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The New Zealand Digital Library -- University of Waikato [RealPlayer, QuickTime, MPEG]
http://www.nzdl.org/cgi-bin/library
This fine Website provides searchable access to a number of voluminous document collections from diverse sources around the world in the fields of history, humanitarian and global development, computer science, music, and literature. These databases are chock full of documents, reports, articles, bibliographies, periodicals, and audio/ video files. The Website's searching and browsing interfaces are provided by Greenstone digital library software and enable easy, effective searching through these substantial collections, which include materials from the UN University, the Food and Agriculture organization, the Humanity Development Library, the World Environment Library, the Bibliotheque pour le Developpement, and more. Also included here are interfaces for the Gutenberg Project (see the November 22, 1996 Scout Report), a women's history collection, a youth oral history covering the lives of New Zealand children in the pre- and post-World War II years, the New Zealand Digital Music Library, and even an extensive music video collection (note: download times for videos can be several minutes). Two of the collections -- on Arabic and Chinese studies -- appear to be still under construction. The great boon of the site, of course, is the fact that rather than simply serving as a gateway, it allows users to immediately access the various materials brought up by the interface. "The New Zealand Digital Library project is a research program at The University of Waikato whose aim is to develop the underlying technology for digital libraries and make it available publicly so that others can use it to create their own collections." [DC]
[Back to Contents]Measuring Up 2000: The State-by-State Report Card for Higher Education -- The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
http://measuringup2000.highereducation.org/reporthome.htm
Posted on November 30 and billing itself as the "first state-by-state report card for higher education," this Website grades states on "their performance in five categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and economic and civic benefits." The site offers several different options for examining the report's assessments and the supporting data. Users can view each state's performance in the five categories in the States at a Glance section or examine both data and assessment in-depth by following the link to States Profiles. Users can also access a map that color-codes the states in terms of their performance in the five categories and consult articles, findings, student profiles, supporting documents, and more which have been made available on-site. Users may also compare the performance of various states as well as compare an individual state's performance changes over time. While we suspect some may take issue with the final assessments, both the data used and the criteria applied are clearly presented here by the study's authors. The National Center, an "independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, . . . promotes public policies that enhance Americans' opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school." [DC]
[Back to Contents]Changing the Conversation: A National Plan to Improve Substance Abuse Treatment [.pdf]
http://www.natxplan.org./
Published by the department of Health and Human Services in late November, this two-volume study is the first significant result of the National Treatment Plan Initiative (NTP) begun in the fall of 1998. The NTP's stated goal is "to provide an opportunity for the substance abuse and treatment field to reach a working consensus on how best to improve substance abuse treatment, and then to pursue action to effect needed change." Developed through "examination of relevant research and past reports, consultation and discussion among experts in the field, and through active solicitation of public comment," the study presents a set of guidelines and recommendations for changes in substance abuse treatment and policy. The two volumes are in .pdf format, and visitors to the Website may also access hundreds of public testimonies from the five regional public hearings held by the NTP since 1998. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Getting Behind The Numbers: Understanding Patients' Assessments of Managed Care -- The Commonwealth Fund [.pdf]
http://www.cmwf.org/programs/health_care/gerteis_numbers_428.pdf
Released in November, this 51-page report "set out to identify plan-level practices that contribute to a positive experience for plan members." Using data from the Medicare Managed Care Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey, the study examines nine plans with "different patterns of performance operating in five geographic markets." Not surprisingly, the study found that patients rated those managed care programs most successful that delivered needed care quickly, that had doctors and staff who communicated well, and that had a consistent, well-developed approach to customer service. The report also makes recommendations as to how managed care companies might improve in these areas. The report is published by the Commonwealth Fund, "which supports independent research on health and social issues and makes grants to improve health care practice and policy." [DC]
[Back to Contents]Mastering the Challenge -- Social Security Administration [.pdf]
http://www.ssa.gov/2000asp7.pdf
