Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2000/ss-000530.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2000/be-000601.html
The eighteenth 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 on recent developments in the Ethiopia/ Eritrea war. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers eight resources on the growth of high interest payday lending establishments. [MD]
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BioMed Central
http://www.biomedcentral.com/
This new site, currently in Beta testing phase, represents a new and potentially groundbreaking initiative to quickly publish peer-reviewed biological science and clinical medicine research and make it freely accessible to scientists and medical researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) PubMed Central archive (see the February 25, 2000 Scout Report). In addition, the site plans to develop or maintain relevant databases that researchers have begun, publish reviews by experts, and develop various tools for professional communication. In all, BioMed central represents an excellent opportunity for authors who wish to sidestep the sometimes interminable delays associated with publishing in print journals but still wish to see their work appear in a professionally recognized forum and subjected to peer-review. It also presents an opportunity for PubMed Central, which at present reposts the full text of research articles already published in participating life science journals, allowing the site to serve as a central repository for free and very recent research in biological science and clinical medicine. The site offers background information, a review of subject areas in which it will be accepting submissions, and detailed instructions for authors. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, Volume II
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/
Oklahoma State University Library has recently announced the digitization of Volume II of Charles J. Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, originally published in 1903-04. Unlike some digitization projects, which though valuable and worthwhile have a limited audience, Kappler's seven-volume set of government documents is in high demand by various users, such as Native peoples, researchers, journalists, legislators, and teachers. Before this project began, however, there were only five usable copies in the state of Oklahoma. Once the project is finished (Volumes I and III will be completed by the end of the year), "the complete legal text of all treaties between the United States Government and sovereign Indian nations will be available free of charge to anyone with a computer." This first release contains the full text of 380 treaties concerning Native American Indian tribes, organized by year. The site also includes an index and keyword search engine. An excellent project and a superb example of the utility and potential of free electronic reference information. [MD]
[Back to Contents]USATrade.gov
http://www.usatrade.gov/website/
The US Commercial Service is a governmental organization that promotes American business interest worldwide. Its recently launched Website is an information-rich resource offering effective trade and market research for businesses. After users complete the free registration form, they will be emailed a PIN number, which they need to use in order to access the Website's resources. A table of contents along the left side of the page offers a good introduction to the site. The information is organized into several sections including services, market research, trade events, and exporting resources. Perhaps the most germane resources can be found under the Exporting Resources section, including a Basic Guide to Exporting, Tariff Rates and Taxes, and an Export Programs Guide. The extensive information on this site is organized somewhat haphazardly, however, and the pop-down menu in the upper right hand corner of the main page is a much better way to perform a more in-depth search of the site. Be sure to visit the What's New page in order to find the newest resource in this ever-growing collection of trade resources. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Freedom's Journal [.pdf]
http://www.shsw.wisc.edu/library/aanp/freedom/index.html
The State Historical Society of Wisconsin has recently completed the digitization of all 103 issues of Freedom's Journal, the first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. Published weekly in New York City from 1827 to 1829 and circulated in eleven states as well as Canada, Haiti, and Europe, Freedom's Journal covered local, national, and international events, as well as offering editorials on slavery, lynchings and other injustices against African-Americans. Historians and genealogists will be interested to note that the newspaper "also published biographies of prominent African-Americans and listings of births, deaths, and marriages in the African-American New York community." At present, users can view the first 20 issues in .pdf format. The remaining issues will be added over the next few months. As with any early nineteenth-century newspaper, some of the pages of the Journal are stained or otherwise marred by the ravages of time. On the whole, however, the page images are quite legible and once completed this site will serve as a valuable resource for both researchers and students. [MD]
[Back to Contents]SmithKline Beecham Biologicals Worldwide Vaccines
http://www.worldwidevaccines.com/
