El Dorado County Library's What's New on the Internet for the Week of February 23rd, 2009

What's Hot on the Internet This Week
Week of February 23rd, 2009
The arrow indicates a recommended site and a points to a site with local information.

The 25 Most Common Mistakes in Email Security

Subtitled "25 tips to bring newbie Internet users up to speed so they stop compromising your network security," this provides a list of helpful hints to protect you and your computer. "I still remember receiving my first phishing email in my AOL account. I had won the AOL lottery! As good as it sounded, I was skeptical at best. So without much thought, I opened the email and clicked on the link inside to check if I truly was a millionaire after all. Almost instantly, my computer crashed, and with each subsequent restart would crash again.... Countless computer crashes and thousands of spam emails later, I had learned the lesson that just opening spam email can bring harm to my computer. Unfortunately there are a whole host of traps and errors that catch new email users just because "they didn't know any better". In this article we focus on 25 of the most common and easy to fix mistakes that people make when it comes to email security. We've designed this article with the new internet user in mind, so if you're an email expert, you may want to pass this along to your novice friends." (Subject(s): Computer Viruses & E-Mail)

11 Great Hidden Things Google Can Do That You Should Know: Posted by An Jay (1/13/2009) "Google, A leading search engine that we use every day to search content on internet. There is no doubt that this is a damn powerful search engine but Google.com is not only for searching the stuffs. In addition to providing easy access to billions of web pages, Google.com has many amazing features to help you to find exactly what you’re looking for. Some of the most useful features that you can use in your daily life are discussing below. These are 11 Great Hidden Things Google Can Do That You Should Know, You can use these features without leaving the Google.com and I am sure majority of you did not aware of all the things listed below that Google can do for you." (Subject(s): Google)
History.com | Abraham Lincoln Portal: "Learn about Abraham Lincoln's important presidency, legacy and achievements with access to free videos and teaching material." And they have a new project: "HISTORY, together with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, presents a National Teach-In on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Filmed on Lincoln's 200th birthday at the National Archives in Washington, DC. This special event features three Lincoln scholars who share their expertise and answer students' questions from all over the country. The teach-in is recommended for middle through high school, with a particular emphasis on 8th grade, and easily fits within all fifty states' standards of learning." (Subject(s): Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865)
AIG Implodes: The Two Cows Version: Written by John Carney for Clusterstock on February 5th, 2009: "Still confused about how AIG [American International Group Inc.] lost its shirt by going into the securities lending business big time? We understand. It's terribly complex and full of words that make your eyes glaze over. So we decided to break it down into the simplest terms Wall Street transactions can be explained: the two cows story." Even with just 2 cows, it's mind-bending! (Subject(s): Investing)
Yahoo! Real Estate | America's Emptiest Cities: This article was written by Zack O'Malley Greenburg, Forbes.com on Feb 12th, 2009: "Vacancy rates in these spots spell lots of empty neighborhoods. Call it a modern-day tale of two cities. For decades, Las Vegas, ripe with new construction and economic development, burgeoned into a shimmering urban carnival. Detroit, once the fulcrum of American industry, sagged and rusted under its own weight. These days, it's the worst of times for both. Las Vegas edged Detroit for the title of America's most abandoned city. Atlanta came in third, followed by Greensboro, N.C., and Dayton, Ohio. Our rankings, a combination of rental and homeowner vacancy rates for the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, are based on fourth-quarter data released Feb. 3 by the Census Bureau. Each was ranked on rental vacancies and housing vacancies; the final ranking is an average of the two." Read on to see how the lost of industry, the mortgage crisis and the economy have affected cities all over the U.S. (Subject(s): Real Estate--United States)
Bella C. Landauer Collection of Aeronautical Sheet Music: "Early development in aeronautics has been accompanied by great popular interest and media coverage. This widespread fascination with flight has inspired an enormous output of historical drawings, paintings, advertisements and illustrations for publications. Some of the most colorful illustrations are those which adorn sheet music. In the Bella Landauer collection, you can find illustrations that range from the bizarre to the commonplace, from the humorous to the mundane. But most are colorful and interesting... The importance of music as a mirror of the times has largely been overlooked in aeronautics. It remained for Bella Landauer, a veteran collector whose son was a pilot, to recognize it. She started collecting sheet music in the early 1920's, scouring music shops, publishing houses, auctions and private collections for sheet music with an aeronautics theme." And this exhibition sponsored by the Smithsonian provides many online examples of this collection. (Subject(s): Sheet Music)