The Social Security Administration presents Mastering the Challenge, a 72-page strategic plan for the Social Security program from 2000 to 2010. According to the section "The Message of This Strategic Plan," the SSA's priorities over the next five years include a commitment to customer service; program integrity; and investing, data, and policy analysis. This customer-based plan highlights five basic goals: responsive programs, world-class service, valued employees, program integrity, and public understanding, all in careful detail. Geared towards the American people, this report very clearly explicates the SSA's goals and visions for the near future. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Social Criticism Review
http://www.socialcritic.org/
Frequently updated, this site serves as a well-linked gateway to leftist-friendly reviews, studies, and articles available on the Web on a variety of topics. Some of the dozens of subject headings offered here include "progress and its critics; Science in a free society: open to criticism; rationalism: a guiding principle gone astray; technology and its social side effects; debt boomerang of the Third World; the counterproductive end of economic growth" and many others. Most of these headings have roughly a dozen or more links to articles and reviews by progressive scholars and journalists. The lack of annotations or dates for entries are a drawback, but the volume and breadth of materials offered here makes the site a valuable resource for those wishing to access social criticism from the left online. [DC]
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Dying to Be Thin -- Nova (PBS) [Flash]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/thin/
This companion site to the Nova documentary to be broadcast tomorrow, December 12, on PBS has several unique features. To begin with, the site will allow viewers to watch the entire documentary online, and its first online broadcast will coincide with that of the television show. Second, between December 13 and 20, the site will feature an ongoing Q&A session with two experts in the field of eating disorders (including one who is a former anorexic and now a plus-size model). Finally, the Website invites visitors suffering from eating disorders to share their stories online. In a more traditional vein for companion Websites, Dying to Be Thin also offers summaries of the characteristics of the two most common eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia, and a Flash program that details the nutritional needs of the body. For those wishing to learn more, the site features an annotated listing of related Websites and a bibliography of books and articles. Two online articles examine in-depth one man's struggle with his own anorexia and the issue of eating disorders as they play out for women of color. One last interesting feature is found in the Teacher's Guide which provides students with a Body Image worksheet with which to quantify and assess body images as presented in popular magazines. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/index.html
This "large and complex Website" contains hundreds of books, articles, sutta translations, and more on the topic of Theravada Buddhism, generally recognized as the oldest identifiable form of Buddhism, though not the one most celebrated in the West, which tends to be Mayahana Buddhism, closely associated with India and Tibet. The site demonstrates both scholarly care in its presentation of history and texts as well as a concern with accessibility as the context of various Buddhist and Pali sacred texts are provided through a well-designed hypertext. The text archives holds a "library of some 200 books, essays, and transcribed Dhamma talks by masters from the Thai forest traditions, various authors from the Buddhist Publication Society, and other contemporary writers. Also included are Study Guides on selected topics of interest to students of Buddhism." In addition, the site offers a site map, subject index, a glossary of Pali and Buddhist terms, Frequently Asked Questions, basic instructions for meditation, and "getting started" advice that nicely complement the voluminous scriptures and discourses presented. The site is maintained by John Bullitt, a lay follower of Theravada Buddhism for many years, who "relied on the translations and interpretations of other respected scholars, teachers, and practitioners who have far more experience and wisdom than [he]" in the selection and presentation of the materials here. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Presidential Elections and the Electoral College -- American Memory Project
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwec.html
This Website from the Library of Congress features materials drawn from the American Memory's A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: US Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1873 (see the March 20, 1998 Scout Report). Links are provided to substantial search results from the parent site for key events and topics, such as contested elections, electoral votes, the President-elect, the certification in Congress of the first electoral college's balloting -- which elected George Washington over John Adams by a vote of 69 to 34, and more. Also featured here are links to Today in History Webpages from the LOC that focus on other events associated with presidential elections and the electoral college, including the observance of the first uniform election day on November 7, 1848 in accordance with congressional legislation passed earlier that year. [DC]
