Research and Education
Most people have probably heard about the recent troubles with mad cow disease, but they might not know much about the broader changes that have occurred with meat production over the past fifty years. This compelling 124-page report, released in April 2008, takes a close look into the nature of industrial meat production in America. The report was funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The report is divided into four separate chapters and a conclusion, and the sections cover environmental risks, animal welfare, and public health concerns. Most visitors will also want to take a look at the substantive recommendations offered by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production which concludes the report. Additionally, there is a shorter version of the report that's also available on the site. [KMG]
Formed as a cooperative project between Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the Center for Citizen Media, the Citizen Media Law Project (CMLP) was established "to provide education, legal training, and resources for individuals and organizations involved in citizen media." For journalists, academics, and lawyers, this site will prove to be an indispensable resource. First-time visitors will want to start with the "Looking for Help?" area. Among other things, this area contains the online Citizen Media Legal Guide which is designed to help citizen media creators with such issues as defamation, privacy torts, intellectual property matters, and newsgathering. The section also contains information about finding a lawyer and how to get involved with the CMLP. Additionally, visitors can use their search engine to find specific resources and they will definitely want to glance over their weblog. [KMG]
http://130.74.92.141/harris.php
Sheldon Harris was an avid record collector, and he began his collection as a young man growing up in Brooklyn. During his life, he also served as the blues editor of "Jazz & Pop Magazine", and also found time to publish an important biographical dictionary of blues singers and an oral history of jazz as told by jazz trombonist and blues singer, Clyde E.B. Bernhardt. This particular digital sheet music collection pays tribute to his work, and it was created by The University of Mississippi Department of Archives and Special Collections. Visitors can browse the sheet music at their leisure, and the holdings are particularly strong in the blues and early minstrel numbers. There are a number of ways to complete searches, as users can browse the selections by creator, decade, publisher, or geographic region. Items of note in the collection include "Jazzin' the Blues Away", "I'm Saving Up The Means To Get To New Orleans" and the W.C. Handy-penned classic "Memphis Blues". [KMG]
http://hrw.org/reports/2008/icc0708/
The International Criminal Court (ICC) began operations in 2003, and the Human Rights Watch organization recently released this detailed look into the first few years of their operations. The 244-page report was released in July 2008, and it is divided into eight chapters that cover the ICC's various divisions, including the Office of the Prosecutor, victim and witness protection, and outreach and communications. Commenting on the report Richard Dicker, the International Justice Program director at Human Rights Watch, said, "the court should tackle real shortcomings so that its work resonates in the communities most affected by major international crimes." The report is also available in French and Japanese, and for persons with a penchant for international law or human rights; it is well worth a look. [KMG]
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/HumanEcol/subcollections/MillineryBooksAbout.html
From millinery to dressmaking, this excellent digital collection from the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections group brings together a myriad of books from the early 20th century on the world of such matters, along with forays into costume design. Interestingly enough, the University of Wisconsin offered courses in these fields in the 1910s and 1920s. Visitors can start their exploration of these materials by browsing through a few of the titles, which include Florence Anslow's 1922 work "Practical Millinery" and Gene Allen Martin's "Make Your Own Hats" from 1921. In total, this collection contains 36 complete works, and visitors may be inspired by the site to create their own costumes, dresses, and so on. [KMG]
The BBC has created a number of fine online subject guides based on their own programming, and the BBC Health site continues in that exemplary tradition. First-time visitors may want to look over the "Explore" section in order to get a feel for the site. Here they will find resources on preparing for surgery, fertility drugs, staying healthy after 50, and a number of lively message boards. After that, visitors will want to move around to sections that include "Your weight", "Men's health", "Women's health", and "First aid". Visitors shouldn't miss the clips from their recent programs either, particularly the show "Make My Body Younger", which features doctors working with people who are trying to change some of their particularly unhealthy behaviors. [KMG]
http://www.bioedonline.org/slides/slide01.cfm?tk=55
The Baylor College of Medicine's BioEd website is a veritable cornucopia of biology teaching resources. Recently, they added a new video presentation and slide set that will delight science educators everywhere. Titled "The Pathway to Genomic Medicine", these materials were created by Dr. Richard Gibbs, Director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Throughout both the slide set and the video presentation, Dr. Gibbs offers specific information about recent progress made in this area that will help educators better understand some of these developments. Overall, it's quite a resource, and one that can be used in high school and college science classrooms. Visitors should also note that each slide contains keywords, so they should feel free to search the slides this way, if they are so inclined. [KMG]
Since the last time the Scout Report looked in on The Digital South Asia Library, it has grown tremendously, and scholars with an interest in reference and research materials on South Asia will be delighted to learn about the many new additions to the site. The project is based at the Center for Research Libraries, and participants in the project include the Library of Congress, the Asia Society, the British Library, and the South Asia Microform Project. The materials are contained within eight primary sections on the homepage, including "Indexes", "Images", "Maps", and "Statistics". The "Maps" section contains two complete Imperial gazetteers of India, along with "A Historical Atlas of South Asia" from 1992. Next, the "Statistics" area contains the "Statistical Abstract relating to British India" from 1840 to 1920. Overall, the site is a standout resource for those studying this region, and educators will find much to recommend to their students who are seeking primary and secondary source materials. [KMG]
