Phyllis' Favorites

Dear Blog Readers,

I will be away for a week. Postings will resume when I return.

- Phyllis

Phyllis Anker
anker@hslc.org

270toWin.com!
http://www.270towin.com/
From the site:
“270towin.com is an interactive Electoral College map for 2008 and a history of Presidential elections in the United States. Since electoral votes are generally allocated on an "all or none" basis by state, the election of a U.S President is about winning the popular vote in enough states to achieve 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 that are available. It is not about getting the most overall popular votes, as we saw in the 2000 election, when the electoral vote winner (Bush) and the popular vote winner (Gore) were different.”
[NOTE: Previously posted. Site updated for 2008. - Phyllis ]

USA History: 1800-1990
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USA.htm
[NOTE: Previously posted. Site updated. - Phyllis ]

A look at the history of the United States from a British perspective.

SEE ALSO: Home page: Spartacus Educational
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

United States History
http://www.tntech.edu/history/usa.html
Internet Resources Last Updated March 5, 2008
[NOTE: Some sites from this list previously posted. - Phyllis ]

History Sites by Subject
http://www.tntech.edu/history/subject.html

Internet Resources in History
http://www.tntech.edu/history/resources.html

Sites found in:
******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter: April 20-26, 2008
******************************************

Nature: The Gorilla King
On-Air & Online Sunday, April 20, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Titus, king of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, is one of only 700 of his kind alive today. Ian Redmond documents Titus' extraordinary life, from his early days to his rise to power as a silverback. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/gorillaking/index.html

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NOVA: Car of the Future
On-Air & Online Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" take viewers on a roller-coaster ride into the world of cars as NOVA takes a look at the latest and greatest in the automotive industry. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/car/
[NOTE: See teaching guide pasted below. – Phyllis ]

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National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth: Most Dangerous Catch/Dirty Secrets
On-Air & Online Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 9 - 11:00 pm
Grade Range: 6-8, 9-12

"Most Dangerous Catch": Over-fishing is affecting life far beyond the shoreline, including Earth's own life support systems. "Dirty Secrets": Striped bass are succumbing to flesh-eating bacteria in the Chesapeake Bay. Coral reefs are weakening under a growing assault of invisible contaminants. How are these mysteries related? (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays

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American Experience: Roberto Clemente
On-Air & Online Monday, April 21, 2008, 9 - 10:00pm
Grade Range: 9-12

Baseball great Roberto Clemente was more than an exceptional baseball player — he was also a committed humanitarian who challenged racial discrimination and worked for social justice. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/
[NOTE: See Teaching Guide pasted below. – Phyllis ]
----

Secrets of the Dead: Aztec Massacre
On-Air & Online Wednesday, April 23, 2008, 8 - 9:00 pm
Grade Range: 9-12

A grisly discovery of more than 400 mutilated bodies in Mexico is turning history on its head. Aztec Massacre paints a new picture of the violent relations between the Aztecs and the Conquistadors, and rewrites much of what we thought we knew about the Aztec civilization. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/

Copyright 2008 PBS Online.

***************

--------Forwarded Message------------
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:00:19 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [NOVA Teachers] "Car of the Future" airs April 22, 2008

Hello Educators,

In next week's airing of "Car of the Future," NOVA follows NPR "Car
Talk" hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi as they hit the road to examine
options for cleaner, more energy-efficient vehicles. (Subjects
covered: physics, energy, technology/engineering)

NOVA is launching its first ever open content Web site with this
program. The site contains more than 200 one- to three-minute video
clips shot during the making of the film that you and your students
can download and use to make your own videos.

A Teachers section will provide you with tips for how to use these
clips, ways to help your students create their videos, and ideas for
incorporating these clips into your curriculum. Find the open content
site at

http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/open

We've also set up a PBS Educators' Forum discussion board for this
program. We hope you'll visit the board after the program airs to
talk with other educators about the show's topics, share discussion
themes and activity ideas, and recommend relevant resources. Find the
board at:

http://discussions.pbs.org/viewforum.pbs?f=185
Regards,
Karen Hartley
Teachers Editor
NOVA Web Site
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/
E-mail: NOVA_Teachers@wgbh.org

* * * * * * * *

NOVA presents "Car of the Future"
Broadcast: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car
(NOVA airs on PBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings as
broadcast dates and times may vary. This program can be used up to
one year after it is recorded off the air.)