[Back to Contents]From Colony to Country: A Reader's Guide to Canadian Military History
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/milit/
Posted by the National Library of Canada and offered in both French and English, this new Website provides a comprehensive, annotated reader's guide to Canadian military history from uniforms and songs to battles and strategy. The guide lists history monographs, Websites, historic sites, oral histories, pictorial sources, fiction and drama, sources of genealogical and family history information, and much more. It is divided into four main headings -- General Section, Northwest Campaign, South African War, and World War I -- which in turn break down into more specific subheadings. The entries are up-to-date and helpfully annotated, and the sheer volume and scope of the materials appear to prove the site's contention that the perception of Canadians as an "unmilitary people" is belied by "an examination of . . . the participation of Canadians in military events ranging from rebellions within their borders to involvement in two world wars and numerous peacekeeping missions in all parts of the world." Note: the site is still under construction; presumably material relating to more recent military involvements will be posted soon. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Old Contemptible's Great War Website
http://members.tripod.co.uk/hinckley/index.html
This is one of the better sites we've seen compiled by an amateur military historian. While it clearly betrays the creator's professed interest in medal collecting and research, it also provides valuable resources for those wishing to learn more about the experience of World War I from the perspective of those who knew it best, the soldiers. We found the extensive glossary of trench slang and the author's essay "Life in the Trenches" -- supplemented with archival maps and photographs -- to be a revealing description of the day-to-day experiences of these combatants. The site also offers a judicious selection of World War I poets, an annotated list of related World War I sites, a search engine, and for those who are interested, exhaustive details and descriptions (with multiple photographs) of the various British and Commonwealth campaign medals, ribbons, and gallantry decorations associated with the War. The site is authored and maintained by Paul Hinckley, an ex-serving member of the Royal Army Medical Corps. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Eye of the Storm [Flash]
http://www.journale.com/eyeofthestorm/index.html
This Website showcases materials from the recently published Simon & Schuster book, Eye of the Storm, which details in vivid watercolors, maps, and journal entries, events from the Civil War as witnessed by Union soldier Private Knox Sneden. The site offers 20 selections from Knox's diaries covering from 1861 to December of 1864, each accompanied by a watercolor or map viewable in two sizes, as well as four Flash presentations of these watercolors based around particular incidents Knox witnessed. The watercolors, while not masterpieces, are fine renderings of characteristic events of the war -- a surprise artillery attack by Rebels against an overconfident and underobservant Union fortification, a surrendering of 10,000 troops, views of battles, sabotage operations, and the like. More than anything, they give a sense of the harsh imprint of war upon an otherwise typically bucolic countryside. Knox's dark lines of soldiers, scarred earth, and flames reflected in slow running rivers show that America's bloodiest war touched not only its people, but its landscape as well. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Mystic India -- Rediscover Ancient India
http://www.mysticindia.com/default.html
This Website presents itself as "a sincere effort to bring back the lost ancient sciences and practices with modern scientific reasoning support wherever possible," and we found it to be an informative, nonsectarian presentation of many of the most significant strains of Indian spirituality. Among other topics, the site covers tantra, yoga, mantra recitation, kundalini, Ayurvedic medicine, Vedic architecture, devotional worship of the goddess Devi, the Kamasutra, and an extensive summary of the Bhagavad-Gita, the best known scripture of Ancient Indian mysticism. In addition, articles on related topics, posted by individual contributors, are available here. The site also offers a search engine and is associated with Millennium Cybertech, a new IT company based in Central India. [DC]
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"Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 2001" -- World Bank [.pdf, RealPlayer, QuickTime]
http://www.worldbank.org/prospects/gep2001/
This year's annual report on the economic prospects for developing countries focuses on international trade and the policies needed to help these nations benefit from global integration. The news is good for many developing countries, whose economic growth is expected to register "5.3 percent this year, 5 percent next year, and ease to 4.8 percent by 2002." However, the world's poorest nations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, have not kept pace. The full report is available online, but each chapter must be downloaded separately in .pdf format. The official press release and summary are available in several languages including Chinese, German, Russian, and English. The main page also provides a slide show of the primary points and issues of the report and a video interview with the Director of the Bank's Economy Policy and Prospects program, as well as regional economic prospects and related links. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Kindergarten Year: Findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 -- NCES [.pdf]
