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

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

State of the News Media 2009: An Annual Report on American Journalism

This report has been prepared by the Pew Research Center: (March 16, 2009) "Some of the numbers are chilling. Newspaper ad revenues have fallen 23% in the last two years. Some papers are in bankruptcy, and others have lost three-quarters of their value. By our calculations, nearly one out of every five journalists working for newspapers in 2001 is now gone, and 2009 may be the worst year yet. In local television, news staffs, already too small to adequately cover their communities, are being cut at unprecedented rates; revenues fell by 7% in an election year -- something unheard of -- and ratings are now falling or flat across the schedule. In network news, even the rare programs increasing their ratings are seeing revenues fall. The ethnic press is also troubled and in many ways is the most vulnerable because so many operations are small. Only cable news really flourished in 2008, thanks to an Ahab-like focus on the 2008 election, although some of the ratings gains were erased after the election." Read the doom-and-gloom and check the numbers detailed in this study. You can read another of the Center's recent reports on the news business at Newspapers Face a Challenging Calculus: Online Growth, but Print Losses are Bigger. (Subject(s): News)

27 Visualizations and Infographics to Understand the Financial Crisis: This is a serious but somewhat humorous take on the current U.S. and world-wide economic crisis: "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If there's anything good that has come out of the financial crisis it's the slew of high-quality graphics to help us understand what's going on. Some visualizations attempt to explain it all while others focus on affected business. Others concentrate on how we, as citizens are affected. Some show those who are responsible. After you examine these 27 visualizations and infographics, no doubt you'll have a pretty good idea about what's going on." (Subject(s): Economics--United States)
Archaeology: Screaming Mummies!: By Mark Rose: "For well over a century, the contorted features of ancient mummies have led to speculation of untold pain and horrible deaths. The examples quoted above are from the examination of Egyptian mummies more than 120 years ago. Today, similar descriptions can still be found in television programs and academic writings. "Is this the face of a queen? What kind of terrible end did she meet?" and "a terrible head wound, an agonized scream," intones the narrator of "Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen," a 2007 documentary.... Mummies with their mouths agape or lips pulled back as if they are screaming or writhing in pain are truly startling... Such mummies, however, are found not just in Egypt but worldwide, in Palermo, Sicily, Guanajuato, Mexico, and, as noted above, in Peru. Some of these bodies were purposefully preserved, though by various methods, while others are natural or, you might say, accidental mummies. What does that say about the supposed frozen-mask-of-agony phenomenon? Are screaming mummies really testaments to horrific deaths? Or are they the result of natural processes, botched or ad hoc mummification jobs, or the depredations of tomb robbers?" Well, this article from the online publication site of Archaeology will attempt to answer that question. (Subject(s): Mummies)
The Beat Review: This information site is published by the The Beat Studies Association and provides visitors with "A review of new Beat scholarship and other Beat works." The current issue is number Volume 3, Issue 1 (January 2009) and contains reviews works such as: And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks by William S. Burroughs and A Coney Island of the Mind: Special 50th Anniversary Edition by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. (Subject(s): Beat Generation)
Social Security Benefits Calculator: The Social Security Administration has put 3 different calculators online so that you can compute the money you will receive upon retirement. "Use any of the calculators below (sic) to estimate your potential benefit amounts using different retirement dates and levels of future earnings. The calculators will show your retirement benefits as well as disability and survivor benefit amounts if you should become disabled or die. " (Subject(s): Social Security--United States)
Popular Mechanics | Cars & Truck Buyer's Guide: "Popular Mechanics has up to date information and research on autos including new cars, trucks, motorcycles, motor sports, Road Trips, and the feature Jay Leno's garage." "You'll get over 200 test-drive reviews and tons of updated info and pricing options on each car page." To read the complete online version of the magazine, visit their homepage at Popular Mechanics. (Subject(s): Automobiles--Purchasing)
Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts: "The Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts offers a simple and straightforward means to discover medieval manuscripts available on the web. Very much a work in progress, the database will initially provide links to hundreds of manuscripts, which we expect quickly to grow to thousands. Basic information about the manuscripts is fully searchable, and users can also browse through the complete contents of the database. As the project develops, a richer body of information for each manuscript, and the texts in these codices, will be provided, where available." The database has been created by staff at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS). (Subject(s): Literature, Medieval)