Better Children's Books: "I love reading children's books! I started buying books for my children before I even met my husband! I knew I wanted my children to read well, because I knew this would open up lots of opportunities for them. So, I accumulated lots of children's books over the years. And now, I have 5 beautiful children and lots of children's books!! Along the way, I learned that not all children's books are equal. Some books just don't engage my children--but some books draw my kids in fast! There really are better children's books! Here you'll discover how to choose the books that your kids will read, and you'll easily find those books." (Subject(s): Juvenile Literature)
California Indians: "California Indians are members of more than sixty Indian tribes." And you can use this site to find out about most of the tribes, their historic territories and what they are doing now. (Subject(s): Native Americans--California)
Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575 - 1725: "This exhibition tells the extraordinary story of a small group of artists who changed the course of art history. In the decades after the deaths of the great Renaissance masters, such as Raphael and Michelangelo, the art of painting was thought to have gone into steep decline. But then, in the late 16th century, the Carracci family of painters from Bologna burst onto the scene with tremendous energy and vitality, raising art to new heights. Their heroic achievement set standards that were to remain authoritative for more than 200 years. Here a selection of key works by the Carracci and several generations of their pupils and followers bring this artistic triumph to life. For them, the visible world became their principal source of inspiration, and nature was their teacher. Painting was about to enter a new era of creativity and lavish patronage, resulting in the glories of the Baroque age. This exhibition has been co-organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Twenty-seven of the paintings in this exhibition have been generously lent by the museum in Dresden, one of the world's premier collections of old master paintings. Most of these works have never been seen before in North America." (Subject(s): Art, Baroque)
NOVA | Car of the Future: "In this companion Web site to the NOVA program Car of the Future, read an interview with energy expert David Greene, view a slide show of high-concept cars of the past, see profiles of the people behind a dozen alternative vehicles already on America's roads, hear Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute describe the factors that make a vehicle efficient, download and view more than 200 clips of extra interview and scenic footage, see how our audience got involved while we were producing the program, and more." You can now watch the whole program online by clicking on this link to an index to its chapters Watch the Program! (Subject(s): Automobiles)
College.gov: "college.gov is being built by the U.S. Department of Education in collaboration with students. This site is intended to be the go-to source for information and resources about planning, preparing and paying for postsecondary education (such as 2- or 4-year colleges and universities, and vocational or career schools). Most importantly, college.gov is intended to provide inspiration and hope to all students, and encourage them to consider and pursue a postsecondary education." (Subject(s): Colleges and Universities)
CBC Radio 2 - Concerts on Demand: "CBC Radio 2 is Canada’s national music network. Delivering the best recordings and performances from Canada’s concert halls, clubs, studios and festival stages to your car, office and living room 24 hours a day." This particular page from the Website provides links to many of the concerts that have appeared on their station and you may listen to them online. (Subject(s): Concerts)
Digital Preservation (Library of Congress): "Home page for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) at the Library of Congress, a collaborative effort dedicated to ensuring that the digital information that conveys our history and heritage is available and accessible for generations to come." You can learn about the Library's efforts and see how the Program works to insure the future availability of information. (Subject(s): Digital Collections)
The Discovery of Global Warming: This Website is "A hypertext history of how scientists came to (partly) understand what people are doing to cause climate change. This Website created by Spencer Weart supplements his much shorter book, which tells the history of climate change research as a single story. On this Website you will find a more complete history in dozens of essays on separate topics, updated annually." (Subject(s): Environment & Weather)
Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars Exhibit: "Welcome to Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars. This extraordinary exhibition at the FIDM Museum & Galleries is made possible through the cooperation of Lucasfilm Ltd." As such, this Website provides visitors with "A collection of more than 100 costumes, accessories, and props from all six films in the Star Wars saga were on display, including those from the latest chapter, Episode III Revenge of the Sith." The exhibition on the FIDM campus was on display in 2005 and this is the companion Website for the exhibition. (Subject(s): Costumes--History & Star Wars)
