General Interest
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/msbp/
A number of organizations have developed a concerted interest in establishing seed banks to protect the wide diversity of existing plant life for future generations. The Royal Botanic Gardens is currently working on their own project, whose ultimate goal is to collect 24,000 plant species. So far, they have successfully secured samples from almost all of the native flowering plants in the United Kingdom, and their work continues on in the present day. Many visitors to the site will want to peruse their homepage and the helpful graphic (a peapod) helps orient first-time visitors to the various sections on the site, such as “Solving Seed Problems” and their publications and data area. The site also includes a field manual for those who would like to collect their own seeds in the field as well as data about the seeds collected thus far in the Seed Information Database. [KMG]
http://www.nmafa.si.edu/exhibits/pigozzi/index.html
Masterpieces from the Jean Pignozzi Collection is an exhibition currently on view at the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) in Washington D.C., organized by the Pignozzi Collection-Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and funded by Continental Airlines. The show features works by 28 African artists from 15 African countries, whose works have been collected by Swiss photographer Jean Pignozzi. Pignozzi began collecting African art in 1989, and has amassed a collection of over 6,000 pieces. The web exhibition is arranged into 3 sections and the first two: Apartheid & Africa and Kinshasa provide background information. The third section, Artist Works and Biographies, includes biographical sketches and photographs of the 28 artists, and examples of at least one of each artists' works, such as Bodys Isek Kingelez fantastical architectural constructions, or Romuald Hazoume's masks, or (one of the few women in the show) Esther Mahlangu's brightly colored murals. [DS]
Since its creation in 1974, the Student Press Law Center has devoted itself to providing support services to high school and college journalists about the importance of the First Amendment. Their website is designed to complement their work, and one section that visitors should examine is their resource center area. This area contains a FAQ area about the nature of student press rights at the high school and college level and several interactive tests on student media law and the First Amendment. Visitors will also want to peruse the current edition of the Student Press Law Center Report, which is published three times a year. The Report includes coverage of ongoing cases involving student publications, and archives dating back to 1996 can be found here as well. The site is rounded out by a number of news updates offered along the left-hand side of the homepage. [KMG]
http://www.partnershipforlearners.org/
It is hard to imagine a way to seamlessly integrate museums, libraries, and public broadcasters into the needs of their communities, but the Partnership for a Nation of Learners initiative seeks to do just that. The initiative was started by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Institute of Museum and Library Services and is designed to assist such institutions in the quest “to be leaders in their local communities”. To do this, the Partnership is offering workshops, web-based materials and grants. This website was created to provide information on these programs. While a great deal of material has yet to be added to the site, they plan on offering case studies of successful partnerships, along with archived videoconferences. [KMG]
Astute readers of the Scout Report may find themselves asking: “What is electronic literature?” Well, as defined by the Electronic Literature Organization (ELO) the term refers to “works with important literary aspects that take advantage of the capabilities and contexts provided by the stand-alone or networked computer.” The ELO was started in 1999, and since that time the organization has worked to facilitate bringing new works in this arena to the general web-savvy public. Visitors to the homepage can proceed to examine any number of new works, such as the non-linear work “Shandean Ambles”, authored by Deena Larsen. Along with the usual contact information, the site also has a tab for presenting information about the ELO’s programs, such as the “Preservation, Archiving, and Dissemination (PAD) Project”, which is designed to identify and protect endangered electronic literature and like-minded creations. The site is made complete with a news archive that dates back to July 2000. [KMG]
Globalization is a concept and process that is generally understood by the general public and the media. Glocalization, however, is a term that requires some explanation. The term is meant to serve as a “new paradigm for international relations and an innovative practice of development cooperation”. The Glocal Forum is a way for a diverse set of policymakers and concerned citizens to maintain a sustained dialogue on how this paradigm (and its attendant processes) may transform local communities in a positive and equitable fashion. The Forum’s homepage contains links to three separate initiatives, including the Glocal ECities Network and the Glocal Forum US. The Glocal Forum section of the site contains information about their annual conference and their primary directives, which include youth empowerment and peacebuilding. [KMG]
