The Scout Report - August 28, 1998

The Scout Report

August 28, 1998

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.

An Acrobat .pdf version of this report is available for printing and distributing locally. For information on Adobe Acrobat Reader, visit the Adobe site.

New From Internet Scout

• Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics

Research and Education

• Second Release of George Washington Papers--LOC
• Two Reports from the US State Department
• Mineralogy Database
• Resources for the Future (RFF)
• Early Day Motions--House of Commons
• 1998 Candidate Profiles
• Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools [.pdf]

General Interest

• NASA's Fortieth Anniversary: Pioneering The Future
• Two From American Memory--LOC
• ADA Online [AVI, Quicktime]
• Mark Rothko Web Feature
• GuideStar--Donors' Guide to Charities and Nonprofits
• The Household Cyclopedia of General Information

Network Tools

• Y2K Special Report--CNET.com [RealPlayer]
• Developer.com
• SoftWatcher [frames]

Where Are They Now

• Volume 2, Number 18, August 25, 1995

Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/
Last week we said farewell to one of our original "Scouts," Jack Solock, who helped me establish the Internet Scout Project at University of Wisconsin and who later became the Editor of the Scout Report. While I was sad to see him go, I'm proud to see a member of our staff move on into new leadership positions. I'd like to thank Jack for his tireless pursuit of quality on the Internet and his steady hand on the wheel, week after week, while the project was expanding into new areas. Starting this week, the Scout Report is in the capable hands of Michael de Nie, former Assistant Editor of the Scout Report for Social Sciences. While other members of the Scout team contribute to every issue, I trust that Michael's leadership will be the guiding force each week in maintaining the high standards our readers have come to expect. The new Assistant Editor of the Scout Report for Social Sciences is Andrew Osmond. Best of luck to you all! [SC] The twenty-fourth issues of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. Each report annotates over twenty new and newly discovered Internet resources. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates nine resources on recent US military strikes against targets linked to international terrorism. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates ten resources on the declining Canadian dollar. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Second Release of George Washington Papers--LOC
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html
The Library of Congress (LOC) National Digital Library has recently made the second Web release of the George Washington Papers. The first release (discussed in the Scout Report for February 20, 1998) featured Series 2, a collection of 41 letterbooks dating from 1774 to 1799. This second release contains Series 2 and also incorporates Series 3, 44 letterbooks from the Revolutionary War Period, and Series 5, 34 volumes of financial papers dated 1750 to 1796 (most of which have not been published previously). Together, these new additions total approximately 23,000 images offering excellent insights into both the Continental Army and Washington's private, public, and military households. All three series can be searched by keywords or phrases. Additional resources at this unparalleled online resource for studying Washington and the young American republic include a comprehensive bibliography, a timeline, and three essays on the Washington Papers. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Two Reports from the US State Department
Index: Significant Incidents of Political Violence Against Americans [.pdf]
http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/annual_reports.html
Index: Patterns of Global Terrorism
http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/gt_index.html
In the wake of recent terrorist threats to the US, security is on the minds of many Americans planning international trips. These reports, published by the US State Department, may help put the potential risks into perspective. The first examines incidents of political violence and terrorism-related acts affecting US citizens. It divides the globe into five major geographic regions and briefly summarizes each of the year's notable incidents chronologically, by region. Unfortunately, the most recent report available is from 1996. The second report is submitted annually by the State Department to Congress. It contains regional and country overviews, information on state-sponsored terrorism, a review of the year's incidents, and an introduction to US anti-terrorism policy. Reports from 1995-97 are available. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Mineralogy Database
http://web.wt.net/~daba/Mineral/
Created by David Barthelmy, a petroleum geology consultant, this site offers over 5,000 pages of mineral data with information on all known mineral species. Users can browse the database of 3,968 individual mineral species data descriptions by crystallography, chemical composition, physical and optical properties, Dana's New classification, Strunz classification, and alphabetical listings. Additional resources include selected mineral definitions, related links, and photos from the author's collection. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

Resources for the Future (RFF)
http://www.rff.org/
Based in Washington DC, Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit organization devoted to the economic aspects of environmental issues. RFF scholars examine topics such as government regulation, risk, biodiversity, climate, Superfund policy, technology, and outer space in a variety of freely available discussion papers, articles, project summaries, and reports [.pdf]. An archive of the RFF quarterly publication Resource dating back to 1995 [.pdf] is also available in addition to an on-site glossary and list of up-coming seminars. [MW]
[Back to Contents]