Watch the Program
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/program.html
Watch the entire program online after the broadcast date.
(QuickTime or Windows Media required.) (Grades 9-12)

Beyond Technology
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/greene.html
Find out why it is critical to become less dependent on oil, what
the challenges are to replacing petroleum, when various new
technologies may come into play, and more in this interview with
energy expert David Greene. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

History's Innovative Autos
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/past.html
Explore in this interactive slideshow nine automotive innovations
-- from as early as 1896 -- that could help drive the car of the
future, including a turbine-engine car, a nuclear-propulsion
concept car, and a steam-powered car. (Flash plug-in required;
printable version available.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

My Car of the Future, Today
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/my.html
Meet individuals from all over the United States who currently
drive cars powered by electricity, vegetable oil, and other
alternative fuels. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Model of Efficiency
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/efficiency.html
View photos and listen in this six-part audio slideshow to
physicist and energy expert Amory Lovins talk about his
lightweight, fuel-efficient concept vehicle called the Hypercar.
Total running time: 10 minutes 2 seconds. (Flash plug-in
required.) (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Car of the Future Open Content
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/open
Find more than 200 downloadable, one- to three-minute video clips
from the program -- including interviews with leading experts and
scenic footage -- that you can use make your own videos. (Grades
6-8, 9-12)

Car of the Future Open Production
http://www.pbs.org/nova/car/production
See how our audience got involved while we were producing the
program. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Teacher's Guide
http://www.pbs.org/nova/teachers/programs/3507_car.html
In this classroom activity, student teams research and develop a
proposal to decrease the carbon footprint of their city's public
transportation system through the use of various new technologies
and/or alternative fuels. (Grades 6-8, 9-12)

Program transcript
http://www.pbs.org/nova/transcripts/3507_car.html
The site includes a complete narration for this program.

Plus Watch a Preview and Links & Books.

--------Forwarded Message--------

Subject: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE hits a grand slam with ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:10:11 -0400

News from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
http://www.pbs.org/americanexperience

-----

On TV Monday: ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Monday, April 21 at 9pm on PBS (check your local listings)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente

On December 31, 1972, Roberto Clemente, a thirty-eight-year-old baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, boarded a DC-7 aircraft loaded with relief supplies for survivors of a catastrophic earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua. Shortly after take off, the overloaded aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, just one mile from the Puerto Rican coast. Roberto Clemente's body was never recovered.

On Monday, April 21, PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE premieres ROBERTO CLEMENTE, a
one-hour documentary about an exceptional baseball player and committed humanitarian, who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball's first Latino superstar. From independent filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz, the film features interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors David Maraniss (CLEMENTE) and George F. Will (MEN AT WORK: THE CRAFT OF BASEBALL), Clemente's wife Vera, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Orlando Cepeda, and former teammates, to present an intimate and revealing portrait of a man whose passion and grace made him a legend.

WATCH A PREVIEW
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/

Visit the web site for a sneak peak at ROBERTO CLEMENTE.

PUERTO RICAN MEMORIES
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/cepeda/

Read excerpts from an interview with legendary first baseman Orlando Cepeda, an All-Star slugger who ranks among top hitters like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Albert Pujols. Cepeda remembers meeting Clemente in Puerto Rico in the Fifties, and describes the two worlds they both lived in.

ROBERTO CLEMENTE IN THE NEWS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/press

From the start of his career in the early Fifties to his tragic death in 1972, Roberto Clemente commanded press attention. Sportswriters chronicled his feats on the baseball diamond; they also wrote about Clemente's many ailments and sometimes mocked his poor English.

SHARE YOUR STORY
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/clemente/memories/

Decades after his tragic death, Roberto Clemente's memory lives on. Many have been inspired by his humanitarian deeds. And many think he was one of baseball's all-time greats. What do you remember about Clemente?

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Stories to Go
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/podcasts.html

In the first of this week's two podcasts, go behind the scenes with filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz as he explains why he was drawn to Roberto Clemente's story. Then, New York Yankees relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins explains why he wanted to wear Clemente's number, and how Clemente's legacy lives on today.

--------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Saturday, November 17, 2007 and time for Foreign Languages at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
How To Learn Any Language
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/

This website was recommended by ClickSchooler extraordinaire, MaryAnna. She
wrote:

"I know I've recommended plenty of sites in the past, but this one is really
a goodie! It offers excellent advice for the independent language learner.
The site owner is an experienced polyglot and his website is full of
information from general advice about choosing and learning a language to
more detailed info about each language, its difficulty, related languages,
advantages and disadvantages to learning it, and even links to online
learning resources for each language. As an experienced language learner
myself, I have to say this guy is really on track. Five stars!"