This new site from SmithKline Beecham, a "virtual gateway into the world of vaccinology," offers a host of resources on vaccination and vaccine preventable diseases. These resources are organized in three principle sections: Disease, Bio News, and Links. The first and largest section contains various reference resources for ten different diseases or disease groups, which are listed in four columns: disease, virus, epidemiology, and prevention. Although a public site, much of this information is aimed at physicians, health professionals, or other informed users. The Bio News section offers a selection of recent and archived scientific published data from peer-reviewed journals, a select list of links for breaking health news, and recent SmithKline Beecham vaccine press releases. A collection of related annotated links, sorted by country, rounds out the site. An additional site for registered medical professionals only is also available, and these users may log on via the public site. Please note that the site authors indicate that "This site is not intended for US audiences." [MD]
[Back to Contents]Digital Clendening (DC)
http://clendening.kumc.edu/dc/
Unveiled on May 15, this site brings together and highlights the present and future digital offerings of the Clendening Library at the University of Kansas Medical Center, including Letters Written by Florence Nightingale. The collections, eight in all, are accessed via this gateway. The Nightingale exhibit contains the full text (HTML transcriptions and page images) of approximately 40 letters, listed by recipient or chronologically with summaries, or searchable via a keyword search engine. The Rare Text Images section includes "hundreds of images from medical and natural history texts, most of which were printed before 1800," browseable by category and offered as large thumbnails with annotations and related text. Additional sections include a collection of over 500 portraits of physicians and scientists (under construction), a complete index and some examples of the photos collected by Professor of Medicine and History of Medicine Ralph Major for his lectures and publications, a translated autobiographical outline and letter concerning Crown Prince Frederick III by the famous nineteenth-century pathologist Dr. Rudolf Virchow, and an inventory of the Samuel Crumbine archival collection. Two additional sections that are still in development will offer exhibits on Japanese medical prints and Chinese public health posters. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Mississippi Writers Page
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/
The "Magnolia state" has been home to more than its share of fine writers, including William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Eudora Welty, and Richard Wright, to name just a few. Created and maintained by the University of Mississippi, this Website offers Webpages for over 60 of these Mississippi scribes. Each page provides a well-written summary of the author's career, a list of the author's work, a secondary bibliography replete with numerous links to posted articles and interviews, and links to other Internet resources (Websites devoted to the author, e-texts of the author's works, and publisher Websites). The site also boasts a Mississippi Writers Timeline that covers 400 years of births, deaths, publications, awards, and other events in the literary history of the territory we now know as Mississippi. Listings of Mississippi-based journals and publishers are posted as well. All in all, an excellent site for anyone doing research or just wanting to learn more about the writers from this state. [DC]
[Back to Contents]MuSICA (Music & Science Information Computer Archive)
http://www.musica.uci.edu/
Hosted by the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California, Irvine, MuSICA maintains a weekly updated database of references and abstracts of scientific research on music as related to behavior, the brain, and allied fields. Keyword searchable with advanced queries supported (Excite for Web servers), the database returned numerous entries for each of our sample searches. Full returns include title, author, publication and date, document type, language, and an abstract. In addition, the site also offers the full text of recent and back issues of MuSICA Research Notes, a newsletter published three times a year that includes reports and analysis "of research on music and behavior, including education, child development, psychology, cognitive sciences, neuroscience, clinical medicine, music therapy and allied fields." Visitors can browse by issue or by article and subject indexes. Finally, scholars in the field will find a section that offers frequently updated news and notices of professional interest. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Electronic African Bookworm
http://www.hanszell.co.uk/navtitle.htm
Originally developed by Hans Zell Publishing Consultants in Oxford and soon to be released in a second edition print version, Electronic African Bookworm "is a quick-access guide and pick-list to some of the best Internet sites on Africa, African and development studies, and on African publishing and the book trade." Intended especially for those in book professions in Africa, and for African writers and scholars, the metasite currently offers over 1,500 links, most of them with short annotations. These are organized in eighteen sections, such as African Studies Resources, African Search Engines and Web Portals, Resources for Writers and Editors, and ICT and the Internet in Africa, among others. Users can also search the site with an internal keyword search engine. Recently updated, the site is a good starting point for a variety of users interested in African literature, journalism, and publishing. [MD]
