Research and Education
In 1948, 21 nations in the Western hemisphere signed the Organization of American States (OAS) Charter which was designed to affirm their commitment to a number of common goals and their respect for each nation's sovereignty. In the present day, the members of the OAS continue to work together to protect human rights, strengthen security throughout the region, and to fight corruption. On this site (last reviewed in the Scout Report on August 8, 1996), scholars and the general public can take advantage of the organization's many online resources, including the audio archives of OAS Radio, detailed information on the OAS's governing bodies, and its annual reports. From the homepage, visitors can also peruse some of their other online materials, such as online exhibits from the Art Museum of the Americas and The Children's Corner. Young people will enjoy the Children's Corner as it provides material on the culture, history, art, and folklore of South, Central and North America. [KMG]
A number of online electronic archives have been developed in recent years to allow fellow scholars access to recent works by other colleagues in a wide variety of fields. Cogprints is one such archive, as it functions as a place where persons working in the areas of psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science, philosophy, and biology may place their work. First-time visitors may want to begin by browsing the archive either by year or by subject. After getting a sense of the contents of the archive, visitors can then perform simple or advanced searches in order to find specific materials. For those scholars who wish to contribute materials, there is also a place where they may register for an account. [KMG]
With his colleague Rebecca Wisch, Professor David Favre at the Michigan State University College of Law has created this very helpful online resource designed to give the public and the legal community access to comprehensive explanations on the issues surrounding animal law and associated topics. From the homepage, visitors can peruse new material (such as an overview of French animal law), or move to the left-hand side of the homepage to select information about animal law in different states or by topic. One of the other recently added features is the full text of dog laws for all 50 states, along with a basic overview of state dog leash laws. Overall, the site is well-designed and will be of interest to those with a specific interest in this very broad topic. [KMG]
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx
During the past few years, a finely nuanced sensibility about the shared interests and coexistence of human and animals has emerged as a number of international organizations have begun work and advocacy efforts in this area. The work of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) began three decades ago when a group of individuals decided to come together to stop a hunt for white-coat harp seals on the eastern coast of Canada. Since that time, the IFAW has expanded its work across the world, and this site affords visitors the opportunity to learn about the organization's work, read its annual reports from the past several years, and find out more about its different campaigns across different regions. Visitors can click on different parts of an interactive world map to look at this information or browse a list of animals in the "Save Animals" section of the site. [KMG]
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/feature/mccormick/
Cyrus McCormick was one of the great successes of the American Industrial Revolution, as he was the inventor of the first commercially successful reaper. While he invented the machine in Virginia, his real triumphs began when he moved to Chicago and formed what would later become known as the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. Over the company's long history it produced thousands of various publications, advertising materials, and short industrial films. This particularly strong online collection created by materials donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society includes thousands of images that date from the 1840s to the 1980s. Visitors may view these images by perusing a list of topics, such as farm equipment, railroads, trucks, and women at work. One topic heading that is definitely worth a look is the one dedicated to providing images for the 1931 Reaper Centennial Celebration. Here one may view images that include a re-enactment of the first McCormick reaper and a placard with a painting by N.C. Wyeth that celebrates the first reaper test, which took place in Steele's Tavern, A. [KMG]
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/19_03/19_03.shtml
Rethinking Schools, founded in 1986, publishes educational materials, including this online version of its quarterly journal. The organization is "firmly committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy." Although the journal features articles of interest to a broad audience, they focus on problems facing urban schools, with a particular emphasis on issues of race. The articles are written by and for teachers, parents, and students and cover topics relating to classroom practice and educational theory, in addition to key policy issues. The Spring 2005 issue includes two articles specifically addressing mathematics education as well as excerpts from the organization's newest book called Rethinking Mathematics. The first article, entitled Integrals and Equity, discusses how "a math lesson prompts new awareness for prep school students--and their teacher." The second article, entitled The Geometry of Inequality, describes a math activity in which students and teacher explored some of the causes of the 1992 "Rodney King Riots" in South Central Los Angeles. This site is also reviewed in the June 17, 2005 NSDL MET Report. [VF]
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/tut/mysteries/index.html
With a major exhibit on King Tutankhamun set to return to the United States shortly, interest in this extremely popular pharaoh of Egypt continues to build. National Geographic has created this fun and informative website that allows visitors to examine his body through the use of CT scan imagery and see how he might have looked. Clicking on the entrance to this multimedia feature, visitors are greeted by audio narration that complements a 360-degree view of the four walls of King Tut's tomb. Visitors can then look closer at each wall in detail by using a built-in interface to navigate the various decorative and symbolic markings on each side. After this first section, visitors can move to the "Royal Wrappings" feature, which includes a detailed look at the many layers in which King Tut was entombed. The site is rounded out by a selection of additional links to such resources as articles from National Geographic dealing with Egyptian archaeology. [KMG]
The rise of the Internet has allowed many professional and scholarly communities to communicate with each other across great distances, and the field of architecture and urban planning is no exception. Developed at MIT and the University of Texas at Austin, ArchNet is one such international online community that deals specifically with providing new perspectives on the built environment and insights into Islamic design and culture. Visitors will want to begin by registering on the site (at no charge) and continue by perusing sections that include a digital calendar of upcoming events (such as germane architectural conferences), a digital library of images, and links to career opportunities in the field. The site also includes a selection of course syllabi submitted by different instructors that may prove useful both to students and to those who are just generally curious about Islamic architecture. [KMG]