She's right! You better bookmark it now, because there is no way you can see
all of the resources provided here on one visit. When you get to the site
read the introduction and click on the embedded links to further
information, or use the drop-down menu at the top of your screen, or the
stationery menu on the left to explore the site. You will find suggestions
and activities for learning all of the following languages:

. Arabic
. Cantonese
. Czech
. English
. Esperanto
. Finnish
. French
. German
. Greek
. Hungarian
. Italian
. Japanese
. Korean
. Mandarin
. Portuguese
. Russian
. Serbo-Croatian
. Slovak
. Spanish
. Thai
. Turkish

Use the handy Language Profile page to get a quick overview of the
difficulty and popularity of the language. The direct link is:
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/languages/index.html

Under the basic "Guide" on this site, don't miss the article on "How To
Raise Polyglot Kids." It includes general advice along with suggestions for
inexpensive as well as costlier resources you can use. You'll also find
information and advice on how to get the most out of language camps and
immersion programs. This site even provides free downloadable software so
you can make your own foreign language flash cards!

Note: On some of the pages at the site, the Google ads appear at the top of
the page. It can give the illusion that there is nothing else on the page.
You have to scroll down the page below the Google ads to find the text and
resources. It's a minor inconvenience. :)

This site is a fantastic resource that foreign language learners will refer
to again and again.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/


Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Sites found in:
17 November 2007 Earth Science Sites of the Week

A TAPESTRY OF TIME AND TERRAIN: THE UNION OF TWO MAPS - GEOLOGY AND
TOPOGRAPHY (suggested by Cher Cunningham, Science Information and
Education Office, USGS), This interactive site allows the user to
digitally combine geologic and topographic maps of the United States by
state or physiographic regions. The site includes excellent explanatory
information about the geologic time scale and 47 interesting geologic
features across the US.

http://tapestry.usgs.gov/Default.html
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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ANIMATIONS: Physics Applets (Last reviewed in the Scout Report on
March 14, 1997) [Macromedia Flash Player] (suggested by Scout Report),
Multimedia instructional tools for the physical sciences are rather in
vogue these days, and a number of universities and colleges have
developed creative resources in this area. One such set of resources
happens to be the Physics Applets collection, created by staff members
at the University of Oregon's physics department. The interactive
applets are divided into four sections, including mechanics,
thermodynamics, astrophysics, and energy & environment. In total, there
are over thirty different applets, and they include those that
illustrate the concepts of potential energy, Kepler's Third Law, and
atomic emission. The site also includes a listing of credits, a help
section, and information about this initiative. [KMG]

http://jersey.uoregon.edu/vlab/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

Mark Francek
Professor of Geography
Central Michigan University
http://webs.cmich.edu/resgi/

Site found in:
INFOMINE Email Alert Service
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007
http://infomine.ucr.edu/

----------------------------------------
NYPL Digital Gallery : Pictures of Science: 700 Years of Scientific and Medical Illustration
----------------------------------------
URL: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=197%20
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6es8w8
Record Id: 673328
Created: 2007-11-09 12:24:17
Categories: arts,bioag,physci

Historic scientific illustration, represented by 340 images from
astronomical atlases, medical anatomies, and geology texts.

[NOTE: Other collections from NYPL Digital Gallery previously posted. - Phyllis ]

---------Forwarded Message--------
Public Agenda Alert -- April 17, 2008
* Bush Proposes Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Limits
==============================================

President Bush proposed voluntary emissions limits
this week designed to stop the growth of greenhouse
gases in the U.S. by 2025. Lawmakers are already negotiating
a bill in the Senate that would halt emissions
growth by 2012, and the United Nations climate panel
says emissions would actually have to fall by 2015 worldwide
to prevent major changes.

Climate change has grown as a public concern in the past
few years, and the public clearly sees it as a global
problem that needs a global solution. In our Confidence
in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, we found nearly three-quarters
of Americans said they worry about global warming (four
in 10 say they worry "a lot.") Six in 10 say it's
realistic to believe that international cooperation can
reduce global warming. But only 37 percent think
the U.S. government can do "a lot" about this.

Broadly speaking, when surveys ask people to choose between
the environment and the economy, answers change depending
on how well the economy is doing, and many resist the choice
even during prosperous times. When the economy was doing well
in 2000, two-thirds of Americans said they favored protecting
the environment even at the expense of economic growth.
But during the sluggish times of 1992 and 2003, less than
half of Americans favored giving priority to the environment.
And while most Americans say there should be stricter laws
to protect the environment, only a modest majority says "people
should be willing to pay higher prices" to do so. Even during
the boom of the 1990s, however, most Americans said it’s not
necessary to choose between protecting the environment and
economic growth.

Read the Washington Post story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041600337.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6p6suy
[NOTE: Site may require free subscription. – Phyllis ]

Find out more in our Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index:
http://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/index.cfm

Find out more in our Red Flags on the Environment:
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/red_flags.cfm?issue_type=environment
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6bgk92

----
Copyright (c) 2008 Public Agenda
http://www.publicagenda.org

Site found in:
Librarians' Internet Index
Websites you can trust!
NEW THIS WEEK, November 15, 2007
Read This Online : http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/124

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Remembering Suez
This series of articles and features recounts the Suez Crisis of 1956, which "erupted over the Egyptian president's decision to nationalise the Suez Canal." Provides background material, commentary, maps, a timeline, images, audio and video clips, and articles on topics such as parallels with Iraq, and the Suez Crisis and the media. From BBC News.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5199392.stm
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24844

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Librarians' Internet Index
Websites You Can Trust!
http://lii.org/
Copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.

