World Development Report 2002: Building Institutions for Markets [.pdf]
http://www.worldbank.org/wdr/2001/fulltext/fulltext2002.htm
A carefully weighted, well-conceived document, the World Bank’s World Development Report 2002 (last mentioned in the October 5, 2000 Scout Report) discusses the viable options available to developing nations attempting to open their markets to the world and thereby better the circumstances of their peoples. Honestly recognizing that free market economies are not one-size-fits-all, the report encourages policy builders and analysts to carefully consider the specific circumstances and histories of their countries as they add to infrastructure. A primary focus of the report is on individual institutions and their positive potential in serving in a nationwide system of checks and balances, ones which can greatly extend the interests of the people. Here, the reports insists, policy makers must look to establish institutions and organizations that are right for given populations at a given place and time. Ultimately, therefore, the report calls on those responsible for true nation building to look to the welfare of their own people, especially as they seek to move their nations into an increasingly voracious global market. [WH]
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Internet Archive: Movie Collection [RealPlayer]
http://www.archive.org/movies/index.html
In addition to its Wayback Machine (last mentioned in the November 2, 2001 Scout Report, the Internet Archive offers the Internet Moving Images Archive, an extensive collection of digitized films from the Prelinger Archives. Not Hollywood movies, these films should provide researchers and scholars unique insight into certain aspects of 20th-century culture, industry, and institutions. Being able to select from titles like Care of Hair and Nails (1951), The Kingdom of Plastics (1955), and This is Coffee (1961), other users should easily find something interesting in the 956-film archive. Each film tends to have multiple file formats; RealPlayer, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 are the most frequently employed. Because many of the files are over 100MB, users with low bandwidth should be wary. [TS]
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Two from the Canada's Digital Collection
The Underground Railway: Niagara’s Freedom Trail
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/underground/
Rallye patrimonial de Lanaudière [Flash]
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/rallye/ralley.htm
A magnificent presentation on the Underground Railroad by Canada’s Digital Collection Project (last mentioned in the May 25, 2001 Scout Report), The Underground Railroad, Finding Freedom in the Niagara Region Web site is a multimedia tour of the area and its unique history. In all, the site is comprised of nine separate elements, each with its own topic or emphasis. The site includes an interactive map of the region, featuring presentations at a significant points along the route taken by slaves as they crossed into freedom in Canada. Arguably, the site’s central attraction is its presentation of the major figures involved in the Underground Railroad, including such famous and infamous characters as Harriet Tubman and John Brown, among others. Also worth considering are the site’s well-stocked image banks, including a presentation of historic plaques and monuments, as well as another featuring photos of notable sites and landmarks. For students and educators, the site also offers something just for fun in the form of puzzles, mazes and trivia tests. A second new site from CDC covers historic Lanaudière in the Saint Laurence region of Québec Provence, Canada. Presented in 25 separate segments or modules, the slide show features presentations on historic landmarks, as well as follow-up questions for basic comprehension. A great resource for teachers and students, with captivating text and high quality images, the site offers a great deal to others, too, tourists in particular. Most notably, the site does a marvelous job celebrating the diversity of a region enriched by numerous cultures and traditions over a span of some three hundred years. [WH]
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The Year in Review: United Nations Peace Operations in 2001
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/pub/year_review01/index.html
Covering the peace operations undertaken by the United Nations (UN) during 2001, this report details efforts to defuse mass hostility and violence in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America, and in the Pacific. Approximately 39,500 soldiers and 7,500 civilian police worked with 4,300 international civilian staff and 8,500 local civilian staff. Under often tense and difficult conditions (58 were killed), these peace workers functioned as observers, engineers, analysts, human rights workers, legal and administrative experts, and translators and linguists, as well as working on military demobilization and land mine removal. Translation: Heroic and valuable service to humanity. This report (also available in French and Spanish) is dedicated to telling these workers's stories, expressing their collective voice, and celebrating the year's accomplishments. Divided into sections by geographic area (Asia, Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East), the report offers brief fact sheets and links to more comprehensive UN sites on Peacekeeping Operations, Peace and Security Issues, and Employment Opportunities. [DJS]
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Digital Library of Georgia
http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/
Part of the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia works with state libraries, museums, and archives to provide online access to state and regional historical and cultural materials. The site serves up a rich and diverse selection of materials, ranging from the newly released Baldy Editorial Cartoons (a digital offering that brings users 2,500 cartoons from the larger collection) to the substantial Southeastern Native American Documents (2,000 images and documents relating to the Native American population of the Southeastern United States). [REB]
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Russian Basic Science After Ten Years of Transition and Foreign Support [.pdf]
http://www.ceip.org/files/pdf/wp24.pdf
Authored by two experts in the field of Russian science and technology, "Russian Basic Science After Ten Years of Transition and Foreign Support" is a February 2002 offering from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). Assessing the state and status of science and basic research in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, the report observes that while much has been accomplished over the past decade, much more remains to be done. While declaring that the worst is over and that Russian science is beginning to hold its own, the authors of the report nonetheless insist that Russia remains in need of continued direct foreign aid and investment to help ensure that its scientific community remains on viable paths toward autonomy and self-sufficiency. [WH]
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Linus Pauling Research Notebooks
http://osulibrary.orst.edu/specialcollections/rnb/
Special Collections at the Oregon State University Valley Library is the repository for the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers, which include 46 research notebooks kept by Dr. Pauling from 1922 to 1994. Part notebook and part scrapbook, the collection offers some photographs and printed materials; the notebooks' primary contents, though, are Pauling's handwritten laboratory calculations, experimental data, scientific conclusions, ideas for further research, and notes to himself. The notebooks have been scanned as individual page images; currently, there is no search function. For the best searching method, begin with the notebook index, which lists all 46 notebooks. Select one to be taken to its table of contents, a list of dated topical entries with links to page images. Some topics cover multiple pages, such as "Research notes by Fred Ewing [re: structure of proteins?]" (44 pages of Notebook 29, March - September 1957). There is a subject index that covers topics for notebooks 30-46 but does not include personal names. Once in a notebook, "Home" takes you back to the beginning of that notebook. Select Return to Notebooks Index to go all the way back. [DS]
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Biz/ed: Virtual Learning Arcade
http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/vla/
A new offering from Biz/ed (last mentioned in the July 20, 2001 Scout Report), the Virtual Learning Arcade uses simulations and interactive online models to help teach concepts related to economics and business. Along with the simulations are a variety of support materials written to help educators take full advantage of the tools provided. Ten simulations are currently available, but the goal of the project is to have twenty eventually. Interested users can sign up for the Biz/ed newsletter to keep up-to-date on the newest VLA releases. [REB]
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