General Interest
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/WBI/0,,pagePK:208996~theSitePK:213799,00.html
The World Bank has a number of specialized units designed to perform research in order to allow the organization to make informed policy decisions throughout the world. This website happens to provide information on the World Bank Institute, which effectively serves as the capacity development arm of the Bank and also "helps countries share and apply global and local knowledge to meet development challenges". On the Institute's site, visitors can find out about its various programs, which include work on preventing HIV/AIDS risk in the Balkans and scholarships designed to promote knowledge sharing and capacity building in the developing world. Visitors will want to pay close attention to the Publications area, as they may view or download working papers from a wide range of topics, including energy policy, labor force development, and development economics. [KMG]
http://bees.library.cornell.edu/
Back in 1925, Professor E. Franklin Phillips of Cornell University had a rather novel idea: Why not begin a repository of literature on bees and beekeeping for current use and for the use of future generations? In just one year, he had amassed thousands of books and pamphlets on the subject and the Phillips Beekeeping Collection at Cornell came into existence. With the kind support of beekeepers and beekeeping organizations, the Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell has digitized ten of these fine volumes in order to make them accessible to the general public. Each of the works is fully searchable, and visitors will also appreciate a brief essay which provides some background on the history of this rather intriguing collection. Volumes offered here include C.C. Miller's classic "Fifty Years Among the Bees" and the 1879 volume, "The A B C of bee culture: a cylcopaedia of everything pertaining to the care of the honey bee, bees, honey, hives, implements, and honey plants".
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lionstrail/index.html
The road to creating a popular song can take decades and often includes a number of incarnations before the listening public finally becomes interested. Such is the complex and at times painful story of the song "Mbube" (which is perhaps best known in the United States by the version titled "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"), which was first recorded by Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds in 1939 in South Africa. This compelling website, designed to complement an Independent Lens/PBS documentary, provides substantive background into the stories of the people associated with this song, and its rather nuanced history during the past seven decades. On the site, visitors can learn about the filmmakers, the song itself, and also provide their own feedback on the controversy surrounding the song and the documentary itself. [KMG]
http://pewforum.org/publications/reports/religion-and-politics-report.pdf
There was a great deal of discussion during the 2004 US presidential election about the so-called "faith-based" partisan divide. This insightful publication from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life takes a closer look at this divide in its 18-pages and provides a number of observations. The report begins by noting that Americans who regularly attend worship services and hold traditional religious views increasingly vote Republican, while those who are less connected to religious institutions tend to vote Democratic. Drawing on a number of polls and other surveys, the report also looks at other galvanizing issues such as opposition to gay marriage and attitudes towards stem cell research. The report also offers some interesting tables that look at how persons holding a variety of religious beliefs feel about the role of government and corporate welfare. [KMG]
http://www.globaljournalist.org/index.html
The University of Missouri's School of Journalism is one of the most respected journalism schools in the United States, so it comes as no surprise to know that it sponsors the International Press Institute's (IPI) Global Journalist magazine. The publication comes out quarterly, and on this site visitors can read the latest edition, or browse issues from 1999 to the present day. Each issues contains feature articles, a calendar of events, letters to the editor, and reports from the IPI. Some of the articles from the most recent issue include coverage of the Chinese media, the variety of coverage in Moldovan newsrooms, and other topics. The site also includes archived editions of the Institute's thoughtful radio program, "Global Journalist Radio". Here, visitors can listen to mediated discussion on topics such as nuclear proliferation, democracy in Central Asia, and the Iraqi elections. [KMG]
Founded in 1922, the PEN American Center works "to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship". To support these ideals, the organization sponsors a number of public literary programs and forums on topical issues, administers a number of well-known literary prizes, and also offers loans and grants to writers facing financial or medical emergencies. The organization's website contains explicit details of these different programs, along with a complete list of writers who have received one of the PEN's prestigious writing awards. Visitors can also look through excerpts from PEN's journal, which includes reflections on the poetry of Pablo Neruda and the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Finally, visitors may also want to sign up for membership on the website and also elect to support PEN's programs. [KMG]
