NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/nsdl-reports/met/2003/met-030815.html
The thirteenth issue of the second volume of the MET Report is available. Its Topic in Depth section offers Web sites and comments about Machine Vision.
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Shopping the City: Real Estate Finance and Urban Retail Development [pdf]
http://www.brookings.edu/dybdocroot/es/urban/publications/20030722_Rosen.pdf
Beginning in the early 1990s, the urban cores of many American cities experienced a building renaissance, with the construction of new commercial buildings and tourist-themed facilities continuing apace for over a decade. Despite this development, inner city retail development has generally stagnated over the past few years, with the exception of a few cities. In this 32-page report released in July 2003, Kenneth T. Rosen, Grace J. Kim, and Avani A. Patel examines "the major changes in the real estate finance marketplace, the implications of those changes on development decisions, and public policy actions that could facilitate projects in these markets." In the paper, the authors note that despite the strong economy of the 1990s, most corporations dealing in institutional real estate projects have elected to work on projects in smaller suburban markets, and in a select few cities that have robust downtown areas. Overall, this paper is a compelling look at the nature of the retail markets in urban areas, and what type of public policy interventions might encourage increased investment in these areas. [KMG]
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Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators 2003 [pdf]
http://www.cordis.lu/indicators/third_report.htm
CORDIS (Community Research & Development Information Service) is a service provided by the European Union in an effort to coordinate the dissemination of information regarding the latest research and innovative practices originating from (and about) member countries, and throughout the EU as a whole. This particular link from their main page leads to the Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators, published in March 2003, and authored by a team of international researchers led by Ugur Muldur. The impetus for the report arose from discussions at recent summits held in Lisbon and Barcelona where EU governments "affirmed the status of research policy as a central pillar of Europe's strategy towards the knowledge-based economy." While the report in its entirety is over 400 pages, more casual readers will be able to browse through sections that deal with such topics as the "brain drain" from Europe, industry-university cooperation in research and development, and the Europe's future participation in the biotech and nanotechnology industries. [KMG]
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The Pew Charitable Trusts [pdf]
http://www.pewtrusts.org/
Consisting of seven individual charitable funds established between 1948 and 1979 by the children of Sun Oil company founder Joseph N. Pew, the Pew Charitable Trusts support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Each of these programmatic areas is managed by a director responsible for coordinating the grant review process. For nonprofit organizations seeking grants in any one of these areas, the Pew Charitable Trusts Web site is a valuable online resource. Along with providing information about grant opportunities, the site contains a host of provocative reports and papers generated by grantees receiving funds from the Trusts, and material generated by the in-house research staff. Visitors can also sign up to receive email updates about the Trusts' different activities, ranging from new grant competitions and current and timely research briefs and reports. [KMG]
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International Association of Universities
http://www.unesco.org/iau/
Founded in 1950 under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Association of Universities is a worldwide association of universities. In addition to placing a premium on international cooperation between member institutions and organizations, the IAU is dedicated "to the development of the long-term vision of the university's role and responsibilities in society" and "to promoting access to higher education and equal opportunities for students." Visitors new to the site will want to read through the organization's mission statement available from the homepage, along with their constitution, and activities reports for the period from 1995 to 2000. From the homepage visitors may also look through the IAU's information center, and learn about its thematic priorities, which include sustainable development, globalization, and intercultural dialogue. Finally, visitors may also read about upcoming conferences and meetings dealing with higher education and peruse recent publications such as "Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education". [KMG]
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History of the FBI
http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/history/historymain.htm
Founded in 1908 by Attorney General Charles Bonaparte, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has served the people and government of the United States for close to a century. Interestingly enough, many of the first FBI agents were in fact former Secret Service Employees appointed by Bonaparte. Provided and maintained by staff members at the FBI, this site provides brief essays about the different periods of the organization's history, ranging from the so-called "Lawless" years from 1921 to 1933 to the rise of international crime in the 1980s. The essays address a wide array of topics ranging from the long career of J. Edgar Hoover as the head of the FBI, the creation of the "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list, and combating domestic Communist activity in post-World War II America. The site is rounded out by transcriptions of relevant historic documents dealing with the organization's early history, such as Attorney General Bonaparte's request for a detective force within the Department of Justice. [KMG]
