Changing of the Guard
As the year ends, so does my tenure at the Scout Project. After three and half years at Scout (and ten in Wisconsin!), I will be heading west to a new job in the City of Angels (where surfing will mean something entirely different). It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work at Scout. In particular, thanks are due to Rachael Bower for leading the project through some tough times and helping us to thrive, and of course, my big thanks to all of our readers. Beginning in January, Marcia Green will be bringing you the Scout Report and Ted Schroeder will be our managing editor. Keep your eyes peeled as well for our new science reports, which should be starting up sometime at the beginning of the new year. Happy New Year. [TK]
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UK 2002 - The Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [.pdf, MS Excel, .zip]
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=5703&More=N
This annual yearbook (formerly known as the Britain Yearbook) spans a wealth of information about Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Here, readers will find maps, graphs, and text covering topics ranging from education to international trade, religion to the environment. Users can download the entire 577-page yearbook in .pdf format (though without a high speed connection, this could be trying). Maps and spreadsheets (in .zipped Excel format) can be downloaded separately, but the yearbook is only available as one large document. Nonetheless, those users interested in statistical data and attendant issues about the UK will want to check out the Yearbook. It's a definite boon for researchers and interested members of the public. [TK]
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Big Picture Book of Viruses
http://www.virology.net/Big_Virology/BVHomePage.html
"The Big Picture Book of Viruses is intended to serve as both a catalog of virus pictures on the Internet and as an educational resource to those users seeking more information about viruses," claims the site's founder, Dr. Robert F. Garry of Tulane University School of Medicine. From the left-hand column of Big Picture Book's homepage, you can access color images of viruses by name, structure/genome, host, or associated disease (the images are held on external Websites from a variety of research institutions). Many of the images are from electron microscopes or x-ray diffractors, and others are computer-generated simulations or prepared specimen slides. Along with mug shots of Nucleopolyhedrovirus, Lipothrixvirus and Chlamydiamicrovirus, to name just a few, comes a wealth of text and links. Links take users to sites on virus structure, viral taxonomy, Web courses, tutorials, and much more. Besides The Big Picture Book of Viruses, Dr. Garry maintains a Website entitled All the Virology on the Web, that Scout Project editors discovered and reviewed in its infancy in the November 17, 1995 _Scout Report. [HCS]
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An Aging World: 2001 [.pdf]
http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/p95-01-1.pdf
This new 190-page release from the Census Bureau and the National Institute of Aging (NIA) presents comparative data related to aging, including population and projected population internationally, life expectancy, retirement, health information, and social support. The report was, in part, inspired by a review from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that argued for an international focus on aging as an aid to policymakers worldwide. The main body of the report is broken into eleven chapters, covering topics ranging from urban versus rural populations to marital status to income security. Appendices include detailed tables, references, an international comparison of urban versus rural definitions, and sources and limitations of the data. [TK]
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Is Work Enough? The Experiences of Current and Former Welfare Mothers Who Work [.pdf]
http://www.mdrc.org/Reports2001/UC-IsWorkEnough/Overview-IsWorkEnough.htm
The Manpower Research Demonstration Corporation (MRDC) issued this report last month detailing the experiences of working mothers who were formerly on welfare. The report is drawn from survey data and ethnographic interviews collected by the Project on Devolution and Urban Change, which studied welfare reform in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, and Philadelphia. Among the more distressing findings, Is Work Enough? reports that about half of the women surveyed were working at the time they were interviewed; however, most of those women were in low wage jobs and living below the poverty level. Among the women who were most consistently employed, about half were in jobs with health insurance. At the MRDC site, users can read an executive survey online or download the 97-page report in .pdf format. [TK]
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Resources in Art History for Graduate Students
http://www.efn.org/~acd/resources.html
The Resources in Art History for Graduate Students is exactly that. The site give graduate students in art history and other closely related fields information on grants, fellowships, research opportunities, conferences, professional resources, related links, and more. This continually updated site offers busy students an easily accessible portal to valuable information that could help further their academic and future professional careers. [JAB]
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Macroeconomics and Health: Investing in Health for Economic Development [.pdf]
http://www3.who.int/whosis/cmh/cmh_report/e/report.cfm?path=cmh,cmh_report&language=english
The World Health Organisation's (WHO) Commission on Macroeconomics and Health yesterday released this 210-page report on the role of health in global economic development. The Commission, which was established in January of last year, finds "that extending the coverage of crucial health services, including a relatively small number of specific interventions, to the world's poor could save millions of lives each year, reduce poverty, spur economic development, and promote global security." The report recommends an effort on the part of developing and developed nations alike and argues that millions of lives would be saved annually if cooperating countries invested one tenth of one percent of national income. At the site, users can download the report in full or by section. [TK]
