The Scout Report - October 06, 2000

October 06, 2000

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.


In This Issue:

Subject Specific Reports

Research and Education

General Interest

Network Tools

In The News


Subject Specific Reports

Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2000/ss-001003.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2000/be-001005.html
The third issues of the fourth volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates nine resources on Tuesday's presidential debate. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers seven resources on the recently announced decision by Time Warner and EMI to abandon their plans for a $20 billion merger after they failed to win over skeptics in the European Commission. [MD]
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Research and Education

The Louisiana And Lower Mississippi Valley Collections (LLMVC) -- LSU Libraries
http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/llmvc.html
The Louisiana State University Libraries maintain a vast collection of materials relevant to their state's regional history. Recognized as one of the nation's premier repositories for materials relating to the antebellum plantation, Civil War, and Reconstruction South, the LLMVC contains over 10,000,000 items, including the papers of individuals and families; records of plantations, merchants, and financial institutions; and the records of political, social, and labor organizations. While most of these individual items are not available online, the Website provides an extensive subject catalog of the resources available at the LLMVC as well as descriptions of the individual collections and links to various options for searching the collection through engines offered by LSU libraries and others. Selected items from the LLMVC can be found in exhibits offered by the libraries's Special Collections Website, the host site for LLMVC. [DC]
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World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty -- World Bank [.pdf]
http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/index.htm
The full text of the World Development Report (WDR) 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty is now available for download. Along with the text of the report, World Bank has created a thorough Website that offers supporting information. Key resources include a large collection of background documents, conference and workshop papers, and the archive of the electronic discussion of the consultation draft. Also included is an ever-changing What's New section, the World Development Report Workplan, a calendar of events, and the WDR Newsletters. [EM]
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Grand Challenges in Environmental Sciences
http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9975.html
Press Release
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/(ByDocID)/F37E655AA4985DF385256965006 DB220?OpenDocument
Not yet available in print, this forthcoming title from the National Academy Press (NAP) is accessible in its entirety online. Requested by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and written by the National Academies's National Research Council, this report identifies and describes eight important areas of environmental research for the next generation. Not in order of importance, these challenges are Biogeochemical Cycles, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning, Climate Variability, Hydrologic Forecasting, Infectious Disease and the Environment, Institutions and Resource Use, Land-Use Dynamics, and Reinventing the Use of Materials. As with all online NAP titles, the report can be read and browsed using the Open Book interface. [MD]
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Bureau of Justice Statistics 2000: At a Glance [.pdf]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/bjsag00.htm
Recently placed online by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), this 42-page report offers a useful and concise overview of recent and forthcoming reports from the BJS. Also included are descriptions of data collection programs, findings of major statistical series, and a summary of state and local justice statistics programs. The full text of the report is available in .pdf or text format. [MD]
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2020Green
http://www.2020green.com/index.jsp