History Announces the Launch of the 2008-2009 Save Our History Grant Program!

This year, History will again award grants of up to $10,000 to fund
partnerships between schools or youth groups and history organizations
on projects that teach students about their local history and actively
engage them in its preservation.

History is proud to support the preservation of local history across
the country. From oral history projects, to archiving documentary
footage, to capturing some aspect of a school or town's past, these
projects can span a diversity of formats and themes. To date, History
has awarded over 1 million dollars to fund 109 student projects across
the country, distributed free educational resources to over 60,000
teachers reaching approximately 1.5 million students, hosted Save Our
History teacher training sessions and honored dozens of teachers and
students for their commitment to local history education and
preservation.

To read descriptions of past Save Our History grant projects and to
apply for a grant, visit http://saveourhistory.com/ . The grant
application will be posted online in January 2008 and is due Friday,
June 6th, 2008.

The Art of Chivalry
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/medieval/chivalry
From the site:
“He has been celebrated as a hero and satirized as a fool, canonized as a saint and anathematized as a devil. No doubt about it: The knight in shining armor is one of the most compelling and contradictory figures who ever rode across the landscape of history.”

Home Page: Select an Exhibit Collection
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/a_base_UD.html

For Educators
http://www.humanities-interactive.org/extra/for_teachers.html
From the site:
“As schools move ever closer to the use of online curricula, Humanities Texas works to place its humanities resources in the hands of teachers and librarians. On this page you will find suggestions for using the Humanities-Interactive website in your classroom. Please make yourself at home and enjoy our resources.”

[NOTE: Other pages from http://www.humanities-interactive.org/ previously
posted. – Phyllis ]

Sites found in:
=======
The Scout Report
November 16, 2007
Volume 13, Number 44
-----

The Scout Report on the Web:
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2007/scout-071116.php

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Interactives: Dynamic Earth [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/

Conveying the dynamism of various geologic processes can be hard in the
classroom or on the web, but this interactive feature from the Annenberg
Media's Learner.org site does quite a fine job of introducing students to
plate tectonics, plate boundaries, and such perennial favorites as
earthquakes and volcanoes. In the "Earth's Structure" section, visitors can
roll the mouse over such features as the crust, the mantle, and the outer
core of the Earth to learn about each feature. Moving on, the "Plate
Tectonics" area includes the "Continents Over Time" interactive feature
which asks visitors to place images of the continents in the correct
geologic order. Perhaps the most dynamic area of the site (with good reason)
is the "Slip, Slide & Collide" area. Here visitors will learn about what
happens at different types of plate boundaries through the use of colorful
graphics and explanations that are easy to understand. Overall, the site is
a great overview of some basic principles of geology, and one that can be
used with students of different ages. [KMG]
[NOTE: List of all interactives on the Annenberg Media's site
http://www.learner.org/interactives/ previously posted. - Phyllis ]

-----

Physics Applets
http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/appletindex.html

Created as part of the Museum Informatics Project at the University of
California, Berkeley, this website serves as a clearinghouse of high-quality
physics applets that can be used in a variety of settings. The site is
divided into a few basic topical areas, such as mechanics, waves, properties
of heat and matter, and optics. While a search engine isn't provided,
visitors can use the "Find" function provided by most browsers to look for
specific items of interest. It is worth noting that the applets dealing with
various fields of optics are quite strong, and visitors will no doubt locate
at least a handful of applets here that they can use in the classroom or
just to increase their own understanding of physics. [KMG]

[SEE ALSO: Things of Interest: Downloads, Movies, and Images
http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/interest.html

------

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/maps/

How do we find our way through the world, geographically speaking? Do we all
carry around a type of "mental map" in our head, formed through experience
and repetition? Some would say yes, some would beg to differ. Maps remain a
powerful way to represent the world in all its spatial glory, and this
online exhibit from The Field Museum explores the history of maps and their
history over the millennia. Designed to complement an ongoing exhibition at
the Museum, the site includes a photo gallery, information about the
participating institutions, and about researchers at the Museum who use maps
and mapping technology in their own work. The interactive feature is
definitely worth a look, as visitors can examine two dozen different maps in
detail from Chicago to the Marshall Islands. One can imagine that this
remarkable site could also be used in classrooms to expose students to the
wide variety of maps that have been created by human hands. [KMG]

