General Interest
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/firstworldwar
Almost all of the remaining veterans of World War One have passed on, but the "Great War" remains a subject of considerable interest for the general public and historians alike. This intriguing site created by the Guardian newspaper in Britain features slideshows, articles, and a set of external links to additional websites of note. First-time visitors may wish to click on the "Series" section to read the four part set of articles that delves into topics such as "The western front" and "The road to war". The site also does a nice job of weaving in modern commentary and editorials on the current state of European affairs and armed conflicts both throughout the Continent and in other regions of the world. Additionally, the site also contains video clips of veterans talking about their time in the trenches and historians commenting on the legacy of this tremendous conflict. [KMG]
http://www.worldarchitecture.org/main/
The World Architecture Community website is the genuine article, and even a cursory look reveals that people are posting items to this site from Bangalore to Buffalo. New users can go to the left-hand side of the site to register, and then they can look through the various architectural directories, which include architects, buildings, critics, and theorists. In the buildings area, the buildings available for consideration are divided into more detailed thematic categories, including "Work Places", "Public Buildings", and "Public Infrastructure". Moving on, the site also includes an excellent section dedicated to "Theory and Issues". Here visitors can read about sustainable development, semiotics, design, and urban issues. All told, this site is a tremendous resource for architects, urban planners, and students of cities in general. [KMG]
http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/The_State_of_the_Worlds_Children_2008.pdf
UNICEF has been intimately involved with the wellbeing of the world's children since its founding, and the release of their annual report on such affairs is a highly anticipated event. This heavily detailed 164-page report looks into the world of children in five chapters that include "Child Survival: Where we stand" and "Lessons learned from evolving health-care systems and practices". Within each chapter visitors will also find information on child mortality rates around the globe, community public health partnerships, and health care systems in the developing world. Visitors who might be pressed for time can read the summary at the beginning of the document, though most persons with a direct and immediate interest in this subject will probably want to read the entire report. [KMG]
http://www.macworld.com/howto.html
Who doesn't want to know about important new tricks and tips for their Mac? For those who would like to know about such useful information, this site offered by MacWorld is a real find. First-time visitors can check out the top row along the homepage to check out the latest tips, and then they can navigate down a bit to the "Most Recent" and "Most Popular" tips areas. Visitors looking for specific types of tips can use the category headings to look for help with video, audio, graphics, web publishing, and programming. That's not all, as users can also take advantage of timely tips for iPods (and related accessories), digital cameras, scanners, and printers. [KMG]
The Canadian Heritage Information Network, along with Virtual Museum Canada, has created an excellent online exhibit about the Innu people of Labrador and eastern Quebec, focusing on their activities before the settlement of the Europeans. On the homepage visitors will be asked to select a language, English or French, then they will be able to navigate throughout the online exhibit. To get an overview of the Innu people, click on "Introduction" in the menu at the top of the page. For a unique look at two typical journeys by two different families, click on "Travel" in the menu. From there, visitors can choose the journey they want to follow, by either clicking on the map itself, or choosing from the menu at the side of the map. Each journey is composed of episodes that describe what is going on in that leg of the journey. Visitors shouldn't miss listening to the short recordings of some members of the tribe describe various materials, tools, and activities in their native language, Innu-aimun. The underlined words in the text are those that have the audio feature, as well as a more comprehensive written description of the object or concept and footnotes are also provided for unfamiliar words. Short films are included in some of the episodes that were taken in the 1920's to '40s. By clicking on "Exhibit Gallery" visitors can view a plethora of Innu objects from various museum collections, and each object is accompanied by text, photos of the objects being used, and audio clips. The "Collections" tab on the menu will lead to the site's search engine. Finally, the "People and Places" tab on the menu provides a look at the artwork of Innus, the stories of Innu youth, the biographies of the elders of the community, and information on the "Communities and Institutions" of the Innu. Some of the information available on each of the communities includes their website address, statistical information, and general information. [KMG]
http://media.moma.org/subsites/2008/miro/
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's online exhibition: Joan Miro: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927-1937 is a great-looking website. Miro's work can be viewed in several different ways. Click on "Chronology" at the bottom of the page, and you'll see a timeline with paintings, collages, assemblages from the exhibit, as well as ones not in the exhibit. Roll over a work and you'll get the title, click on the work and you'll get a description of it, and be able to zoom in on the image of the work. With the high quality close-up you can see the brush strokes on the canvas. By clicking on "Series," at the bottom of the page, you can see his works divided up by series, and by rolling over the works you can see the series titles, such as "Paintings Based on Collages", "Constructions and Objects", and "Small Paintings on Masonite and Copper". Visitors shouldn't miss looking at the collages, and the paintings based on them, side-by-side in "Paintings Based on Collages". Another approach to categorizing Miro's works is by "Relative Size." Laid out much like a timeline, but neither in date order or ascending (or descending) size, the visitor can click on each work to read its description. Finally, at the bottom left of the page, you'll find "Filter", where you can choose within Methods, Supports, Mediums, and Materials, the filters you want for the content of the site. For instance, you can choose to see only "collages", done on "masonite" using "tempera" and "printed paper". After you choose the filters, click again on "Series", "Chronology", "Relative Size", or "Index", and see only those works that fit the criteria of the filters you selected. [KMG]
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/
Created by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the "Voices on Antisemitism" podcast series provides a "broad range of perspectives about antisemitism and hatred today." With funding from the Oliver and Elizabeth Stanton Foundation, this series contains over 50 conversations with Holocaust survivors, judges from South Africa, and German scholar Matthias Küntzel. Visitors can browse through the podcasts, subscribe to the RSS feed, and even offer comments on each program. Along the right hand side of the homepage, visitors can view a collection of "Related Links", which include articles from the Holocaust Encyclopedia and detailed subject bibliographies. Additionally, there are guidelines for educators who wish to discuss the Holocaust in their classrooms. [KMG]
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/divineart/
This exhibition from the Art Institute of Chicago showcases the Museum's impressive tapestry collection, primarily acquired by donation from Chicago's wealthy merchants and industrialists, who purchased European artifacts in volume during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The website is divided into several sections, including "Tapestries in Context", with information on the uses and major periods and styles of tapestry production, from the Golden Age (most of the 16th century) through the Industrial Revolution. There is a tapestry technology section, "Tapestry Design and Weaving", that explains the collaborative nature of tapestries, from artist's design, to cartoon, to actual weaving. The website also includes digital images of about 15 selected works, such as A Falconer with Two Ladies and a Foot Soldier, c. 1500, a Golden Age tapestry in the millefleur style. [DS]
