The Scout Report - November 19, 1999

November 19, 1999

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/1999/ss-991116.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/1999/be-991118.html
The sixth 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 covering the on-going controversy over the expulsion of six African-American students in Decatur, IL. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers ten resources on recent initiatives to prohibit banks from levying surcharges on non-customers using their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in San Francisco and Santa Monica, CA. [MD]
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Research and Education

Tobacco Industry Documents
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/industrydocs/index.htm
Announced by US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna E. Shalala on November 18, the day of the Great American Smokeout, this important new site will allow the public, for the first time, to conduct searches of key tobacco industry documents "made public by state lawsuits, congressional subpoenas, and the November 1998 master settlement agreement." The site is composed of four major sections. The most relevant of these for general users is the Minnesota Select Set, a full-text, searchable database with about 350,000 pages of viewable documents selected by Minnesota lawyers as key to the state's trial. Second is the searchable citation index, or the 4B Index. The 4B Index represents approximately 4 million documents, totalling 27 million pages, that are stored at the Minnesota Depository. Users may submit requests online or by fax for hard copies. Some of the cited documents may also be found via the collection of annotated links to sites that hold tobacco industry documents, most of which are maintained by the various tobacco companies and are supposed to mirror the documents in the Minnesota Tobacco Document Depository, according to the Master Settlement Agreement. Background and search tips are provided to help users navigate these sites. The fourth major section is a collection of approximately 7,000 selected British American Tobacco Company documents from Guildford, England, which are stored in Minnesota as part of the Minnesota Select Set and may be viewed online. [MD]
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The Paideia Project On-Line
http://www.bu.edu/wcp/PaidArch.html
Although the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy was held in August 1998, this online archive of contributed papers has continued to evolve, adding both new papers and sections on an almost weekly basis. At time of review, the archive contained some 634 papers, searchable by keyword or browseable by over 40 subject categories. The full texts of the papers are offered in HTML format, prefaced by an abstract. Please note that some papers are not available in English. Users may also access a record of all contributed papers presented at the Twentieth World Congress at the site. [MD]
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Genamics.com
http://genamics.com/
Genamics.com, "a software and web development firm dedicated to ensuring scientists have access to all the computer tools and computer resources available today," provides several free searchable databases of interest to the scientific community. Probably the most useful of these is JournalSeek, which contains information such as aims and scope, journal abbreviations, impact factors, Web links, ISSNs, and availability of abstracts and/or full-text online for over 8,500 journals. Users may browse by subject (over 30) or search by keyword or by several criteria under an advanced search. Other databases include SoftwareSeek, a collection of over 1,000 free and commercial software and online tools for molecular biology and biochemistry; GenomeSeek, a linked list of over 100 microbial genome projects; and BookSeek, which contains hundreds of biology-related books with links to purchase information. The latter three databases are all browseable and searchable in the same manner as JournalSeek. [MD]
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Social and Economic Implications of Information Technologies: A Bibliographic Database Pilot Project
http://srsweb.nsf.gov/it_site/index.htm
This pilot site from SRI International's Science and Technology Policy Program with support from the National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources Studies contains over 4,000 citations of "data sets, research papers, books, and web sites about the social and economic implications of information, communications, and computational technologies (IT)." These citations are organized in searchable listings called Road Maps, with categories such as Education, Government, Science, Globalization, and Employment and work, among others. Approximately one-third of the citations in the database have abstracts, and the majority appear to offer a link to the site or document. Also, citations on IT in the home have been specially annotated and collected on the IT in the Home project page. Directions for using the Road Maps Database is available from the main page as well as at the start page of each of the individual Road Maps. [MD]
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CyberSecuritiesLaw
http://www.cybersecuritieslaw.com/