--------

Mark Twain Project [pdf]
http://www.marktwainproject.org/

Mark Twain knew plenty about crafting a great narrative, but things like
metadata encoding and primary user functionality were a bit before his time.
Fortunately, all of these important tools of modern digital archive work and
information science are put to their best use within this very comprehensive
site. Dedicated to providing access to more than four decades' worth of
archival research by editors at the Mark Twain Project, this site provides
access to thousands of his letters and other writings. The ultimate goal of
the Project is to produce a digital critical edition, fully annotated, of
everything Twain wrote. It's a very ambitious goal, and one that draws on
the collaborative strengths of the California Digital Library, the
University of California Press, and The Bancroft Project. What is equally
impressive is the Project's user guide, which walks users through all of the
many search options available to them. Additionally, visitors can also use
the "My Citations" option to automatically generate standardized citations
for future reference. Over the coming months and years, additional works
will be added to the archive, including "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and
"Roughing It". [KMG]

-----

>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2007.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Thursday, November 15, 2007

Stop, You're Killing Me!
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/index.html
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Today's site serves up a harvest of mystery novels for the genre's devoted
fans and newcomers. Gentle Subscribers will find the perfect spot to
uncover a previously overlooked writer or find the latest heralded new
author on the scene.

"Stop, You're Killing Me! is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime,
thriller, spy, and suspense books. ... created by Bonny Brown in 1998. ...
'I love a good mystery! When I find new authors, I want to read everything
they've written. I like to go back to the beginning title and follow the
development of a writer's work. With the exception of Sue Grafton and her
alphabet series, it can be difficult to find an author's first book. So I
have searched online and in reference books to list the books featuring
series characters in the order written.' ... We list nearly 2,200 authors,
with chronological lists of their books (over 26,000 titles), both series
and non-series." - from the website

The site's strength rests in its lists, and is both searchable by author or
main protagonist, as well as being browsable by writer and character. One
of the highlights of the site is its historical index which offers mystery
titles by period, from “ancient” settings prior to the fall of Rome to
those of Victorian times or the roaring twenties. Additional indices list
suspense novels by location while a new one related to the occupation of
the main character is currently under way. The site also features a handy
reference for the best books in the mystery genre by headlining the winners
of the most prestigious prizes in the U.S., Canada and Australia, among
them the Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Ned Kelly Awards but only for the past
two years.

Sleuth over to the site for a convenient reference for whodunits for every
taste at:

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/index.html

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

Louisa May Alcott: The Real Woman Who Wrote Little Women
http://www.alcottfilm.com/
From the site:
“The film is currently in production and is slated to premiere on WNET's American Masters on PBS in 2008”
Site will eventually include teaching materials, discussion guides, film transcripts, etc.

The Life of Louisa May Alcott
http://www.alcottfilm.com/real_life.php

Louisa May Alcott Through the Years: An Interactive Timeline
http://www.alcottfilm.com/real_world.php

Links
http://www.alcottfilm.com/links.php

English Language Difficulties
http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/difficulties.html
From the site:
“There are various mistakes commonly made in English, even by native speakers. Here is the index of current and upcoming lessons on English difficulties.”

Sites found in:

ResourceShelf
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
November 9-15, 2007

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Databases for Educators: NY Times Lesson Plan Archive; Gateway to Educational Materials; ASN State Standards Viewer

Search (keyword) or Browse by Topic, “hundreds of free lesson plans for grades 6-12.”
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/archive.html
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]
Limit your search by grade level (6-8, 9-12, 6-12) and pre-defined subject (also browsable).

New: Lesson Plan Units

The Learning Network has developed lesson plan units that use recent New York Times articles as springboards for examining important curricular topics in interesting and exciting ways. Use the lessons in these units in your classroom, or share them with teachers in other content areas and collaborate on interdisciplinary units.

-----

See Also: Gateway to Educational Materials
http://www.thegateway.org/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]
You can limit results by: Grade Level, Type of Material, and more.

The database can also be browsed using these criteria:
+ Subject
+ Type
+ Level
+ Keywords
+ Mediator
+ Beneficiary
+ Price (Free, Fee, Partially Free)

-----

See Also: Database: ASN State Standards Viewer (Achievement Standards Network)
http://www.jesandco.org/asn/viewer/
The ASN provides tools and databases that enable access to and interaction with the authoritative collection of learning and content standards from states and national content groups.