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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000, 5th Edition [.pdf]
http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/DietGd.pdf
On May 27, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the fifth edition of The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are designed to provide scientifically grounded, but easy-to-understand, suggestions for diets that promote good health. The newest edition has been redesigned to be more consumer-friendly, and also contains safe food handling guidelines for the first time as well as a stronger emphasis on physical activity, not just for weight management, but as a key to healthy living in general. Although the Guidelines numbers 40 pages, it contains numerous bullet point summaries and text boxes, making it easily accessible to readers of all ages. It can be downloaded in .pdf format from the USDA site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Censor Dot Gov: The Internet and Press Freedom 2000 [.pdf]
http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2000/
Freedom House
http://www.freedomhouse.org/
Published by Freedom House, a non-partisan advocacy organization for democracy and human rights worldwide founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, Wendell Willkie, and others, the 2000 edition of the Press Freedom Survey offers a "country-by-country worldwide assessment of press freedom." This year's study, which examines freedom of the press in 186 countries, pays special attention to government restrictions on Internet access. It finds that "nearly two-thirds of countries, accounting for 80 percent of the world's population, restrict press freedom." Users can download the full text of the 36-page report in .pdf format or view the country reports, methodology, and tables and charts in HTML format. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Canadian Library Gateway
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/gatepasse/
The Canadian Library Gateway, recently launched by the National Library of Canada, offers "a centralized window to Canadian libraries of all types and sizes." Users seeking information about libraries in Canada may elect to browse the site's listings by library name, library type, or geographical region, or they may search the list for particular keywords, using the above categories to limit the scope of their query. Each library's listing includes its physical address and telephone number, its interlibrary loan policies, and where applicable, links to its Website or online catalog. Alternatively, a direct query of the data based strictly on interlibrary loan information is available from the front page. The site also includes links to three national union catalogs in Canada, a directory of special collections held in Canadian libraries, and links to other related Websites, including the online directory of Canadian Z39.50 targets. [SW]
[Back to Contents]Final Arguments in Microsoft Case
Plaintiff's Revised Proposed Final Judgment
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f4800/4836.htm
Memorandum in Support of Plaintiff's Revised Proposed Final Judgment
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f4800/4837.htm
Microsoft's Comments on Plaintiffs' Revised Proposed Final Judgment
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/trial/may00/05-31comments.asp
Microsoft's Supplemental Offer of Proof
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/trial/may00/05-31offerproof.asp
United States v. Microsoft -- DOJ
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_index.htm
Microsoft PressPass Legal News
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/trial/default.asp
On May 31, Microsoft filed its last major brief before Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson in an effort to hold off the final breakup plan submitted by the Department of Justice Lawyers last Friday. On April 3, Judge Jackson ruled that Microsoft had engaged in anti-competitive marketing practices in violation of antitrust laws. The DOJ's breakup plan calls for splitting Microsoft into two companies, one of which would sell Windows, while the other would be responsible for application programs such as Office. Microsoft's filing proposes numerous changes to the plan, asking for one year to develop the details of any breakup as opposed to the four months granted by the government. Interestingly, the Microsoft proposal would not require the company to store and keep its internal emails, which proved very damaging in the trial. After one more round of replies from both parties, Judge Jackson is expected to issue his ruling next week. Some observers speculate he will request an expedited appeal by the Supreme Court, bypassing the appellate court that earlier overturned some his rulings. Microsoft has reconciled itself to the fact that Jackson will rule against them and has begun to focus on the appeal process and any legal procedures that might delay implementation of any breakup. Those interested in the case can read the full text of the DOJ and Microsoft briefs at their respective sites. Previous documents and background information from each party's point of view may be found at the last two URLs. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Rijksmuseum [Java, QuickTime]