A truly excellent resource, CyberSecuritiesLaw is an extensive Website focused completely on securities regulation and the Internet. Creator Blake A. Bell, Senior Knowledge Management Counsel of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, has compiled an enormous collection of information, news, cases, and other material dealing with these issues, and the site features several main sections. CyberSecuritiesLaw Tribune is a biweekly assemblage of pithy summaries of current news and accompanying annotations of Websites. Previous issues of the periodical are also archived on the site. CyberSecuritiesLaw Case Digest is a database of legal cases dealing with the Internet and securities matters, searchable by alphabetical order, by date, and by subject. Other resources on this site include summaries of SEC No-Action Letters, SEC releases, and other items relating to the SEC, NYSE, and NASD. Users looking for more information will want to check out the large bibliography of online resources and articles, and two annotated links pages that contain hundreds of Websites dealing with securities regulation and the Internet. All in all, this invaluable Website holds more than 3 MB of data on this subject. [EM]
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Dime Novels and Penny Dreadfuls
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/home.html
This extraordinary Website is devoted to the Dime Novel and Story Paper Collection at Stanford University Library. The site offers thousands of cataloged graphic images of illustrated covers to issues of the dime novels and story papers that were immensely popular in America from the mid-nineteenth century to its close. The images may be searched or browsed; search options include an exhaustive listing of "salient features," including -- but not limited to -- cover images relating to Napoleon Bonaparte (2), African-Americans (107), Cowboys (118), and College Students (8). Cultural studies scholars can make good use of these search options in examining graphic representations of gender, class, race, work, and manners of the time. The site also includes nine complete texts and catalog information for all of the issues imaged. Images may be viewed in thumbnail or full screen versions. [DC]
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National Gallery of Art Education Division
http://www.nga.gov/education/education.htm
The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC has grouped the services of its Education Division conveniently at this section of its site. For example, for classes planning in-person trips, the site lists various thematic tours designed to teach geography, history, or language arts using fine arts; each listing includes instructions for ordering accompanying teaching materials and reservation forms for booking tours. Teachers will also find information about the Gallery's loan program which allows them to borrow teaching materials, schedules of workshops at the National Gallery and at other museums around the country, and news about the National Gallery of Art's Teacher Institute, held every summer. In addition, there are links to online educational programs, many created to accompany past exhibitions at the Gallery, such as in-depth studies of Thomas Moran or Mark Rothko, exhibited in 1997 and 1998. [DS]
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Microbe World [.pdf]
http://www.microbeworld.org/
Intimate Strangers: Unseen Life on Earth -- PBS [Shockwave]
http://www.pbs.org/opb/intimatestrangers/
Produced by the American Society for Microbiology, this site offers a number of resources for both educators and young users. Included in the first category is a collection of learning activities and other resources related to a new PBS series premiering this month, Intimate Strangers: Unseen Life on Earth; fact sheets and related links for the five principal types of microbes; a portrait gallery; suggestions for further reading; and a MicrobeWorld Explorers Journal that will feature reports from educators teaching about microbes. The young users section of the site includes six "microbe mysteries" that explain microbes and their many functions, news-making microbes, several experiments, and information on microbiologists and their jobs. The PBS companion site is essentially a collection of four illustrated essays accompanied by a Shockwave version of mathematician John Conway's game, Life.[MD]
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Implementation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act: An Interim Report to Congress
http://www.nara.gov/iwg/report.html
Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group
http://www.nara.gov/iwg/
Recently released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Interagency Working Group (IWG), this interim report reveals the status of the Group's progress in the long and complex process of identifying, declassifying, and releasing US Government records relating to Nazi war crimes. Among other things, the report reveals that the IWG has identified more than 600 million pages in 127 file categories to be further searched for responsive documents, especially those held by the CIA, FBI, Department of Defense, and the NARA. While the statutory deadline for declassification and release is October 2001, the IWG plans to declassify an additional 176,000 pages in the fall of 1999, bringing the total to 300,000 available for public examination at the National Archives in College Park. The full text of the report is available as a single-page HTML document. Users can browse the list of declassified records as well as access related research papers, terms and timelines, and finding aids, at the IWG main site. The site also provides updates, minutes of meetings, a bibliography, and related links. [MD]