******

November, 2007 Library of Congress Wise Guide Now Online (November, 2007)
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/nov07/index-flash.html
[NOTE: Other issues previously posted. - Phyllis ]
Articles include:
+ Experiencing the War
+ Toni Frissell, American Photographer
+ The Turkestanskii Al’Bom (Turkistan Album)
+ Event of the Month
+ A Native Prescription
+ The Homowo festival in Portland, Oregon
+ New Lewis and Clark Materials

See Also: Previous Issues of LC’s Wise Guide
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/archives.html

********

GovernmentAttic.org: (Rummaging in the U.S. Government’s Attic)
http://governmentattic.org/

In past posts we’ve listed sites that are permanently archiving U.S. government web content. Other sites are digitizing older materials.

Today, a quick intro to GovernmentAttic.org. A new site digitizing materials accessed using the Freedom of Information Act.

If they gain access to it, similar to the work being done by National Security Archive and Cryptome) they will digitize and make available.

From the site:

The aim of this web site is to make available materials unavailable elsewhere. There is no topic-oriented theme to our content.

******

National Archives (UK): Churchill and the Bomb - the inside story
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/releases/2007/november/weapons.htm
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/4cjjjn
Churchill’s reasoning behind the adoption of the atom bomb is revealed in Cabinet Notebooks just released. You can now read his actual words, as recorded by the Cabinet Secretary, for the first time.

See Also: Part 2
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/releases/2007/november/weapons-part2.htm
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/4kwpvg

*****

GPO Creates Its First Ever On-Line Guide To Members Of Congress
http://www.memberguide.gpoaccess.gov/

From the announcement:
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) creates a one stop website with easy searchable information on all Members of Congress. A simple click will bring the user to a picture and biography of any current member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. This information previously was available in separate databases, but now can be accessed from one central point.

------
Gary Price
Editor, ResourceShelf
gary@resourceshelf.com
The ResourceShelf & DocuTicker Team
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Post via ResourceShelf"
for even more resources visit
http://www.resourceshelf.com/
http://www.docuticker.com/

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project
http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/

Today's site, from a collaboration of academic, scientific, technical and
museum experts, presents an exhibit on one of the most significant
archeological discoveries ever made -- the Antikythera Mechanism. Gentle
Subscribers will find an extensive and informative report on this ancient
scientific artefact found off the coast of Greece.

"More than a hundred years ago an extraordinary mechanism was found by
sponge divers at the bottom of the sea near the island of Antikythera. It
astonished the whole international community of experts on the ancient
world. ... For decades, scientific investigation failed to yield much light
... However research over the last half century has begun to reveal its
secrets. It dates from around the 1st century B.C. and is the most
sophisticated mechanism known from the ancient world. " - from the website

The exhibit's Frequently Asked Questions section, which is divided into two
parts, provides a helpful introduction to this amazing artefact, outlining
its origins, purpose and discovery. The second section is devoted to
explaining the history of astronomy and the periods displayed on the
Antikythera Mechanism. Additional features of the exhibit include images of
the collected segments of the artefact, using Polynomial Texture Mapping,
and a complete copy, in PDF format, of the topic paper which appeared in
the scientific journal "Nature".

Dive over to the site for information on this ancient and unique
astronomical device at:

http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

[NOTE: See Also: Themes
http://www.ted.com/index.php/themes - Phyllis ]

---------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Tuesday, April 8, 2008, and time for Science at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
TED.com
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/202

Ages: 12 and up (The content is presented with adult viewers in mind. However, in my opinion, much of this material is suitable for younger children with parental supervision. Parents, as always, should preview the material to determine suitability of content.)

ClickSchooler Angela Palermo recommended today's website where you can watch a 9-minute video of the founder of the Tinkering School identify 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do. Allowing kids the freedom to explore instead of overprotecting them, he says, will make them stronger and smarter and actually safer.

Can you guess what the 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do are before you visit the site? I'll give you a hint - most of what he proposes involves science.

Not only can you watch the video at this site, but after you do, and the synapses are firing, take a look around at the amazing content TED.com has to offer.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and it sponsors an annual conference that "brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free." There are about 200 talks on video archived at TED with new material continuously added - so bookmark this site to return again and again.

Angela wrote, "My teen boys and I love this site. TED.com has many, many wonderful educational videos to help you think outside the box."

For example she points to a video in which nanotechnologist Paul Rothemund shows you how to "cast a spell" with DNA!.

She also recommends a lively show with "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin "who races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares in his head, performs a massive mental calculation, and guesses a few birth days. How does he do it?" Find out how.

This website gets a ClickSchooling Award for Excellence!