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001023.pdf
Released on the first of this month by the National Center for Education Statistics, "this report attempts to answer two basic sets of questions about children's knowledge and skill acquisition during the kindergarten year." The report presents and analyzes data on improvements in math and reading skills for children pre- and post-kindergarten in specific cognitive skills such as letter recognition, understanding the letter-sound relationship, and sight-word recognition (in reading) and "counting beyond 10, recognizing the sequence in basic patterns, and comparing the relative size (dimensional relationship) of objects" (in mathematics). The report is presented in .pdf format and features a hypertext table of contents. [DC]
[Back to Contents]North American Transportation in Figures [.pdf, 392 pages]
http://www.census.gov/econ/www/natf/natf.html
Posted by the US Census Bureau in October, North American Transportation in Figures brings together transportation statistics from US, Canadian, and Mexican government data sources. The comprehensive document "examines transportation and transportation-related passenger, freight, economic, safety, energy, environmental and demographic statistics from the three nations." The report contains over 90 data tables, supported by graphs, maps, and appendices, and users can download it in English, Spanish, or French from the Website, or select from a complete menu of the report's figures and graphs. Caveat: the .pdf file of the complete document exceeds 4000K, so users can expect downloads to take several minutes. [DC]
[Back to Contents]National Election Studies
http://www.umich.edu/~nes/index.htm
In this season of electoral uncertainty, both researchers and concerned citizens can find the extensive data available at the National Election Studies Website quite useful. "NES conducts national surveys of the American electorate in presidential and midterm election years and carries out research and development work through pilot studies in odd-numbered years. The NES time-series now encompasses 23 biennial election studies spanning five decades." The data from these studies, along with codebooks, cover public opinion and political participation themes such as "expectations about the election outcome; perceptions and evaluations of the major parties and their candidates; interest in the campaign; information about politics; partisanship; assessments of the relative importance of major problems facing the country; attention to campaign coverage in the mass media; feelings of political efficacy; political values; conservatism vs. liberalism; trust in government; political participation; vote choice; economic well-being; positions on social welfare, economic, social, and civil rights issues" and more. Pilot studies, whose data is also available on-site, are conducted in off-election years in order "to test new, or refine existing, instrumentation and study designs." A major feature of the site, useful to not only researchers but journalists and the general public, is The NES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior, which offers easily digestible data on a whole range of issues drawn from the time-series studies.
[Back to Contents]China Statistical Information Network
http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/index.html
Posted by the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, this Website provides economic, agricultural, and census data for China. Included here are versions of the China Statistical Yearbook for 1998 and 1999, a copy of the Statistics Law of the People's Republic of China, statistical abstracts and supplemental tables of the First National Agricultural Census in China conducted in 1997, monthly economic data for this year, currently covering January through September, and reports on national economic performance. In addition, an economic database is still under construction. The site is available in both Chinese and English. Some interactive features, including a forum, contact bar, cooperative program, and news updates, were not operational on our visit. [DC]
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(For links to additional current awareness on tables of contents, abstracts, preprints, new books, data, conferences, etc., visit the The Scout Report for Social Sciences Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/metapage/).Africa: HIV/AIDS and Failed Development
http://www.africapolicy.org/docs00/rau0010.htm
This posting from the African Policy Information Center (APIC) contains an analysis of the two-way connection between HIV/AIDS and failed development, adapted for APIC from a longer paper produced for the United Nations Research Institute on Social Development (UNRISD, Geneva) by Joe Collins and Bill Rau. The paper's authors argue that "understanding or designing prevention AIDS programs in light of the social and economic context in which individuals live" is critical to improving the success of African AIDS prevention programs and policies. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Brown, Mark and Angela Dale. "A survey of SAR users, their requirements for 2001 SARs and their views on dissemination and support" -- The Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research, Working Papers
