General Interest
http://www.worldmonumentswatch.org/
Whether from civil unrest or environmental degradation, many of the world’s great cultural and historical landmarks remain threatened. Fortunately, there are groups like the World Monument Watch who keep close tabs on the state of these important resources. Recently, the group released their list of the 100 most endangered sites for 2008, and for people with an interest in cultural heritage management and related topics, this site will certainly merit several visits. On the site, visitors can traipse on through an interactive map of the world to learn about each site. For each site, visitors will find a photograph of the landmark, a short essay on the history of each landmark, and some explanation of the reasons for its inclusion on the list. [KMG]
Established in 1969, both the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), along with its research arm, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF), were designed to explore and research the various aspects of taxation, government spending, economics, and regulation. From their homepage, visitors can learn about their latest works and read about the organization’s activities in the “About” section. For persons with policy interests, the “Research” section will be a place to spend some time in, as it contains commentaries, full research reports, and issue briefs. The site also has several special features, including their official blog and the NTU’s own generated rankings of members of Congress. The site is rounded out by an area where visitors can sign up to receive news briefs and updates from the NTU. [KMG]
http://www.nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/identity_by_design/IdentityByDesign.html
For many generations, Native American women have crafted dresses that are both aesthetically pleasing and also tell important stories. These stories incorporate different visions about their respective tribal values and family status. This online exhibit, curated by Colleen Cutschall and Emil Her Many Horses, pays tribute to these creations. After reading a brief introduction to the site, visitors can make their way through sections that include “19th-century style”, “Indigenous Innovation”, and “Forming Cultural Identity”. Each section contains explanatory captions, primary documents (including photographs and drawings) and some very nice interactive features, such as a feature that shows how a side-fold dress was made and worn. Perhaps the most admirable aspect of this site is that it illuminates both past traditions and current practices of Native American dress making. [KMG]
http://content.lib.washington.edu/wtoweb/index.html
Few were prepared for the events of November 30th, 1999 in the usually peaceable town of Seattle. As the World Trade Organization (WTO) began its opening conference ceremonies, protestors began to coalesce around the doors of the Washington State Convention Center. The protestors were there to protest many of the actions of the WTO, and by the end of the day this situation was quite chaotic as the Seattle Police Department ran low on tear gas and Seattle Mayor Paul Schell declared a state of emergency. The protest received wide national and international coverage, and this digital collection from the University of Washington brings together some of the ephemeral printed material that was generated around the time of the demonstrations. Users can perform a keyword search on the database, or they can search the materials by category headings, which include “photographs”, “planning documents”, and “environment”. For students of international protest movements, social action, and other related matters, this site will be quite interesting. [KMG]
http://www.nypl.org/branch/central/mml/postcards/index.html
From Van Cortland Park in the Bronx down to the bucolic stylings of Staten Island in the late 19th century, this very fun online exhibition from the New York Public Library will sate the desires of those persons with a penchant for historical postcards. Recently, the Library placed five hundred postcards depicting views of all five boroughs in the late 19th and early 20th century within the much larger NYPL Digital Gallery. This exhibition offers a brief introduction to these depictions of New York’s past, and visitors can get a taste of the images by looking through sections that include “A Record of Time”, “A Record of Place”, and “A Record of the People”. Visitors can look at promenades in Central Park, the early days of Riverside Drive, and the Astor Library. After that, they can perform their own postcard searches, and purists will note that the back of every postcard has also been scanned for this project. [KMG]
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB222/index.htm
The National Security Archive at George Washington University has been bringing important documents to the general public’s attention for years, and they recently finally received a copy of the CIA’s “family jewels” report from the 1970s. They had originally filed a request for the document in 1992, and on June 26th, 2007 CIA officers finally brought the document to their headquarters. James Schlesinger, director of the CIA at the time, started the actual “family jewels” operation in 1973. Noted journalist Seymour Hersh reported on the story of this illegal domestic operation in 1974, and his investigation also revealed that the CIA had been involved in wiretapping and various break-ins since the 1950s. The document can be viewed in its entirety here, and interested parties can also search the entire document by keywords. [KMG]
http://www.unfpa.org/swp/index.html
In terms of human settlement patterns, the world’s population is undeniably becoming more and more urbanized. By 2008, over half of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, and by 2030, it is estimated that 5 billion people will live in urbanized areas. This is but one of the aspects of the world’s population that is discussed within the interactive pages of the 2007 State of World Population report. Released in June 2007, the report can be viewed in its entirety on this site, and it is available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian. The website also includes a youth supplement, titled “Growing Up Urban”. Here, visitors can learn about the experiences of young people in Taijin, China, Mumbai, Caior, and San Salvador. A multimedia presentation is also made available here, and visitors can listen to those who have recently moved to cities talk about their experiences, opportunities, and challenges. [KMG]
http://www.lacma.org/art/ExhibFlavin.aspx
To accompany the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of light artist Dan Flavin's work, LACMA presents a number of Web features, including several essays and articles remembering Flavin (1933 - 1996), by Jay Belloli and Michael Govan. There is also a video interview of Flavin, "Dan Flavin . . . in daylight and cool white" where he says that thinking about light is his art, and he in fact once turned down the Skowhegan Medal for sculpture, since he did not regard himself as a sculptor. There is also a lengthy slideshow covering the works in the retrospective, with examples of the main types of Flavin's works: Corners, Monuments, Circular fixtures and Barriers; and a recreation of Flavin's first exhibition of artwork made from fluorescent lights, held at the Green Gallery in New York City, in 1964. [DS]