Aetna Financial Services and Second Story Interactive present 2020Green, an interactive Website geared towards helping teenagers learn smart financial management skills. The site, which is designed around a metaphorical building, takes students though a variety of reality-based situations about their finances. For example, in the Payroll section, users are told that their first paycheck from their first job at Metrodome Theatres is lower than expected. The site then walks users through types of withholding to explain where the money went. Informative and clever in its design, 2020Green is sure to hold the attention of its audience. [EM]
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Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) Site Redesign
http://www.ceip.org/
The CEIP, a leading international affairs think tank, has recently announced a major site redesign. The look and performance of the site have both been improved, with links to the rest of the site and a keyword search engine accessible from every page. Probably the most important area of the site is the publications section, which visitors can browse by title, author, date, or research project, as well as by over 70 topics. Most of the articles, speeches, testimony, and working papers are available in full text, as are the first chapters of books written or edited by Carnegie Endowment associates. Other major sections at the site include programs, which offers information on the various CEIP research areas; and news and resources, which includes a guide to experts and related links. [MD]
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Two Physical Education Resources
Sports Media
http://www.sports-media.org/
Physical Education Lesson Plans
http://schools.eastnet.ecu.edu/pitt/ayden/physed8.htm
Ayden Elementary School Physical Education
http://schools.eastnet.ecu.edu/pitt/ayden/physed.htm
These two sites, the first based in Belgium, the other in North Carolina, offer a helpful collection of resources, especially lesson plans, for Physical Education teachers. Sports Media is more of a portal, containing links to various lesson plans posted off-site. These are browsed via an alphabetical index. Other content at the site includes links to coaching and training resources, information on several international P.E. associations, and a free mailing list. The second site is constructed and maintained by John Williams, a Physical Education Specialist at the Ayden Elementary School in Greenville, North Carolina. The site features over 100 user-submitted Physical Education lesson plans, organized by category (tag games, throwing/catching, assessments, etc.). As would be expected, the detail and quality of the submitted plans vary. All are accessed via pull-down menus, and a few are located off-site. Williams's main page offers over 400 (unannotated) links to health and PhysEd resources, organized by topic. [MD]
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New Additions to ERIC Digests Database
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/2000-8-28.html
ERIC Digests Index Page
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/index/
The latest update to the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Digest database (last described in the May 26, 2000 Scout Report) features 58 full-text short reports aimed at education professionals and the broader education community. Each report provides an overview of an education topic of current interest and offers references for further information. Sample titles include "Teaching Students with Autism," "Accessible Web Design," "Reflective Thought, Critical Thinking," and "Effective Teaching in Distance Education." Users can search the entire ERIC Digests database from the index page. ERIC, part of the National Library of Education (NLE), is a nationwide education information system sponsored by the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). [MD]
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CONSERVATIVEnet
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/historiography/cnet.htm
This new mailing list is designed for scholars, researchers, and advanced students in the areas of conservative and libertarian history and politics. As with most academic mailing lists, CONSERVATIVEnet will provide a forum for scholarly discussion and queries and publish book reviews, calls for papers, job ads, conference reports, and other items of interest to the list members. The list is edited by a team of scholars, including Richard Jensen, the founder of H-Net. Subscription information is provided at the above URL. [MD]

