General Interest
http://www.theircircularlife.it/
This rather provocative website (which requires Macromedia Flash Player) explores various urban environments around Italy and draws visitors into the life of a "typical" day in the different lives of these seemingly ordinary places. The website was created by Lorenzo Fonda and David Terenzi and features original music and a rather welcoming user interface for exploring the different environments. The interface for each of the five urban places allows users to drag a small triangle around a circle, and essentially move through a series of images (and related sounds recorded on site) that take place during a single day. The places featured on the site include the train station in Modena, the Campo San Barnaba in Venezia, and three additional locales. Overall, this site offers a fascinating way of looking at and experiencing different urban environments and a potential template for future online projects. [KMG]
Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities (AAU) initially consisted of the fourteen universities that offered the Ph.D. degree. Currently their number includes 60 American universities and two Canadian universities. The AAU's overall mission is to develop national policy positions of primary relevance to academic research and graduate and professional education. Of course, the organization's work also extends to other germane areas, including timely discussion of undergraduate education. On the AAU site, visitors can learn about the organization's most recent work, read about its positions on intellectual property issues, and peruse the latest AAU newsletters. The section of the site dedicated to internally produced reports will be of great interest to some, as it contains helpful work on such topics as "Reinvigorating the Humanities: Enhancing Research and Education on Campus and Beyond". [KMG]
Hosted on the campus of Imperial College London, the Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) is a worldwide consortium of individuals and non-governmental organizations committed to the cause of sustainable development. In its laudable work dedicated to creating and supporting networks of people and institutions involved in sustainable developments, LEAD also performs a great deal of research in the field, along with practical programs designed to sustain such networks. Practitioners will want to begin by looking through the Events section of the website, which lists upcoming events and conferences sponsored by LEAD and a smattering of like-minded events hosted by other organizations. Visitors can also read about the group's latest outreach initiative, the Young Leaders Project, which is intended to bring together young people in their 20s so they may learn more about sustainable development under the guidance of a LEAD Fellow. [KMG]
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
Scotland is well-known for its efforts to preserve its fantastic range of historic sites, buildings, and monuments and much of this work happens under the auspices of Historic Scotland. Historic Scotland is an agency with the Scottish Executive Education Department and as such, is largely responsible for developing long-range plans for the preservation of the built heritage of the country. To get a sense of the broad range of properties within Historic Scotland, visitors would do well to look through the interactive map of Scotland offered within the "Places to Visit" area. Those persons with a penchant for historic preservation and planning will also want to take a look at the organization's long-range preservation program and some of its free online publications such as "Archaeological Information and Advice in Scotland" and "Conserving the Underwater Heritage". [KMG]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/company/
A number of documentaries have paid close to attention to various aspects of the current military conflict in Iraq, but this recent documentary by the people at Frontline warrants special notice. In November 2004, a production team documented the day-to-day realities of the soldiers of the 1-8 Cavalary's Dog Company in South Baghdad. The actual filming began three days after the Falljuah campaign was launched, and as such the production acquired a rather intense and moving aspect heightened by these encounters and incidents. On this site, visitors can watch the entire program as it appeared on PBS, read a list of FAQ's about the production, and read four fascinating interviews with those in Dog Company. Visitors can also read the notebook of producer Edward Jarvis and offer their own reactions to the program. [KMG]
http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2005/
International Women's Day has been celebrated by the United Nation since 1975, and this fine website provides a host of information on this year's celebration for the general public. On the site, visitors can read a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan, view a webcast of related events sponsored by the UN, and learn about the history behind this event. The site also has a link to Women Watch, which provides very comprehensive information on gender equality and the empowerment of women from around the world. Additionally, the site also has information about the review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995. Finally, the site has some items that will be of broad interest, such as materials on the UN Millennium development goals and materials on disaster response strategies. [KMG]
