·http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case/

Based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) "examines different dimensions of social disadvantage and analyses the impact of public policy." Through this broad mission, the Centre focuses primarily on children and families, poverty and exclusion, housing and neighborhoods, and taxation. Visitors can make their way through the Research Programmes area, along with a list of Publications, Events, and People. Policy folks and scholars will love the Publications area, as it includes policy briefs, reports, and other documents with compelling topics that span the struggle for human rights in Peru, the value of mixed community in expensive neighborhoods, and mapping the distribution of household wealth. [KMG]

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·http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/sheetmusic/

If you love Canadian history and music, you will most find this site most fetching. Created by the Library and Archives Canada, the site brings together intriguing and historically important sheet music from the past 150 years. The collection exists due to the diligence of Helmut Kallmann, a young CBC music librarian who began to collect sheet music in the early 1950s. Today, the archives contain over 20,000 pieces of sheet music, many of which are available online. In addition, the site offers a handful of musical clips that represent pre-1921 Canadian musicality. Visitors can Search Sheet Music to get started or browse the Gallery area. Here visitors can look around via themes, including Colleges, Flowers, Summer Sports, and Winter. It is worth noting that although we reviewed the English site, the archives are also available in French. [KMG]

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·http://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/

The Ascend initiative at the Aspen Institute is "a hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security." The folks at the Aspen Institute are focused on taking a "two-generation approach" to their work. This idea is outlined in areas that include Our Strategies, The Two-Generation Approach, Resources, and About Us. In the Our Strategies area, visitors can learn about the network the Aspen Institute is building to support the initiative, upcoming events, and related news and media coverage. The Resources area includes documents, fact sheets, and other publications that include "Analyzing Social Capital in Context" and "At What Cost? How Student Debt Reduces Lifetime Wealth." Finally, visitors should read the Two-Generation Approach to learn more about this social policy philosophy. [KMG]

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·http://www.tbf.org/understanding-boston

How does one begin to understand the workings of a major metropolis? It can be a tough job even for a seasoned expert in urbanology or governance. The Boston Foundation has offered up this area of its website to bring together resources that address the thorniest issues facing the Hub, including public schools, public health, transportation, and housing costs. First up is the Research, Reports, and Forums area, which includes working papers on public health throughout the region, links to the Greater Boston Indicator database, and information about changing models of urban governance throughout the region. The site also includes a group of areas dedicated to Understanding Boston that include Civic Engagement, Community Safety, and Cultural Vitality. Within each of these areas, visitors can look over working papers, read about upcoming events and conferences, and learn about the Foundation's long range plans. [KMG]

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·http://www.jce.divched.org/

The JCE Chemical Education Exchange serves as the website of the Journal of Chemical Education. It is committed to providing helpful resources for educators working at two-year colleges. In the Navigation area, visitors can get started with their journey through the site by looking over Activities, Blogs, Picks, and Popular Content. The Activities area features dynamic and interactive activities that deal with writing formulas of ionic compounds, the organization of the periodic table, and a fun one that relates the solubility of gas to the boiling of eggs. The Picks area includes thoughtful meditations on thermodynamic sinks, the use of social media in organic chemistry labs, and how to address climate change in the classroom through small discussion groups. [KMG]

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·http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu/learning-resources

Among the major research universities in the Midwest, the University of Wisconsin has some of the best digital collections. The collections span Badger State history, textiles, human ecology, and American military history. This particular site brings together a trove of learning resources designed to be used in conjunction with the digital materials. The Subject Guides list links to particular collections related to themes that include agriculture, veterinary sciences, women, and Native Americans. The Lesson Plans area includes a dozen plans on subjects including "Irish Famine: An Exploration of Primary Sources," "Wisconsin's Connection to the Galapagos Islands," and "An African American Settlement in Wisconsin," as well as more general-use lessons such as "You Be the Historian - Analyzing Primary Sources." [KMG]

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·http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/genetic-engineering.cfm

The Discovery Education website serves as a repository of instructional materials for educators seeking to help their charges learn about everything from the solar system to genetically modified organisms. This particular lesson plan deals with the science and technology of genetic engineering and it is intended to be used by advanced high school and community college students. Users will appreciate the fact that the entire plan is well-organized and divided into 12 sections including Objectives, Discussion Questions, and Procedures. The Discussion Questions are thoughtful and well-articulated and one can imagine that each query might generate more than a bit of meditation and close consideration. [KMG]

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·http://www.census.gov/research/working_papers/

Let's face it: there's a dizzying amount of data out there. The United States Census Bureau offers up a range of thoughtful working papers that attempt to make sense of this data. The Bureau's researchers produce these papers that cover everything from "Why Firms Fragment Production Across Locations" to the relationship between science and engineering education and employment in STEM occupations. In the Active Working Paper Series, visitors can look over different areas, including Population Division Working Papers and Survey of Income and Program Participation Working Papers. Visitors can search through each area by date of publication, subject, or keyword. Additionally, visitors can sign up to receive new publications via the site's RSS feed. [KMG]

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·http://history.poudrelibraries.org/

This digital collection tells the fabulous story of the Fort Collins area through photographs, artifacts, maps, books, and much more. The project came to fruition via a collaboration between the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and the Poudre River Public Library District. On the site, visitors can make their way through the Research Collections, which are a great place to start. Here they will find over 100 city business directories from 1902 to 2005, archival photos of historic structures, biographies of prominent citizens, and a timeline of key events in the city's history. The Online Exhibits area contains curious and revealing anecdotes from newspaper articles and oral histories of the city as well as a photographic tour of historic banks scattered throughout town. The site is rounded out by an area designed specifically for students that features quick facts and profiles of the city's ethnic groups. [KMG]

