http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/alajournals/

Abraham Lincoln has been the subject of a variety of works, including plays, poems, songs, music videos, movies, and countless academic studies and dissertations. Between 1940 and 1952, the Abraham Lincoln Association published 52 issues of "The Abraham Lincoln Quarterly," which contained original articles regarding all facets of Lincoln's life and the world in which he lived. The University of Michigan digitized all of these volumes and they are now available on this site. There are hundreds of articles here, but visitors might do well to start with the very first one from the very first volume: "When War Came in 1861." Another fascinating article is the piece "Italy and Lincoln" from March 1944, which addresses the response to Lincoln's assassination from the Italian people. [KMG]

http://www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/research/specialcollections/planofchicago/

Noted architect and planner Daniel Burnham once said "Make no small plans." It was his mantra, and when he worked on the celebrated 1909 Plan of Chicago, he certainly thought big. This wonderful exhibit from the Art Institute of Chicago brings together some of the original drafts, meeting minutes, and images related to this landmark in urban planning history. These items are divided into four sections, which include Before the Plan, Creating the Plan, and Drafts of the Plan. The homepage contains a biographical sketch of Burnham, along with one of his collaborator, Edward H. Bennett. The Drafts of the Plan area is marvelous, as visitors can peruse and download specific documents such as "Plan for a Boulevard to Connect the North and South Sides of the River on Michigan Avenue and Pine Street." The site also includes lantern slides, catalog records for the various items, and links to the official homepage of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's department of architecture and design. [KMG]

http://www.nature.com/news/specials/2012/index.html

Nature magazine presents a yearly round-up of key science issues and discoveries, and this website provides non-subscribers access to this tremendous resource. On the website, visitors can look over the Nature's 10 feature, which provides information on the human stories behind the key developments from the year, including tales of Adam Steltzner, who made sure the Curiosity rover touched down safely on Mars. After learning about these amazing stories and people, visitors can look over the 366 Days feature. Here they can learn about the daily scientific events of the past year in a variety of media, including slide shows, instructional videos, and guided classroom activities. Additionally, the site includes Readers' Choice awards from the past year and a detailed exploration of what life might be like in 2062. [KMG]

http://publications.nigms.nih.gov/insidelifescience/

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences has worked to create this excellent series of articles that help explain "how basic biomedical research - from the history of a field to the people doing cutting-edge work today - lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention." First-time visitors might want to check out articles like "What Students Want to Know About Cells," "Remarkable RNAs," and "Forecasting Flu" to get the flavor of the site. Each article contains illustrative material, such as photos, charts, diagrams, and links to other relevant publications. Visitors can share these articles via email or sign up to receive the site's free newsletter. Finally, visitors can also locate articles by general topic: Cell Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, and several others. [KMG]

http://medievalmap.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do

Created at Harvard University, the Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilization (DARMC) makes the best available materials for a geographic information systems (GIS) approach to mapping and spatial analysis of the Roman and medieval worlds. The DARMC draws on the cartographic achievements of previous researchers, including the "Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World" by Richard J.A. Talbert. By using this site, visitors can trace Roman road networks, bridges, aqueducts, the cities and settlements of the empire, Roman military installations, and so on. Visitors can read the introduction, and then click on over to the Maps area. Here they can toggle data layers on and off to explore. Some of the themes here include Cluniac Houses, British Monasteries, and Universities. Visitors can also use the Data Sources section to delve into the particularities on each theme and map layer. [KMG]

http://agclassroom.org/

The Agriculture in the Classroom initiative is designed to "improve agricultural literacy." The organization's work is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which works to develop the classroom programs, including fact sheets, lesson plans, and interactive activities. Visitors can make their way through five sections on the homepage, including State Programs, Teacher Center, and Student Center. In the Teacher Center, visitors will find lesson plans, state agricultural facts, and current and back issues of "AgroWorld." This publication brings together helpful information for students and teachers seeking to learn about integrated science, Earth systems, and family and consumer science. Moving along, the Student Center includes fun activities for younger children in the Kids' Zone, such as games that allow students to learn about farm activities and the world of agricultural science. [KMG]

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/florence/index.html

In the 14th century, creativity was the watchword of the city of Florence. The Renaissance was starting, and individuals like painter Giotto di Bondone were revolutionizing this corner of the fine arts. This historical moment in Italy is the inspiration for this singularly wonderful exhibit from the Getty Museum. The collection brings together works by Giotto, along with contemporaries like Bernardo Daddi, Taddeo Gaddi, Pacino de Bonaguida, and others. Visitors can make their way through this digital version of the exhibit via sections that include Devotional Art, Technical Studies, and Giotto & Pacino. One area that should not be missed here is The Laudario. Here visitors can examine 24 leaves from this exceptional manuscript that was disassembled in the early 19th century. What's even more excellent is that there's a bit of narration and context provided by curator Christine Sciacca. [KMG]

