backdrop of social and cultural change throughout the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s will not soon be forgotten by any of those persons who lived through that period. Some groups of people came together under the banner of the women's liberation movement, and still others surrounded themselves in the unifying guise of ethnic solidarity and pride, such as those who participated in the American Indian Movement. No one ongoing event garnered as much attention, however, as the Vietnam War did. That particular event inspired a host of posters, handouts, and other printed ephemera that may have quickly disappeared, as do many pieces of material culture often do. Fortunately, the University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections division has created this online archive which brings many of these documents together in one place. The documents are divided into thematic categories, such as racism, socialism, farm workers, gay rights, and religion. There are some real compelling documents on the site, and those with a penchant for social and cultural history will enjoy this fine collection. [KMG]

http://lewis.sppsr.ucla.edu/index.cfm

Established in 1988 with a $5 million endowment from Ralph and Goldy Lewis, the Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies was established "to promote the study, understanding and solution of regional policy issues, with special reference to Southern California." Directed by Paul Ong, the Center works on a variety of programs, including studying the impact of welfare-to-work programs, immigration, pollution prevention policies, and economic development strategies. Of course, one of the site's highlights is its strong publication section. Here visitors can download various working papers, policy briefs, and annual reports. Some of the more recent works include "Arts and Cultural Institutions in Los Angeles: Patterns of Utilization" and "The State of Southern California's Housing". The site also features several nice sets of maps, including a time series of maps from 1930 to 2000 that track the population density in Los Angeles County. For those readers of the Scout Report who find themselves in Southern California, there is also a listing of upcoming events sponsored by the Center that take place at UCLA. [KMG]