Every Door Closed: Barriers Facing Parents With Criminal Records [.pdf]
http://www.clasp.org/pubs/legalservices/Every_Door_Closed.pdf
Presented by the Center for Law and Social Policy, this recently released report examines the obstacles parents with criminal records face when trying to reintegrate into society. Many of the barriers described in the report are intended to reduce crime and enhance community living and security. However, according to the report, the effects have been counterproductive because they have made it difficult for parents with criminal records to avoid criminal activity due to the increasingly laborious reintegration process. In Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, this report consists of an introduction with background information on parents with criminal records, along with six chapters -- employment, public benefits, housing, child welfare, student loans, and immigration. Each chapter contains stories of former offenders who have confronted barriers in each category. [MG]
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Review of Studies of the Economic Impact of the September 11, 2001, Terrorists Attacks on the World Trade Center [.pdf]
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-700R
A General Accounting Office (GAO) publication, this 40-page document identifies and assesses the studies of ten key reports from nine different organizations regarding the economic impact of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York City (NYC). The organizations included in this review are the NYC Office of the Comptroller, NY Governor and State Division of the Budget, NYC Partnership and Chamber of Commerce, Fiscal Policy Institute, NY State Senate Finance Committee, Milken Institute, NY State Assembly Ways and Means Committee, NYC Independent Budget Office, and the Federal Reserve Bank of NY. This document objectively explores the studies and estimations of each organization's report, and determines if they meet standard economic criteria for analyzing economic impacts. Overall, the review finds that the study by the NYC Partnership provided "the most comprehensive estimates." [MG]
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Data Dictionary for Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images for Trial Use [.pdf]
http://www.niso.org/standards/dsftu.html
The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) in collaboration with the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) has recently released this data dictionary for trial use for the period June 1, 2002, through December 31, 2003. Thus, the Internet community can freely access, review, and implement the dictionary standards during the 18-month trial use period. This data dictionary presents a "comprehensive list of technical data elements relevant to the management of digital still images," and has been designed to "facilitate interoperability between systems, services, and software as well as to support the long-term management of and continuing access to digital image collections." Freely downloadable from the NISO Web site, this product is primarily for institutions and organizations engaged in digitizing visual materials from historical collections. [MG]
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Subprime Markets, the Role of GSEs, and Risk-Based Pricing [.pdf]
http://www.huduser.org/publications/hsgfin/subprime.html
Released in March 2002, this report by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) explores the subprime mortgage market by examining its lending practices and the role of Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The report describes potential effects of a larger GSE role in the subprime market and explores the impact of "risk-based pricing and automated underwriting systems" within the mortgage lending environment. Consisting of sixty-eight pages that include an executive summary along with eight sections, this report is downloadable in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. [MG]
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UN Atlas of the Oceans
http://www.oceansatlas.com/index.jsp
Not only a data base, but a knowledge bank as well, the UN Atlas of the Oceans provides extensive information on the world's oceans and seas, gathered by various national and international agencies, including the United Nations; NOAA; and HDNO, the Russian Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography. Featuring maps, images, statistics, and other factual information gathered on the oceans, the site offers a sea of compelling topics, among them uses of the oceans and waterways, recreation and tourism, transportation and telecommunications, human coastal settlements, and the exploration and exploitation of natural resources. Also contained within the site are a number of stand-alone but interrelated modules about the oceans: how they were formed, how they are changing, and their dynamics. Sure to please curious minds are the site's depth profiles and its presentations on earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. [WH]
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Colección Cisneros.org
http://www.coleccioncisneros.org/
Presented by Fundación Cisneros (the Cisneros Foundation), the Colección Cisneros is a visual arts program that focuses on Latin American art, culture, education, and social concerns. Designed to increase awareness and understanding of Latin American art "in the context of Western art history," this online collection features 166 works and emphasizes abstract twentieth century art from Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. For art lovers and historians, this site also contains a timeline, maps, a study guide consisting of an index of artists and movements, a glossary of art terms, and translations of manifestos and essays. Available in low and high bandwidth versions, this site is accessible in three different languages -- English, Spanish, and Portuguese. [MG]
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Jump, Jim Crow, or Did Emancipation Make Any Difference?
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/~ljones/Jimcrow/index.html
Created by Lynn Jones, a librarian at UC Berkeley, this Web site is an American history teaching resource that provides basic information concerning the historical context of Jim Crow. Contained in the site is a glossary of terms that provides the definition, along with background information on the Emancipation Proclamation, the Freedmen's Bureau, Black Codes, the Ku Klux Klan, and lynchings. Equally important, this site also provides links to other history sites that feature slave narratives, as well as images of and songs about Jim Crow. Easily navigable, this site is valuable for teachers, students, and enthusiasts of African American studies and American history. [MG]
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