Early Day Motions--House of Commons
http://edm.ais.co.uk/
The British House of Commons has recently unveiled an online database of Early Day Motions (EDM). EDMs are motions introduced by Members of Parliament (MPs) that are generally not debated but are rather used to draw attention to a particular issue or gather support for it by having other MPs add their signatures. Despite this, EDMs are often noted by the press, and some use them to interpret opinions on wider issues. Users can search the database of the 1997/9 Session by EDM number or description or browse the current list, which displays Title, Primary Sponsor, and the Number of Signatures. Parliament is currently on summer recess until October 19 (with the exception of a brief special session to introduce new security measures for Northern Ireland), but when it is in session, the database will be updated daily. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

1998 Candidate Profiles
http://www.opensecrets.org/1998elect/
The Center for Responsive Politics (discussed in the April 21, 1998 issue of the Scout Report) provides the 1998 Congressional Candidate Profiles database for users to determine from whom and from where this year's candidates are getting their campaign money. This exhaustive database--updated monthly until the elections--tracks campaign contributions for every state and congressional district in the US. Voters can compare and investigate their candidates "by the size and source of their contributions, the industries and interest groups that are supporting them, where the money is coming from geographically, and much more." [AO]
[Back to Contents]

Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools [.pdf]
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/OSEP/earlywrn.html
Text of the President's Remarks at the Safe Schools and Communities Event--August 27, 1998
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/New/html/19980827-17865.html
Released last week and announced by the President yesterday, this new guide is designed to help teachers, parents, and community members detect the warning signs of potentially dangerous student behavior and respond appropriately. Created in response to a recent wave of school violence, the report is based on the research "of an independent panel of experts in the fields of education, law enforcement, and mental health." Sections include Early Warning Signs, Getting Help for Troubled Children, Developing a Prevention and Response Plan, and Responding to Crisis. Users can browse an online version of the guide or download it and an Executive Summary in .pdf or HTML formats. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

NASA's Fortieth Anniversary: Pioneering The Future
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/40thann/40home.htm
Since its inception on October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been a forerunner in many areas of advanced scientific research, especially in the fields of space exploration and aeronautics. NASA celebrates forty years of "Pioneering the Future" with a site that chronicles its illustrious history by providing access to numerous publications, including detailed biographies of influential people and declassified government documents. Together, the texts detail the scientific origins, objectives, and achievements of NASA. Audio and video clips of the Apollo missions and archived photographs from the dawn of the space age complement the rich textual history offered at the site. [AO]
[Back to Contents]

Two From American Memory--LOC
The Leonard Bernstein Collection (Preview)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lbhtml/lbhome.html
American Landscape and Architectural Design, 1850-1920
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/mhsdhtml/aladhome.html
The US Library of Congress American Memory site has added two more features to its burgeoning digital historical collection. The first new offering is a preview of the online Leonard Bernstein collection. With over 400,000 items, the Bernstein collection is one of the largest held by the LOC Music Division. This preview offers 85 photos, a complete Finding Aid (SGML viewer required), a Chronology, and a Bibliography. The second new addition to American Memory is a collection of approximately 2800 lantern slides of American buildings and landscapes constructed between 1850 and 1920. Users can view slides of cities, specific buildings, public and private parks and gardens, as well as plans, maps, and models. Special features include a history of Boston's Park System, an exhibit on New York City Parks in Use in 1912, and a history of Lantern Slides. Users can search the photo database by keyword or browse by subject, state, or name. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

ADA Online [AVI, Quicktime]
http://www.ada.org/
ADA Online, from the American Dental Association (ADA), includes resources for professionals, patients, and students. The site contains membership information, ADA publications and position papers, research and recommendations on clinical issues, a catalog of handouts and posters for patient education, information for new dentists, factsheets on dental careers, licensing information, directories of accredited education programs, listings of continuing education courses, and more. The section for patients and consumers includes answers to frequently asked questions; information on oral health, disease prevention, and how to deal with dental emergencies; and special sections for parents, children, and teens. A small portion of the site is for ADA members only. [GW]
[Back to Contents]

Mark Rothko Web Feature
http://www.nga.gov/feature/rothko/rothkosplash.html
Not a virtual exhibition, the Mark Rothko Web Feature by the National Gallery of Art is really a reference work, providing context and background information on the artist. The Web Feature was produced in conjunction with the exhibition, Mark Rothko, at the National Gallery from May 3 through August 16, 1998, now travelling to the Whitney Museum of American Art, September 17-November 29, 1998. The resemblance to a reference book is enhanced by the design of the site, which encourages visitors to page through images of over 30 paintings in chronological order. The Gallery has divided Rothko's career into five periods, and a highlighted navigational bar shows visitors where they are in the chronology. Rothko's explanations of the philosophies behind his work and photographs of the artist help to place the work in context. The actual application of the paint on the canvas is important in Rothko's work, as in that of other abstract expressionists, and some of this nuance is not visible in the Web Feature. In fact, three paintings reproduced as flat black squares, but it is doubtful that these pictures would reproduce any better in the type of art reference book the Web Feature emulates. [DS]
[Back to Contents]