http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/uk/index.htm
On May 31st, 2000, Holland's Rijksmuseum celebrated its 200th birthday, so a visit to the museum's impressive Website is in order. With over 6,000 pages of text, 4,000 illustrations and animations, heavy use of Java programing and QuickTime movies, approaching the site can be daunting. Textual icons swim into place on the homepage: General Information, Collection, Education, etc. Mousing over the text reveals the contents of each section, such as tickets, hours, and access under General Information. Beneath the text is a detail of a painting of a man's face. Color bars that link to important events at the museum appear in this area when users run their cursors over it: an ongoing exhibition, The Glory of the Golden Age; virtual tour; and 200th birthday events. A row of thumbnails of highlights of the collection is at the top of pages in the Collection section. The museum's most famous painting, Rembrandt's "Night Watch" is in the upper left corner of the row. Clicking on any thumbnail gets a slightly larger view, and a mysterious icon, a double-arrow ruler bar with numbered boxes, appears to the right. This turns out to link to pages of related information; the numbers indicate how many, discussing the lighting, composition, and history of the painting. Using the Web to display contextual information about museum objects in this way is much beloved by museum professionals. However, I personally would prefer a full window view of the art, and fewer browser crashes caused by the intricate programming required. [DS]
[Back to Contents]News by E-Mail -- Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/nbe/
Ft.com's new free email news service delivers selected stories to subscribers each weekday. After free registration, subscribers can select the topics that interest them, from industry-specific news (autos, chemicals, transport, etc.) to various summaries (US news, world news and comment, etc.). Available in HTML or text form, the email news stories are linked to research, online discussions, and other resources. Users can add or drop topics at any time, making News by E-Mail a very useful morning briefing from one of the foremost sources of business news. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Online Maori Exhibition [Beatnik Player]
http://maori.culture.co.nz/
Created and maintained by Maori Culture on the NET, this attractive site offers a very interesting introduction to the groups of indigenous peoples of New Zealand collectively known as the Maori. Sections include an overview of their history (pre- and post-European contact); images and information on Ta Moko, Maori styled tattooing; a history of Maori units in the two world wars; profiles of past and present Maori leaders; and a cookbook of modern Maori recipes. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Silent Era: the silent films website
http://www.silentera.com/
Created and edited by Carl Bennett as a labor of love, this site promises to become a terrific resource for silent film fans. Still very much under construction, it draws from Bennett's own offline database of 17,000 silent era films. At present, the majority of the available content, over 50 reviews of silent films, can be found in the Silent Era Films on VHS Videotape and DVD sections, both of which also contain select listings of films available in both formats and recently updated listings of forthcoming titles. Other features at the site include a latest updates column which offers silent film news and announcements as well as site additions, a top 100 list of silent films, a (small but growing) collection of biographies of notable figures in silent film history, and related links and resources. Bennett plans to add a list of lost films and book reviews to the site. While still rather modest at present, there is still plenty here to interest silent film lovers, who will undoubtedly want to track the site's progress. [MD]
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xrefer
http://www.xrefer.com/
Launched last week, this reference search engine meta-searches and cross-references sixteen texts from Bloomsbury, Macmillan, Oxford UP, and Penguin. These include encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, books of quotations, and a number of subject-specific titles. After a simple keyword search, initial returns consist of a brief description and the source. Full returns can vary significantly in length, some quite brief, with a useful collection of cross-references and adjacent entries displayed on the right-hand side of the browser window. With its clean interface and quick operation, xrefer deserves a prominent place in any user's bookmarks. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Odigo 2.5 beta [Windows 95/98/2000/NT]
http://www.odigo.com/
The latest version of the Odigo instant messaging (IM) software promises users the ability to communicate with both versions of AOL's popular IM services, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and ICQ, for the first time. These two services do not work with each other and previous attempts by third parties, such as MSN, to communicate with AIM were blocked by AOL. In addition to instant-messaging with members of these services and other Odigo users, the software offers one-on-one and multi-user chat, email, file transfers, a people finder, a bar graph display of all sites other members are viewing, and other options. Users can learn more about the software and download version 2.5 beta at the Odigo site. Odigo 2.5 supports multiple languages, and a Mac version is in development. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Gnutella for Windows and Mac
