Research and Education
http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Homepage
Few organizations can claim to have such a far-ranging grasp of the world of human rights as Amnesty International. Their annual report has become a multimedia affair, and this website provides access to the report in its many formats. The site itself contains multimedia profiles including “Living in Dignity”, “Civilians Under Fire”, and “War on Terror”. Other sections include those dedicated to providing information on new and updated human rights treaties around the world and some basic facts and figures on the state of human rights across the globe. Teachers will appreciate the section which contains video and audio clips, as they may find such highlights useful in their classrooms. Of course, visitors can also just download the entire report and read it at their leisure. It is available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. [KMG]
http://www.mu.qub.ac.uk/tomita/bachbib/
Starting a research project on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach can be a bit like attempting to take a drink from a fire hydrant. You could get overwhelmed immediately, or alternately, you could browse on over to the very fine Bach Bibliography website. This prodigious online database is complied and maintained by Yo Tomita of the School of Music at Queen’s University in Belfast. First-time visitors would do well to start by reading through the “Introduction” section and also the helpful “Q&A” forum area. All visitors should definitely stop by the “Essential Collections” area, which brings together information on the most-commonly cited works on Bach and his music. Of course, those who wish to check out the newest materials on this master composer should click their way through the “New Publications” area to have a look around. The site is rounded out by a section of peer-authored reviews of books on and about Bach’s work, life, and other germane matters. [KMG]
http://www.innovations-report.com/
The Innovations Report is described on their site as “the forum for science, industry and economy that promotes innovation dynamics, networking of innovation and performance potentials.” It is certainly a momentous project, and with over 6700 content partners from across the globe, they certainly do an admirable job of bringing together research results and interesting studies in one site. Visitors can search the entire contents of the site, or they can also peruse a list of thematic reports, including communication media, earth sciences, information technology, and traffic logistics. Within each report, visitors can view headlines for each topic, and they can opt to click through to get to the entire news report, working paper, or presentation. While the site doesn’t appear to have RSS feeds, visitors can email items of interest along to colleagues. Overall, it’s a great way to keep abreast of developments in different fields, and it is worth noting that the site is also available in German. [KMG]
Tropical diseases are a serious business, particularly in the developing world, so it’s good to know that the World Health Organization has had an independent scientific research group working in this area since 1975. From their homepage, visitors will find sections titled “Research Results”, “Grants”, and “Publications”. Visitors who may not be familiar with their work will want to look over the “Headline News” area, as it brings together news features on river blindness, malaria eradication, and community-led public health initiatives. The “Research Results” area is a fine way to learn more about the organization’s work over the past decade, and the “Publications” area contains working papers organized by year and over two dozen valuable training aids. Additionally, visitors looking for material related to a specific tropical disease can click directly on visual icons representing malaria, leprosy, dengue, and chagas disease. [KMG]
http://www.geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/geogratis/en/index.html
While there may in fact be no such thing as a free lunch, there is in fact such a thing as free geospatial data, and such nuggets of information can be found right on this site. Created by the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada, this portal provides a wide range of geospatial data for everyone from the casual novice to the seasoned GIS expert. New visitors should start by clicking over to the “Read more on GeoGratis Data Collections”, where they can learn more about the worlds of raster and vector data and their relevant uses and applications. The portal currently features 71 items, including land cover data from across the provinces, urban land use data, and a digital elevation model of the Canadian landmass. [KMG]
http://www.chem1.com/acad/webtext/atoms/
Any online chemistry textbook that contains a photograph of Max Planck and Albert Einstein on its first page definitely sets the right tone, and Stephen Lower’s textbook certainly falls into that category. Over the past several years Lower has been working on this textbook, and for students looking for a bit of refresher on the world of the structure of atoms and the periodic table, this is the right place in which to spend a bit of time. Through the use of short and concise chapters, the textbook provides six different lesson titles which cover the world of quantum physics, the Bohr atom, and the periodic properties of the elements. Within each chapter, users will also find illustrations and a “What you need to know” section that effectively summarizes the key principles and concepts in each section. [KMG]
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/
Amidst all of his other responsibilities as a lawyer, politician, and father, Abraham Lincoln found time to write. In fact, he wrote quite a bit, and it took scholars decades to assemble the majority of his various published (and unpublished) writings. After working on bringing together his writings, the Abraham Lincoln Association published “The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln” in 1953. In total, there were eight volumes, and they included Lincoln’s correspondence, speeches, and other writings. Recently, the University of Michigan’s Digital Library Production Service digitized all eight volumes and placed them online here for the benefit of historians, rhetoricians, and those who are generally enamored of the 16th President. Visitors can perform simple searches, boolean searches, and proximity searches to their heart’s content. Also, they can look over other documents that were digitized for the collection, including Paul M. Angle’s “Here I have lived: A History of Lincoln’s Springfield”. [KMG]
http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/military-legal-resources-home.html
The Library of Congress has developed a number of specialized digital collection designed to be of special use to researchers, and this very thorough collection of materials follows in that most welcome tradition. The site contains digitized legal documents and related ephemera such as the Military Law Review, various U.S. Army Field Manuals, and transcripts of the Nuremberg Trials. One important recent addition to these materials is a full set of the Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions, which were originally published between 1952 and 1959. Additionally, the site also contains legislative histories of such important acts as the Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts of 1974. Finally, the site is rounded out by a section that provides direct links to the official investigations of the My Lai Incidents during the Vietnam War. [KMG]