The Early Chinese Canadians 1858-1947: "Come and explore the social and political history of Canada's early Chinese communities. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has assembled many resources to offer an overview of the topic..." (Subject(s): Chinese Canadians--History)
The Economics of Nuclear Power: "The report of a major European study of the external costs of various fuel cycles, focusing on coal and nuclear, was released in mid 2001 - ExternE. It shows that in clear cash terms nuclear energy incurs about one tenth of the costs of coal. The external costs are defined as those actually incurred in relation to health and the environment and quantifiable but not built into the cost of the electricity. If these costs were in fact included, the EU price of electricity from coal would double and that from gas would increase 30%. These are without attempting to include global warming. The European Commission launched the project in 1991 in collaboration with the US Department of Energy, and it was the first research project of its kind "to put plausible financial figures against damage resulting from different forms of electricity production for the entire EU". The methodology considers emissions, dispersion and ultimate impact. With nuclear energy the risk of accidents is factored in along with high estimates of radiological impacts from mine tailings (waste management and decommissioning being already within the cost to the consumer)." This report is published on the World Nuclear Association Website. (Subject(s): Nuclear Energy)
Encarta: Encyclopedia Article Center: This is the homepage for Microsoft's encyclopedia. It includes "More than 42,000 articles on the world of knowledge--from aardvark to zither." In addition, this index has links to "Year-by-year wrap-up of important events from 1938 to 1999" and to a series of Literature Guides containing "Perspectives on authors, characters, and themes of renowned works of literature." (Subject(s): Encyclopedias)
The First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820: "The First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820 consists of 15,000 pages of original historical material documenting the land, peoples, exploration, and transformation of the trans-Appalachian West from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. The collection is drawn from the holdings of the University of Chicago Library and the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Kentucky. Among the sources included are books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets, scientific publications, broadsides, letters, journals, legal documents, ledgers and other financial records, maps, physical artifacts, and pictorial images. The collection documents the travels of the first Europeans to enter the trans-Appalachian West, the maps tracing their explorations, their relations with Native Americans, and their theories about the region's mounds and other ancient earthworks. Naturalists and other scientists describe Western bird life and bones of prehistoric animals. Books and letters document the new settlers' migration and acquisition of land, navigation down the Ohio River, planting of crops, and trade in tobacco, horses, and whiskey. Leaders from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to Isaac Shelby, William Henry Harrison, Aaron Burr, and James Wilkinson comment on politics and regional conspiracies. Documents also reveal the lives of trans-Appalachian African Americans, nearly all of them slaves; the position of women; and the roles of churches, schools, and other institutions." (Subject(s): United States--History--18th Century)
Mayo Clinic | Food Pyramid: An Option for Better Eating: "A food pyramid is one tool to help you eat better. Find out how to use a food pyramid to create a healthy diet. A healthy-eating plan can be illustrated in many ways, but it's often found in the shape of a pyramid. Food pyramids outline various food groups and food choices that, if eaten in the right quantities, form the foundation of a healthy diet.... Guidelines for choosing foods are widely represented in various food pyramids. The triangular shape of the pyramid shows you where to focus when selecting foods. Foods to eat the most of create the base of the pyramid, and foods to eat in smaller amounts or less frequently are shown farther up the pyramid." (Subject(s): Diet & Health)
The Geo-Images Project: "The Geo-Images Project attempts to make images (mostly photographs) that are useful in teaching geography more widely available using computers and the internet. It was conceived, constructed, and is maintained by G. Donald Bain, Director of the Geography Computing Facility, University of California at Berkeley." (Subject(s): Geography)
The Geoffrey Chaucer Website: "This site provides materials for Harvard University's Chaucer classes in the Core Program, the English Department, and the Division of Continuing Education. (Others of course are welcome to use it.) It provides a wide range of glossed Middle English texts and translations of analogues relevant to Chaucer's works, as well as selections from relevant works by earlier and later writers, critical articles from a variety of perspectives, graphics, and general information on life in the Middle Ages. At the moment the site concentrates on the Canterbury Tales, but the longer-term goal is to create a more general Chaucer page." (Subject(s): Chaucer, Geoffrey, c1343-1400)