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1999 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates: National Summary and Fertility Clinic Reports [.pdf]
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/drh/art.htm
Newly released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this 476-page report provides detailed statistics on pregnancies using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) (last mentioned in the January 2, 1998 Scout Report). ART, fertility treatments in which both egg and sperm are handled, includes in vitro fertilization (IVF), gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT). This is the fifth report to be issued under the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act by the CDC, and each is available at the site in both HTML and .pdf formats. The report includes a national overview that uses information from 370 US fertility clinics to provide an in-depth picture of the type, number, and outcome of ART cycles performed in U.S. clinics. In addition to the overview, users will find individual clinic tables that report ART success rates and other information. Report appendices contain technical notes, a glossary of terms, and contact information for reporting and non-reporting clinics in the United States. [DJS]
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The Campaign against International Terrorism: prospects after the fall of the Taliban [.pdf]
http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2001/rp01-112.pdf
The library of the United Kingdom's House of Commons has published this research paper entitled The Campaign against International Terrorism: prospects after the fall of the Taliban_, available for download in .pdf format from the Parliament Website. The authors are Tim Youngs, Paul Bowers and Mark Oakes of the International Affairs and Defence Section. Contents of the text include details of fighting and bombing in Afghanistan, the Bonn Agreement and future political arrangements in Afghanistan, the Al-Qaeda in other countries, and measures by the United Nations to counter terrorism. The 65-page report includes the text of the Bonn Agreement and a nicely detailed color map of Afghanistan. [HCS]
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Antarctica: Scientific Journeys from McMurdo to the Pole
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/index.html
As a "continent devoted to science," Antarctica offers countless opportunities for researchers from around the world to learn about the history and mechanics of the earth. Exploratorium's latest offering highlights the ice-covered continent and the scientists who have and are studying it. The site includes simple descriptions, exceptional photographs, maps, and learning tools. One unique highlight is an interactive animation of continental drift and breakup of the once super-continent Pangaea, which led to the formation of Antarctica. Other features include a field notes section and schedule of live online Webcasts with scientists straight from the South Pole. Everyone from students to professionals will find something on this site worth discovering. [JAB]
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A Decade of Transition -- UNICEF [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.unicef-icdc.org/cgi-bin/unicef/presscentre/presskit_down.sql?IDEvent=26
UNICEF last month issued the Monee Report 8, A Decade of Transition, which focuses on the effects of the last decade's changes in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Baltics on the region's children. The report finds that, while the economies of most of these states are growing and teen birth rates and maternal mortality have dropped, child poverty remains wide-spread and the gap between the rich and poor is growing. Users can download the report by chapter in .pdf format in either English or Russian. Press release and additional information about UNICEF's involvement in the region are also available. [TK]
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who stole the tee pee? [Flash 4]
http://www.conexus.si.edu/teepee/
who stole the tee pee? is a phrase coined by artist George Littlechild, as a way of asking how contact and coexistence with White culture during the last 300 years has altered Native American traditions and beliefs. Organized by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Atlatl, an organization that promotes the work of contemporary Native American Artists, this exhibition combines historical artifacts from NMAI's collection and works by living Native American artists to seek answers to this question. The show has four main galleries: changing reservation realities, school bells and haircuts, tolerating tourists, and beyond smoke and mirrors. Each of the galleries includes an introduction explaining its focus (e.g., tolerating tourists talks about the commodification of Indian culture) and "gallery space," a view that presents historical artifacts surrounded by related modern works. The exhibition makes heavy use of mouse-overs and animation to present information, but plainer alternatives are offered: from the index, users can select contemporary artists' names to see their works (albeit by mouse-over), view historical objects selected from a list, and read plain ASCII text versions of all the exhibition label copy. There are also convenient back to main menu links throughout the exhibition to aid the lost. [DS]
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History in the News: Middle East History, Society, and Culture Resources
http://www.albany.edu/history/middle-east/
The Department of History, University at Albany, SUNY (last reviewed in the January 21, 2000 Scout Report) has put together a useful and straightforward metasite covering resources on the history and culture of the Middle East. History in the News focuses specifically on Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen. Resources are easily browseable by topic (History, Religion, Economics, Maps) or by country. This is a nice place to start one's reading on this newsworthy region of the world. [DJS]
