Revalidating External Prison Classifications Systems: The Experience of Ten States and Model for Classification Reform [.pdf]
http://www.nicic.org/pubs/2002/017382.pdf
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) funded projects to assist ten states with the revalidation of their external objective classification systems that determine which facility an inmate should be housed. The ten participating states included Delaware, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Written by Patricia L. Hardyman, James Austin, and Owan C. Tulloch, this 146-page report reveals the work undertaken by the participating states, provides an overall outline of the essential tasks required for revalidation, and summarizes external classification trends along with the lessons learned from these reforms. The report also includes copies of classification instruments and statistical tables to describe options for other states faced with similar problems. [MG]
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Factiva 2002 White Paper Series: Free, Fee-Based and Value-Added Information Services [.pdf]
http://factiva.com/collateral/files/whitepaper_feevsfree_032002.pdf
While promotional, the Factiva 2002 White Paper, entitled "Free, Fee-Based and Value-Added Information Services," raises some issues worth considering by anyone relying on Web information. Primarily aimed at those working in knowledge-based enterprises, the report argues that, while the majority of "knowledge professionals" believe they can find everything they need online, most are inefficient at doing so, wasting much of their time wading through all of the "hits" that a random search generally yields. It is this imprecision and basic inefficiency (in the free Web world) that leads Factiva to maintain that information professionals would do better to rely on value-added services such as those they provide, services tailored to granting access to a broad spectrum of authoritative, proprietary, and professionally-maintained resources. Rightly, the Factiva report points to two critical problems or needs confronting all information professionals and, beyond them, everyone else seeking reliable factual content on the Web: authority and efficiency. Noting that search time is money, and that not everything available online is free, Factiva contends that those in need of fast, accurate information would do best to turn to value-added services, especially those operating under tight time constraints. [WH]
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Feminist Perspectives on TANF Reauthorization: An Introduction to Key Issues for the Future of Welfare Reform
http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/e511.html
In 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) replaced the federal cash public assistance program Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with the state-level block grant Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. By September 30, 2002, the TANF program has to receive congressional reauthorization, and it is expected that Congress will consider making changes to this program during the reauthorization debates. As a result, some feminist scholars and advocates are adamant that the realities of poor women's lives are not ignored during the upcoming TANF discussions. Written by Janice Peterson, this paper identifies "some of the key issues and goals that are emerging in TANF reauthorization discussions," and considers a feminist agenda for a TANF reauthorization program. The report, which is in HTML format, includes a brief introduction, a summary of key elements and impacts of the TANF program, a discussion of critical TANF reauthorization issues, and a feminist agenda for TANF reauthorization. [MG]
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Black Drama: 1850-Present
http://alexanderstreet.com/PSBLDR.htm
Sponsored by the Alexander Street Press, Black Drama is an ongoing database that plans to integrate approximately 1,200 "rare and hard-to-find plays written from the 1850s to the present by playwrights from North America, English speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African Diaspora countries." The collection will include previously unpublished plays by writers such as Ed Bullins, Randolph Edmonds, Femi Euba, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Willis Richardson, and many others. The collection currently contains 207 plays by 64 playwrights. Quarterly releases will be issued until the collection reaches its targeted goal. Searchable by actor, author, character, play, scene, or performance, plays are accompanied by reference materials, ancillary information, and a database of notable performances. A list of the collection's contents are freely accessible to the public; however, the actual database must be purchased and can be downloaded on a server via magnetic tape or CD-ROM. The first of its kind, this research collection of black theatre highlights and gives voice to the often unacknowledged variations of black life, culture, and creativity. [MG]
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Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America
http://www.asian-nation.org/index.html
Feeling an overwhelming need for Asian Americans to represent themselves within mainstream American society, as well as to educate the public about Asian American experiences, Cuong Nguyen Le, a Vietnamese PhD candidate in sociology at the University at Albany, SUNY, decided to create a gateway into the Asian American community. Asian-Nation allows viewers the opportunity to take a peak into the Asian American world through the lens of an Asian American. Contents of the site includes old and new elements of Asian American culture (which features religion, spirituality, and faith); a section on Asian American history; and a separate section on Vietnam history. The site also contains an extensive list of related links divided by category, and a section on current events and issues affecting the Asian American community. Although much of the information presented is referenced, the site does contain opinionated editorials written from the author's perspective. [MG]
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Classics of American Colonial History
http://www.dinsdoc.com/colonial-1.htm
Presented by Dinsmore Documentation, Classics of American Colonial History is a research database consisting of scholarly books and articles on American colonial history that, according to the creators, "appear to be of continuing interest." The collection currently offers 22 source materials by 15 different authors. Browseable by author or subject, the collection contains subject categories including Administration, African Americans and Slavery, Economics and Trade, Immigration from Europe, Law, Native Americans, Politics, Religion, and Wars. [MG]
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National Geographic Inca Mummies: Secrets of a Lost World
http://crater.nationalgeographic.com/inca/
Hosted by National Geographic, the Inca Mummies Web site is an accompaniment to the television special airing on PBS Wednesday, May 15, at 9pm Eastern Time. Inca Mummies is about the excavation of over 2,000 mummies at the pre-Hispanic site known to archaeologists as Puruchuco-Huaquerones, located in Peru. Since 1999, scientists have been removing, examining, and photographing mummies of all ages and ranks buried within the Puruchuco cemetery. At 20 acres, the cemetery consisted of bodies buried in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and is the second largest cemetery ever excavated in Peru (after Ancon) and the largest from a single time period. Viewers may find out more information regarding the Inca mummies and the television special at the Web site, which contains photo galleries, press releases, exhibition information, and an abstract of an article presented in the May 2002 edition of the National Geographic magazine. In addition, users can view a fascinating online documentary regarding the excavations, and explore the layers of the Cotton King mummy bundle. Archaeologists, scientists, and historians, as well as anyone interested in the ancient world, may find the Web site and the television special intriguing and useful. [MG]
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Jacob Lawrence: Over the Line
http://www.phillipscollection.org/lawrence/
An accompaniment to the special exhibition entitled Over the Line: The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence, the Over the Line Web site features the paintings of Jacob Lawrence, along with photographs and a brief synopsis of his life. The site is divided into three sections -- Beginnings, Young Artist, and Over the Line -- and covers the period between 1917 (the year of his birth) to 2000 (the year of his death). The site also contains suggested classroom activities, discussion questions, teaching strategies, and recommended books in the areas of social studies, language arts, math, science, and visual arts. It also includes a collection of paintings by secondary students in the Washington, DC area. Users can choose to view the exhibit in Flash (which requires a Flash 4.0 plug-in) or HTML (which has been optimized for low bandwidth computers). A part of the Phillips Collection located in Washington, DC, this is an excellent online exhibit that delves into the life of painter and educator Jacob Lawrence. [MG]
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