General Interest
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/
With only a few short days before the start of spring training, Scout Report readers may enjoy taking in some of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s website. First-time visitors may want to begin by looking at some of the very nice online exhibits offered here. Some of the more delightful exhibits include the history of the baseball uniform as well as programs from World Series past. Of course, those with a penchant for days gone by will want to look through the Baseball History area, which features “This Day in Baseball History” along with profiles of such legends as Wade Boggs. True sports historians will also revel in the A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center section of the site, as it contains information about utilizing the Center and a selection of player files from a collection that contains over 20,000 items. [KMG]
http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/girodet/
This website accompaniment to the exhibition Girodet: Romantic Rebel, currently on view at the Art Institute of Chicago, features about 20 paintings and drawings by Girodet. Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy- Trioson (1767–1824) was trained in the workshop of Jacques-Louis David, who is considered the leading painter of the French Revolution (last mentioned in the February 18, 2005 Scout Report http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2005/scout-050218-geninterest.php#2). Girodet broke with the strict neoclassical style of his master to develop his own more romantic and dreamy style. The subjects of Girodet's paintings were often drawn from contemporary, 18th century, interpretations of myths, such as the legend of Ossian, a Nordic "myth" contrived by the writer James Macpherson. Girodet also painted Atala, an American Indian woman character from the novel by Chateaubriand, a friend of the artist. Navigate the site by jumping immediately to the Selected Works section, or browse Exhibition Themes. Either way, don't miss the section on the conservation of the Revolt of Cairo (1810), to see how AIC conservators used infrared reflectography imaging (IR) to reveal an extensive under-drawing. [DS]
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/orchids/
Several years ago, the author and traveler Susan Orlean brought the world of those obsessed with orchids to the general book-reading public. These rather entrancing flowers had a substantial following before her work, and they remain a passion for many. Working in collaboration, Michigan State University, the American Orchid Society, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the National Agricultural Library have assisted in the creation of this lovely online digitized collection. Here, visitors can electronically traipse through such gems as the periodical “The Orchid World” from 1911 and 1912, then move on to more demanding texts such as “Die Orchideen von Java”, compiled by one Johannes Jacobus Smith. Accompanied by detailed illustrations of orchids, visitors will find much to delight in throughout these various taxonomical works. Of course, visitors would be remiss not to visit the narrative accounts of orchid-collecting presented here, particularly “About Orchids: A Chat” by Frederick Boyle. In it, they will find such passionate panegyrics as those expressed in this sentence: “I take it that orchids meet a craving of the cultured soul which began to be felt at the moment when kindly powers provided means to satisfy it”. [KMG]
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/
Some readers may be wondering aloud: “Who is Alice, and why do I want to ask her anything?” Well, “Alice” is in fact a team of Columbia University health educators, health care providers, and specialists from health-related organizations worldwide. “Alice” was created in 1993 at Columbia, and is one of the longest-running health question and answer websites. As one might surmise, the site provides intelligent, informed, and lively answers to a number of pressing health issues, such as drug use, body image, and various aspects of emotional health. Visitors can search the archive of answered questions, and also look through topical sections that cover subjects such as alcohol use and relationships. The site also includes a weekly poll and an area where visitors can sign up to receive each week’s question (and response) in their email inbox. [KMG]
http://www.poetryfoundation.org
The Poetry Foundation, established in 2003, was created through a fund provided by Ruth Lilly. Since its creation, the Foundation has grown by leaps and bounds, and one of their best public outreach efforts is this website. With a well-thought out visual design, their homepage is a great starting point for learning more about the world of poetry. Sections on the homepage include “Publishing”, “Features”, “Dispatches”, and “Archive”. Visitors may wish to go back to the past and examine the archive, which includes thousands of poems, several lists of “favorite” poets, and a visual archive that features cartoons that address the subject of poetry. Visitors looking to delve into some current material will definitely appreciate the “Cover Story” feature. Here visitors can listen to Paul Giamatti and Alfred Molina read Browning’s “Fra Lippo Lippi” and “My Last Duchess” respectively, as well as read a historic piece from Poetry magazine where Carl Sandburg offers solid praise of Ezra Pound. Overall, the site merits numerous visits and is quite a gem. [KMG]
For many across the country, the National Park system contains some of the most precious cultural and natural resources in the United States. At any given time, the National Park Service is working on dozens of long-term plans for the development and conservation of various properties under their oversight, including national monuments and national historic sites. This website provides access to current plans, environmental impact analyses, and related documents that are under review. Visitors to the site can search for plans by geographic region, by state, or by a drop-down menu of all of the various properties. The site also contains a number of other helpful links, including those that lead to a glossary of relevant terms and the Council on Environmental Policy. [KMG]