Civil Air Transport/Air America Collection: The history site is part of the University of Texas McDermott Library. It is part of their History of Aviation Collection. "The History of Aviation Collection is the official repository for Civil Air Transport (CAT) and Air America. The archive has considerable material about the operations of both airlines. The collection also includes a memorial commemorating the personnel who gave their lives while serving with CAT and Air America. Additional information on the CAT Association and the Air America Association can be found here along with a guide to the collection." (Subject(s): Aviation--History)
Real Simple | Cleaning 101: This Website provides visitors with a whole set of "Basic tips and tricks to get the entire house sparkling, from quick cleaning strategies to supplies to stock." This is just one area of advice available monthly from the online version of the Real Simple magazine. (Subject(s): House Cleaning--Popular Works & Product Safety)
Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Consumer News, Updates, Trends: "Car sales may be down, but automobiles remain a central part of many lives, as reflected by the active discussions about buying, selling, and maintaining cars in our forums. Check out the conversation and add in your opinion." (Subject(s): Automobiles--Purchasing)
The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920: "The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 documents the historical formation and cultural foundations of the movement to conserve and protect America's natural heritage, through books, pamphlets, government documents, manuscripts, prints, photographs, and motion picture footage drawn from the collections of the Library of Congress. The collection consists of 62 books and pamphlets, 140 Federal statutes and Congressional resolutions, 34 additional legislative documents, excerpts from the Congressional Globe and the Congressional Record, 360 Presidential proclamations, 170 prints and photographs, 2 historic manuscripts, and 2 motion pictures." (Subject(s): Conservation--United States--History--19th Century)
Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904: "The Westinghouse Works Collection contains 21 actuality films showing various views of Westinghouse companies. Most prominently featured are the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, and the Westinghouse Machine Company. The films were intended to showcase the company's operations. Exterior and interior shots of the factories are shown along with scenes of male and female workers performing their duties at the plants." (Subject(s): Westinghouse Works--History--1904--Films)
GoodGuide | Ratings of Natural, Green & Healthy Products: Find safe, healthy and green products, then find better ones using expert ratings. New ratings on healthy food. Note we are GoodGuide, not Good Guide." The Guide rating and consumer information for such products as "safe toys, lead toys, toy recalls, natural products, green products, healthy products, better products, green ratings, health ratings, social responsibility ratings" (Subject(s): Consumers & Product Safety)
GovEngine - Federal, State & Local Government and Court Resources: This Website bills itself as "The premier federal, state and local directory of official government and court web sites. Includes links to all branches of federal and state government, including counties, municipalities, cities, and townships." (Subject(s): Governments--United States)
Metro | Green Cleaners: "Save money, protect your family and the environment by using safe, simple ingredients to clean your home. Many commercial cleaning products use ingredients that can be harmful to people and the environment. Fortunately, there are less-toxic products—green cleaners that can protect your family and the environment. You can also save money by using some simple, safe ingredients to make your own non-toxic cleaners." And this site will explain which ones are safer to use around your own home. (Subject(s): House Cleaning--Popular Works & Product Safety)
Federal Railroad Administration | High-Speed Rail Corridor Descriptions: "As of January 2002, the FRA has designated ten high-speed corridors under section 1010 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and Section 1103(c) of the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Designation allows a corridor to receive specially targeted funding for highway-rail grade crossing safety improvements, and recognizes the corridor as a potential center of HSR activity. These designated corridors are shown on the map at the beginning of this document (sic) and are listed below (sic), generally from Southwest to Northeast." (Subject(s): Railroads)

How Digital Cameras Work

This page is part of the How Stuff Works Website. It was written by Karim Nice, Tracy V. Wilson and Gerald Gurevich: "In the past twenty years, most of the major technological breakthroughs in consumer electronics have really been part of one larger breakthrough. When you get down to it, CDs, DVDs, HDTV, MP3s and DVRs are all built around the same basic process: converting conventional analog information (represented by a fluctuating wave) into digital information (represented by ones and zeros, or bits). This fundamental shift in technology totally changed how we handle visual and audio information -- it completely redefined what is possible. The digital camera is one of the most remarkable instances of this shift because it is so truly different from its predecessor. Conventional cameras depend entirely on chemical and mechanical processes -- you don't even need electricity to operate them. On the other hand, all digital cameras have a built-in computer, and all of them record images electronically. The new approach has been enormously successful. Since film still provides better picture quality, digital cameras have not completely replaced conventional cameras. But, as digital imaging technology has improved, digital cameras have rapidly become more popular. In this article, we'll find out exactly what's going on inside these amazing digital-age devices. " (Subject(s): Digital Cameras)