DID YOU MISPLACE A ClickSchooling Review? Do you need to find an educational website - fast! Visit the ClickSchooling archives at: http://www.homefires.com/clickschool/archive.asp.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved
http://www.Homefires.com/
http://www.Carschooling.com/
http://www.UniversalPreschool.com/

Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Site found in:
Thirteen/WNET New York
Thirteen's Highlights eNewsletter

THURSDAY, APRIL 17 AT 8PM

"PRIMO"

"Primo" is a one-man play recounting the Holocaust experiences of Primo Levi, the Italian chemist whose young life was shattered by his internment at Auschwitz in the final year of World War II. Written by and starring renowned South African actor Sir Antony Sher in the title role, the play is adapted from Levi's classic memoir SURVIVING AUSCHWITZ, and made its critically acclaimed debut at London's National Theatre before transferring to Broadway in the summer of 2005. THE NEW YORK TIMES lauded the "crystalline" tone and staggering buildup of horrific detail in director Richard Wilson's stage production, writing "Grandeur may seem a strange word to describe the modesty, selflessness and accumulation of small, exact gestures that are the keynotes of Sir Antony's interpretation. But from the beginning to end of 'Primo,' grandeur is what fills the stage."

The program premieres on Thursday, April 24, 2008 (check local listings);
watch for the launch of the Web companion on Thursday, April 17, 2008.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/primo/

---------Forwarded Message--------
AASC Feature of the Month: April 2008
Lynching in the Jim Crow Era
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/current/index.jsp

The Oxford African American Studies Center’s Feature of the Month has been updated.

Each month, the editors of the Oxford African American Studies Center provide insights into black history and culture, showing the ways in which the past and present interact by offering socially and historically relevant short articles, picture essays, and links that will guide the reader interested in knowing more.

This month, the editors have chosen to discuss the violence against African Americans, specifically lynching, that plagued the Jim Crow Era, which represents the nadir of race relations in post-Civil War America. While lynching is both a painful and provocative topic, fully acknowledging this period of our history helps to ensure that tragedies such as the ones discussed here will never be repeated.

A CLOSER LOOK
Defined as execution without due process of law, lynching was most rampant in the South during a fifty-year period following Reconstruction, claiming 3,386 known black (mostly male) victims between 1882 and 1930. The actual number of victims, however, is undoubtedly much higher. Lynching was, in short, a means of terrorizing, disenfranchising, and brutalizing the black community by a white majority determined to maintain a racist status quo. For a more in-depth look at this topic, a Photo Essay is available. http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/current/photo_essay.jsp?page=1

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The editors have also selected a number of subject articles, biographies, and primary source documents in order to provide greater context in this area. For a full list of these additional sources, click here.
http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/features/current/index.jsp

Greetings Blog Readers:

Phyllis has sent you an e-card from The Literacy Site!

Click the following link to view your e-card:

http://www.theliteracysite.com/clickToGive/viewecard.faces?siteId=6&ecardId=870550&recipient=panker4@gmail.com&link=ctg_lit_viewecard_from_ecardemail

Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/4nex5z

(You can also copy and paste this link into your Web Browser's address window and hit enter.)

You'll be able to view your e-card for the next 14 days. We hope you enjoy it!

Sincerely,

The Literacy Site Customer Service
1-888-355-4321
http://theliteracysite.com/

P.S. Send your own e-card to friends and family and help spread the word even further:
http://www.theliteracysite.com/clickToGive/sendecard.faces?siteId=6&link=ctg_lit_sendecard_from_ecardemail

Lowcountry Africana
http://lowcountryafricana.net/
From the site:
“Lowcountry Africana:dedicated to records that document the family and cultural heritage of African Americans in the historic rice-growing areas of South Carolina, Georgia and extreme northeastern Florida, an area that scholars and preservationists have identified as a distinct culture area, home to the rich Gullah/Geechee culture.
Access to the entire content of Lowcountry Africana will always be 100% free.”

1968
http://www.history.com/1968
Interactive site explores the important year
American history through an examination
four movements and events: civil rights, music,
the Vietnam War, and hippie culture.

---------Forwarded Message--------
Site of the Day for Thursday, November 8, 2007

The March Towards War
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/html/introduction.htm

With Veteran's Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in Canada looming on the
horizon, today's powerful site from the University of Virginia's American
Studies program offers a compelling and timely exhibit. Gentle Subscribers
will discover an in-depth consideration of the influential "March of Time"
radio show and news reel from the corporation which published the
quintessentially American Time and Life magazines.

"Beginning in the 1920s, Henry Luce's media empire, including Time and
Fortune magazines, reached an audience of millions and offered a
trend-setting format that blended news and feature-writing. Luce then
expanded his empire by creating The March of Time, a radio show founded in
1931 primarily to advertise Time magazine and later Life magazine. In 1935
Luce further entrenched The March of Time brand with a dramatic monthly
newsreel of the same name, which by 1937 played in over 9,800 theaters in
America and was seen by as many as 26 million people each episode." - from
the website