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H-Education
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~educ/
This new moderated H-Net mailing list focuses on the history of education, "broadly defined as a recognized field covering both formal and informal institutions and processes regarding teaching and learning." The editorial and advisory committee, as well as the anticipated audience, represent a number of departments in addition to Schools of Education. Subscription information and discussion logs are available at the site. [MD]
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General Interest

George Washington Papers Series 1: Exercise Books, Diaries, and Surveys -- LOC American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwseries1.html
George Washington Papers
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html
George Washington: Surveyor and Mapmaker
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gwmaps.html
The Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory Project recently announced the fifth release in the very large (65,000 documents) George Washington Papers collection (last reviewed in the February 19, 1999 Scout Report). The new addition consists of 43 volumes of Exercise Books, Diaries, and Surveys dating from 1745 to 1799. Users can browse the volumes, organized under three sub-series and listed by date, at the above URL. Page images are provided in two sizes for the contents of all 43 volumes, and annotated transcripts of the diaries are planned for June 2000. Users can search or browse the entire George Washington Papers collection from the main page. Accompanying the fifth release of the Washington Papers is a special presentation from the Library's Geography and Map Division featuring several "very rare, and relatively unknown maps highlighting Washington's public surveying and land-speculation activities." The exhibit is divided into seven brief chronological sections illustrated with eleven maps. The maps are offered as thumbnails which link to larger images with optional zoom views. [MD]
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Two New Space Sites
SpaceRef
http://www.spaceref.com/
Spacekids.com [Shockwave]
http://www.spacekids.com/
The first of these two resources is aimed at professionals and informed users with a strong interest in astronomy and astronautics, and the second can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. While the content in some of the multiple categories in SpaceRef's Space Directory is currently a little thin, the site is clearly designed from the ground-up to host a wide array of space resources. In addition to the directory, the site also features breaking news, analysis, full-text briefs from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), a calendar of events and launches, and special sections on current missions. Produced by Space.com, Spacekids provides both news and entertainment to budding astronomers and astronauts. The site contains space and science news stories written for young users, a space Q&A section hosted by a team of science teachers, interactive Shockwave games, and a photo gallery. [MD]
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The Star-Spangled Banner [Flash4, RealPlayer]
http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/
This recently expanded site from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History is intended to serve as "the most comprehensive on-line resource about the 186-year-old banner, which inspired the words to the National Anthem." The site offers a number of illustrated short essays, tracing the history of the flag and the national anthem and preservation efforts over the years. It also features several mysteries surrounding the flag that users can try to solve using primary sources and then read a historian's opinion. Educator information and teaching materials, and an online quiz round out the site. Users can browse the site's content via a menu on the left or access selected sections by scrolling over the flag on the main page. [MD]
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CBS HealthWatch
http://healthwatch.medscape.com/medscape/p/gcommunity/ghome.asp
This new health portal from CBS and Medscape offers a large number of health care resources for consumers. These include general health news, 22 "channels" with features and related resources, and a library containing a medical dictionary, drug directory, a collection of articles on topics A to Z, a guide to self-care and first aid, and related sites. Also at the site, My Health Manager (registration required) is a free service that allows users to create and monitor a personal health profile, access an enhanced library of relevant texts and articles, consult with experts, and correspond with other registered members. Please note that the registration process includes some required questions that users may not wish to answer (such as the name of their health insurance company) and that, upon logging on, the user-selected "health channels" provide targeted advertisements as well as targeted news and articles. [MD]
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Letters to future generations -- UNESCO
http://www.unesco.org/drg/lettres/