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Two on Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren
http://www.robertpennwarren.com/
The Academy of American Poets
http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?45442B7C000C0702
Born in 1905 in Guthrie, Kentucky, Robert Penn Warren was a giant of American letters through the twentieth century; he was exceptionally versatile when writing poetry, novels, and literary criticism. As a young man, Warren entered Vanderbilt University at the age of 16, where he came under the tutelage of Allen Tate, John Crowe Ransom, and Andrew Lytle. Warren spent many years as a college professor, and while at Louisiana State University he founded (along with two colleagues) The Southern Review. All told, Warren published sixteen volumes of poetry during his life (two of which were awarded the Pulitzer Prize), and numerous novels, including the Pulitzer-Prize winning morality tale, All the King's Men. Warren was also the first Poet Laureate of the United States, appointed by President Ronald Reagan. The first Web site offers a biography of Warren, and information about various conferences dedicated to his work. The second link leads to a page about Robert Penn Warren provided by the Academy of American Poets where visitors can read some of his poems, including Evening Hawk, Mortal Limit, and Tell Me A Story. [KMG]
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Stories of Krishna: The Adventures of a Hindu God [Macromedia Flash Reader]
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/intimateWorlds/enter.asp#
To complement its current exhibition, Intimate Worlds: Masterpieces of Indian Painting, on view through September 7, 2003, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) presents Stories of Krishna. Appropriately, Intimate Worlds (the title of the larger exhibition) appears as the window title when the Web exhibition opens in its own reduced window on your computer screen. The audio intro explains the function of these small, richly detailed images from 14th through 19th century India; these "playful paintings" were to be enjoyed at leisure, offering both serious and amusing glimpses of courtly life, romantic encounters, and tales of Hindu gods. The Web exhibition is an example of the last category, telling stories of Krishna (an incarnation of the God Vishnu), from birth through his many adventures. [DS]
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Extra Ordinary Every Day: The Bauhaus at the Busch-Reisinger [Macromedia Flash Reader]
http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/sites/eoed/index.html
Led by Walter Gropius and his fellow design collaborators, the Bauhaus was one of the most important and influential design schools of the twentieth century, extending its influence throughout much of Europe and the United States. Within the Bauhaus there was also a strong interest in designing objects for everyday life and utility. Drawing on the collection of the Busch-Reisinger Museum at Harvard, this online exhibit "highlights the alternatively individual and collective aspects of creativity at the Bauhaus, and asks the visitor to consider what other connections might emerge amongst these objects." The exhibit itself explores five primary categories of objects produced by members of the Bauhaus, including lamps, chairs, homes, stages, and automobiles. Particularly fascinating is the automobile section, where visitors can view the drawings by Herbert Bayer and the angular abstractions of Paul Klee. [KMG]
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The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/
"It was a dark and stormy night," so begins one of the most reviled first lines in literary history, composed by that somewhat obscure 19th century British author, Edward George Bulwer-Lytton. Since 1982 the English department at San Jose State University has sponsored the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, challenging entrants to compose the opening sentence to "the worst of all possible novels." The contest has attracted international attention, as journalists and television hosts (ranging from Charles Osgood to George F. Will) have commented on this tribute to the hackneyed writing style of the much-maligned author. On the contest homepage, visitors can read about the contest details, learn more about Bulwer-Lytton and his literary legacy, and peruse a list of the grand prize winners from the past 20 years. Overall this is a fun site to browse through, and one that may serve as a catalyst for additional submissions to this annual competition. [KMG]
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The Ultimate Cary Grant Pages [Quick Time, RealOne Player]
http://www.carygrant.net/
Maintained and developed by Debbie Dunlap, a devoted fan, this site pays homage to Cary Grant (whose real name was the slightly less marquee-friendly, Archibald Leach), one of Hollywood's leading men during the 20th century. The site provides a host of material about Grant, his films, and his life, including a filmography, movie reviews, a photo gallery, a sound gallery, and links to old radio shows in which Cary Grant appeared. The sound gallery is an excellent part of the site, as visitors can listen to audio clips from Grant vehicles like North by Northwest, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Charade. Visitors will learn quite a bit about Cary Grant from the site, including the fact that he never won an Academy Award for his acting, although he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1970 for his life's work. [KMG]
