Hardships in America: The Real Story of Working Families [.pdf]
http://www.epinet.org/books/hardships.pdf
Family Budgets Calculator
http://www.epinet.org/datazone/fambud/budget.html
Panel Discussion [RealPlayer]
http://www.epinet.org/real_media/010724/index.html
Press Release
http://www.epinet.org/press%20releases/hardships.html
This 115-page report, released by Economic Policy Institute (EPI) at the end of last month, "is the most comprehensive study of family hardships ever published." The report examines the plight of the working poor by determining basic family budgets for communities across the nation -- the amount of money a family needs for food, housing, utilities, child care, transportation, and health care -- and comparing these figures to wage statistics. The report concludes that two-and-a-half times more families fall beneath the basic family budget levels for their communities than fall below the federal poverty line. The Family Budgets Calculator is an online supplement to the report that generates basic budgets for different kinds of families for 400,000 communities. In addition to a standard press release, EPI offers a RealPlayer version of a briefing about the report. [TK]
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Spectroscopy Now
http://www.spectroscopynow.com/
Wiley Publishing presents this spectroscopy portal, intended to be "a definitive spectroscopy resource on the internet," and "fully interactive 'Virtual Community' -- the preferred forum for expert discussion, debate and the exchange of ideas." Spectroscopy Now encompasses news, features, conferences, book releases, jobs, and directories in a variety of subdisciplines of spectroscopy. From the homepage, users can access specialized sections on atomic, infrared, Raman, UV, mass, NMR, and x-ray spectroscopy, as well as chemometrics. Many of the feature articles and primers are contributed by researchers from both public and private universities and laboratories. Also, Spectroscopy Now links to free articles and preprints from peer-reviewed science journals and news from various professional societies. Anyone interested in spectroscopy should definitely peruse this resource. [HCS]
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Emerging Infectious Diseases, Volume 7, Number 4 (July-August 2001) [.pdf]
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/index.htm
The current issue of the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases (see the January 10, 1997 Scout Report) is devoted to the West Nile Virus. The journal offers a large number of articles, many focused on the virus' presence in New York and the use of birds as early warning systems for the virus. The articles also cover outbreaks in Israel, detection of the virus in other mammals, and more. Users can read articles online in HTML, download them as .pdf files, or download the whole issue as a .pdf file via the link in the upper left-hand corner of the page. [TK]
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Official Scoring Site, International Mathematical Olympiad 2001 [.pdf, Mathematica]
http://imo.wolfram.com/
Held in Washington DC this July, the 2001 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) attracted talented young mathematicians from 83 nations. The contestants, all under 20 years old and without any post-secondary-school education, had two days to answer six grueling math problems. Visitors to this Website from the IMO (sponsored by Wolfram Research) can learn a little about the history of the IMO, meet the teams, and view scores and statistics. This year's highest scorers came from the USA and China. The real highlight of this site, however, is the Competition Problems section, where users can access the actual math problems posed in the competition and read their solutions (.pdf or Mathematica). Previous years' problems are also accessible. This is a great source of inspiration for mathematics professors. [HCS]
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Two from the Bureau of Labor Statistics [.pdf]
Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, 1999
http://www.bls.gov/opub/gp/laugp.htm
"Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2000"
http://www.bls.gov/pdf/cpswom2000.pdf
Released last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, 1999 presents 28 tables of employment and unemployment data from two sources, the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. The 159-page report may be downloaded in its entirety or by table in .pdf format. The second report from BLS, "Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2000," also uses data from the CPS. The report finds that, in 2000, median weekly earnings for women were 76 percent of those for their male counterparts, a gap that varies considerably by demographic group and state. [TK]
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Projections of Education Statistics to 2011 [.pdf]
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfor.asp?pubid=2001083
Released yesterday by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), this 150-page report is the latest in an annual series (last mentioned in the August 25, 2000 Scout Report). The report covers educational statistics for the past fourteen years and projections to the year 2011 for enrollment, number of graduates and teachers, and expenditures for elementary and secondary schools, and enrollment and graduates of degree-granting institutions. Users can browse tables and highlights online or download the whole report as a .pdf file. [TK]
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Bibliographic Control of Web Resources: A Library of Congress Action Plan"
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/draftplan.html
The Library of Congress is seeking input for the next two weeks on this draft of their action plan. The plan grows out of last November's conference, Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium: Confronting the Challenge of Networked Resources and the Web, and also takes into account LC21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress, the National Academy of Sciences report commissioned by the Library (see the August 2, 2000 Scout Report). The goals of the conference were to develop a strategy to improve access to Web resources through cataloging and the use of metadata, and to outline actions to achieve the strategy. The plan is brief and distills the input toward those goals. [TK]