GuideStar--Donors' Guide to Charities and Nonprofits
http://www.guidestar.org/
Donors and philanthropists can now more easily compare and monitor organizations to which they may contribute, while nonprofit organizations can perhaps spend less of their resources on fundraising. These are the goals of Philanthropic Research, Inc's GuideStar, a clearinghouse of information on more than 600,000 charities and nonprofit organizations. GuideStar hosts a searchable database, a newsletter, employment and volunteer opportunity listings, and valuable articles in addition to lists of links for both donors and nonprofit organizations. Database information includes brief descriptions of the charities/nonprofits and their programs, funding sources, geographic location(s), and income/asset statements. GuideStar derives its information from 990 tax submissions to the IRS as well as directly from the nonprofit organizations themselves. [JR]
[Back to Contents]

The Household Cyclopedia of General Information
http://members.xoom.com/mspong/
This 1881 reference book was designed to help nineteenth-century households stay healthy and productive. Need to know how to winter your bees? Build a barometer? Bleed a patient with leeches? Your answers are here. The site, a part-time project of freelance webmaster Matthew Spong, evokes a time when many households were largely self-sufficient, and the value of a book explaining how to amputate a limb, for example, could be immeasurable. Spong discovered Henry Hartshorne's wonderful compendium in a market in Sydney and has almost completed scanning the text and converting it to HTML. We look forward to the final chapter, Miscellaneous, containing everything from Proof-reading to Dialysis. [TK]
[Back to Contents]

Y2K Special Report--CNET.com [RealPlayer]
http://www.cnet.com/y2k/0-1476563.html
CNET.com, the Website for the Computer Network, provides a special report on the year 2000 bug and your PC. The site complements CNET's original reporting with links to Y2K resources around the Internet. The special report covers Y2K hardware, OS, software, and Internet issues. In addition, the site includes two video reports from CNET's Y2K television special, links to other CNET news stories about Y2K issues, and links to more than 30 other sites containing Y2K information ranging from software vendors' sites to reports on how the Y2K problem will affect the economy. [MR]
[Back to Contents]

Developer.com
http://www.developer.com
Developer.com, created by EarthWeb, offers a wealth of resources and information for software developers. This sizeable site consists largely of Internet-related resources and programming tools, but it also contains numerous general purpose development resources. Among the offerings are over 150 free, online, full-text books with subjects ranging from ActiveX to Website management; a large library of downloadable source code, freeware, and graphics; well-written articles on new development technologies; and much more useful information. The site also offers a weekly newsletter containing recent news and highlights of new resources on the site. Though much of the site is well-organized in a hierarchical manner, the search capabilities could be improved. Nonetheless, Developer.com is a valuable site for a wide range of Internet developers from the novice webmaster to the advanced hacker. [CL]
[Back to Contents]

SoftWatcher [frames]
http://www.softwatcher.com/
SoftWatcher, provided by MTN, is a frequently updated listing of the latest software for PC and MAC. The site keeps up-to-date with a very extensive list of software for audio/video, utilities, graphics, gaming, Internet, and more. Users can browse the site by date or category. Each piece of software is thoroughly described and labeled as either beta, commercial, demo, freeware, shareware, or update. Each description includes a link for downloading or ordering the software as well as an option to receive email for any further updates of that particular piece of software. Also at the site is an online software store. [TH]
[Back to Contents]

Volume 2, Number 18, August 25, 1995
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/.html
Censorship, Freedom of Speech, and Child Safety
http://www.voicenet.com/~cranmer/censorship.html
The topics that lend their name to this site have not lost their salience in the period since it was first reviewed. The site offers a number of updated links to resources on children's issues, censorship, and proper uses of the Internet. Users will find sites promoting and criticizing blocking software, kid-friendly sites, and several sites on child-safety. [MD]
[Back to Contents]

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

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

Susan Calcari Michael de Nie Travis Koplow Aimee D. Glassel Todd Hanson Sheilah Harrington Kathryn Harris Christopher Lukas Andy Osmond Laura X. Payne Jeannine Ramsey Mike Roszkowski Debra Shapiro Geraldine Wanserski Megan Waters Amy Tracy Wells

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Managing Editor Editor Production Editor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor Contributor

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. Unsubscribing from the scout-report list can also be done at this site.

  http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/lists/

• To receive the Scout Report in HTML format for local viewing and posting, subscribe to the scout-report-html mailing list, used exclusively to distribute the Scout Report in HTML format once a week. Unsubscribing from the scout-report list can also be done at this site.

  http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/lists/

The Scout Report's Web page:

Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) versions of the Scout Report:

[Back to Contents]

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project

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

© 1999 Internet Scout Project
Information on reproducing any publication is available on our copyright page.