Gnutella
http://gnutella.wego.com/
Gnutella for Macintosh 0.6.3
http://homepage.mac.com/macgnutella/
Simply put, Gnutella is an open-source, decentralized file-sharing network that allows users to exchange a wide assortment of files directly between themselves instead of through a portal (such as Napster). In the site's words, "Gnutella client software is basically a mini search engine and file serving system in one." After logging on, a user's search is broadcast to the network, and those who have what the users is looking for let the user know and a file-transfer is initiated solely between those two machines. Mac or Windows users can learn more about this technology and download the latest version at the appropriate site listed above. [MD]
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Clinton Receives Chilly Response from Europe to Offer of Shared Missile Defense System
"Clinton Finds Germans Critical of U.S. Missile Defense Plan" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/europe/060200germany-missiles.html
"Missile defense issue overshadows friendship in Clinton visit to Europe" -- CNN
http://CNN.com/2000/WORLD/europe/06/02/clinton.europe/index.html
Clinton's Europe itinerary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_769000/769468.stm
"Defense Gap Fuels Missile Anxieties" -- Moscow Times
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/02-Jun-2000/stories/story8.html
"Clinton, Putin Face Tough Choices At Moscow Summit"
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=165290
"ABCs of ABM and missile defense" -- Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/05/31/fp21s1-csm.shtml
"A shield in space" -- Economist
http://www.economist.com/editorial/freeforall/3-6-00/sf0612.html
Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Homepage -- Lockheed Martin
http://lmms.external.lmco.com/thaad/
Special Weapons Monitor -- FAS
http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/
"Can We Be Protected by a Pig in a Poke?" -- Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20000602/t000052281.html
"Insane 'Defense' Proposal" -- Baltimore Chronicle
http://www.charm.net/~marc/chronicle/editoria.html
"Go to sea for missile defense" -- Tampa Tribune
http://tampatrib.com/News/MGIEFKRXO8C.html
Speaking in Lisbon on the second day of his last official trip to Europe, President Clinton sought to allay the fears of America's European allies by stating that any anti-missile technology developed by the US would be shared with "civilized nations" that adhere to arms control treaties. Tomorrow the President will travel to Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin which will focus on arms control issues and Russian resistance to any US plans for a national missile defense (NMD) system. The Russians have vigorously opposed any such system from the beginning, warning that it would wreck existing arms treaties. This offer to share the technology immediately raised the question whether China and Russia, both signatories to international arms control pacts, would be included. The President has not made a firm declaration either way, hoping to win Russian support or at least tolerance for the NMD, which he has repeatedly stated will serve as a defense against "rogue nations" such as North Korea, Iran, and Iraq. So far, this has not been the case; in fact, the President has found almost universal skepticism if not opposition to the NMD among America's European allies, many of whom warn that it would make Russia feel vulnerable and reignite the arms race. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in particular has publicly warned President Clinton on several occasions, even today as Clinton received the Charlemagne Prize for his efforts to preserve peace and unity in Europe, the first US President to receive the prestigious humanitarian award. The missile program's fate will be decided this summer, when President Clinton has said he will determine whether or not to proceed. His decision, he has stated, will be based on the cost, its effects on international arms control agreements, and whether or not the system will actually work. One of the two tests conducted so far has succeeded, with a third planned for June.
Readers can begin exploring this issue with the New York Times (free registration required), which offers analysis of European reaction to Clinton's offer as well as recent related articles and background information. More coverage, along with related resources, is provided by CNN, while the BBC's special section on Clinton's European trip includes a Q & A on the NMD, among other resources. Today's Moscow Times features an excellent short piece on the "missile gap" by Washington Post correspondent David Hoffman, and Russia Report offers analysis of the upcoming summit. Overviews and background on the NMD can be found at Christian Science Monitor, the Economist, Lockheed Martin, and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Finally, editorials on the missile defense plans have been published by the Los Angeles Times,Baltimore Chronicle, and Tampa Tribune.[MD]
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