Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2000/ss-000404.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2000/be-000406.html
The fourteenth issues of the third volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates seven resources on the (so-far) poor census returns. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers seven resources for US readers who are yet to fill out their tax forms. [MD]
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Genetically Modified Pest Protected Plants [.pdf]
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9795.html
Released on April 5, this widely anticipated report on genetically modified foods from a twelve-member panel of the National Research Council, part of the US National Academy of Sciences, offers a cautious endorsement of biotech foods, but also calls for more oversight and regulation. Focusing only on plants that have been genetically engineered to produce their own pesticides, the report finds no evidence that any foods made from these plants are unsafe to eat. It also finds no inherent danger in the insertion of genes from one species into another. However, the report does advise the government to conduct studies on the long-term health effects of eating biotech foods and recommends that the EPA regulate crops modified to resist viruses. As would be expected, the report has been welcomed by biotechnology companies and blasted by foes of genetic engineering, some of whom accused the panel of a pro-industry bias. A free pre-publication copy of the report is available online at the National Academy Press Website. Users can view the text as page images in HTML format or as .pdf files. [MD]
[Back to Contents]eNature.com
http://www.enature.com/
This new nature portal offers online searchable field guides to over 4,800 plant and animal species. Derived from 35 different Audubon Society Field Guides, Regional Guides, and Nature Guides, the database is keyword-searchable by group (mammals, amphibians, fishes, trees, etc.) or browseable within subheadings for each group. The field guide entries include a large thumbnail image, description, and varying additional information. Users can also conduct an advanced search by size, color, habitat, region, and other options within each group. Registered members (its free) can add selected plants or animals to their "Life List," which is saved at the site, along with notes or comments. While the field guides alone make the site worth a visit, there is more, including an Ask an Expert message board, Habitat Guides, news features, tips for teachers, and in the future, a comprehensive Outdoor Planner. [MD]
[Back to Contents]WISQARS - Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System -- CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/
This new site from the Centers for Disease Control allows researchers or public health professionals to search for customized injury-related mortality data. The national mortality database can be accessed in two ways. In the Injury Mortality Reports interface, users can select among several options to view injury deaths and death rates for specific injuries. In the Leading Causes of Death Reports interface, they can select among a number of modifiers to produce lists of injury-related deaths relative to the number of other leading causes of death in the United States or in individual states. Both offer data from 1981 to 1997. A FAQ and help file with information on the data, definitions, and references are also provided. [MD]
[Back to Contents]2000 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers -- United States Trade Representative [.pdf]
http://www.ustr.gov/reports/nte/2000/contents.html
From the United States Trade Representative (USTR), this report "surveys significant foreign trade barriers to U.S. export." Created from information collected from government agencies including the USTR and the US Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, the report attempts to classify barriers in foreign trade into ten categories including import policies, government procedures, lack of intellectual property protection, and investment barriers. Reports on US trade relations with 55 countries, from the Arab League to Zimbabwe, are provided, giving succinct summaries of the outlined ten categories. Available in .pdf format only, the report may be downloaded by country or in its entirety. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Directory of Digitized Collections
http://thoth.bl.uk/
A joint project of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Memory of the World Programme and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), this site aims to catalog major digitized heritage collections and on-going international digitization projects. Although the database only contains 72 collections at present, its potential as a central point for information on digitized collections worldwide is considerable. From the main page, users can conduct a keyword search or browse the database by new or all records. Entries for collections include country, collection name, URL for the collection and institution, a description of varying length, type of material, and language. The site also includes a form to add a record, which potential participants can use to nominate their collection. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Overcoming Human Poverty - UNDP Poverty Report 2000 [PowerPoint]
http://www.undp.org/povertyreport/