http://les1.man.ac.uk/ccsr/publications/working/sarsuser.htmDale, Angela and Mark Elliot. "A report on the disclosure risk of proposals for SARs from the 2001 Census" -- The Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research, Working Papers
http://les1.man.ac.uk/ccsr/publications/working/risk.htmSimpson, Ludi. "Socioeconomic Differentials in non-response: a procedure for adjusting Census Data" -- The Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research, Working Papers
http://les1.man.ac.uk/ccsr/publications/working/workpap1.htmSimpson, Ludi and Elizabeth Middleton. "Who is missed by a national census? A review of empirical results from Australia, Britain, Canada, and the USA" -- The Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research, Working Papers
http://les1.man.ac.uk/ccsr/publications/working/missed.htmBorzel, Tanja A. and Thomas Risse. "When Europe Hits Home: Europeanization and Domestic Change"
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/texte/2000-015.htm
.pdf version [24 pages]:
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/pdf/2000-015.pdf
Abstract:
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/texte/2000-015a.htmLehmkuhl, Dirk. "Under Stress: Europeanisation and Trade Associations in the Members States"
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/texte/2000-014.htm
.pdf version [23 pages]:
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/pdf/2000-014.pdf
Abstract:
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/texte/2000-014a.htmToggenburg, Gabriel. "A Rough Orientation Through a Delicate Relationship: The European Union`s Endeavours for (its) Minorities"
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/texte/2000-016.htm
.pdf version [31 pages]:
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/pdf/2000-016.pdf
Abstract:
http://olymp.wu-wien.ac.at/eiop/pdf/2000-016.pdf
[Back to Contents]New Think Tank Policy Papers and Briefs
Center for Defense Information:
Blair, Bruce. "The Impact Of National Missile Defense on Russia and Nuclear Security"
http://www.cdi.org/dm/2000/issue8/nmdrussia.htmlCenter for Media Education:
"Youth Access to Alcohol and Tobacco Web Marketing: The Filtering and Rating Debate" -- A Report by the Center [.pdf, 134 pages]
http://www.cme.org/publications/scrnfltr/report_1104.pdfCentury Foundation (Ideas 2000):
A Metropolitan Approach to Workforce Development (Online Dialogue Series)
http://www.ideas2000.org/Online_Dialogue/index.htmlFamilies USA:
Kahn, Charles N. and Ronald F.Pollack. "Building A Consensus For Expanding Health Coverage" [.pdf, 9 pages]
http://www.familiesusa.org/pubs/hiaartl.pdfRegeringskansliet:
Lindh, Anna. "The future EU - a democratic network close to the citizens" - Article in "The future Shape of Europe," originally published by Foreign Policy Centre, London
http://www.regeringen.se/galactica/service=irnews/owner=sys/action=obj_show?c_obj_id=36957Urban Institute:
Lerman, Robert I. "Are Teens in Low-Income and Welfare Families Working Too Much?"
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/series_b/anf_b25.html
.pdf version [8 pages]:
http://newfederalism.urban.org/pdf/anf_b25.pdfLerman, Robert I. and Caroline Ratcliffe. "Did Metropolitan Areas Absorb Welfare Recipients without Displacing Other Workers?"
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/anf_a45.html
.pdf version [8 pages]:
http://newfederalism.urban.org/pdf/anf_a45.pdfRichard Wertheimer et al. "State Policy Initiatives for Reducing Teen and Adult Nonmarital Childbearing: Family Planning to Family Caps"
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/anf_a43.html
.pdf version [8 pages]:
http://newfederalism.urban.org/pdf/anf_a43.pdf
[Back to Contents]New Offerings from Academic Publishers
Association of American University Presses: New Releases
http://aaup.uchicago.edu/new_releases/Michigan State University Press Online -- New Releases
http://www.msu.edu/unit/msupress/newrel/newrlst.htmlCambridge University Press
http://www.cup.org/books/hot.htmlBasic Books: New Releases
http://www.basicbooks.com/newreleases.htmlThela Thesis -- Just Published
http://www.thelathesis.nl/new.htmlPerseus Publishing -- Book News (click on category)
http://www.perseuspublishing.com/booknews.html
[Back to Contents]Institute of Political Studies (IEP): 29th European Consortium for Political Research Joint Sessions of Workshops
April 6-11, 2001
Grenoble, France
http://www.essex.ac.uk/ecpr/jointsessions/grenoble.htmSeventh International Congress of International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF)
April 23-28, 2001
Budapest, Hungary
http://www.siefcongress.de/Ninth Annual International Conference On Conflict Resolution: Sharing Tools for Personal / Global Harmony
May 10-20, 2001
St. Petersburg, Russia
http://ahpweb.org/cbi/icr.htmlThe International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology
(IASSIST) 2001: Collaborative Working in the Social Science Cyber Space
May 14-19, 2001
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
http://www.niwi.knaw.nl/us/ia2001/home.htm
[Back to Contents]New Tables of Contents/ Abstracts/ Full-text
National Security Studies Quarterly (table of contents, some articles [.pdf])
Autumn 2000
http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/programs/nssp/nssq/current.htmlD-Lib Magazine (full text)
Volume 6, Number 11 (November 2000)
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/november00/11contents.htmlNorth American Review (Web edition)
Spring 2000
http://webdelsol.com/NorthAmReview/NAR/sp00.htmNew Library World (table of Contents, links to abstracts, full text in .pdf and HTML)