A Global Guide to Islamic Art: Written by Jonathan M. Bloom and Sheila S. Blair for the Saudi Aramco World magazine: "Even experts agree that the term “Islamic art” is insufficient, misleading or just plain bad—until one considers the alternatives. While some types of Islamic art, such as Qur’an manuscripts, mosque lamps or carved wooden minbars (pulpits), are directly concerned with the faith and practice of Islam, the majority of objects considered to be “Islamic art” are called so simply because they were made in societies where Islam was the dominant religion. A few, like the Freer Gallery’s famous canteen decorated with scenes of the life of Christ and saints, were clearly made in a Muslim context (in that case, 13th-century Syria) for use by non-Muslims, while others, such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, were probably made for Muslims by non-Muslims, because few craftsmen in Jerusalem had converted to Islam by the end of the seventh century, when it was built. In many cases, we simply don’t know the craftsmen’s faith, because the vast majority of objects are unsigned and many communities were religiously diverse. In medieval Cairo, for example, Muslims, Christians and Jews lived and worked side by side. Their taste in art was similar, but not exactly the same. Sometimes the language of the inscription gives us a clue about the identity of a patron, and sometimes the nature of the decoration is informative, but other times, we just don’t know. In short, “Islamic art” encompasses much more than religious art for Islam." (Subject(s): Art, Islamic)
Time Magazine | Going Green: This Website's "A weekly news column by Time's Bryan Walsh, on everything to do with the environment, from climate change to pollution to electric cars. It also features the Greencast, an audio interview with prominent members of the environmental community - TIME." (Subject(s): Environment)
Grandma's Dessert Recipes: "Searching for easy dessert recipes? Are you wondering what scrumptious treats you can serve to your family tonight? Or what delectable dish you can take to that party, a dish that others will absolutely rave about? Perhaps you just want to treat yourself to something truly decadent and delicious. Something extraordinary. After all, you deserve it, don't you? Well, look no further... I have the tasty solution for you. Here's a unique collection of easy dessert recipes specially chosen from my Grandma McIlmoyle's favorite old fashioned recipes. You'll want to add them to your personal collection. They're that good." (Subject(s): Recipes)
WebMD | Healthy Eating and Diet: "Our mission to truly help WebMD consumers find trustworthy, simple and effective weight management solutions led us to many of the leading experts in diet and fitness. Here, you will be able to read what we learned. Come back often to see new insights." "From healthy diet plans to helpful weight loss tools, here you'll find the latest diet news and information." (Subject(s): Diet, Food & Health)
History of the American West (American Memory, Library of Congress): "Over 30,000 photographs, drawn from the holdings of the Western History and Genealogy Department at Denver Public Library, illuminate many aspects of the history of the American West. Most of the photographs were taken between 1860 and 1920. They illustrate Colorado towns and landscape, document the place of mining in the history of Colorado and the West, and show the lives of Native Americans from more than forty tribes living west of the Mississippi River. Also included are World War II photographs of the 10th Mountain Division, ski troops based in Colorado who saw action in Italy." (Subject(s): The West--History--19th Century)
Hollywood Movie Posters: Web exhibit from the Los Angeles Public Library: "The posters in this exhibition date from 1913 to 1943 and reflect developments in movie history. In 1909, William Selig moved the base of his operations from the East Coast to Edendale, known today as Echo Park. Other entrepreneurs followed, and soon Hollywood was populated by such stars as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mabel Normand, all of whom went on to become producers, directors, and writers.... The twenty-six posters in this exhibition are drawn from the special collections of the Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Branch Library, which re-opened in 1986." This is but one of the Library's online exhibits and you can view more by visiting this index Virtual Gallery: Past Exhibits. (Subject(s): Movies--Posters)
The Horse: "The sound is unmistakable: the thundering hooves of a running horse. Horses have been racing across the landscape for more than 50 million years—much longer than our own species has existed. But once horses and humans encountered each other, our two species became powerfully linked. Humans domesticated horses some 6,000 years ago, and over time, we have created more than 200 breeds, from the powerful Clydesdale to the graceful Arabian. As we have shaped horses to suit our needs on battlefields, farms and elsewhere, these animals have shaped human history. They have also captured our imagination and hearts. Millions of people rely on horses as their spirited, dedicated, much adored companions." This is the companion Website for an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History (Subject(s): Horses)

How the Air Car Works