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization), an organization composed of 188 Member States, attempts to contribute expertise across all of the sciences to enrich both today and tomorrow's world. In developing Letters to future generations, essays written by 22 world leaders and thinkers, UNESCO has done just that. Addressed to people living in 2050, the letters share reflections and concerns on topics ranging from beauty to biological infections. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the UN, suggests "a culture of peace," while Rita Colwell, of the National Science Foundation, discusses the benefits of a diverse scientific culture, and Hubert Reeves, an astrophysicist, entreats us to be environmentally aware so we can ensure that a future generation will greet the 21st century. To paraphrase philosopher Fernando Savater, while UNESCO's Letters to future generations may not be a new idea, this "mental registry" is nonetheless thought-provoking. [ATW]
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Live@io [JavaScript, Real Audio, MP3]
http://www.ipl.org/exhibit/io/
Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org
This new multimedia exhibit hosted by the Internet Public Library was created by University of Michigan School of Information graduate student Matthew Martin. Martin's Website documents the past and present music scene at io, a Detroit alternative music venue. The Website has photos, music, and interviews with the owners of the club, explaining why they wanted to create an alternative music space in the motor city. The site is nicely organized and has a section that explains and gives links to viewing requirements and plug-ins. The alt gallery is especially fun: music clips give users a taste of the sounds of io, and collections of photos give visuals. Get a sound clip of the band going and then flip through the pics to feel like a part of the scene. [REB]
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Five for Thanksgiving
Food Network: Thanksgiving Therapy
http://www.foodtv.com/fn/features/thanksgiving/index.htm
A Vegetarian Thanksgiving
http://www.vegkitchen.com/thanksgiving.html
The Pie Page
http://www.teleport.com/~psyched/pie/pie.html
Thanksgiving Day Parade
http://www.nyctourist.com/macys_menu.htm
4Thanksgiving.com
http://www.4thanksgiving.com/
We hope these five sites will help users plan and enjoy a stress-free Thanksgiving holiday. The first site, from the Food Network, offers a number of recipes and tips, a shopping and cooking game plan, solutions to "Turkeytastrophies," and advice on what to do with all those leftovers. For vegetarians, who sometimes feel left out on "Turkey Day," In a Vegetarian Kitchen provides recipes for a complete meatless feast that makes full use of fall's bounty. What's Thanksgiving dinner without dessert? A good place to look for pie recipes and tips is the Pie Page, which contains recipes for over 100 pies, photos and instructions for a perfect crust, and some observations on making a fresh pumpkin pie. Users taking a trip to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or maybe just planning to watch it from home may enjoy the parade site from NYCTourist. It features news on this year's parade, photos of balloons and the crowd from last year's parade, and a brief review of the parade's history with several historic photos. Finally, users who want more Thanksgiving resources can turn to the 4anything Web guide, which contains links to turkey recipe pages, the history of Thanksgiving, pie recipes, crafts and activities, virtual cards, clip art, and more. [MD]
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Network Tools

Karnak
http://www.karnak.com/
This site constitutes a new and rather unique online research service, allowing users to construct their own personal library, stored on the Karnak server, which will be constantly added to while they are offline. According to the site, Karnak compiles information from multiple sources, sifting through dead and questionable links and irrelevant information, and then provides a concise, summarized report, as well as weekly email updates notifying users of new additions. After free registration, users can conduct multiple searches, but only one will be saved and automatically updated. Users may also select from three subscription levels, each offering more saved research topics and additional features. Users begin searches by entering a keyword and selecting from six topics (General, Current Events, Legal, Medical, News groups, and Reference). Karnak can also suggest improvements to help narrow the search. The search results indicate how many resources are new or changed, and offer brief synopses as well as links. Sample searches on "Northern Ireland" in the current events category produced thirteen hits from major news organizations, while the same search under Reference produced ten hits, all from the same site. These results are rather meagre, but the real strength of the service is supposed to be the automatic updates, so ultimate judgment will have to wait for a few weeks. In the meantime, users are encouraged to experiment with the free service. [MD]
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Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0.5
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
The latest version of this must-have utility includes support for all versions of PostScript (including the new PostScript3), the ability to view files that contain Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts on non-Asian operating systems, and Adobe's new Web Buy feature. Web Buy allows users to purchase, download, and view a variety of electronic texts produced by publishers using Adobe PDF Merchant. Some analysts describe Web Buy as the possible future of electronic texts. Users should note, however, that this new feature will transmit (unencrypted) certain information, including internal computer ID, storage device ID, and possibly logon name, when they initially contact the content provider's server. This will not occur when viewing normal, unencrypted PDF files. [MD]
