Smithsonian articles from July 2001

Smithsonian archives from July 2001

Generosity and Standards : a note from the secretary.(Smithsonian has ultimate word on how donations are used)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2001... Donations to the Smithsonian Institution by benefactors who want to be involved in how their gifts are used have recently been in the headlines. But they would hardly have been news to James Smithson, the English scientist who bequeathed his...

Letters to the editor.
July 1, 2001... AROUND THE MALL AND BEYOND Thank you for Michael Kernan's column "Executive Images," in the May 2001 issue. I thought your readers might be interested in a little-known point about the "S" in Harry Truman's name. In the 1960s, I was a...

Living Off the Land : ROBOTS THAT FEED THEMSELVES COULD BECOME SELF-PROPELLED FARM MACHINES--OR MILITARY SNIPERS.(gastric process could act as propulsion)
July 1, 2001... Popular articles on robotics usually focus on high-tech features like manipulators or vision or bipedality, but the people who actually have to build them worry a lot more about power. There are very few attractive options for machines that are...

Bed and Breakfast : MOST OF THE 256 SHELTERS ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL ARE PRETTY ROUGH. THEN THERE'S THE FONTANA HILTON.(Fontana Dam Shelter is key stop on trail)
July 1, 2001... Poppop is polishing off a bowl of Lipton noodles and Spam when three more backpackers hobble down the hill. "Hey, lookee there," he says. He recognizes these fellows, passed them on the trail a few days back. "I can't believe you guys," he...

Folklife's Cultural Triangle.(35th annual Folklife Festival, New York)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2001... The history and traditions of bermuda, the cultural diversity of New York City and the crafts of the building trades are the focus of the Smithsonian's 35th annual Folklife Festival, held on the Mall from June 27 through July 1 and July 4...

Exhibitions and Events.
July 1, 2001... NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY The IMAX & Jazz Cafe (Every Friday, 5:30-10 p.m., through September 3) Enjoy dinner, live jazz and films. The Immersion Cinema (permanent) Features floor-to-ceiling, 48-foot-wide, 150-degree wraparound...

SMITHSONIAN WEBSITE.
July 1, 2001... Www.Smithsonianmag.Com At the Magazine's homepage, click on "Events" and go to the calendar to view on-line versions of exhibitions.

Planning a Smithsonian Visit?
July 1, 2001... To receive a free Associates' planning packet, write to Smithsonian Information, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560-0010, or send your request via e-mail to: info@info.si.edu, or call 202-357-2700 (voice) or 202-357-1729 (TTY), 9...

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE : BY STUDYING OBJECTS CAST UP ON OUR SHORES, RESEARCHER CURTIS EBBESMEYER TRACES THE FLOW OF OCEAN CURRENTS.
July 1, 2001... If Curtis Ebbesmeyer had just one word for budding oceanographers, it would probably be: plastics. If he had more than one, he might add: roll-on antiperspirant balls, toxic-waste containers, computer monitors, lightbulbs, armadas of toys and...

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.(Keith Melton's museum of espionage paraphernalia)
July 1, 2001... KEITH MELTON'S MUSEUM CONTAINS THE FINEST COLLECTION OF ESPIONAGE PARAPHERNALIA ANYWHERE--AND IT'S SO SECRET WE CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU WHERE IT'S LOCATED Keith Melton received the telephone call on a tuesday afternoon. By Thursday evening he...

CHEZ CHANEL : Couturiere and courtesan, Coco made her own rules as she freed women from old fussy, frilly fashions.(influential designer Coco Chanel)
July 1, 2001... She never made sketches, rarely drew a line. She reigned over Parisian high fashion most of the 20th century--and her designing spirit is yet with us. Down on her knees she would tug hard at a pieced-together muslin, the rough semblance of a...

THE ASCENT OF GLASS.(glass in architecture)
July 1, 2001... ADVANCES IN PRODUCTION, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION HAVE ENABLED GLASS TO RISE TO NEW HEIGHTS AND ASSUME UNEXPECTED FORMS "This is probably the largest tension-supported glass wall in the united states." Todd H....

RENAISSANCE OF THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES.(restoration after 1999 storms)
July 1, 2001... AFTER VIOLENT STORMS DESTROYED THOUSANDS OF TREES IN 1999, FEARS OF DISASTER EASED WHEN THE CLEANUP REVEALED PANORAMAS UNSEEN FOR CENTURIES, FITTING NEATLY INTO A 25-YEAR RESTORATION PLAN Under leaden skies, laurent choffe is rallying his...

SAMUEL PEPYS' LONDON CHRONICLES : THE CANDID DIARIST PORTRAYS THE RAVAGES OF FIRE AND PLAGUE, THE BAWDY COURT OF CHARLES II, AND HIS OWN ROMPS WITH MAIDS.
July 1, 2001... In the year 1703, an elderly gentleman named Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps") passed away in the London suburb of Clapham. He was wealthy, and a bachelor since his wife had died more than 30 years before. Known to his numerous friends as an...

Additional Sources.
July 1, 2001... Points of Interest [p. 24] Appalachian Trail Conference Website: www.atconf.org Beachcomber Scientist [p. 36] "Pacific Toy Spill Fuels Ocean Current Pathways Research" by Curtis C. Ebbesmeyer and W. James Ingraham, Jr., Eos,...

Drive In, Conk Out.(childhood nights at drive-in theater)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2001... In the age of DVDs, I doubt whether it's a thrill anymore for kids to be able to watch a movie while they're in their pajamas. But back in the 1950s, my sister and I considered it a treat to have Mom and Dad throw coats over our pj's and take...