This page is part of the How Stuff Works Website. It was written by Christopher Lampton: "Gasoline is already the fuel of the past. It might not seem that way as you fill up on your way to work, but the petroleum used to make it is gradually running out. It also pollutes air that's becoming increasingly unhealthy to breathe, and people no longer want to pay the high prices that oil companies are charging for it. Automobile manufacturers know all of this and have spent lots of time and money to find and develop the fuel of the future. The search is on, but what will this fuel of the future be? Ready-made fuels like petroleum are becoming more difficult to find and automobile manufacturers are turning to greener energy sources like batteries. These batteries can be charged with energy and placed in a car where that energy can be released. As good as that idea might seem, some manufacturers think air could become an even better energy source." Air! Are you kidding? Well, this site will explain it all! (Subject(s): Automobiles)

Don Bain's Images of the California Environment: This Website features "Images Illustrating Environmental Subjects" in the State of California. The photos are arranged by subject (agriculture, mining, wildlife to name a few) or geographic region, such Redwood National Park and The Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur (to name a few). (Subject(s): California--Photographs)
Invincible Cities: "Since the 1970's I have been documenting America's ghettos by photographing the built environment in Harlem, the South Bronx, Chicago, Newark and other places. I record mostly the buildings where people live, the factories, institutions and offices where they work, the streets they walk along, objects people use, and the fields and parks in which they play. I take photographs of the pictures and drawings I find on bedroom walls, inside abandoned factories and on external building walls. I also photograph objects people use such as toys, fire hydrants, and old machines. From the beginnings of my project I decided not to focus on images of poor people--often minorities who inhabit these areas, an approach the street photographer Helen Levitt might have taken. For me a visual history of urban America organized around portraits of minority residents would be very limited. People are often engaging; their feelings and emotions are moving; yet it is often difficult to know much about them from photographic likenesses. I found that images of the physical communities in which people live often better reveal the choices made by residents and city officials over the long haul. When presented together as a series, photographs of the built environment constitute the essential element of an urban history told from the ground up." -- Camilo Jose Vergara, June 28, 2005. (Subject(s): Cities and Towns--Photographs)
An Invitation to Dance: A History of Social Dance in America: "A life-long interest in classical ballet led Meghan Meade, a student at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester and Graphics Arts Intern, to undertake a project describing the history of social dance. The content of the project is driven by the holdings of the Society and we are pleased to present her work as a supplement to present scholarship; we encourage others to develop this topic using the Society's collections. The illustrations and objects depicted in this exhibition provide a brief glimpse into the history of social dance. The abundance of artwork and social artifacts available attest to dance's importance throughout American history. Featured is not only its origin, fashion and forms, but also the unspoken language of dance. Always moving, always changing, dancing has never failed to enchant American society." (Subject(s): Dance--United States--History)
Medicues | Health and Wellness: "Medicues is the collaborative effort of a group of leading medical doctors and surgical specialists. We provide all the information content for the Medicues medical information portal. Medicues is the answer for patients who are accessing incorrect, inconsistent or irrelevant medical information from anonymous internet sites and even some larger medical information portals with very limited information content that is from real medical doctors." (Subject(s): Health & Medicine)
Charles Olson's Melville Project: "The University of Connecticut Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center was awarded $40,000 by the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation in December 2001 to clean and make accessible a series of hand-written but subsequently water-damaged cards produced by the poet Charles Olson during his effort to transcribe the marginalia in hundreds of books owned by Herman Melville. Access to CHARLES OLSON'S MELVILLE PROJECT, a new resource for Melville scholars, is through the World Wide Web.... One of the major goals of this project is to make CHARLES OLSON'S MELVILLE PROJECT accessible to the scholarly research community on the Web. Because this project is one component of a larger collection, it was necessary to design a complete website to incorporate Olson's work on Herman Melville." (Subject(s): Melville, Herman, 1819-1891)
The Library of Congress: Music and the Brain: "The Library's Music and the Brain events offer lectures, conversations and symposia about the explosion of new research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and music. Project chair Kay Redfield Jamison convenes scientists and scholars, composers, performers, theorists, physicians, psychologists, and other experts at the Library for a compelling 2-year series, with generous support from the Dana Foundation." Podcasts from those lectures and symposia are available here. (Subject(s): Music)
