First Amendment Center [pdf]
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
Developed in conjunction with Vanderbilt University, this site features excellent research coverage of key First Amendment issues and topics; along with a library of related materials and analyses provided by legal specialists who deal with the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The research materials available here are organized (appropriately enough) under the freedoms articulated by the First Amendment, including speech, press, religious liberty, assembly and petition. Within each of these broad thematic areas, there are a number of subtopics, such as free speech on public college campuses, workplace religious liberty, blue laws, and the rights of prisoners. One particularly nice feature is the inclusion of the "State of the First Amendment" survey reports, which have been conducted since 1997. Within this section, visitors can view the entire report, and also take a look at additional documents archived here, such as the 2002 report on "Comedy and Freedom of Speech." This site will certainly be of great interest to legal scholars, or those with an incipient interest in issues surrounding the First Amendment. [KMG]
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Percent Plans in College Admissions: A Comparative Analysis of Three States' Experiences [pdf]
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/affirmativeaction/tristate.pdf
Given the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the use of affirmation action polices in granting admission to the University of Michigan, this research paper, written by Catherine L. Horn and Stella M. Flores at Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, is both timely and important for those interested in higher education policy and the future of similar programs within institutions of higher learning. This particular 78-page report looks closely at the "percent plans" (by which a certain percent of the highest performing graduates of each high school within a given state are admitted to public universities) as a "response to the end of race-conscious affirmative action." The report hones in on Texas, California, and Florida, and draws on data from state agencies, the National Center for Education Statistics, interviews, and the U.S. Census. In the conclusion to their executive summary, the authors note that, "In the best of circumstances they (percent plans) have only been able to promote racial and ethnic diversity on campuses when they are coupled with recruitment, outreach, financial aid, and support programs targeted at underrepresented communities with large minority student populations." [KMG]
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West Point Bridge Design Contest [exe, pdf]
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/
The second annual West Point Bridge Design Contest concluded in May 2003. Although it is uncertain whether the contest will receive funding for future competitions, its Web site has a number of educational resources for middle and high school students. The main feature is the bridge design software, which allows the user to "model, test, and optimize a steel highway bridge, based on realistic specifications, constraints, and performance criteria." Completed designs can be submitted online for unofficial judging. The book, Designing and Building File-Folder Bridges, can also be freely downloaded. This site is also reviewed in the July 4, 2003 NSDL MET Report. [CL]
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The Impact of Collaborative Planning on Governance Capacity [pdf]
http://www-iurd.ced.berkeley.edu/pub/WP-2003-03.pdf
The question of institutional effectiveness and the efficacy of institutions to respond quickly to the forces that underlie globalization have piqued the interest of many scholars and pundits, particularly after the events of 9/11. In this 27-page working paper from the Institute of Urban and Regional Development at Berkeley, Professor Judith E. Innes and David E. Booher look at the ability of institutions to effectively build capacity, how this capacity can be utilized to create meaningful change within governance, and how this capacity might also aid in collaborative planning schemes. As they note in their introduction, "This paper is concerned with governance and how some new forms of collaborative dialogue, policy making, and action are filling the gaps left as our formal institutions of government are failing to carry out their responsibilities or where no agency has jurisdiction." The paper goes on to describe how several different theories may be applied in order to rectify these situations in which complex governance and policy decisions seem to remain inadequately addressed. [KMG]
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American Women: A Gateway to Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/
In 2001 the Library of Congress created the print publication, "American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States." The guide was recently redesigned for online use with the addition of illustrations and links to existing digitized material in order to provide a small sample of the Library's vast holdings in this area. As such, the site is not a collection of digital items, but rather an introduction (and a very thorough one) to those researchers working in the area of American women's history. Along with the guide, the home page provides information that will help researchers planning to do on-site research at the Library of Congress, tips on searching for women's history resources in the catalogs, and information about Web broadcasts from events sponsored by the Library that are available through different Web sites. Some of the more recent broadcasts that are available include Amy Shapiro's discussion of her biography of the New Jersey Congresswoman, Millicent Fenwick, and a talk with Ann Hoog (a folk life specialist at the Library of Congress) about the "man-on-the-street" interviews conducted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. [KMG]
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The Hemingway Resource Center [RealOne Player]
http://www.lostgeneration.com/
Ernest Hemingway is perhaps one of the most celebrated, and at times, most reviled, American authors of the twentieth century; but his prodigious body of work continues to be the subject of heated debate and great admiration. While this particular site does contain some commercial advertisements, it also contains an extended biographical essay on Hemingway, several bibliographies, and a FAQ section that answers some often asked questions about certain aspects of his life and writings. The site also contains a multimedia section that, while only containing one item, is worth a look. That piece is a clip of Hemingway reading an excerpt of his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, which includes the line where he notes that, "Writing, at its best, is a lonely life." The links section rounds out the site, providing numerous related Web sites of note, such as those to the Hemingway Society site, and a link to an online tour of Hemingway's home in Key West. [KMG]
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Law in Mexico Before the Conquest
http://www.law.utexas.edu/rare/aztec/Home.htm
While first-hand accounts of legal practices within Mayan and Aztec society are almost non-existent, this fine online exhibit produced by the Tarlton Law Library staff at the University of Texas documents some of what is currently known about the law in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The exhibit draws on several well-known sources, such as the History of the Things of New Spain (written by the Franciscan missionary Fray Bernardino de Sahagun) and the Codex Mendoza, a report to the Spanish crown about its new land holdings in the New World. The topics covered by the exhibit include the practice of tribute, property law, slavery, and, of course, punishment. Each section features a brief overview of the featured theme, along with illustrations from documents such as the Codex Mendoza. The exhibit concludes with a selection of relevant links, including an excellent bibliography of resources on Aztec and Maya law compiled by Mike Widener, the head of Special Collections. [KMG]
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