Pacific Institute: The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the California Coast: "In an analysis prepared for three California state agencies, the Pacific Institute estimates that 480,000 people; a wide range of critical infrastructure; vast areas of wetlands and other natural ecosystems; and nearly $100 billion in property along the California coast are at increased risk from flooding from a 1.4-meter sea-level rise – if no adaptation actions are taken. The Pacific Institute report, The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on the California Coast, concludes that sea-level rise will inevitably change the character of the California coast, and that adaptation strategies must be evaluated, tested, and implemented if the risks identified in the report are to be reduced or avoided. Populations and critical infrastructure at risk are shown in detailed maps prepared by the Pacific Institute available online here." The Executive Summary and the Complete Report are both available using the portable document (.pdf) format and you'll need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Reader to view or print its findings. (Subject(s): Global Warming & Oceans--Pacific Coast)
WNYC - Books: Inventing Beauty : A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful: Written by Teresa Riordan, this Website provides viewers with an excerpt (Chapter 1) of the book which was first published in 2004. You may read excerpts from this and many other books and listen to readings from some of the works listed at the WNYC - Books Archive (Subject(s): Books)
Investopedia - Your Source For Investing Education: This Website "includes the most comprehensive investing dictionary on the web as well as articles and tutorials on nearly any aspect of the market." These "aspects" include articles with such titles as: Debt Management 101, Avoiding Tax Scams, Market Capitalization Defined and Taxing Times For Divorced Parents. NOTE: parts of this site including feature stories, market analyses and some articles require registration to read, but the good news is that registration is FREE! (Subject(s): Investing)
The James Madison Papers, 1723 - 1836: "The James Madison Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consist of approximately 12,000 items captured in some 72,000 digital images. They document the life of the man who came to be known as the "Father of the Constitution" through correspondence, personal notes, drafts of letters and legislation, an autobiography, legal and financial documents, and miscellaneous manuscripts. The collection is organized into six series dating from 1723 to 1836. Beginning with a selection of his father's letters, the series moves through Madison's years as a student, and as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and include extensive notes of the debates during his three-year term in the Continental Congress (1779-82). Notes and a memoranda document Madison's pivotal role in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the Virginia ratification convention of 1788. Other materials reflect the nine years that Madison spent in the House of Representatives and his tenure as Secretary of State during Thomas Jefferson's presidency. Correspondence and notes trace his two terms as the fourth president of the United States, illuminating the origins and course of the War of 1812 and the post-war years of his presidency and subsequent retirement." (Subject(s): Madison, James, 1751-1836)
Joseph Urban Stage Design Models & Documents Stabilization & Access Project (New York Series): "The NEH-funded Joseph Urban Stage Designs Stabilization and Access Project of 2002-2004 focused on materials relating to Urban's New York theater career from 1914-1933, specifically the documentation of his productions for the Ziegfeld Follies and other theater producers, and his productions for the Metropolitan Opera. The archives of these productions contained many thousands of documents, photographs, sketches, technical drawings, and watercolors, as well as the actual stage models. Some 61 of the models remained fully assembled when acquired by Columbia, while 281 models had been collapsed by the Urban studio into one or more flattened bundles each." This online exhibition is "A joint effort of Columbia University Libraries' Preservation Division, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Libraries Digital Program Division." "Joseph Urban (1872-1933) was born in Vienna at a time of great artistic ferment. He was trained as an architect and influenced by the artists of the Vienna Secession (Gustav Klimt, Josef Olbrich, Josef Hoffmann), as well as by the architect Adolf Loos. He immigrated to the United States in 1912 to become the art director of the Boston Opera. In 1914 he moved to New York and for the next two decades his studio was a major theatrical presence, designing productions for New York theaters, the Ziegfeld Follies and the Metropolitan Opera. By the time of his death in 1933, he had designed over 500 stage sets for more than 168 productions, many of which he also directed." (Subject(s): Urban, Joseph, 1872-1933)
The Minassian Collection of Persian, Mughal, and Indian Miniature Paintings: "This project features Miniature paintings from the estate of Mrs. Adrienne Minassian. The paintings often include text from Persian and Indian tales. Many of the illustrations within the Minassian Collection are depictions of stories from the classical Persian text, Shahnama of Ferdowsi. The project originated in the work of Brown University student, Alanna Benham ('99), and was first presented as a searchable database of Persian and Islamic miniatures, including history, bibliographic, auction brochures, maps, and other notes. It was submitted as her thesis for the Bachelor of Arts with Honors for an Independent Concentration." (Subject(s): Art)
Obama’s Approval Rating Slips Amid Division Over Economic Proposals: (March 16, 2009) This article focuses on the results of a study conducted by the Pew Research Center: "President Barack Obama's approval rating has slipped, as a growing number of Americans see him listening more to his party's liberals than to its moderates and many voice opposition to some of his key economic proposals. Obama's job approval rating has slipped from 64% in February to 59% currently, while disapproval has jumped from 17% to 26% over this period. Although most people think the new president is doing as much as he can to fix the economy and relatively few say Obama's policies have made the economy worse, the public expresses mixed views of his many major proposals to fix the economy. There continues to be broad support for increased spending on infrastructure, and most have positive views of key aspects of his budget plan -- reducing taxes on middle and lower-income households and raising taxes on the affluent." You can read the complete article here. (Subject(s): United States--Public Opinion)
NPR: Planet Money: This is a blog from National Public Radio (NPR) on the current worldwide financial and credit crises. You can read the reported stories here or respond to the news reporters or to other bloggers' statements. "Planet Money is a multimedia team covering the global economy. You can follow us on this blog and on Twitter. You can also e-mail us directly and/or join our Facebook group." (Subject(s): Economics)