National Marine Sanctuaries Media Library | NOAA: "The National Marine Sanctuaries Media Library is an online vault where a comprehensive collection of select video clips and high-resolution still images from America's underwater treasures are securely stored and available for searchable access and download." (Subject(s): Ocean)
The Nuclear Option: An article written by John M. Deutch and Ernest J. Moniz in the August, 2006 issue of Scientific American: "Nuclear power supplies a sixth of the world's electricity. Along with hydropower (which supplies slightly more than a sixth), it is the major source of "carbon-free" energy today. The technology suffered growing pains, seared into the public's mind by the Chernobyl and Three Mile Island accidents, but plants have demonstrated remarkable reliability and efficiency recently. The world's ample supply of uranium could fuel a much larger fleet of reactors than exists today throughout their 40- to 50-year life span.... A threefold expansion of nuclear power could contribute significantly to staving off climate change by avoiding one billion to two billion tons of carbon emissions annually." It's a simple idea to solve our energy and environmental problems all in one swoop. But it's a little more complicated. Read on for the whole story. For a study of the very issue performed in 2003 by MIT, visit this site entitled The Future of Nuclear Power. (NOTE: To access the MIT report, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.) (Subject(s): Nuclear Energy)
The Nuclear Vault: "Since the founding of the National Security Archive, nuclear crises, nuclear proliferation, and the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. policy have been central to its FOIA requesting. The overwhelming importance of the problem of nuclear weapons—an existential threat since the early years of the Cold War—has made this an essential focus. One of the Archive's first major projects was on the Cuban Missile Crisis; during the 1990s, other projects on Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy and U.S. Nuclear History followed. By the late 1990s, with the emergence of the World Wide Web, the Archive began routinely to post briefing books on nuclear weapons policy issues. The broad scope of the Archive's work on nuclear issues makes it worth gathering together this online material to make it more readily accessible to interested researchers. The "Nuclear Vault" includes all previous and forthcoming Archive Electronic Briefing Books on nuclear weapons policy, cross-referenced with an index. It also includes newly-declassified documents that may be of interest to novices and experts alike." (Subject(s): Nuclear Weapons)
Online College Reviews: "One of the best ways to locate the best online college is through online college reviews, college ratings, and online school reviews.... As you are browsing through Online College Reviews, check out our College Reviews to see what each online school has to offer, or use our College Finder to find a specific college or degree, or read a few of our College Ratings to see how each school stacks up to other online schools. We have reviewed hundreds of online colleges outlining important facts such as accreditation, tuition, credit for life experience, semester length, degrees offered, and even financial aid availability." (Subject(s): College Choice)
OSCAR.com: Well, by now, you know who won for best actor and best actress and which film was honored as the best of 2008. But which film won for "Best Foreign Film?" And, who won in the category of best "Cinematography?" Or, which picture won for best "Animated Feature Film?" These and other winners in all the Academy's categories can be found at this "official" site. (Subject(s): Academy Awards)
Parent Guide: Understanding a Child's Virtual World: "These days, it’s not uncommon for children to be more tech-savvy than the adults in their lives. As a result, adults often find it difficult to understand or relate to what kids are doing online. Qwest believes informed parents and guardians are better equipped to create a positive online experience for their families. To help with this, Qwest has partnered with Linda R. Young, Ph.D., a family therapist with more than 20 years of counseling experience, to develop a free, downloadable handbook: Understanding A Child's Virtual World. In the handbook, parents and guardians will learn about topics such as how technology is changing relationships, communicating with teens in ways that change behavior, and more." (NOTE: To read or print this handbook, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.) (Subject(s): )
Pauly's Playhouse: Online games and cartoons for the very young can be found at this site. Here, there's matching games, crossword puzzles, reading exercises and more! And, for another batch of fun and instructive games, visit this site from the National Aeronautical and Space Administration: NASA's Kids Club. (NOTE: To be able to see or play the games here, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.) (Subject(s): Kids--Games)
PBS Kids Go!: This is the interactive companion Website for the morning PBS program: "Play games with your favorite PBS KIDS GO! characters from Arthur, Cyberchase, WordGirl and Fetch with Ruff Ruffman." You can write stories, play with robots and learn magic from this site! (Subject(s): Kids--Games)
Performing Arts Encyclopedia: The "Performing Arts Encyclopedia (Library of Congress) [is] A digital library of music, theater, and dance at the Library of Congress. Formerly known as I Hear America Singing and LC Presents: Music, Theater and Dance." From it you can "Explore music, theater, and dance at the Library of Congress." (Subject(s): Arts)