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The Literary Gothic
http://www.litgothic.com/
Brought to the Web by Jack G. Voller, Associate Professor of English at Southern Illinois University, this site bills itself as "the Web's premier guide to Gothic literature," and we can't argue with that. The page offers links to primary and secondary texts (with a cut-off date of the mid-20th century), illustrations, discussion groups, and more. Users can either browse by author name or by title. Those who wish to range further than this site should check out the Resources section, which contains a useful collection of annotated links, or the Community section, which gives descriptions of discussion groups and organizations devoted to the gothic or related subjects. Undergraduate or high school students will find the Research section helpful, as it contains a brief essay on conducting literary research on topics related to the gothic or supernatural literature. Clearly a labor of love, this page should prove to be a useful bookmark for scholars and instructors or those who are simply looking for a creepy tale. [TK]
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Two on Stem Cell Research
Remarks by the President on Stem Cell Research [RealPlayer]
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010809-2.html
The stem cell debate -- CNN [RealPlayer, QuickTime, Window's Media Player, Flash]
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/stemcell/
As most of our readers no doubt know, President Bush made a determination on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research last week, agreeing to release federal funds for research involving already existing stem cell lines. Users can read or listen to his statement at the first URL above. More information on this contentious topic is available at CNN's in-depth special, which features articles, analysis, video clips, and message boards devoted to the many aspects of the debate. [TK]
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IP @ The National Academies
http://ip.nationalacademies.org/
This new site from the National Academies highlights their work on intellectual property issues. The heart of the site is the Library section, which provides annotated links to National Academies documents listed either by topic (e.g., Antitrust, Database Protection, International Harmonization) or sector (e.g., Biotech, Software). The site also provides a calendar of upcoming events and an online forum. Users can subscribe to a newsletter to be informed of site updates. [TK]
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Club Drugs
http://www.ncjrs.org/club_drugs/club_drugs.html
The National Criminal Justice References Service's most recent In the Spotlight column focuses on "club drugs," that is, illegal substances such as MDMA (Ecstasy) or Ketamine (an animal tranquilizer) that are used primarily at dance clubs and raves. Often, the raves where these drugs are used are promoted as alcohol-free events, which gives parents a false sense of security that their children will be safe attending such parties. This Website presents a club drug factsheet; legislation for control of club drug-type substances; and a list of resources on effects of use, enforcement against, and federal research on these substances. Many of the NCJRS statements are astonishing (for instance, the number of nationwide hospital emergency department mentions of GHB increased nearly 8,800 percent, from 56 mentions in 1994 to 4,969 in 2000), although some are not especially enlightening ("Ravers may use chemical 'glowsticks' and flashing lights to heighten the hallucinogenic properties"). The text contains links to the congressional testimonies from which much of the information is taken. Other features of this In the Spotlight include links to programs for prevention of drug-induced rape, drug-related funding resources, as well as resources for counterdrug training and technical assistance. This is an information-rich US governmental site. [HCS]
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ABA LawInfo.org [.pdf]
http://www.abalawinfo.org/
Launched last week by ABA President Robert Hirshon, ABA LawInfo.org offers "access to resources designed with consumers in mind." The site is divided into eight sections: Family, Home, Job, Finances, Buying and Selling, Criminal Justice, and Finding a Lawyer. Each section contains links to resources provided by ABA, handbooks, glossaries, documents, and so forth. A good place to start for easy-to-understand, basic legal information. [TK]
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SpiritHistory: Emphemera
http://www.spirithistory.com/index.html
This Website explores spiritualist newspapers and other ephemera with collections of a few original texts, articles, photographs, drawings, advertisements, and notices from the time. One site offering that researchers should find particularly helpful is the lists of spiritualist lecturers, mediums, healers, and other progressives collected from directories, pamphlets, registers, almanacs, advertisements, convention attendance lists, and organizational membership lists. SpiritHistory is not intended so much as a general introduction to the subject of nineteenth-century American spiritualism as a signpost to aid further research. Overall, this is a small but well done Website with well written essays and more resources promised in the future. [DJS]
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Trail Database
http://www.hejoly.demon.nl/
Something of a veteran by Internet standards, the Trail Database has been around since 1997 and, as such, now bills itself as the "world's largest hiking trail database." "Henk," the Dutch hiker responsible for this compendium, updates the site regularly and has included a wide variety of links to helpful material here. Users can search or browse the resources, which are arranged both under general topics, such as Knots or Equipment, and by country. Those planning European hikes will find the links off the front page to foot and mouth disease-related hiking restrictions useful (though we found some of these links to be broken). In all, an impressive collection of material. The site is available in Dutch or English. [TK]