This year's annual Poverty Report from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the world's largest aid agency, breaks new ground in the way it directly indicates poor governance as a leading cause of continued poverty in many nations. The question of government and poverty has been a matter of some contention within the UN and between aid agencies and countries seeking assistance. This report identifies effective governance as "the 'missing link' between national anti-poverty efforts and poverty reduction," and concludes that "for many countries it is in improving governance that external assistance is needed." The authors call for a new and more sharply focused global strategy to combat poverty, one that emphasizes good government, the integration of poverty programs on the national and international level, and empowering people. The full text of the report is available by chapter at the site, along with an executive summary, country profiles, and a PowerPoint slide show. The text and summary are also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. [MD]
[Back to Contents]LLRX Buzz: The Latest on Legal Research
http://161.58.34.171/buzz/buzz1.htm
LLRX.com
http://www.llrx.com
ResearchBuzz
http://www.researchbuzz.com/
The inestimable Tara Calishain of ResearchBuzz (see the March 12, 1999 Scout Report) fame has developed a new current awareness tool aimed at lawyers, researchers, and other users looking for legal information online. Published once a week, LLRX Buzz is available for free via email or online at LLRX.com, a trusted biweekly free Web journal that covers research and technology-related issues for legal professionals. As with ResearchBuzz, this newsletter features a number of useful sites accompanied by reviews of varying length. Anyone not already familiar with Calishain's ResearchBuzz is strongly encouraged to visit and subscribe to what is without a doubt one of the most consistently valuable and interesting Internet resources newsletters available. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Complete Works of Christopher Marlowe: An Electronic Edition
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Texts/Marlowe.html
This scholarly site from the Perseus Project at Tufts University (see the October 17, 1997 Scout Report) features editions of "all of Marlowe's plays, his two known poetic works, Hero and Leander and The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, his translations of Ovid and Lucan, and the short miscellaneous works attributed to Marlowe, a dedicatory epistle to Mary, the Countess of Pembroke and the epitaph on Sir Roger Manwood." But the site does more than simply offer Marlowe's corpus. Interested in "exploit[ing] the flexibility of an electronic medium," the site allows users to lay different editions (including original and modern spelling versions) of Marlowe's plays side-by-side to compare textual variants and, in the case of Doctor Faustus, even various editions of the play's source text, The English Faust Book. One drawback: currently only The English Faust Book is provided with scholarly notes and glosses. For the plays, at least for now, users will have to find other sources to elucidate arcane allusions and antiquated usages. [DC]
[Back to Contents]e-government: a strategic framework for public services in the Information Age [.pdf, .rtf]
http://www.iagchampions.gov.uk/Strategy.html
Released on April 3, this 34-page document outlines the UK government's e-government strategy and establishes a framework for making all government services available electronically by 2005. Produced by the Information Age Government Champions -- 36 senior officials from central and local government, the devolved administrations, and the National Health Service -- the strategy emphasizes a coordinated approach between central and local government and the public and private sectors. "Associated with the strategy are comprehensive annexes on such topics as metadata guidelines and specifications for technical interoperability, both of which will be made public in due course." Users can read the full text of the document, including an executive summary, in text, .pdf, and .rtf formats at the Information Age Government Champions site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Wirtz Labor Library -- DOL
http://library.dol.gov/
The US Department of Labor (DOL) Library, established in 1917, is one of the oldest Cabinet-level libraries and internationally recognized for its excellent collection of labor history materials. Recently dedicated as the Wirtz Labor Library, it has also been placed online. At the site, users can read about the library's history, holdings, and special collections, and most importantly, search the library's card catalog system. Other resources include links to related research resources, a few select bibliographies, and a listing of library events. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Talking History - Forum on Asian-American History
http://ashp.listserv.cuny.edu/archives/asianamericanforum.html
The latest installment in the Talking History forum series (reviewed in the September 22, 1998 Scout Report for Social Sciences) is a discussion on teaching Asian American history moderated by John Kuo Wei Tchen. Professor Tchen "will answer questions about teaching Asian American history and lead a discussion on this topic among participants. The discussion will focus particularly on approaches to teaching Asian American history in the standard US history survey course and suggestions for resources or strategies." Users can join the list and participate in the forum at this site as well as read and search the message archives. [MD]
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United States of America v. Microsoft Corporation, Conclusions of Law and Order [.pdf]
http://usvms.gpo.gov/