Recovery.gov: "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be carried out with full transparency and accountability -- and Recovery.gov is the centerpiece of that effort. In a short video, President Obama describes the site and talks about how you'll be able to track the Recovery Act's progress every step of the way.... Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There are going to be a few different ways to search for information. The money is being distributed by Federal agencies, and soon you'll be able to see where it's going -- to which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors. As soon as we are able to, we'll display that information visually in maps, charts, and graphics." (Subject(s): Governments--United States)
Shakespeare Staging: "Shakespeare in performance is now a core interest for all Shakespeareans: students, scholars, theatre professionals, and general audiences - anyone with a love of Shakespeare. We seek to provide a survey of current information, opinions and visuals about such staging by registering the best available explorations of the original nature of Shakespearean performance during his lifetime, and of its development through four centuries thereafter. The site is under continuous revision and expansion, currently involving additions to our 1,000 still images, in the form of numerous video extracts of live performances concerning Shakespeare." -- Hugh Macrae Richmond, Director, Shakespeare Program, English Department, University of California at Berkeley. (Subject(s): Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616)
Solar Energy: "Solar Energy is the radiant light and heat from the Sun that has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation along with secondary solar resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass account for most of the available renewable energy on Earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used." And, this article from Wikipedia goes on from this description to explain how we may use this energy resource more fully in future. For a description of one method, visit this site from How Stuff Works: How Solar Cells Work. (Subject(s): Solar Energy)
Sophia Smith Collection - Voices of Feminism Oral History Project: This Website provides visitors with a series of "Oral history interviews." "The Voices of Feminism Oral History Project documents the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the United States in the latter half of the 20th century. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists; artists and writers; lesbian rights advocates; grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers; and women of color reproductive justice leaders. Interviews average 5-6 hours and cover childhood, personal life, and political work." (Subject(s): Feminism & Oral Histories)
NOVA | Sputnik Declassified | PBS: In this companion Web site to the NOVA program Sputnik Declassified, view a time line of the space race, read an excerpt from space historian Michael Neufeld's biography of Wernher von Braun, learn how the German V-2 rocket was constructed, and discover what images from taken near-Earth orbit can tell us about our world." (Subject(s): Russia & Sputnik--History)
Trans Fat Now Listed With Saturated Fat and Cholesterol on the Nutrition Facts Label: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires [as of January 2006] food manufacturers to list trans fat (i.e., trans fatty acids) on Nutrition Facts and some Supplement Facts panels. Scientific evidence shows that consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels that increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, over 12.5 million Americans suffer from CHD, and more than 500,000 die each year. This makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the United States today." Now, this announcement was first made 3 years ago, but the description of what is all means on each product label is still something to know (and understand) when making food purchases today. This and other important warnings and announcements can be found at the U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) homepage. (Subject(s): Food--Labeling)
WHO | Tropical Diseases: This special health page has been placed online by the World Health Organization (WHO): "Tropical diseases encompass all diseases that occur solely, or principally, in the tropics. In practice, the term is often taken to refer to infectious diseases that thrive in hot, humid conditions, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, Chagas disease, African trypanosomiasis, and dengue." WHO is also responsible for a World Health Report and their current issue is dated 2008. (NOTE: To access this report, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.) (Subject(s): )
Vatican City State: "Vatican City State was inaugurated on 11 February 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Accords. Under the motto, “A small territory with a great mission,” a number of distinctive celebrations will mark the 80th anniversary of the city-state’s founding. “At least that piece of territory which is sufficient to sustain sovereignty; that piece of territory without which sovereignty could not exist, because it would have no place to rest …The Supreme Pontiff possesses no more than that piece of material territory indispensable for the exercise of a spiritual power assigned to men for the benefit of mankind” (Pius XI)." This is the "City/State's" official Website and contains information, pictures and the history of this special spot. (Subject(s): Vatican City--Description and Travel & Vatican City--History)
