The Scout Report - May 4, 2001

May 4, 2001

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

Corrections


Subject Specific Reports

Scout Reports for Social Sciences & Humanities and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences & Humanities
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2001/ss-010501.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2001/be-010503.html
The seventeenth issues of the fourth volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences & Humanities and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences & Humanities Report annotates seven resources on the second anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers nine resources on the negotiations between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
[Back to Contents]

Research and Education

American Family Immigration History Center
http://www.ellisislandrecords.org
Although it was released a few weeks ago, only this week were we able to use and review this amazing resource from the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island. The site has been deluged since the moment it went live, and users may very likely find it difficult to access. Those lucky enough to get through will find a searchable database that contains records on the 22 million passengers and ship crew members who passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924. In addition to a basic passenger record (name, ethnicity, place of residence, age, marital status, ship of travel, etc.), users can also view a copy of the original ship manifest (a text version is also available), and even a picture of the ship travelled on! Free registration is required to use the database and a paid membership to use some of the other features at the site, such as creating a public scrapbook (these will be available for free viewing). Easy to use (I found my grandfather-in-law in just a few minutes), this site is an essential resource for genealogy research online, especially once its server capacity improves. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Development Goals
http://www.developmentgoals.org/
The International Development Goals "set targets for reductions in poverty, improvements in health and education, and protection of the environment." These goals have been adopted by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the UN, and numerous other agencies. At this site, visitors can learn more about specific goals and view data for both regions and specific countries. At present, there are 207 country tables which present timeseries data for four of the last ten years. These are accessed via a pull-down menu in the data section, along with goal tables by region and maps. Charts accessed through the pull-down menu include definitions for each indicator. Summaries of progress towards each of the goals and regional overviews are also available at the bottom of the data page. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

NMNH Entomology Database Library [.pdf]
http://entomology.si.edu:591/entomology/data.html
Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH)
http://entomology.si.edu/
The Smithsonian's Department of Entomology database library offers 25 databases and bibliographies related to insects and entomology, collectively containing many thousands of records. The main page lists the databases available and describes most of them. The number of records indexed and available search options vary for each database or bibliography. Additional information on the Department of Entomology and its collections is available from the department's homepage. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Intermodal Transportation Database (ITDB)
http://www.itdb.bts.gov/
Recently released by the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), this beta test site will serve as a central access point for a broad collection of transportation data collected by a number of government agencies. In this first stage, the site offers two features: a collection of downloadable datasets, and a list of transportation data links. At present, 24 datasets are available. Each includes a text overview and downloadable documentation, as well as the raw data in CSV format. The links section proffers annotated links to a respectable number of transportation data resources. A number of future enhancements are planned for the site, including mapping applications (due in mid-May). [MD]
[Back to Contents]

South Asia Network of Economic research Institutes (SANEI) [.pdf]
http://www.saneinetwork.org/index.asp
The South Asia Network of Economic Research Institute was formed in 1998 in order to foster strong networks among economic research institutes in regions of South Asia. Currently, the 40 participating institutes are from countries including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Along with in-depth information about SANEI's mission, structure, and committee members, the site includes discussion forums and links to a variety of related organizations and publications. Be sure to explore the Research section of the site, which features a comprehensive collection of ongoing and completed studies from member institutes. This well-organized site will be of interest to anyone looking at models of networking organizations as well as those studying the economies of South Asian countries. [EM]
[Back to Contents]

The Guide to Law Online
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/index.html
Created by the US Law Library of Congress for the Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), this metasite indexes online resources for legal information worldwide. Most of the resources are briefly annotated, and all are free, quality sources of information. The index is fairly deep and divided into four primary sections: US, Nations, International and Multinational, and Subjects. The largest of these is the Nations section, which offers links to the constitution; executive, legislative, and judicial branches; legal guides; and general resources for over 200 countries. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Marchand Collection -- History Project
http://marchand.ucdavis.edu/
History Project
http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/
A professor of History at UC-Davis, Roland Marchand has placed online an excellent collection of primary source teaching materials for use in both secondary school and university classrooms. This site is hosted by the History Project, which is in turn part of the California History-Social Science Project (CHSSP), a collaborative network of teachers, from kindergartens to the universities, "with the shared goal of promoting excellence in the teaching and learning of history-social science." At Marchand's site, visitors will find a collection of primary documents and lesson plans aimed at university, high school, and middle school students. In the slide archive, Marchand has gathered hundreds of images scanned from his extensive collection. These are organized by major category and subcategory (e.g., Immigration>Japanese) and are presented as thumbnails which link to an annotated, full-sized image. In all, a nice collection of resources for American history teachers and students at any level. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Instacase.com
http://www.instacase.com
Though designed with lawyers in mind, this resource could prove helpful to users in other fields, such as political science or government. Essentially, the site provides summaries and links to the full text of the latest court decisions from the Supreme Court, the Third Circuit, and nine (mostly eastern) states. These are listed in the top stories and latest decision sections. Visitors may also browse the case digests by jurisdictions or using a keyword search engine (optionally modified by jurisdiction and type of law). The archives may also be browsed by jurisdiction and type of law. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

