Research and Education
http://www.masshist.org/revolution/
Before the American Revolution, the British colonies along the eastern seaboard of North America were a rather disparate group of competing entities. Strong dissatisfaction with various policies of the British government stirred them to action during the 1760s and 1770s. This fine website from the Massachusetts Historical Society takes visitors inside that struggle through official documents, personal correspondence, and newspaper pieces from those tumultuous decades. By clicking on the "Explore" section, visitors will have the opportunity to look into the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and other important documents from the period that led up to the actual Revolution. Moving on, the "Resources" area contains brief biographies of key players involved in this period of rebellion and resistance, including Abigail Adams and Thomas Paine. Finally, the site is rounded out by a section for teachers which includes lesson plans. [KMG]
Questions regarding asylum seekers and other related matters can be quite complex, so it's nice to learn about this particular website. European Country of Origin Information (ECOI).net "gathers, structures and processes publicly available country of origin information with a focus on the needs of asylum lawyers, refugee counsels and persons deciding on claims for asylum and other forms of international protection." Of course, the site will be of interest to anyone with a penchant for exploring issues related international affairs and relations, and they can start their journey through the site by clicking on the "Refugee Law Reader". Published by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Reader includes up-to-date core legal materials, instruments, and academic commentary. Visitors looking for information on a specific country can use the drop-down menu on the left-hand side of the homepage to locate such materials. Additionally, the site also features an advanced search engine for those persons who have specialized needs and requests. [KMG]
http://www.exploratorium.edu/sport/index.html
Looking at the processes and actions embedded within various team and individual sports is a great way to get exposed to concepts and ideas from physics, engineering, and any other number of basic and applied sciences. The Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco has developed this remarkable site that brings together interactive exhibits, activities, and video clips on the world of sport science. The materials here are organized primarily by sport, and visitors can check out "Skateboard Science", "Science of Surfing", and "Science of Cycling". After trying out a few of the activities in these sections, visitors should also make use of the "Articles" section. Here they will find pieces on why balls bounce (or why they fail to bounce) and the fitness challenge presented by Mt. Parinacota in South America. [KMG]
http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/ScotLit/ASLS/SWE/TBI/index.html
The Bottle Imp journal takes its name from an 1891 short story by Robert Louis Stevenson and it "exists to promote and support the teaching and study of Scottish literature and language." They pull no punches on their site when they note that "We're sure you'll find something to intrigue, inspire or annoy you!" The journal is a delightful find, and contributors to its pages include writers and academics from all over the world. Published by the Association for Scottish Literary Studies, the journal comes out twice a year, and visitors to their site can read current and past issues at no charge here. Regular columns in the journal include the "Scots Word of the Season", a listing of relevant conferences, and information on new publications. Past issues have also included trenchant pieces on Scottish Romanticism and the appearance of the devil in Scottish literature. [KMG]
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/briefroom/BriefRm
Policy wonks, planners, and those with a general penchant for statistics will thoroughly enjoy the U.S. Census Bureau's Economic Indicators homepage. For starters, the homepage alone would be a reason to visit, as it includes the most recent data on manufacturing and trade inventories in the U.S., along with retail and food service sales, international trade in goods and services, and data on new home sales. It's also worth mentioning that the information can be obtained and examined in different formats, and they also offer up historic indicators dating back to the 1950s and 1960s in many instances. Visitors to the site can also learn when the next data set will be released and they may also wish to read the program overview for each data set. [KMG]
http://www.rad.washington.edu/academics/academic-sections/msk/muscle-atlas/
Not enough people know about the world of musculoskeletal radiology, but this site can address some of those glaring gaps in medical and physiological knowledge. Created by Doctor Michael Richardson at the University of Washington, this online muscle atlas covers the lower and upper extremity, and is primarily designed for use by health science professionals. The site also includes some teaching and instructional materials related to radiology. Visitors will note that the site contains a table of contents, and all of the major muscles are listed alphabetically, from the Adductor Brevis to the Vastus Medialis. Additionally, for each muscle, visitors can view a high-quality image of the related muscle groups and the function of each muscle in question. [KMG]
More and more educators may wish to get involved with online teaching initiatives, but they may not be sure where to start. That's where the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT) steps in to provide a bit of assistance. JOLT is published four times a year, and its objectives are to enable faculty to use technology effectively in teaching and learning and also to enable academic programs to design and deploy academic technology. The journal has been published since the summer of 2005, and first-time visitors should take a look at the current issue to get a sense of their work. Visitors will find pieces on course management systems, creativity in online courses, and how to monitor and examine online discussions. Those who are so inclined should feel welcome to submit their own work for potential inclusion in a forthcoming volume. [KMG]
For well over a century, the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London has conducted a wide range of scholarly activities that cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries. This site serves as the publicly accessible repository of their research output, and it is made freely available to the general public. On their homepage, visitors can browse through the publications by year, department and research center, author, material type, and recent additions. Actually, the best way to get started is to look through the "Recent Additions" area and see some of the latest work, which could include anything from an ethnography on South Asian masculinity to rural development strategies in Malawi. It should be noted that not all of the submissions here include full-text versions, but regardless, there is a significant body of work here that is worthy of consideration. [KMG]