Victorian Houses: "One of the reasons I am fascinated by Victorian houses is because they were the first houses built for the middle class that you and I would recognize as houses. Prior to the Civil War, most people lived in structures that may have looked like houses to modern eyes (on the outside at least), but they weren't. No matter how beautifully decorated, the blunt truth is, they were uninsulated and drafty, heated only by open fireplaces, and had no facilities for sanitation unless you count a chamber-pot setting off to one side of the bedroom. They were filled with flying insects in the summer (no screens), and sooty wood smoke in the winter. Their kitchens were scarcely more than barbecue pits with roofs over them, and running water meant a servant running from an outdoor well, bucket in hand.... The Victorians changed all that. They were the first to build housing on a society-wide scale that featured central heating, weather-tight windows and doors, indoor running water, and artificial lighting, either gas or electric. This housing was expensive by the standards of the day, and only the well-to-do upper-middle class could afford it. Even so, it marked a turning point in history. For the first time, people could differentiate houses on the basis of how comfortable and modern they were, rather than by the expense of their ceiling decorations." For help with restoring and preserving one of these houses, visit this online magazine: Victorian Style Houses. (Subject(s): Architecture--History & Architecture, Victorian--Conservation and Restoration)
WebMD: Weight Watchers Diet: What It Is: "Since the early 1960s, Weight Watchers has been a kind of guru for people struggling with weight problems. The Weight Watchers program got its start when a few friends began meeting weekly to discuss how to best lose weight. That group of friends grew to millions of men and women around the world, who all follow the Weight Watchers mantra. That mantra? Dieting is just one part of long-term weight management, Weight Watchers believes. A healthy body results from a healthy lifestyle -- which means mental, emotional, and physical health. Weight Watchers does not tell people what they can or can't eat. The goal is to help people make healthy eating decisions and encourage them to enjoy more physical activity, thereby losing weight safely and sensibly -- and keeping it off." So, what are the particulars? Read this article from WebMD to find out. (Subject(s): Diet & Weight Watchers)
Orlando Figes | The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia: "Between 2003 and 2006, three teams of researchers from the Memorial Society in St Petersburg, Moscow and Perm recovered several hundred family archives (letters, diaries, personal papers, memoirs, photographs and artifacts) that had been concealed by the survivors of the Stalin Terror in secret drawers and under mattresses in private homes across Russia. In each family extensive interviews were carried out with the oldest relatives, who were able to explain the context of these private documents and relate them to the family's history. This represents a unique collection of documents and testimony about private life in the Stalin period, reflecting the interior world of ordinary families and individuals. A selection of these archives, transcripts and sound extracts of the interviews, and English translations of some of the transcripts can be accessed on this site. The project was led by Orlando Figes with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Leverhulme Trust." (Subject(s): Russia--History--20th Century)
With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition: This is companion Website for an exhibition currently on display at the Library of Congress: "With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the nation’s revered sixteenth president. More than a chronological account of the life of Abraham Lincoln, the exhibition reveals Lincoln the man, whose thoughts, words, and actions were deeply affected by personal experiences and pivotal historic events." (Subject(s): Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865)

Agriculture, Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration

This is a Publication of ATTRA—National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service: "Carbon sequestration and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can occur through a variety of agriculture practices. This publication provides an overview of the relationship between agriculture, climate change and carbon sequestration. It also investigates possible options for farmers and ranchers to have a positive impact on the changing climate and presents opportunities for becoming involved in the emerging carbon market.... The Earth’s average surface temperature increased 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century, and is projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to increase by an additional 3.2 to 7.2 degrees over the 21st century (IPCC, 2007a). These seemingly slight changes in temperature could have profound implications for farmers and ranchers." (NOTE: To access this report, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.) (Subject(s): Agriculture & Climate Change)


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