US News Classroom [.pdf]
http://www.usnewsclassroom.com/
Provided by US News and World Report, this site offers a number of resources to help teachers integrate current events (as reported in the magazine) into their classrooms. Among these resources are a library of lesson plans and interactive activities, organized by subject (the deepest of these are American government and US history). Lesson plan contents include a note on grade level and subject area, objectives, materials, discussion questions, and suggested activities. The most current lesson plan explores the Vietnam War using an article on Bob Kerrey. Other resources include brief teacher's guides for past issues of the magazines (teacher's guides for more recent issues require a subscription). [MD]
[Back to Contents]

General Interest

War Stories [Flash, QuickTime, Windows Media Player]
http://www.newseum.org/warstories/index.htm
This new online exhibit from the Newseum (last reviewed in the January 26, 2001 Scout Report) explores what it is like to be a war correspondent. The site is composed of three sections. The first contains a number of excerpts from some outstanding video interviews with reporters who have covered armed conflicts from World War Two to the Balkans. These may be browsed by war or by journalist. The second section is a Flash feature that examines war reporting and technology from the US Civil War to the present. Finally, the site offers a thoughtful essay by Harold Evans, the guest curator of the exhibit. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

State of the Air 2001 -- ALA [.pdf]
http://www.lungusa.org/air2001/index.html
Released this week by the American Lung Association (ALA), this report finds that the number of Americans living with unhealthy air has increased since the last annual report. In fact, more than half of US counties where there are ozone monitors received a failing grade. The report is based on EPA data on ground-level ozone for the years 1997 to 1999, the most recent available. The full report, which includes summaries for each state, is available online in HTML format. A .pdf version is also available, but only as a Windows self-executable file. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Free Speech Movement, Student Protest U.C. Berkeley, 1964-65 -- University of California, Berkeley Library
http://library.berkeley.edu/BANC/FSM/
The Bancroft Library at UC, Berkeley has made available an array of documents and media materials relating to the Free Speech Movement (FSM) on the UC campus in the mid-60s. The site includes an online finding aid to the protest collections of the library, online video and sound recordings, a chronology, a bibliography, and a plethora of documents relating to the movement. These last include oral histories, journals, legal proceedings, contemporaneous journalism, FSM newsletters, books, pamphlets, minutes of meetings, government documents, and more. An excellent site for researchers, journalists, historians, and students. For more information about Bancroft Library and its Oral Histories project, see the January 29, 1999 Scout Report. [DC]
[Back to Contents]

Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian -- LOC
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html
The latest addition to the peerless Library of Congress American Memory collection is a complete collection of the images included in Edward S. Curtis's The North American Indian, "one of the most significant and controversial representations of traditional American Indian culture ever produced." Originally published in 20 volumes between 1907 and 1930, the work contained over 1,500 illustrations and more than 700 portfolio plates, all of which are featured at the site. Visitors may search the collection by keyword or browse by subject, Native American tribe or geographic location, or volume. Images are presented as thumbnails with a few notes. A special presentation on the site seeks to place Curtis and his volumes in context. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Two from PBS
Conquistadors
http://www.pbs.org/conquistadors/
Islam: Empire of Faith
http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/
To accompany forthcoming television programs, PBS presents two Websites. Designed for students in grades 8-12, Conquistadors follows the Spanish Conquistadors' exploration of the New World from 1500 to 1550 and their contact with Native Americans. There are four main sections of the site: Cortez and the Aztecs in Mexico, Peru -- the Inca Empire and Pizzaro, Amazonia and the Quest for El Dorado, and North America: Cabeza de Vaca and the American Southwest. The site also features a timeline, teaching guides, and a journal kept by the series host, Michael Wood, as he made the documentary and traveled the Conquistadors' path. Islam: Empire of Faith aims to take a broad view of the many facets of ancient Islamic art and culture. The main sections of this site are Faith, Art, Innovation, and Profiles. In Innovation, users can read entries on the contributions made by Islam in the fields of Algebra & Trigonometry, Engineering, Astronomy, Medicine, and Paper & Publishing. The Profiles section tells the story of Muslim leaders from the prophet Mohammed to Suleyman, the builder of the Ottoman Empire. Educational resources for grades 6-12, such as lesson plans and a bibliography, are also included. [DS]
[Back to Contents]