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AIM 4.7 [Windows 95/98/2000/XP/NT]
http://www.aol.com/aim/aim47.html
Upgrades for other platforms
http://www.aol.com/aim/download.html
The latest version of America Online's (AOL's) Instant Messenger is available for Windows -- "the coolest AIM ever" according to AOL. Among 4.7's many new features are the AIM Today window, a front page that launches when users start up AIM offering meeting places, animated emoticons, and more; improvements to the preferences options; the ability to send greetings for birthdays and other occasions; and more. And for those of you chatting on company time, AOL explains that "with HTTP proxy support, AIM 4.7 makes it easier for users to connect to the AIM service from work and corporate environments." Users who are on a Mac or Linux platform or a Palm can access the latest version of AIM for their systems from the second URL above. [TK]
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The end of free
http://www.theendoffree.com/
This focused Weblog is devoted to "chronicling free to fee and beyond," a neat stop for those of us who have been monitoring the changes in the Web as services struggle to stay afloat when their grant money or venture capital has been used up. The front page to the site gives a week's worth of dated entries (this week including information on Salon.com,Consumer Reports, Listbot, Napster, and more. Archives are available from March through the present. [TK]
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NATO Sending Troops to Macedonia: Conditions of Mission Laid Out
1. "NATO Dispatching 400 British Troops to Macedonia" - The New York Times (free registration required)
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/16/international/europe/16NATO.html
2. "NATO Enters Another Volatile Ethnic Drama" - The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0817/p1s2-woeu.html
3. "NATO Authorises the Deployment of Headquarters of Task Force Harvest" -- NATO
http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2001/p01-112e.htm
4. "Minister Mitreva: 3-5,000 NATO Soldiers Will Collect Weapons"
http://www.mia.com.mk/ang/glavnavest/lastvest.asp?vest=C:\WebData\Ang\Naslovna\300-1508.htm
5. Press Releases from the Presidential Cabinet (Macedonia)
http://www.president.gov.mk/eng/info/soopstenija.asp
6. Conflict in Macedonia -- Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/macedonia/
7. Tiker Online
http://www.tiker.co.yu/index1.htm
8. Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center
http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/
9. Macedonia.org
http://www.macedonia.org/
In hopes of maintaining the fragile cease-fire between Macedonian troops and ethnic Albanian guerillas, NATO announced Wednesday, August 15, that it is sending 400 British troops to Macedonia. On Friday, August 17, a small contingent of British troops -- about 50 members -- will arrive in the capital Skopje to study the military situation on the ground. The remaining British troops are to follow over the weekend. Violent conflict erupted this past February when members of Macedonia's ethnic Albanian minority took up arms in order to fight for rights they say are denied them by the Slavic majority. NATO has become a familiar presence in the Balkans, which have been the site of four wars since 1988. NATO says it does not want this Macedonian mission to be open-ended and therefore set four conditions to be met before sending troops. First, a political agreement to end fighting had to have been put in place. Second, the guerillas had to relinquish their weapons. Third, Macedonia and NATO were to sign a "status of forces" pact describing the specific role of NATO troops and the laws that would be applied to them. Fourth, an enduring cease-fire had to be in place. the first three conditions were all met earlier this week. As for the cease-fire, Macedonian government troops have continued to fire on Albanian rebel-held villages, and rebels have ambushed army convoys and shot a policeman. Nevertheless, NATO is sending in the Brits to try to keep peace. To follow developments in NATO's involvement with the Macedonian situation, refer to the sites in this week's In the News.
The first two sites are news articles from the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor. The next few are press releases from various agencies concerned with Balkan politics: a report on the deployment from the official NATO Website, a press release from Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva from the Macedonian Information agency, and an index of press releases from the official Website of Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski (this site also contains text of the peace agreement framework). The sixth site comes from the organization Human Rights Watch, a private, non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting human rights around the world. The Human Rights Watch Website contains a special section with articles and interviews on the Macedonian conflict. For general news from the Balkans, check out Tiker Online (previously mentioned in the March 16, 2001 Scout Report), Yugoslavia's independent news agency, providing updates on Macedonia and other nations of the region. The Albanian viewpoint is captured at the Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center site, gleaning international news articles about oppression against Albanians and addressing ethnicity issues in Macedonia, citing the Macedonian constitution, legal and academic experts, and other reputable sources. Finally, to learn more about the history, culture, politics, and geography of Macedonia, head to Macedonia.org. where you can view pictures, hear music, and read more about the small, mountainous nation. [HCS]
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