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Bookmark Converter
http://www.abc.se/~m9761/bm_conv/
This windows utility enables user to convert their bookmarks from Netscape Navigator to Internet explorer and vice versa. It is small, fast, and simple to use. The latest version has been tested up to Netscape 4.6 and IE 5.0. Bookmark Converter is shareware and can be registered for $8. [JB]
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Google Linux
http://www.google.com/linux
Google has recently added another specialty feature, which indexes Linux resources. As with the main Google and Google Uncle Sam, Google Linux rates the relevance of a Webpage to a particular search query in part by examining how many other Webpages link to it. It does not, however, appear to offer GoogleScout, a feature on the main Google page which supplies an additional list of related URLS for each search return. Users can, however, access GoogleScout by selecting the "Try your query on the main Google index" link at the bottom of each search return page. [MD]
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In The News

Optimism in Ulster
The Path to Peace -- The Irish Times
http://www.ireland.com/special/peace/
The Search for Peace -- BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/northern_ireland/
Northern Ireland -- BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/northern_ireland/
Northern Ireland's Pursuit of Peace -- ABC News [RealPlayer]
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/irelandindex2.html
Ulster -- The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/Ulster/index.shtml
Editorials:
"On the Threshold of Peace" -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/19/070r-111999-idx.html
"There is no other way forward" -- The Examiner
http://ted.examiner.ie/archives/1999/november/19/opinionpage_0.htm
"A Pivotal Point in History" -- The Irish Times
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/1999/1119/edi1.htm
"Pressure on to sell deal" -- Belfast Telegraph
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/today/nov19/Opinion/apt.ncml
Sinn Fein Homepage
http://sinnfein.ie/
Socialist Democratic & Labour Party (SDLP) Homepage
http://www.sdlp.ie/
Ulster Unionist Party Homepage
http://www.uup.org/
Supporters of the peace process took heart in this week's developments in Northern Ireland. Eleven weeks ago, former US Senator George Mitchell revived his role as mediator and conducted a review of the peace process, which was stalled in mutual recriminations and acrimony. The central issue was, and remains, decommissioning, the surrender of arms by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Loyalist paramilitary groups. The majority Ulster Unionists, led by First Minister David Trimble, have refused to form an executive including Sinn Fein, as envisaged by the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, until the IRA has begun to surrender its weapons. Sinn Fein, led by Gerry Adams, has argued on the one hand that they cannot control the IRA, and on the other that the accord does not stipulate decommissioning as a prerequisite for forming the executive, an essential step before the establishment of a devolved administration in Northern Ireland. Not least among Mitchell's many accomplishments is the fact that Adams and Trimble, who previously could hardly be convinced to sit in the same room, now appear to have a comfortable working relationship, evidenced by mutually conciliatory statements each made this week. The potential breakthrough came on Wednesday, when the IRA indicated for the first time that it is willing to discuss disarmament and that it will appoint a representative to the disarmament commission led by Canadian General John de Chastelain. This would occur on the same day that an executive including Sinn Fein was formed. While Trimble secured support for the deal from his party executive today, he still faces a very tough sell between now and November 27, when his party's 860-member party council meets to approve or reject the compromise measure.

The first three sites, from The Irish Times and the BBC, offer excellent introductions to and overviews of the present peace process and its historical roots, with profiles of key figures, reviews of key events, overviews of the Good Friday Agreement and the Assembly, and breaking news. Special sections from ABC News and The Independent offer news, analysis, related stories, and audio selections. As would be expected, a number of newspapers have commented on the negotiations in their editorial pages. Users can read editorials from the Washington Post, the Examiner,The Irish Times, and the Belfast Telegraph at the above URLs. Finally, the three major parties in Northern Ireland have all posted statements and press releases concerning the current situation on their respective Websites. More resources on Northern Ireland and the peace process can be found in Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include the outstanding CAIN Web Service, the Patten report: "A New Beginning: Policing in Northern Ireland", and the full text of the Good Friday Peace Agreement. [MD]
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From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1999. 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.

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