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BehindTheLabel.org [QuickTime]
http://www.behindthelabel.org/
A timely site in this season of gift-giving, BehindTheLabel.org reports on the labor issues and working conditions of those people who make many of the clothes sold by major retailers. Among BehindTheLabel.org's initial sponsors are UNITE (the US and Canadian clothing workers' union), AT Media, United Students Against Sweatshops, and the Progressive Religious Partnership. The site has a range of resources including news stories, analysis, bulletin boards, scheduled chats, op/ed pieces, photos, video, and links to additional resources. A special holiday season feature lets users select one of four cards to send to the Gap, Ann Taylor, Target, or Abercrombie & Fitch, asking them to please pay their workers a living wage. Note that we could not access all of the site's features using Netscape on a Mac, but we had no trouble using Internet Explorer or using Netscape on a PC. [TK]
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Terrorism Project -- CDI [.pdf]
http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/
The Center for Defense Information (CDI, reviewed in the July 18, 1997 Scout Report) presents this new site devoted to terrorism featuring a variety of resources grouped by subject (e.g., Homeland Defense, Operation Enduring Freedom, Legislation). Users will find here the text of legislation, factual and analytical articles, links to other sites, and more. CDI's terrorism project " aims to look at all aspects of fighting terrorism, from near-term issues of response and defense, to long-term questions about how the United States should shape its future international security strategy." [TK]
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Project Starshine
http://www.azinet.com/starshine/
NASA Mission Specialist Dan Tani successfully deployed Starshine 2 from the Space Shuttle Endeavor into its own orbit. What exactly is Project Starshine? Its name stands for Student Tracked Atmospheric Research Satellite, a cooperative project producing an 85 pound sphere-shaped satellite with a surface covered by 845 aluminum mirrors. The mirrors were polished by 30,000 students in 660 schools in 26 countries. A nitrogen gas system will spin Starshine 2 so that, students hope, it will cast solar reflections onto Earth at certain times. At this Website you can read about Starshine 1 and 2, learn how the middle school students polished and assembled the mirrors, and download forms for teachers who want their classes to participate in Starshine 3/4, the next cooperative satellite launch. Visitors to the Starshine site can also link to pages giving information on how to catch a glimpse of the gleaming, space disco ball from their backyards. [HCS]
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Google Catalog Search [Beta]
http://catalogs.google.com/cathp
This new beta version site from Google offers catalogs from major retailers. Google has scanned in the catalogs and enabled them for text searching (though they warn that searching may not be perfect, given the technologies involved). While users still have to call the retailers to order items, the site is a boon to those shoppers who are rushed this holiday season. If you're regretting tossing out that recent Ikea catalog or looking for a hard-to-find item, this is a great stop for you. Neat-o. [TK]
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Relay Fonts 2001: A Typeface Odyssey
http://www.geocities.com/jonrelay/software/fonts/
These handwritten fonts are available for both Mac and PC. Users can download a range of both alphabet and symbol fonts here, all of which have the homemade look of handwriting. This should be a fun addition for anyone who wants a different look for their documents. [TK]
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Chromosome 20 Sequenced
"Scientists Sequence Largest Human Chromosome" -- Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=sciencenews&StoryID=466935
"British Scientists Map Chromosome 20" -- AP (via Yahoo!NEWS)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011219/sc/chromosome_map_1.html
"Third genetic 'chapter' published" -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1717000/1717396.stm
"The DNA sequence and comparative analysis of human chromosome 20" -- Nature [.pdf]
http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v414/n6866/full/414865a_fs.html
"The human genome: Part three in the book of genes" [.pdf]
http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v414/n6866/full/414854a_fs.html
Nature's Genome Gateway
http://www.nature.com/genomics/
GenomeWeb
http://www.genomeweb.com/
Human Genome Project
http://www.nhgri.nih.gov:80/HGP/
Scientists announced Wednesday that they had deciphered chromosome 20, the largest of the three chromosomes to be sequenced thus far. Researchers hope that this latest advance by the Human Genome Project will help explain why some people are more susceptible to diseases such as diabetes or obesity. Also the gene that seems to make some a higher risk for Cruetzfeldt--Jakob Disease, the human version of Mad Cow Disease, is found on chromosome 20. The Human Genome Project is an international research effort to map and sequence the human genome. Scientists at The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England completed the sequencing, and their work is published in Nature magazine.
Users can read about the discovery in lay-person's language at Reuters, AP, or the BBC. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute's publication of their findings is available in the most recent issue of Nature magazine, as is a shorter piece on the breakthrough. Nature's Genome Gateway bills itself as a free "comprehensive web resource devoted to genomics," and users looking for more information on genes should look here or at GenomeWeb. The Human Genome Project Website explains the project as a whole in greater depth and contains links to a span of genome-related Web resources. [TK]
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