The presentation provides a wide-ranging exploration of the radio show,
"The March of Time", as well as the news reel which subsequently rode in
tandem on the brand's success, a powerful combination of agenda-driven
journalism with factual news coverage. Among the themes explored in the
exhibit are the "Time Empire" itself, and the March of Time production as a
document of the period. The pre-war coverage includes its views on Germany,
Russia, the League of Nations, as well as the Spanish civil War, the defeat
of Ethiopia by Italy, and Japanese conquests prior to Pearl Harbor. The
exhibit is accompanied by extensive audio clips from the original
broadcasts, news reel footage as well as contemporary reviews of the
broadcasts. A useful timeline is also available:
[http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/html/timeline.htm ]

Stride over to the site for a fascinating examination of this pre-World War
II media production at:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/html/introduction.htm

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

Sites found in:
Librarians' Internet Index
Websites you can trust!
NEW THIS WEEK, November 8, 2007
Read This Online : http://lii.org/cs/lii/print/news/123

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Maritime Safety, Science & Environmental Protection, Including Famous Shipwrecks & Other Major Marine Disasters
This collection of research materials covers topics related to the U.S. Coast Guard and maritime safety, the environment, merchant and fishing vessel casualties, shipwrecks, oceanography, and marine inspection. Highlights include a page on lost cutters, the accident report on the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, and an oral history from a whaling inspector. Include bibliographies, research guides, photos, government documents, and more. From the U.S. Coast Guard.
URL: http://www.uscg.mil/history/MARINESAFETYindex.asp
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24808

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Asians of the Century
This magazine feature from 1999 profiles influential Asians from the 20th century, such as Emperor Hirohito, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Issey Miyake, Sun Yat-sen, Mohandas Gandhi, Mao Zedong, King Rama, Akira Kurosawa, and the Dalai Lama. Includes an overview article and related pieces on global capitalism, women in Asia, and related topics. From Time magazine.
URL: http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/cover1.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/5ueqc9
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24814
[NOTE: See Also: 60 Years of Asian Heroes
http://www.time.com/time/asia/2006/heroes/index.html - Phyllis]

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Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum
Website for this Hong Kong museum dedicated to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, "a world-renowned revolutionary who devoted his entire life to overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and setting up the Republic of China." Provides descriptions of architectural features of the museum and the bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, rotating images of selected items from the permanent collection, visitor information, and links to related websites.
URL: http://hk.drsunyatsen.museum/en/index.php
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24815

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Jack London: Author and Adventurer
Companion to a collection of material about fiction and nonfiction author Jack London. Features a London chronology, an overview of the voluminous papers in the collection, and highlights of images (such as a photo of London as a teen, a page from the manuscript for "White Fang," letters, and a photo of London and his wife Charmian aboard their ship the "Snark"). From the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
URL: http://www.huntington.org/LibraryDiv/index.html
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24798

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Special Report: India
News and analysis of topics about modern India, such as religion, child labor, relations with Pakistan and Europe, and its nuclear program. Also includes an "interactive guide to Britain's pullout from India and the disaster that followed," created on the occasion of the 60-year anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan (2007), and historical coverage of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. From Guardian Unlimited, the website of British newspaper The Guardian.
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/india
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24573

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AT&T Technology Timeline
This timeline features descriptions of telecommunication, sound, and data technology developments starting with the birth of the telephone in 1876. Some of the of the events include fax service (1924), sound motion pictures (1926), synthetic speech (1936), the first mobile telephone call (1946), the first direct-dial transcontinental telephone call (1951), UNIX and the Internet (1969), and quantum computing (1999). From AT&T.
URL: http://www.corp.att.com/attlabs/reputation/timeline/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24810
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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DARPA Urban Challenge
Website for this 2007 competition of driverless cars, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), U.S. Department of Defense. The challenge "features autonomous ground vehicles maneuvering in a mock city environment, executing simulated military supply missions while merging into moving traffic." Includes a description of the project, background about teams, rules, schedule of events, photos, a technical FAQ, and links to previous DARPA challenges.
URL: http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24811

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Storm Warning: Advancements in Marine Communications and Forecasting
This presentation, created in 2000 on the 25th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, looks at developments in marine communications and forecasting since that disaster on Lake Superior. Some of the topics include forecast and warning definitions, numerical weather prediction, advances in scientific understanding, and radars and satellites. From the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
URL: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mqt/fitzgerald/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/24806

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The Psychedelic '60s: Literary Tradition and Social Change
Information about the social movements of the 1960s in the United States, with emphasis on the literature of the period. Features articles and images on the Beats, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, Timothy Leary, the Black Mountain Poets, hippies, Woodstock, illicit drugs, protests, and much more. Includes images of handbills, posters, and other memorabilia from the 1960s. From the University of Virginia Library.
URL: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/sixties/
LII Item: http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/4505
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

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Librarians' Internet Index
Websites You Can Trust!
http://lii.org/

Copyright 2007 by Librarians' Internet Index.