To subscribe, users may also send email to the following address:
    LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
In the body of the message, type:
    Subscribe CONSERVATIVEnet Firstname Lastname, Your University
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General Interest


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The NRO Declassified -- NSA
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB35/
The latest electronic briefing book from the National Security Archive (NSA) features 23 declassified or unclassified documents related to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), established in 1961 but only acknowledged by the Department of Defense in 1992. The NRO was created to "manage the development and operation of the nation's reconnaissance satellite systems" in the wake of the capture of U2 pilot Gary Powers and problems in the fledgling CIA and Air Force satellite reconnaissance programs. This collection of annotated digitized documents traces the development of the NRO from its inception in 1961-2 to the first major outside review of the NRO conducted during the Clinton administration in 1996. [MD]
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Napoleon -- PBS [Flash]
http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/
The Napoleon Series
http://www.napoleonseries.org/
The first of these two sites is a companion to the new PBS film on Napoleon premiering November 8. The core of the site is a collection of four essays exploring The Man and the Myth, Napoleon and Josephine, Politics in Napoleon's Time, and Napoleon at War. Other features include information on the film and the historians interviewed, classroom materials, a timeline, and an interactive battlefield simulator, though this last item worked poorly with Internet Explorer and not at all with Netscape. Both HTML and Flash versions of the site are available. The second site, sponsored by the International Napoleonic Society (INS), offers a mix of content that will appeal to both academics and Napoleonic enthusiasts. The site contains three major sections. The first, Military, offers articles, an encyclopedic list of Napoleonic-era battles, maps, and photographic tours of selected battlefields. The Research section provides bibliographies and bibliographic tools, letters and memoirs, articles on government and politics under Napoleon, and information on Napoleonic music and films. The final principal section is a collection of reviews of biographies, fiction and nonfiction, CD-ROMS, Websites, and other resources. At the INS portion of the site, users will find information on the society and the full text of the first two issues of its journal, Napoleonic Scholarship: The Journal of the International Napoleonic Society. Other resources include a fairly active discussion forum, a FAQ, and a What's New listing. [MD]
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Narnia.com [.pdf, QuickTime]
http://www.narnia.com/
Here's a terrific use of the Web -- for travel to an imaginary country! Visitors to this site will find all the required equipment for a pleasant vacation in Narnia, the land created by C.S. Lewis in his seven book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Created by HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., the site includes interactive maps where one can click on a Narnian place and hear its story, illustrations, and character sketches. In addition to the audio excerpts, full text of selected chapters from all seven books is available. Readers can sign up for the Narnia Reading Program, take a short quiz after reading each of the first six books (offline), and win a copy of the seventh. Appropriately, since Lewis said that Narnia originated as a picture in his head, the Illustrating Narnia section contains information about various illustrators of the books, from Pauline Baynes to Chris Van Allsburg. In Books and Resources there is a .pdf Classroom Activities Guide for teachers and ample information on how to order print copies of several editions of the Chronicles. [DS]
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Three New Spots from StartSpot Mediaworks
HomeworkSpot.com
http://www.homeworkspot.com/
PeopleSpot.com
http://www.peoplespot.com
MuseumSpot.com
http://www.museumspot.com
LibrarySpot.com
http://www.libraryspot.com
StartSpot Mediaworks, creators of the well-regarded LibrarySpot.com, have recently announced the launch of three new Spot sites. Like the original, these new sites are very user-friendly portals to relevant sites and resources. Each site has a similar layout, with subsections such as Must See sites, In the News, By the Numbers, Themes, You Asked For It, and On Exhibit in the main right-hand side of the window, and a collection of related links organized by topic and category on the left. The number of links included in each listing is often somewhat modest, but they are briefly annotated and usually include some of the best sites for that subject. Though these new spots are probably most useful to new and younger users, more experienced internauts may find some items of interest. [MD]
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EPA/DOE Fuel Economy Site 2001 Update
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced their 26th annual Miles Per Gallon rankings for passenger vehicles and the release of their updated interactive fuel economy Website (originally reviewed in the October 8, 1999 Scout Report). This year, Honda's Insight, a hybrid car, topped the rankings with an average 61 miles per gallon (mpg). Coming in dead last was the Ferrari 550 Maranello, with a 8/13 city/highway mpg average (though it seems unlikely that many Maranello owners had fuel economy in mind when making their purchase). At the updated site, users can download a .pdf version of the agencies' 2001 Model Year Fuel Economy Guide, find and compare the mpg of 1985-2001 model year cars and trucks, read about fuel economy and future technologies, and learn about hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. [MD]
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CNN.com Europe
http://europe.cnn.com/
Recently launched, this new CNN site offers users interested or living in Europe easy and quick access to headlines and news stories from the region. In addition to the major political news, the page supplies regional weather and European sports and business news. Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Spanish versions of the site are also available. [MD]
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Network Tools