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Moving Here: 200 Years of Migration To England
http://www.movinghere.org.uk/
Though it can truly be said that during the nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries that "the sun never set on the British Empire," the story of those who came to Britain from various far-flung corners of the Commonwealth is sometimes overlooked. This lovely archive of documents, images, and first-hand narratives celebrates and explores why people came to Britain, along with looking at the current experiences of these various groups today. Culled from over 30 local, national, and regional museums and libraries around Britain, the site primarily looks at the Caribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian communities. First-time visitors will want to begin by looking at the migration histories area, which contains detailed portraits of these communities, illuminated by first-hand accounts, digitized primary documents, and sound clips. Without a doubt, the most moving part of the site is the stories section, where fellow travelers have submitted their own personal migration stories, accompanied in many cases by family photographs and other visual materials. [KMG]
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JAlbum 3.5 [Macintosh and Windows Operating Systems]
http://www.datadosen.se/jalbum/
This latest version of this fine photo album program allows custom image and directory ordering, along with a feature that skips directories that do not contain valid images or media files. As with previous versions, users can modify the appearance of each album through the use of skins, add image filters, and add movie files with relative ease. Additionally, there is quite a bit of support available through the users forum and a FAQ section. JAlbum 3.5 is compatible with all systems running Windows 95 and higher or those running Mac OS X and higher. [KMG]
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MereSurfer 2003 4.01
http://www.meresoft.com/
MereSurfer 2003 4.01 is a small application that functions as a browser extension for Internet Explorer. Essentially the extension stops pop-up ads, fixes web bugs, along with erasing tracks of internet activity such as cookies and typed URLs. Another feature of the program allows users to prevent trusted domains from being affected by MereSurfer. From the application's Web site, users can also learn about available upgrades and read about how the program operates. The program is compatible with all systems running Windows 95 and higher. [KMG]
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Team of Paleontologists Discovers New Dinosaur Species
New dinosaur species found in India
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IE320030814031339&Title=Features+-+Health+%26+Science&rLink=166
U. of C. dinosaur hunter IDs new species
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-dino13.html
Paul Sereno's Dinosaur Web Site
http://dinosaur.uchicago.edu/
Project Exploration
http://www.projectexploration.org/
BBC: Walking with Dinosaurs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dinosaurs/
Scientific American: Lone Offender Killed the Dinosaurs
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00017020-EA33-1C5A-B882809EC588ED9F
Working as part of a joint expedition, scientists from India and the United States (including the well-known paleontologist Paul Sereno from the University of Chicago) announced this Wednesday that they discovered a new carnivorous dinosaur species in the Narmada River region in western India. Based on the bones located by the team, this newly discovered species of dinosaur was between 25-30 feet long, had a horn above its skull, and was relatively heavy. As part of a collaborative effort with Jeff Wilson of the University of Michigan, Sereno reconstructed the dinosaur skull and presented a model to their Indian colleagues at Punjab University. It is believed that the new species (named Rajasaurus narmadensis) roamed the Southern Hemisphere land masses that constitute modern-day Madagascar, Africa, and South America. Utilizing these new findings, scientists hope to shed additional light on the potential cause of the dinosaurs' extinction, a subject that is often debated within the community of paleontologists.
The first link leads to a news article about this recent find from Newind.com. The second link will take visitors to another news article from the Chicago Sun-Times that talks about Serenos latest find. The third link leads to Paul Sereno's personal Web site from the University of Chicago, and contains interesting information about his numerous expeditions and his various experiences as an educator and scientist. The fourth link leads to the Project Exploration Web site, an organization founded by Sereno and his wife, Gabrielle Lyon, that is dedicated to making science "accessible to the public-with a special focus on city kids and girls." Here visitors can learn about the groups' many outreach programs, along with reading about events sponsored by the organization. The fifth link leads to a fabulous Web site provided by the BBC geared towards young people that features fact files on dinosaurs, a detailed chronology of their time on Earth, and several interactive games. The sixth and final link leads to a brief piece from Scientific American.com that talks a bit about the controversy surrounding the cause of the mass extinction of dinosaurs approximately 65 million years ago. [KMG]
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