The Powder & The Glory: "The Powder & the Glory tells the story of two of the first highly successful women entrepreneurs in America, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. One hundred years ago these women immigrated to the United States and, starting with next to nothing, created what is today the $150 billion global health and beauty industry. Although they lived and worked only blocks apart in New York for over 50 years, the two women, by design, never met! Their competition drove them both to great creativity and success. Their competing companies defined the business of beauty, making cosmetics both newly respectable and, finally, indispensable. Along the way they developed many advertising and marketing techniques that became part of the business landscape, and they themselves became household names, cultural icons, and two of the world's wealthiest women." This is the companion Website for a film that premiers on PBS on March 23rd, 2009. (Subject(s): Arden, Elizabeth & Rubinstein, Helena)
Project Information Literacy: "Project Information Literacy is a national study about early adults and their information-seeking behaviors, competencies, and the challenges they face when conducting research in the digital age. Based in University of Washington's iSchool, the large-scale research project investigates how early adults on different college campuses conduct research for course work and how they conduct "everyday research" for use in their daily lives... " Although this interesting project has not yet been completed, you can read a progress report from their Website now. (Subject(s): Older People--Information Services & Older People--Psychology)
Rembrandt in Southern California: "Rembrandt in Southern California is a virtual exhibition of 14 paintings by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669) on view in five Southern California museums. This collaborative presentation offers a unique guide to exploring these significant holdings and provides information and suggested connections and points of comparison for each work. Southern California is home to the third-largest assemblage of Rembrandt paintings in the United States, with notable strength in works from the artist's dynamic early career in Leiden and Amsterdam." (Subject(s): Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669)
smart USA: Well, one of these little European import cars passed me on the freeway a week ago going about 70mph, so I thought I might as well see what they're all about. Here's the homepage for the smallest car on the road in the US. It's made in Europe by Mercedes-Benz and has been popular in that continent for several years. They're cheap, economical, sporty, uniquely-designed, multi-colored, very flash and easy to park. But they're so small! A squirrel could run over one! I think you can only get about 3/4 of a person at a time in them! And they look like a short-toed gym shoe! (Subject(s): Automobiles)
Journalism.org | The State of the News Media 2009: "The State of the News Media 2009 is the sixth edition of our annual report on the health and status of American journalism. Our goals are to take stock of the revolution occurring in how Americans get information and provide a resource for citizens, journalists and researchers to make their own assessments. To do so we gather in one place as much data as possible about all the major sectors of journalism, identify trends, mark key indicators, note areas for further inquiry... This report is the work of the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, a nonpolitical, nonpartisan research institute. The study is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and was produced with the help of a number of authors and collaborators , including Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute and a host of industry readers." (Subject(s): News)
Tales in Sprinkled Gold (Getty Center Exhibitions): This is a companion Website for an exhibition at the Getty Center: "This exhibition presents examples of Japanese lacquer objects from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Made in Japan—some specifically for export to Europe—these objects were popular among wealthy European collectors from the 17th to 19th centuries. The art form has had a major impact on both the fine and decorative arts. At the heart of this exhibition is the Mazarin Chest, one of the most significant and beautiful examples of Japanese export lacquer to have survived, and a highlight from the collection of Japanese art at the Victoria and Albert Museum." (Subject(s): Art, Japanese)
Urban Street Art, Abandoned Places and Amazing Designs | WebUrbanist: "WebUrbanist blog collective writers are interested in all things urban - from urban design to subversive art and strange architecture. We scour the net to find neat new stuff to pack it into an article with relevant images and links, as exhaustive as we can manage within a single subject area. Our team is comprised of web designers, bloggers, architects and other curious urbanists." As such, the writers here stumble upon all kinds of "street" art, from articles on "10 of the Coolest Counter & Surface Material Designs" and "Wonderful and Artistically Graffitied Cars" to "Creepy and Twisted Abandoned Amusement Parks" and "15 Amazing Monasteries, Sanctuaries and Abbies." Save your junk and be artistic! (Subject(s): Art)
U.S. Monetary Policy: An Introduction: "This site provides an introduction to U.S. monetary policy as it is currently conducted by answering a series of questions: * How is the Federal Reserve structured? * What are the goals of U.S. monetary policy? * What are the tools of U.S. monetary policy? * How does monetary policy affect the U.S. economy? [and] * How does the Fed decide the appropriate setting for the policy instrument?" This and other documents about the FED, monetary policy and the current recessionary financial crisis can be found at the homepage for The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. (Subject(s): Monetary Policy--United States)
Victorian Britain in 1,500 Original Prints: "The development of photographically illustrated books parallels the explosion in communications technology during the 19th century. In a period of unprecedented advances in science, exploration, travel, tourism and industry, photography provided an exciting, innovative and accurate alternative to conventional methods of book illustration, such as woodcuts, etchings and engravings. The spirit of all pioneering photographers was evoked by Frances Frith in his dictum, "Give a fulcrum for my lever and I will move the world". Frith was accustomed to thinking big: in 1860 he set out to photograph every town and village in the country. The new, vital medium of photography permeated all levels of society. Hailed as a "triumph over mystery", the camera democratised the study of art and science – once the select domain of the upper and professional classes.... The range of subject matter is immense. Most popular subjects were topography, romantic literature and poetry, portraiture, art, science, travel and exploration. Many of the cultures, places and buildings recorded in the photographs no longer exist – destroyed by the ravages of war, natural disasters or social change. Photographically illustrated books provide unique evidence of the past through their critical juxtaposition of text and image. They both illustrate and illuminate the aesthetic, intellectual and social development of the Victorian age." (Subject(s): Great Britain--History--19th Century--Photographs)
WorldWideLearn: This site bills itself as "The World's Premier Online Directory of Education." "Get educated! Find over 16,700 online degree programs and courses from online colleges & universities. Search by subject/major, degree level, and location at World Wide Learn, the World’s Premier Online Directory of Education." (Subject(s): College Choice)

