http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/index.html

With a well-established track record, the Great Performances series on PBS continues to offer a host of very compelling broadcasts ranging from dance recitals to musical theater. This well-thought-out website allows visitors to learn about the program schedule, offer their own feedback on the programs, and, most importantly, view a host of multimedia presentations related to the programs themselves. These features include a companion to the production of "Candide" by Leonard Bernstein and the "Name the Strauss Tune" feature, where visitors may test their knowledge of his music through a short musical quiz. The rest of the site is divided into six sections, dedicated to each of the "lively arts" that Great Performances explores in each season. The cinema area is a good place to browse around in, and visitors can learn about some of their most recent programs, including the behind-the-scenes look into the 1961 film "The Misfits" and a special on that legendary animator, Chuck Jones. The Dialogue area is also worth a look as it contains archived interviews with artists and performers such as Renee Fleming, Bryn Terfel, and Andrea Bocelli. [KMG]

http://www.s4.brown.edu/schoolsegregation/index.htm

This website is based on the research of John R. Logan, director of the Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4), an institute at Brown University that uses GIS technology to conduct spatial analysis of traditional sociological issues, such as race, school integration, public health, crime, and economic conditions. At the Cases and Data section, users will find a searchable database of information on desegregation court cases and trends in racial composition of elementary schools for 1968-71, 1989-90 and 1999-2000. A search by district will retrieve information on court cases in that district, if any were brought, and tables showing racial and ethnic composition of the elementary student population. Other sections of the site include reports prepared by Logan and staff dating from 2001-2004, such as The Continuing Legacy of the Brown Decision: Court Action and School Segregation, 1960-2000; a history of the Brown decision; the relationship between Brown and the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act; and a collection of related Web sites on Brown's 50th anniversary and the civil rights movement in the US. [DS]

http://www.lookatbook.com/

The Web continues to facilitate the exchange and dissemination of creative and innovative artistic collaborations, and the BOOK project is definitely one of those projects worth a look. During 36 weeks, a sketchbook was sent in random order among four artists. Two of these artists were in Brooklyn, and two of them were in Belfast. The process started in June 2003, and by the time the project was completed in February 2004, the book had logged over 60,000 miles. On the site, visitors can view hundreds of images from the finished product, and listen to the artist's commentaries as well. The artists profiles are quite nice as well, and visitors also have the opportunity to take a look at related products created to celebrate the work's completion. [KMG]

http://dmaws.dallasmuseumofart.org/

Organized in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art has continued to grown by leaps and bounds since its humble beginnings. Fortunately for interested parties, the Museum has developed a substantial web presence that includes a nice overview of its primary collections, information about visiting the Museum, and a selection of educational resources. The collections page is a good place to start perusing the variety of objects held by the Museum. The Ancient American art area contains a host of lovely items, including a ceremonial mask from the Calima region of Columbia and a Peruvian tunic produced by the Incans. Along with learning about the Museum's permanent collection, visitors can also learn about special collections, such as a recent visiting exhibition about China's forbidden city and also the Grant Hill Collection of African-American Art. [KMG]

http://www.spirituality.ucla.edu/

There has always been a great interest in the spiritual beliefs of young people, and in the past few decades, an increasing interest in the beliefs of those young people in colleges and universities around the United States. One group that is intently interested in this topic is the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California at Los Angeles. The Institute's primary agenda includes generating empirically based insights on "the trends, patterns, and principles of spiritual growth during the college years" and disseminating its research findings to various stakeholders. The pilot survey (which was first administered in 2003) is available for the Web-browsing public's consideration here, along with a newsletter and some preliminary findings based on data from the surveys. [KMG]

http://www.airlinemeals.net/index.html

Several decades ago, airline meals may have been the main reason that planes carried airline sickness bags, but in the past few years the food has improved by leaps and bounds from an international perspective. As a banner on the homepage declares, this is "the world's first and leading site about nothing but airline food." Amazingly enough, there is a section on the site dedicated to airline catering news and another one where visitors can discuss various issues related to airline food. The real focus of the site are the almost 11,000 images of various airline meals, culled from 439 airlines, taken by a host of contributors. Here visitors may compare the relative merits of recent meals offered by Air India to those offered by Royal Jordanian Airlines. Of course, visitors will definitely want to take a gander at the advertisements of airline food from the past and the behind-the-scenes look of the world of airline catering. [KMG]

http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/

Stage director, essayist, extra in a Michael Jackson Video: Simply put, Peter Sagal has done it all through his long career in the entertainment business. With such a resume, it make sense that he is the host of the popular National Public Radio Program, "Wait Wait-Don't Tell Me!". This weekly hour-long quiz program originates out of Chicago's NPR station WBEZ, and allows listeners to match their wits against a number of informed news and entertainment personalities. Some of the regular gadflies on the show include P.J. O'Rourke, Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Roxanne Roberts. As might be expected, visitors to the site can listen to the most recent edition of the show, or peruse the archive to revisit a particular show from the past few years. For those persons that take a fancy to the program, there is also an opportunity to find out how they may be able to attend a live performance of the show. [KMG]