Volume 10 Number 7
http://www.emerald-library.com/cgi-bin/EMRtoc.cgi?level=4&keyno=4644&pnum=5&keyno2=110&jno=72New Art Examiner (table of contents, brief descriptions)
Volume 28, Number 3
http://www.newartexaminer.org/1100_tofc.html
[Back to Contents]H-Net Job Guide
http://www.matrix.msu.edu/jobs/The Chronicle of Higher Education Job Openings
Humanities
http://jobs.chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/humanities/links.htm
Social Science
http://jobs.chronicle.com/free/jobs/faculty/sscience/links.htmAcademic Employment Network (By State)
http://www.academploy.com/jobs.cfmAmerican College Personnel Association: ACPA Ongoing Placement Listings
http://www.acpa.nche.edu/placemnt/placemnt.htmAcademic 360.com (Update of "Jobs in Higher Education" site)
http://www.academic360.com/
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Supreme Court May Decide Election
1. "George W. Bush, Petitioner v. Palm Beach
County Canvassing Board et al." -- US Supreme Court, December 4, 2000 [.pdf, 7 pages]
http://www.cnn.com/LAW/library/documents/election.florida/00-836_dec04.pdf
2. George W. Bush v. Albert Gore On Application For Stay -- US Supreme Court, December 9, 2000 [pdf, 4 pages]
http://a388.g.akamai.net/f/388/21/1d/www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/resources/uscbushstay.1209.pdf
3. "Albert Gore and Joseph Lieberman v. Katherine Harris, as Secretary of the State of Florida" -- Circuit Court in Leon County, Florida, December 4, 2000 [.pdf, 3 pages]
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/resources/goreharrisjdgmt1204.pdf
4. "Albert Gore and Joseph Lieberman v. Katherine Harris, as Secretary of the State of Florida" -- Florida Supreme Court, December 8, 2000 [.pdf, 70 pages]
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/resources/goreharrisjdgmt1204.pdf
5. "News Analysis: Collision With Politics Risks Court's Legal Legitimacy" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/11/politics/11ASSE.html
6. Supreme Court Guide -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/scotus/index-scotus.html
7. "The More the High Court Strays, the More the Harm" -- LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20001211/t000118395.html
8. "Do Elections Need New Rules?" -- Policy.com
http://www.policy.com/news/dbrief/dbriefarc854.asp
A ruling is expected today from the US Supreme Court on Governor Bush's challenge to the Florida Supreme Court's ruling last Friday calling for an immediate manual recount of all "undervotes" in Florida counties in the Presidential election. On Saturday, the high court granted a stay by a 5-4 vote to the Governor that stopped the recount pending a decision by the court. In an unusual move for a stay, Justices Scalia and Stevens wrote brief statements for the order. Scalia's remarks seemed to many observers to intimate that the court was likely to ultimately side with Bush, for whom, Scalia stated, a recount could cause "irreparable harm" in terms of the "legitimacy of his claim to the Presidency." Meanwhile, Stevens, in a strongly worded dissent, cited three troubling precedents he perceived as likely to result from such a decision, including an overturning of a long-established deference to state supreme courts in the matter of interpreting state law. Editorials from a number of major dailies on Monday, including the New York Times and the LA Times, made the unusual move of not simply disagreeing with the Court's decision, but suggesting it could undermine the Court's legitimacy by appearing to be politically partisan. If the Court rules in Bush's favor, most observers, including Gore backers, believe the Vice-President will be forced to concede. Any other sort of ruling, though, could send the whole issue back to Florida for the courts and state legislature to sort out.
Armchair lawyers and both professional and amateur historians of presidential elections will appreciate the Web's ability to make easily and immediately available the complete text of the legal decisions bearing on this year's extraordinary election. Listed above are four recent rulings: the US Supreme Court's instructions for clarification, issued last Monday, of the Supreme Court of Florida's original decision to extend the election certification deadline to permit manual recounts (1); the High Court's ruling on Saturday that stayed the Florida Supreme Court's decision (2); the decision of Judge Sauls in a Florida Circuit court also rendered last Monday rejecting Al Gore's contest claims (3); and the Florida Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Saul's on Friday afternoon on a 4-3 vote 4}. A New York Times analysis (5) by Linda Greenhouse is unusually critical of the Supreme Court's stay of the Florida Supreme Court's recount ruling. Also from the Times, the Supreme Court Guide (6) provides a log of recent Times's stories about the Court's decisions as well as Frequently Asked Questions and a search engine link to FindLaw. The LA Times posts an editorial (7) examining the possible precedent consequences of the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling. Finally, a report from Policy.com (8), posted Thanksgiving weekend, offers a collection of articles and reports on proposed changes in the election process and the electoral college. [DC]
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From The Scout Report for Social Sciences, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2000. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2000. 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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