On Monday, US District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson announced his decision that Microsoft had violated antitrust laws by stifling competition in the Internet browser market and "unlawfully tying its Web browser" to Windows. The 46-page Conclusions of Law and Order, placed online in HTML or .pdf format by the US District Court for the District of Columbia, affirms Jackson's November ruling that the company is a monopoly that has bullied competitors and squelched innovation, hurting US consumers in the process. The Conclusion came a few days after extended settlement talks between the software company and the government broke down. A settlement is still possible, but if no agreement is reached then Judge Jackson must decide what penalty to impose; possibilities include forcing Microsoft to share its source code or even breaking up the company. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Millennium Report of the Secretary General of the United Nations [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://www.un.org/millennium/sg/report/
Released on April 3, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's detailed report sets the agenda for the UN Millennium Summit, an extraordinary meeting of Heads of State and Government around the world to be held September 6-8, 2000, on the eve of the first UN General Assembly of the new millennium. Entitled, "We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century," the report "is the most comprehensive presentation of the UN's mission in its fifty-five year history, containing numerous specific goals and programme initiatives." Users can read the full text of the report in .pdf or HTML format, as well as a summary, fact sheet, press release, key proposals, and the Secretary General's statement to the General Assembly at the UN site. Additional resources include Annan's statement from the press conference, photos, and an archived webcast of his speech before the General Assembly. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America [Flash]
http://www.journale.com/withoutsanctuary/
Journal E
http://www.journale.com/
Lynching in America - NPR's Morning Edition [RealPlayer]
http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20000404.me.16.rmm
For over 25 years, collector James Allen accumulated a disturbing but important visual legacy of racial violence in America: photos and postcards taken and sold as souvenirs at lynchings across the country. These photos were recently published in a book accompanied by a number of essays and then placed on display at the New York Historical Society. At the Journal E Website, users can view the photos as a Flash movie with commentary by Allen or individually in a gallery that will eventually include over 100 images (it has 81 at time of writing). These are offered with a caption and a link to (sometimes quite a bit) more information. Journal E plans to continue developing the site so that it may be used as an educational tool. In addition, more information on Allen's photo collection and the exhibit is offered in a recent report from National Public Radio's Morning Edition. Please note that images at the site are, as to be expected, graphic and discretion is advised when viewing the site with very young users. The majority of users, however, are strongly urged to visit this site, perhaps the most powerful and moving online exhibition I have ever seen. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age: Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Perspectives -- LOC
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/prhtml/
The newest addition to the Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory Collection "portrays the early history of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico through first-person accounts, political writings, and histories drawn from the Library of Congress's General Collections." Published between 1831 and 1929, the featured materials include 39 political pamphlets, 18 monographs, and 1 journal, the majority of which are in Spanish. The collection covers topics such as land use, relations with Spain, politics, reform efforts, and veterans of the Spanish-American War. The collection is searchable by keyword or browseable by subject, title, or author. The full text of the documents are available in HTML format or as page images. Additional resources at the site include a special presentation of related maps from the LOC's Geography & Map Division. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Free-Market.Net (FMN)
http://www.free-market.net/
Provided by the Henry Hazlitt Foundation, this portal offers access to a host of free market/ libertarian-related material. The site maintains a database of over "5,000 freedom-related news stories, policy analyses, books, e-texts, job openings, activist opportunities, events, and other resources." From the front page, users can access the most recent news stories and in-depth features, the latter of which includes an introduction to the issue, news reports, backgrounders, online and print resources, and scholarly studies. The main database may be searched by keyword from the main page or browsed via a directory. Additional resources include links to other Freedom Network sites and additional FMN channels, including ifeminists.com, Free-Market Environmentalists, and Libertarian.org. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Whitney Museum of Art: 2000 Biennial exhibition
http://www.whitney.org/exhibition/2kb_fs.html
Internet Art
http://www.whitney.org/exhibition/2kb/internet.html
This year's seventieth Whitney Biennial is the first to include Internet art. The nine sites in the show "range from those that consist almost exclusively of text to others that are collages of images and sound." Darcey Steinke's "Blindspot" is one of the former, presenting small, evocative chunks of hyper-linked texts in re-sizing windows. Ben Benjamin's "Superbad," with its seemingly endless array of graphics, animations, and a few words, is the other end of the spectrum. Those able to go to New York City can see the sites projected on a large screen in the Internet Art Gallery, with additional computers available in the Hurst Family Gallery. The rest of us will have to put up with the tedium of waiting for images to load with our dial-in connections. [DS]
[Back to Contents]Forbes 500 Annual Directory