Wall Street Watch - Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America

Um... these guys don't pull any punches. "The report, "Sold Out: How Wall Street and Washington Betrayed America," shows that, from 1998-2008, Wall Street investment firms, commercial banks, hedge funds, real estate companies and insurance conglomerates made $1.725 billion in political contributions and spent another $3.4 billion on lobbyists, a financial juggernaut aimed at undercutting federal regulation. Nearly 3,000 officially registered federal lobbyists worked for the industry in 2007 alone. The report documents a dozen distinct deregulatory moves that, together, led to the financial meltdown. These include prohibitions on regulating financial derivatives; the repeal of regulatory barriers between commercial banks and investment banks; a voluntary regulation scheme for big investment banks; and federal refusal to act to stop predatory subprime lending. "The report details, step-by-step, how Washington systematically sold out to Wall Street," says Harvey Rosenfield, president of the Consumer Education Foundation, a California-based non-profit organization. "Depression-era programs that would have prevented the financial meltdown that began last year were dismantled, and the warnings of those who foresaw disaster were drowned in an ocean of political money. Americans were betrayed, and we are paying a high price -- trillions of dollars -- for that betrayal."" (NOTE: You can read the summary here, but to read the complete report, you will need to download and install the latest version of Adobe Reader.) (Subject(s): Business--United States, Investing, Lobbying--United States & Politicians--United States)


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