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/01/14-federalism-series-race-to-the-shop-katz

What's next for manufacturing in the United States? It's not an easy question, and fortunately the Brookings Institution has a number of highly qualified experts looking into this key area of the American economy. This recent 11-page paper from experts Bruce Katz and Peter Hamp suggest that a "race to the shop" competition for advanced manufacturing should be initiated in order "to expedite the transition toward a more innovate, productive, inclusive and globally competitive American economy." The paper suggests that such a competition would help challenge US states and metropolitan areas to align their policies and investments to meet the distinct labor demands of their primary advanced manufacturing sectors and clusters. The paper provides a bit of background and also continues to offer some specifics about a proposal and various governmental and private sector partners. [KMG]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/rise-of-the-drones.html

What is all this talk about drones? These flying robots can be quite tiny, and some are as large as massive commercial aircraft. NOVA has crafted this timely documentary that looks into their commercial and military uses. They were able to draw on rare access to drone engineers and those who fly them for the United States military to create this unique portrait. Over twelve individuals are profiled here, including Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution, Bill Sweetman of Aviation Week, and Matt Funk, the Navy's lead test engineer for the X-47B. The site also has a number of great bonus features, including profiles that include How Dumb Are Drones?, Imaging With Radar, and Where Combat Planes Retire. [KMG]

http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/collections/FPLHist

This remarkable project includes digital audio recorded interviews with 52 current and former employees of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. These persons were interviewed as part of an oral history project undertaken by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Oral History Program in cooperation with the Forest Products Laboratory. It's worth noting that the facility was the first of its kind focusing principally on the study and research into the physical properties and resource utilization of wood. The intent of the entire project is "to document the Forest Products Laboratory's history in their work to promote healthy forest and forest-based economies through the efficient, sustainable use of...wood resources in Wisconsin." Visitors can search the collection as they see fit, or just browse through the interviews. Each interview comes with an abstract, information about each segment of the interview, and a brief biographical sketch of the interviewee. [KMG]

http://www.seattle.gov/parks/history/sherwood.htm

The Seattle Parks & Recreation Sherwood History Files are the work of one Donald N. Sherwood, who worked as an engineer for the department for 22 years. In the course of his work, he began compiling sketch maps of the parks, and annotating them with historical tidbits and other pieces of information. Also, he began writing individual histories for each facility when the information didn't quite fit on the maps. This site afford interested parties access to these remarkable and truly unusual documents. All told, there are over 80 separate files here, documenting unique pieces of the Seattle parks landscape, including Alki Beach Park, Golden Gardens Park, and the celebrated Gas Works Park on Lake Union. For anyone with an interest in parks and recreation management or the Emerald City, this site will be a most welcome find. [KMG]

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/outreach/mammalian_zoonotic_course.jsp

How can people who work around wildlife stay safe? It's an important question, especially considering the spread of zoonotic diseases. This helpful instructional 90-minute seminar created by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) is designed to provide a basic overview of these diseases and their transmission. Visitors to the site can also learn about common routes of disease exposure and biosafety recommendations. The diseases discussed here include the plague, rabies, Lyme disease, giardia, and tularemia. This resource is perfect for persons in a variety of occupational settings, including zookeepers, animal control experts, and others. [KMG]

http://www.nmajh.org/

Established in 1976, the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) moved into a new building on Independence Mall in Philadelphia in 2010. Over its history, the NMAJH has explored American Jewish identity through "lectures, panel discussions, authors' talks, films, children's activities, theater, and music." On the web site, visitors can learn about exhibitions, education outreach programs, and collections. In the Collections area, visitors can make their way through original and wonderful items that tell the story of the American Jewish experience through art, immigration, childhood, and sports. Moving on, the Programs area has wonderful information on upcoming lectures, musical performances and discussion groups. The site is rounded out by a link to the museum's pressroom and adult education programs. [KMG]

http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/search/collection/byington

Iowa Byington Reed was born in 1851 and grew up in the Iowa City area. She was quite an accomplished seamstress, and she married William "Will" Reed in 1896. The University of Iowa acquired her papers and diaries and digitized them for access by the general public. Visitors can read through these works to learn about her daily life, her lengthy courtship with Will, and her visit to the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. The archive also contains the short diary of her brother, Robert Byington. Visitors can read through his diary to learn about the family's business ventures and his own struggle with the illness that would kill him. Users can read through each of the 34 items in order or browse by subject and keyword. [KMG]

