Research and Education
In early spring, some people’s hearts turn to thoughts of love and ardor. For some, their hearts may turn to thoughts of archaeological digs in Albania, ancient Cyrene, and even Bolivia. For those in the latter category, the website of Archaeology Magazine should be a most welcome find. The site has a number of fine features, including interactive digs of George Washington’s distillery and the city of Sagalassos in modern-day Turkey. The online essays offered here are all quite interesting, and they run the gamut from extended pieces on the ongoing antiquities trials in Rome to critical reviews of recently-published works on Crete and other well-known sites. Visitors who are looking for back issues of the magazine will not be disappointed, as the site contains selected articles from issues dating back to 1996. For those who want to stay abreast of the most recent archaeological news, the homepage has a “Latest News” section, which is updated every weekday. [KMG]
http://images.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/i/image/image-idx?c=sketchbook
Raised in and around Pittsburgh during the 19th century, Stephen Foster grew up singing in an all-male secret club and receiving some modest musical training from a local German immigrant, Henry Kleber. He soon became intensely interested in song-writing, and his first published song, “Open Thy Lattice Love”, appeared when he was 18. Of course, he went on to write around 285 songs, including such old chestnuts as “Beautiful Dreamer”, “Camptown Races”, and of course “Oh! Susanna”. The University of Pittsburgh’s Digital Library has digitized his sketchbook and placed it online for the general web-browsing public. Visitors can search the sketchbook by song title, or simply browse the pages at their leisure. There are a number of real finds here, including drafts of “While the Bowl Goes Round” and “Thou Art the Queen of My Song”. [KMG]
http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/analysis/20060215_iraqreport.pdf
During the months of November and December 2005, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution brought together a group of experts on Iraq to engage in a critical discussion about US policy. Upon the completion of their work, the Center’s Director, Kenneth M. Pollack, created this intelligent and thoughtful paper that details an alternative approach to the current US policies in Iraq. Released in February 2006, the paper contains three primary chapters, and for those pressed for time, there is also an executive summary at the beginning of the report. The report makes a number of interesting recommendations, including noting that providing basic safety for Iraqis must be the primary priority of US policy. Perhaps the most intriguing observations are in the realm of economic development and reconstruction. Some of these recommendations include rehabilitating Iraq’s agricultural sector and also assisting Iraq with its numerous structural problems. [KMG]
In 2003, the Public Library of Science (PLOS) began a rather ambitious and most welcome project that would effectively offer unlimited access to the latest scientific research by creating a number of high-quality, open access journals. The first journal, PLOS Biology was launched three years ago, and since then, PLOS has created several additional journals dealing with medicine, computational biology, and genetics. Visitors should feel free to browse through back issues of each journal, and download various articles that might be of interest. Along with access to these peer-edited journals, users should also take a look at their “News & Events” area, which contains information about upcoming conferences and events sponsored by PLOS and other scientific organizations and professional groups. [KMG]
In 1848, a group of women and men gathered in Seneca Falls, New York in order to convene the first Women’s Rights Convention. 121 years later, a like-minded group of citizens established the National Women’s Hall of Fame in a historic bank building located in the city’s downtown. Over the past several decades, the organization has seen fit to induct 217 distinguished women into the Hall of Fame, and this site provides information about each of them. Visitors can search the members of the Hall of Fame by last name, or just by browsing a complete list of all inductees. Each entry contains a brief biographical sketch, and a photograph of the inductee. Visitors may also wish to learn about nominating a woman to the Hall of Fame, or even take a look through their online shop. [KMG]
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/negroeswithguns/
Even for those who are quite knowledgeable about the history of the civil rights movement, the name Rob Williams may not be quite as familiar as others associated with this era of American history. This fine site, designed to accompany a recent Independent Lens documentary, will allow visitors to learn about his activities within this turbulent period. Williams is perhaps best-remembered for his efforts to encourage African-Americans to arm themselves against violent racists and his controversial radio show “Radio Free Dixie”, which was broadcast from Havana. First-time visitors may wish to view the documentary’s trailer, and then they should definitely take a look at the section dedicated to Radio Free Dixie. Here they may listen to music and speeches from those influential and ground-breaking broadcasts. As with the rest of the Independent Lens sites, visitors can also learn about the filmmakers of the documentary, and offer their own feedback on the program. [KMG]