Netscape 6 Preview Release 3
http://home.netscape.com/browsers/6/index.html?cp=dowpod6
On Wednesday, Netscape released the third and final preview release of its next generation browser (originally reviewed in the April 7, 2000 Scout Report). New features include a redesigned interface, enhanced stability, the ability to synchronize your Netscape 6 Personal Address Book with the Netscape Web Address Book, improvements to the What's Related tab, and new Sidebar tabs. More information on Netscape 6 is available at the above URL, which also links to the download page. [MD]
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State of the Internet 2000 -- USIC [.pdf]
http://www.usic.org/papers/stateoftheinternet2000/intro.html
United States Internet Council (USIC)
http://www.usic.org/
Recently released, this report from the US Internet Council (USIC) and International Technology & Trade Associates, Inc. (ITTA) offers an "overview of recent Internet trends and examines how the Internet is affecting both business and social relationships around the world." This year's report pays special attention to the increasingly international nature of the Internet and the rapid emergence of wireless Internet technologies. Users can download the full text of the report by chapter in .pdf format at the USIC site. Additional information on the Council and last year's State of the Internet report are available at the USIC homepage. [MD]
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MacTelnet 3.0a18 (Beta)
http://www.mactelnet.com
Download Page
http://home.austin.rr.com/telnet/download/
The beta release of version 3.0a18 of this popular NCSA Telnet application for the Mac is now available for free download. This easy-to-use program allows users to configure and run an FTP server on their machine, connect to remote hosts, and emulate a variety of hosts. This latest version includes bug fixes, an enhanced user interface, and speedier operation. Users can learn more about MacTelnet and download the program at the site. [MD]
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In The News

All Signs Point to Milosevic Ouster
Uprising in Serbia -- CNN [QuickTime, RealPlayer, Windows Media Player]
http://europe.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/yugo.crisis/index.html
Yugoslavia Today -- Central Europe Online
http://www.centraleurope.com/yugoslaviatoday/
Crisis in Yugoslavia -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/in_depth/europe/2000/yugoslav_elections/default.stm
Balkan Crisis Reports -- Institute for War and Peace Reporting
http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl5?balkans_index.html
Tanjug News Agency
http://www.tanjug.co.yu/
Free B92 [RealPlayer, .mp3]
http://www.freeb92.net/
Serbian Info News -- Ministry of Information
http://www.serbia-info.com/
Democratic Party (Yugoslavia)
http://www.ds.org.yu/english/index.html
Socialist Party of Serbia
http://www.sps.org.yu/eng/index-n.htm
"In Belgrade, Russian Envoy Greets Kostunica as Army Remains Aloof" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/06/world/06CND-YUGO2.html
"Yugoslav Citizen Army Seizes Belgrade" -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20129-2000Oct5.html
Slobodan Milosevic's allies have apparently deserted him en masse as a citizen army hundreds of thousands strong throngs Belgrade in support of the opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica. After several days of successful general strikes in the countryside and smaller towns, opposition supporters descended on the capital in huge convoys yesterday and seized control of the federal parliament building after encountering only brief and sporadic resistance from the police. The reluctance of the police to prop up Milosevic's regime was matched by the nation's military leaders, who met yesterday to discuss their response to this relatively nonviolent revolution. Though they issued no formal statement, it has become increasingly clear that the army will not act to disperse the demonstrators or maintain Milosevic in power. Another and perhaps final blow to the Serbian president came today when Russia, Serbia's most powerful and consistent ally, recognized Mr. Kostunica as president-elect. Milosevic is rumored to be in Belgrade, where he apparently met with the Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, to discuss the handover of power. In addition to securing control of the major media outlets in Serbia, the opposition under Mr. Kostunica has announced the creation of a crisis committee to govern the country and secure order after several days of a political vacuum. They hope to convene the new federal parliament on Saturday to swear Kostunica in as president. In a show of support for the opposition, European Union leaders have indicated that sanctions against Serbia may be lifted as early as Monday. While many questions remain, not the least Mr. Milosevic's indictment for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal, it does indeed appear that he has fallen from power faster and with less violence than anyone might have predicted.

CNN offers a fairly deep special report on these events, with breaking news, archived articles, photos and video, analysis, and some interactive features. Additional special reports are available from Central Europe Online, the BBC, and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Breaking news and analysis from within Serbia are available from the state news agency Tanjug (now controlled by the opposition) and Free B92. The Serbian Ministry of Information site, at time of writing still under the control of Milosevic supporters, reports on recent events from the opposite perspective. Official press releases from the opposition are available at the Democratic Party site, while the site for Milosevic's Socialist Party appears not to have been updated for a few days. Finally, more analysis is available from the New York Times (free registration required) and the Washington Post.
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From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

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The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout
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