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/anthropology-behavior/

The Smithsonian magazine's website brings together a tremendous amount of material related to just about any topic imaginable. This particular section of the site deals with materials related to anthropology and human behavior, broadly defined. First-time visitors can browse by looking through the Most Popular Science & Nature pieces, which are quite delightful. Also, the Editors' Picks include compelling articles on "The History of Boredom" and "Why Time is a Social Construct." Visitors can scan through the articles here as they see fit or use the search engine at the top of the site. Additionally, the site has a Videos area which brings together clips like "Using the Sun to Make Music" and "Bees in Slow Motion" for personal or classroom use. Finally, visitors can sign up for regular email updates from the magazine, including special offers and current news updates. [KMG]

http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/exhibitions/450

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SGFMOMA) has mounted a retrospective exhibition of the work of Jay DeFeo (1929-1989), who was active in the Bay area from the 1950s to the 1980s. The show will be on view at SFMOMA until February 3, 2013; on the website, select the Related Multimedia tab to see a selection of audio and video resources on DeFeo. Possibly most moving is Bruce Conner's film on DeFeo's most famous painting, "The Rose" (1958?66). DeFeo worked on the painting for eight years, until it took up an entire room of the apartment she shared with her husband, Wally Hedrick (1928-2003) and weighed roughly a ton. Conner's short film documents the day when "The Rose" was removed, since DeFeo and Hedrick had been evicted. It was shown twice in California, in 1969. Another video, "The afterlife of Jay DeFeo's The Rose" documents the conservation of "The Rose" in June of 1995, after spending 25 years in storage. After conservation, "The Rose" travelled to New York City, where it was featured in the Whitney Museum's exhibition, "Beat Culture and the New America, 1950-1965." [DS]

http://www.taggstar.com/

Making static images come alive with creative and interesting tags is a snap with Taggstar. Visitors can sign up here; all they need to do to get started is to copy and paste some code into their site. After this, visitors can add sophisticated tags to their site, rich with annotations, links to other sites, and so on. The program works with Tumblr, Wordpress, and so on. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

http://www.cooltweak.com/

Do you work with images on a regular basis? And are you interested in adding watermarks to these images? This process just got much easier with CoolTweak. It's quite simple to add watermarks and to share photographs. The neat thing here is that visitors can add their own distinctive watermark by adding their own custom text or logo. This version of CoolTweak is compatible with all computers running Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]

Starlings Flying in Flocks
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324039504578265962656166002.html#slide/1

Starlings are in Tennessee because of New York idea
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/14/starlings-are-in-tenn-because-of-ny-idea/

Finding lessons in owl's long flight
http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/01/27/airport-officials-strack-snowy-owl-unlikely-path-effort-avoid-bird-strikes/M4sSOTNUTYMTAF01crBPuK/story.html

Beautiful berries and birds a boon of winter
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/807976_Beautiful-berries-and-birds-a-boon-of-winter.html

BirdCast
http://birdcast.info/

Migration of Birds
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/migratio/routes.htm

Around this time of year, millions of starlings migrate to warmer climates. They aren't the only birds moving around the globe, as dozens of other species are seeking the same warm caress of the sun. This week, the Wall Street Journal published a remarkable slide show of starlings as they made their way across Pennsylvania, Scotland, Israel, and southern Germany. Humans have been fascinated with the migratory patterns of birds for millennia and scientists from upstate New York to Uppsala continue to study their habits. Interestingly enough, starlings have made inroads into certain areas for rather peculiar reasons. One example of this can be found in New York where a literary society studying the sonnets of Shakespeare released 60 of the birds into the wild. Of course, the immortal Bard wrote about these creatures, so the society thought it would be fun to have some on hand. By the 1920s, their number had spread as far south as Tennessee. [KMG]

The first link will take curious visitors to the very nice photo slideshow of starlings in transit provided courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. The second link will whisk users away to a recent news story from the Knoxville News about the movement of starlings from New York to Tennessee in the early 20th century. The third link will take interested parties to a fascinating article from this Sunday's Boston Globe about using GPS tracking technology to learn about the flight patterns of owls. Moving along, the fourth link will take visitors to a wonderful meditation on the joys of different berries and birds that can be found in the winter months, penned by Clyde McMillan-Gamber. The fifth link will take users to the most edifying BirdCast website. Here visitors can read up on bird migration forecasts in real-time, learn about the technology behind such forecasts, and also look over various publications. The final link will take visitors to a nice overview of bird migration, provided by the USGS's Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center.