Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2001 -- OECD [MS Word, Excel, .pdf]
http://www.oecd.org/els/education/ei/eag/
Designed to help people compare education systems in different countries, this annual report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (also discussed in the December 14, 1999 Scout Report for Social Sciences & Humanities) gives data on an array of indicators for the OECD's 30 member countries and some non-member countries as well. The indicators fall into three basic categories: resources invested in education, the operation of educational systems, and returns to investments. This year's report adds several new indicators including the use of and access to technology and worker education. The report is available at the OECD site in HTML format, and users may also download tables, a brochure of highlights, and a user questionnaire in Excel, .pdf, and Word formats respectively. [TK]
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Two on Planning and Development
Development at the Urban Fringe and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land [.pdf]
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer803/
Low Impact Development Center [.pdf]
http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/
These two sites should be useful for urban planners or anyone interested in the issues surrounding development and "sprawl." The first, a report from the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the US Department of Agriculture, covers the "forces driving development, its character and impacts on agriculture and rural communities, the means available to channel and control growth, and the pros and cons of potential Federal roles." Users can download each of the report's seven chapters (and references and appendix) separately or as one document in .pdf format. The second site is home to the Low Impact Development Center (LID), a nonprofit organization dedicated to "research, development and training for water resource and natural resource protection issues" relating to development. Users can download .pdf documents, including information on pilot projects and a LID lit review. The links section of the site is particularly useful as it gives annotated links for a wide range of LID-related sites. [TK]
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State Health Profiles, 2001 -- NCHS [Excel]
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/stprofiles.htm
The National Center for Health Statistics offers Excel files of the data used to produce this year's State Health Profiles publications. The files can be downloaded in Excel format and cover a variety of topics in eight categories including Deaths from Injuries, Infectious Diseases, Environmental Health Concerns, and more. [TK]
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The Changing Faces of Virtual Education -- COL [.pdf]
http://www.col.org/virtualed/
Released last week, this report from the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is a follow-up to their 1999 study, The Development of Virtual Education: A global perspective (see the August 13, 1999 Scout Report). The 152-page report, funded by the British Department for International Development, finds that examples of virtual education have proliferated and that new technologies play a part in the planning agendas of most organizations involved with education. Nonetheless, the digital divide continues to persist, and many developing nations lack the infrastructure to implement virtual education programs. The report traces trends ("macro developments"), such as online learner support systems and new organizational models, with a particular eye to the impact these changes may have on education in developing countries. Users can download the report in its entirety or by chapter at the COL site or view it online. [TK]
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Rocket Science: Perchlorate and the Toxic Legacy of the Cold War -- EWG [.pdf]
http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/rocketscience/
Released two weeks ago, this report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) documents the presence of perchlorate in California drinking water and militates against the influence of the military and private industry in setting environmental standards. The main ingredient in rocket fuel, perchlorate, which interferes with thyroid function, has been detected in 58 California public water systems. The report contains maps and data for all known and suspected perchlorate contamination nationwide and is clearly designed to raise a public outcry to establish standards for the chemical, which is not currently regulated by the state or federal governments. The report is available in both HTML and .pdf formats at the EWG site. [TK]
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Multilaterals Project
http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multilaterals.html
A project of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, this site features the texts of international multilateral conventions. Users can keyword-search the site or browse chronologically or by subject. Treaties are organized into ten major categories, including biodiversity, human rights, trade relations, arms control, and more. Although the bulk of material here is from the last half of the 20th century, there are also some older documents such as the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). Users looking for more information can start with the links at the bottom of the front page. [TK]
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Hong Kong Journalists Association Annual Report, 2001
http://www.hkja.org.hk/whatnew/2001final1.htm
MS Word Version
http://www.hkja.org.hk/whatnew/2001final1.doc
Those concerned with the relationship between China and Hong Kong will be interested in this report, the ninth annual review of Hong Kong's freedom of expression by the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA). The HKJA has been alert to the possibility that freedom of expression would be impinged upon under the Special Administrative Region's (SAR) government, and the report follows the assumption "that the circumscription of the right to freedom of expression was not likely to be sudden and categorical but, rather, selective, targeting issues where China felt special political sensitivities." As such, readers will find information here on the SAR government's actions against the Falun Gong, the media's self-censorship in Hong Kong, legal measures affecting the press, and more. Users can download the report in MS Word format or read it online, though they should be aware that not all of the characters translate correctly in either format. [TK]
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