National Forests Websites
http://www.fs.fed.us/links/forests.html
Provided by the USDA Forest Service, this site is a handy portal to the official Websites of the 155 National Forest Lands and 20 National Grasslands across the country. Visitors may browse the listing via an interactive map, by name, state, or region. There is also a Forest Phone Directory, though this page did not load correctly on Netscape 4.75 for Mac (it worked fine on IE 5). Additional information on the Forest Service is easily accessed from this site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Red Hot Jazz Archive [RealPlayer, VivoActive]
http://redhotjazz.com/
Created and maintained by Scott Alexander, this site is a solid resource for anyone interested in the early history of jazz. Here visitors will find comprehensive lists of musicians and bands that were active between 1895 and 1929. The latter includes lists of band members and full-length sound files and, in some cases, overviews of varying length. All entries are thoroughly hyperlinked to noted sound files and profiles of other musicians. Also included at the site are a collection of essays and articles and a listing of short jazz films (with two video clips). [MD]
[Back to Contents]

The Ricksha Arts of Bangladesh
http://www.webpak.net/~ricksha/
Created and maintained by Joanna Kirkpatrick, a cultural and social anthropologist, this modest but attractive site celebrates a unique popular art of Bangladesh: "the paintings and decorations on the three-wheeled cycle ricksha or 'rickshaw.'" Based on Kirkpatrick's field visits between 1975 and 1998, this site offers an image collection of riotously colored and decorated rickshas, presented as thumbnails with brief descriptions. Also included at the site are some photos depicting commerce, street life, and religion in Bangladesh; some short readings; and a brief list of related links. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Network Tools

Agentland.com
http://www.agentland.com/
This site is a handy portal to intelligent agents, software tools that automatically perform a variety of tasks on the Internet. While the Scout Report has reviewed a number of search agents in the past, this is the first agent portal we have come across. At the site, users can learn about agents and the tasks they perform, browse a comprehensive directory of agents resources, and choose from over 500 downloadable agents. Other resources include a free weekly newsletter, a forum, and information on customizing agents. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

ButtonFly 1.20
http://www.goto-software.com/us/BF/BFstart.htm
ButtonFly is an easy-to-use software for creating professional looking buttons instantly. You can apply graphic effects like natural shadow, dispersion, chromatic effects, and more. You can also establish a button template, define your section headings, and instantly create tens or even hundreds of new buttons for your site. ButtonFly takes care of all of the complex and repetitive operations, allowing graphic artists to focus on their designs. ButtonFly also allows you to generate the files in both .gif and .jpeg formats, including transparent .gifs. Using the Rollover Generator feature, you can automatically create dynamic effects for buttons without having to write the Javascript code. In addition, a multilingual generation utility enables instant translation of Websites. Users may download a limited 30-day version of ButtonFly for free at the site. [MA]
[Back to Contents]

Spychecker
http://www.spychecker.com/
Check before you download that next freeware program. Spychecker is a public database, currently with close to 1,000 listings of "Spyware" programs that are advertiser supported and track and send certain data and statistics via a server installed on the user's PC. Some programs are more open about this data collection, while others only reveal it in the fine print of their privacy policy. Opinions are naturally mixed on this data collection, and many users don't mind the intrusions into their privacy in return for free software. Those who are concerned can use this resource to look up programs and determine if they are "true" freeware. The site uses a simple keyword search engine, and returns list the ad company involved and provide links to their privacy policy page as well as the homepage for the software. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

