Research and Education
The Oral History Review
http://www.historycooperative.org/ohrindex.html
World History Connected
http://www.historycooperative.org/whcindex.html
Many academic disciplines have been actively seeking to expand their scholarly publishing activities onto the Internet, and history is certainly no exception. In the spring of 2000, The History Cooperative was launched as part of a collaborative effort on the part of four organizations (including the American Historical Association and the National Academy Press). Rather recently, The History Cooperative brought two new publications into the fold: Oral History Review and World History Connected. Visitors to the first site can read the first electronic edition of the Oral History Review (from September 2004), and peruse such articles as "Kissing Cousins: Journalism and Oral History" and a number of book reviews from that edition. Visitors can also view submission guidelines and learn about the journals' editorial board. The second link leads to the World History Connected e-journal, which is the new journal of "learning and teaching for world history educators". Currently there are three issues of this journal available here for the public's consideration. Visitors will want to make sure and read a commentary titled "An Emerging Consensus in World History" by that eminent historian from the University of Chicago, Professor Emeritus William McNeill. [KMG]
Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review [pdf]
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309091241/html/
News Conference on Firearms Report [RealPlayer]
http://video.nationalacademies.org/ramgen/news/isbn/0309091241.rm
The National Academy of Sciences has never been known to shy away from important and controversial public policy debates, and this recent report on the relationship on the role of guns in U.S. society is no exception. Released in December 2004, this 328-page report from the National Academies' National Research Council contains some rather important observations, including the fact that there is no credible evidence that "right-to-carry" laws either decrease or increase the incidence of violent crime. It should be noted that the study committee responsible for the report was not asked to address any issues of policy, but rather just to offer a critical and methodical assessment of the research base on firearms violence and on prevention, intervention, and control strategies. That being said, the committee did recommend that the federal government should support a robust research program in this area. The first site mentioned here will lead visitors to a full-text version of the report which may be viewed online, complete with a rather compelling dissent section offered by the noted social scientist James Q. Wilson. The second link leads to a news conference that complemented the recent release of this valuable report. [KMG]
http://www.ohiocenterforthebook.org
During the past few centuries the state of Ohio has proved to be a place of great fecundity in terms of producing outstanding authors, poets, and literary curmudgeons of all stripes. Ohioans clearly love to read, and this is demonstrated by the fact that the Cleveland Public Library is the home to the Ohio Center for the Book, and has served in this capacity since 1977. The Center promotes books, reading, libraries, and literacy throughout the entirety of the state, and also serves as a catalyst for collaboration among readers, authors, publishers, educators, and other bibliophiles. From the main page, visitors can learn about book-related events happening across the state, and may even do so by browsing by geographic region. A welcome find on the site is the Interactive Literary Map of Ohio that features an interactive map where users may click on at their leisure to learn about the literary figures that have emerged from various parts of the state. Overall, a lovely site and one that merits several visits. [KMG]
http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/compendium/index.html
"The New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 were one of the most dramatic natural disasters to strike the North American continent." At this website, the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (ERI) supplies numerous archived eyewitness accounts to these earthquakes. Visitors can search through reports about these earthquakes from three databases. Researchers can find countless references of documents and maps. The website lists items still wanted by ERI to complete this project as well. [RME] This site is also reviewed in the January 7, 2005_NSDL Physical Sciences Report_.
The antiquated image of the "old-time" family doctor traveling hundreds of miles to see patients widely dispersed across the rural landscape may remain in the minds of some persons, but the truth of the matter is that many persons in rural America have relatively little access to adequate health care. Advocating on the behalf of rural Americans (and their health) is the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). While some of the material on the site is available only to members, there is certainly enough publicly available information here to warrant several visits. On the site, visitors can read about rural health policy and read articles from the NRHA's own publication, The Journal of Rural Health. Of additional value is the NRHA issue papers and policy briefs section, which includes papers that cover topics such as the special needs of rural veterans and HIV/AIDS in rural America and its disproportionate impact on minority and multicultural populations. [KMG]
http://www.arts.gov/national/homecoming/index.html
The experience of war has proved to be a wellspring of literary expression, both lachrymose and intently reflective, something that is evident in the works of such masters as Remarque and Hemingway, among others. Keeping that in mind, the National Endowment for the Arts (in coordination with all four branches of the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense) has created this novel literary program that will sponsor writing workshops for returning troops and their families at military installations across the U.S. and abroad. On this site, visitors can learn about upcoming workshop locations for servicepersons and their families, along with listening to audio clips from a CD which features the literature of war, read by 10 American authors, including Tobias Wolff and James Salter. Additionally, visitors can read the guidelines for submitting written pieces to the anthology of wartime writing that will be published in the near future under the auspices of the NEA. [KMG]
http://www.worldviewcities.org/
With generous support from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Architectural League of New York has created this Web-based project with the purpose of offering a range of well-organized materials and information on what is new and interesting in urbanism and architecture from different cities around the world. Currently the site offers perspectives on two "world cities": Caracas, Venezuela and Dhaka, Bangladesh. For each city, visitors can peruse an interview with a leading urban planner or architect who is intimately familiar with each conurbation, comb through a historical map that allows visitors to see the growth of each place, and make their way along a timeline of events. For those concerned with policy issues, the "Critical Issues" will be an important destination, along with the featured interviews with architects such as Jalal Ahmad and Francisco Bielsa. [KMG]
In 1974, the Fox Chase Cancer Center was designated as one the country's first comprehensive cancer centers by the National Cancer Institute. The mission of Fox Chase "is to reduce the burden of human cancer through the highest-quality programs in research and patient care, including cancer prevention, treatment, early detection and education." Current Fox Chase faculty research programs focus on molecular aspects of oncogenesis; cell cycle control; gene expression; viral molecular biology and pathogenesis; regulation and development of the immune system; and more. Specific research programs include Cellular and Development Biology; Prostate Cancer; Breast Cancer; Immunobiology; and Cancer Prevention and Control. From the research program pages, visitors can link to publication listings, research interests, and contact information for staff members. The website also provides information about Resources & Research Education, and the Fox Chase Postdoctoral Research Program. The Center's Talbot Research Library has a number of helpful resources for researchers as well including links to Databases, and Journal Holdings. [NL] This site is also reviewed in the January 7, 2005_NSDL Life Sciences Report_.