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·http://somewhere.org/

It's quite unusual that a long-defunct radio program would garner a new website, but this is the case with the New American Radio (NAR) show. During its 10-year run, NAR commissioned and distributed over 300 original works, including conceptual new drama works, language explorations, sonic meditations, and works that "pioneer new dimensions in acoustic space." On the site's homepage, visitors can peruse a list of full-length works, excerpts, and even a set of meditative essays on the creative process. A good work to start with here is "O Little Town of East New York" by Shelley Hirsch. It's a compelling autobiographical "docu-musical" about growing up in this diverse neighborhood in the 1960s. The site could be used by any number of students studying communication, drama, theater, radio production, and related subjects. [KMG]

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·http://www.bl.uk/blogs

The British Library is one of the world's great libraries and its blogs are quite excellent as well. These streams of thought and commentary are crafted by curators, subject specialists, and guest bloggers and on any given day might include "Jokes for David Frost," "Dogs: Medieval Man's Best Friend," and thoughts on Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure." All told, there are over a dozen blogs here and they cover American studies, medieval manuscripts, science, and cartography. The cartography blog is a real pip, addressing topics such as the geography of music festivals and the whimsical sea monsters that grace many ancient maps. Visitors can search through each blog and also elect to sign up to receive updates about new posts. [KMG]

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·http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/collections/72157625067549743/

Born in New Hampshire in 1825, James Wallace Black came to Boston to try his hand as a painter. He soon discovered the world of photography and he became quite fascinated with taking aerial photos and experimenting with magic lanterns. One of his most notable experiments involved a photograph of downtown Boston that he took from a hot-air balloon on October 13, 1860. The Boston Public Library has created this remarkable digital archive featuring 133 of Black's unique images. Visitors shouldn't miss his iconic 1860 aerial image, along with grand shots of the Charlestown City Hall, Faneuil Hall, Washington Street during a military parade, and a number of other locales throughout the Hub. The site is rounded out by a clutch of photographs documenting the damage wrought by the Boston Fire of 1872. [KMG]

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·http://curiouscity.wbez.org

Chicago, what are you curious about? That might serve as the tagline for the WBEZ radio program "Curious City," as it's an inquisitive program that asks its listeners that exact question. The public submits queries about Chicago here on the show's site, visitors vote for the questions they like the best, and then the crack team at Curious City investigates and reports back, complete with help from locals who want to be part of the whole recursive process. On the site, visitors can look over the Up For Voting area, which includes questions that cover everything from Cook County Hospital to the design of Wrigley Field. For complete audio and written answers to questions that are wrapped up, click on over to the Answered & Investigating area. Here visitors can look over questions such as "Will the Pullman neighborhood ever be revitalized?" and "What is the origin of Chicago's distinctive wooden fire escapes?" [KMG]

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·http://www.fws.gov/landscape-conservation/

How does the United States government work to protect the nation's fish, migratory birds, aquatic species, and public lands? Part of this job is accomplished by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) program. First-time visitors should look over the SHC Vision to get a sense of the program's formal mission and read a fact sheet about its activities. The Community area contains information about success stories and links to videos of SHC experts talking about perspectives on habitat conservation from across the country. The Science area contains links to a plan for adapting the SHC's policies and practices to climate change and information about its landscape conservation cooperatives. The site is rounded by some podcasts which cover topics like "What are biological outcomes and why focus on them?" [KMG]

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·http://cloud.feedly.com/#welcome

For those still mourning the loss of Google Reader, Feedly might be a good place to rebuild. Start with a particular blog or URL you would like to follow, or explore one of the suggested topics. The smooth, easy-to-use interface makes it a snap to browse the headlines or delve more deeply into particular stories of interest. Feedly is compatible with all operating systems. [CM]

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·http://www.startme.com/

The StartMe application gives Internet users the opportunity to create their own personal browser startpage with their favorite bookmarks and RSS feeds. The drag and drop interface is user-friendly, particularly for computer neophytes. Visitors can also incorporate extensions for popular browsers or tweak the appearance of their startpage as they see fit. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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U.S. to include Home Care Aides in Wage and Overtime Law
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/business/us-to-include-home-care-workers-in-wage-and-overtime-law.html?_r=0

The White House is giving 2 million health-care workers a raise
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/17/the-white-house-is-giving-2-million-health-care-workers-a-raise/

OT, Minimum Wage Extended to Health Care Workers
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/rules-boost-pay-home-health-care-workers-20282093

United States Department of Labor: Press Release
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/whd/WHD20131922.htm

CDC: Health Care Workers
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/healthcare/

National Association for Home Care & Hospice
http://www.nahc.org/

On Tuesday, the United States government announced that home care workers will be eligible for overtime pay and minimum wage beginning in 2015. This is considered a major step forward, as previously such employees were classified into the same "companionship services" category as baby sitters. Their work is substantially and qualitatively different than the work of baby sitters and the decision was applauded by a number of advocacy groups. Under the new rule, any home care aides hired different third party employers cannot be exempt from minimum wage and overtime coverage. Some industry leaders were less receptive, however. Andrea Devoti, chairman of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice worried that the law "will mean that people will receive less care," and that ultimately higher costs could result in fewer home caregiver jobs. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to a piece from this Tuesday's New York Times about this recent change in policy involving home care workers. The second link will lead interested parties to another like-minded piece from the Washington Times that provides additional information on this change. The third link will take visitors to a piece from ABC News with additional commentary from industry folks and government officials on this recent change. Moving along, the fourth link will take users to the official press release from the United States Department of Labor on this matter. The fifth link leads to the Center for Disease Control's page on healthcare workers. Here visitors will find fact sheets on work safety, information about preventing workplace violence, and other resources. The last link leads to the website of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, where interested parties can learn more about the work home care aides do.