In The News

Pope Makes Historic Pilgrimage to Greece
"Pope seeks to placate Orthodox" -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1312000/1312723.stm
"Pontiff Asks God to Forgive Sins Against the Orthodox" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/04/continuous/04CND-POPE.html
"Pope moves to heal ancient rift" -- CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/05/04/pope.greece.03/index.html
Athens News
http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/athweb/nathens.index_htm?e=C
"Reaching over a millennial chasm" -- Kathimerini
http://www.eKathimerini.com/news/content.asp?aid=81304
International Fides Service (Vatican City)
http://www.fides.org/home-ing.htm
Vatican Radio [RealPlayer]
http://www.vaticanradio.org/inglese/enindex.html
The Holy See
http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
Orthodox Church of Greece
http://www.ecclesia.gr/English/EnIndex.html
The Catholic Church in Greece
http://stpch.faithweb.com/history.htm
Responding to a list of "offenses" presented to him by Greece's Orthodox leader Archbishop Christodoulos, Pope John Paul II today asked God's forgiveness for Roman Catholic sins against the Orthodox faith during the last 1,000 years. The pontiff is on the first leg of a six-day pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul, the apostle who converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus. The Pope's visit to Greece, the first since the schism of 1054, was preceded by considerable protest by members of the Greek Orthodox clergy as well as tense and detailed negotiations. John Paul will spend only 24 hours in Greece, and previous plans to hold mass tomorrow in a large 80,000-seat stadium were scaled back to an 18,000-seat indoor arena. The Pope has repeatedly expressed his desire to end the rupture between the churches but this will not occur in the forseeable future. Orthodox Christians do not recognize the Pope as the leader of world Christianity and hold numerous grievances with the Catholic Church. Perhaps the most important of these, at least symbolically, is the sacking of Orthodox Constantinople by crusaders in 1204, an act which the Pope declared filled today's Catholics with "deep regret." Tomorrow John Paul will leave for Syria, where he will become the first Pope to enter a Mosque, and after four days there, he will complete his trip in Malta.

Reports on the Pope's trip and the apology can be found at the BBC, New York Times (free registration required), and CNN sites, all of which offer links to related information and other resources. Coverage on the visit from a Greek perspective is available at Athens News and Kathimerini. Reports from the Vatican are provided by International Fides Service and Vatican Radio. Finally, additional information on the churches may be found at their respective Websites. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Corrections

Go!Zilla Privacy Policy Statement
http://www.gozilla.com/privacy.html
Radiate Privacy Policy Statement
http://www.radiate.com/privacydisclosure.html
Last week's Scout Report included a review of Go!Zilla Free v3.93, a popular download manager. We neglected to mention that this program is commonly regarded as "Spyware" or "Adware" because it installs tracking software on users' computers which collects data and statistics and sends them to the advertiser (in this case Radiate) who financially supports the software. Go!Zilla makes it clear that this information is being collected in its privacy policy statement (see above), but we should have also mentioned this in the review. The Scout Report regrets the omission.
[Back to Contents]


Below are the copyright statements to be included when reproducing annotations from The Scout Report.

The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format:

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

The paragraph below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing the entire report, in any format:

Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2001. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the National Science Foundation.


The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout
Michael de Nie
Susan Calcari
Rachael Bower
Travis Koplow
David Charbonneau
Emily Missner
Laura X. Payne
Debra Shapiro
Scott Watkins
Ed Almasy
Hilary C. Sanders
Andy Yaco-Mink
Manoj Ananthapadmanabhan
Pat Coulthard
Andy Yaco-Mink
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
Editor
Executive Director
Director
Managing Editor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Contributor
Technical Specialist
Website Designer

Scout Report and Scout Report HTML Subscription Instructions

To receive the electronic mail version of the Scout Report each week, join the SCOUT-REPORT mailing list. This is the only mail you will receive from this list.

To receive the electronic mail version of the Scout Report in HTML format, subscribe to the SCOUT-REPORT-HTML mailing list. This is the only mail you will receive from this list.

[Back to Contents]


Internet Scout
A Publication of the Internet Scout Project

Comments, Suggestions, Feedback
Use our feedback form or send email to scout@cs.wisc.edu.

© 2001 Internet Scout Project
Information on reproducing any publication is available on our copyright page.