http://www.forbes.com/tool/toolbox/forbes500s/
Wait no longer! Forbes Magazine has released its 2000 annual directory of the biggest, most powerful companies in the United States. This year's Forbes 500 is fully searchable by rank of sales, market value, assets, and profits, as well as by state or industry. As would be expected, technology and New Economy companies were highly ranked, as were many Old Economy businesses, with General Electric topping the list. Along with the Super 100 breakdown of the top 100 companies, this year's directory also offers "Business is Booming," a look back to the success of US businesses in 1999; commentary on the year's biggest winners and losers; a survey of the benefits offered at these companies; and an interactive map which showcases where Forbes 500 companies are located. [EM]
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Netscape 6 Preview Release 1
http://www.netscape.com/download/previewrelease.html
On April 5, Netscape announced the availability of the long-awaited new version of its Web browser, powered by the cross-platform/ cross-device Gecko Browser Engine. In contrast to previous new releases, Netscape 6 is actually a rather small download at 5.5MB. The new browser fully implements open Web standards including XML, HTML 4.0, CSS1, W3C DOM Level 0 and 1, JavaScript 1.5, and RDF. Other new features include "My Sidebar," a companion browser that allows users to keep track of customized information (news, stocks, Buddy Lists) through the use of specially created tabs. The browser comes with over 500 tabs already available, but most experienced users will customize the Sidebar to suit their own needs. Netscape 6 also includes a Web search field in the main browser toolbar that is powered by Google and the Open Directory Project, though this also can be customized with different search services. Search results are displayed in the Sidebar. Additional features include "seamless" integration of email and instant messaging with the browser and cookie and password managers. Netscape 6 will run on Mac, Windows, and LINUX systems, and work is underway to port it to other operating systems, including Solaris, HP/UX, AIX, and BeOS. Please note that this a preview release and all the usual caveats apply. [MD]
[Back to Contents]MacTuner 2.1.5 [Mac OS]
20 Day Full-featured Demo
http://www.aladdinsys.com/mactuner/index.html
Looking for a database of Internet-based multimedia and a place to store RealMedia URLs? MacTuner offers a graphical map interface as well as access to a database containing over 1,900 RealAudio and RealVideo sites, Internet-only radio stations, broadcast radio stations, television stations, scanner bands, live events, and pre-recorded programs from all over the world. Users can submit sites to the database, and MacTuner automatically updates the database when a new one is available. MacTuner does not support CDs or MP3s as of yet, but Aladdin's Website indicates they are looking into this capability. [AF]
[Back to Contents]Search Engines Worldwide
http://www.twics.com/~takakuwa/search/
No Frames
http://www.twics.com/~takakuwa/search/searc1.html
Created and maintained by Toyo Takakuwa, this no-nonsense metasite is quite simply an extensive list of search engines and directories, 850 from 130 nations, listed alphabetically by country. Clicking on a country produces a list of search engine banners (in the right-hand window or a new window from the no-frames site) that link to the search engines. Whether users are looking for a search engine from Armenia, Bolivia, Lebanon, Samoa, Yemen, or just about anywhere else, they will find it here. [MD]
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First Complete Sequence of the Human Genome
Company Press Release
http://www.pecorporation.com/press/prccorp040600.html
"Celera Closes on Genome Goal" -- BBC News [RealPlayer]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_704000/704290.stm
"Analysis of Human Genome Is Said to Be Completed" -- New York Times [RealPlayer]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/040700sci-human-genome.html
"Researchers report completing first step in mapping human genes" -- CNN
http://cnnfn.com/2000/04/06/companies/genomics/
"Genome Jigsaw" -- All Things Considered
http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20000406.atc.01.rmm
"US firm sequences human genome" -- Times of India
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/07hlth13.htm
Human Genome Project
http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/home.html
Doubletwist
http://www.doubletwist.com/
On April 6, Celera Genomics announced that it had completed the sequencing phase of one person's genome. It will now begin the process of assembling the sequenced fragments into their proper order with the aid of powerful computers. Work on this project began in September 1999 using a method called "whole genome shotgun sequencing," a quicker method than that used by the international Human Genome Project, which has completed about two-thirds of its own, more thorough, sequence of the human genome. Although talks between Celera and the Human Genome Project over the sharing of data broke down earlier this year, they have since resumed and the company has stated that it will cooperate. While this is just the first step towards understanding the human genome, it only reveals the order of the nucleotides, not what the genes do, it is certainly an important milestone, with broad implications for biology and medicine. Users can begin with the company's press release and then read reports from the BBC, the New York Times (free registration required), CNN, National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and the Times of India. Additional related resources are available from the Human Genome Project site and Doubletwist.com. [MD]
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