NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
The second issue of the first volume of the MET Report is available. The Topic in Depth section covers maglev technology.
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Lincoln North: The Joseph N. Nathanson Collection of Lincolniana
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/lincoln/intro/cover1a.html
For almost fifty years, Dr. Joseph Nathanson (1895-1989) avidly collected Lincoln memorabilia from his home in Ithaca, New York. In 1986, he donated the contents of his eclectic collection to his alma mater, McGill University, and since that time, McGill University Libraries have turned the content of this collection into an online exhibit. Lincoln North is a collection of over four thousand items of Lincoln memorabilia, including books, pamphlets, prints, manuscripts, ephemera, and regalia. To navigate through this collection, viewers may perform an advanced or keyword search, or may browse the collection by author, title, document type, subject, or date. This site also contains an Abraham Lincoln virtual exhibit and links to other Lincoln sites. Lincoln researchers and enthusiasts should find this site quite interesting. [MG]
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Quality Counts 2002: Building Blocks for Success
http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc02/
This year's Quality Counts report (last mentioned in the January 12, 2001 Scout Report) focuses on the importance of high quality learning experiences for children prior to their K-12 school years. The benefits of offering quality education at this early point can be substantial; children perform with better cognitive skills during later educational stages. Not simply an endorsement of improved standards and programs, the report outlines the current state of affairs with supporting statistics and documentation for each state and the District of Columbia. The report examines tangible issues such as adequate pay for educators, evaluation criteria and measurement tools, and each state's "commitment to Kindergarten." The format of this report is much enhanced from prior publications. An Interactive data search, Excel and .pdf data tables, Web-only testing data (e.g., the table "Grade-by-Grade Testing Policies" is available online only), and inclusion of "new indicators of several school-quality categories" are all new features with the 2002 report. This report, as are all the Quality Counts Reports from Education Week and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is a thoughtful read for anyone concerned with education. [DJS]
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Surgeon General Reports on the Web [.pdf]
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/surgeonreports.html
Like the Government Printing Office's phenomenally successful foray into the World Wide Web with GPO Access, the National Library of Medicine's site offers readers easy, direct access to government-sponsored medical information, now including all of the reports and studies of the Surgeon General's Office. Searchable in a variety of ways and presenting a wide array of media, the site makes available digitized information from articles, white papers, brochures and pamphlets, as well photographic images and slides of historic figures. [WH]
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2002 National Drug Control Strategy [.pdf]
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/03ndcs/index.html
Recently released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, this annual report summarizes national strategies to control drug use (last mentioned in the January 23, 2001 Scout Report). The report consists of a transmittal letter from President George W. Bush, an introduction, and a list of national priorities that includes education and community action, treatment resources, and the attack of the economic basis of the drug trade. Viewed in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, the report ends with a description of the drug control budget and its restructuring. [MG]
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Study of Multifamily Underwriting and the GSEs' Role in the Multifamily Market [.pdf]
http://www.huduser.org/publications/hsgfin/gsemultifamily.html
A disclosure study of its effectiveness in the multifamily housing market, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's report "Study of Multifamily Underwriting and the GSE's Role in the Multifamily Market" is intended to establish whether Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are meeting their federally-mandated obligations to extend housing opportunities to low income families. Thus, the study, 184 pages in all, presents a wealth of information regarding both this demographic and government-sponsored enterprises' (GSE's) attention to it. In particular loan availability is considered as a significant indicator of service to target clients, though other factors are considered as well, including whether GSE's, while helping some, are adversely impacting other potential home buyers through their assistance programs. [WH]
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Women Who Ruled: Queens, Goddesses, Amazons 1500-1650
http://www.umich.edu/~umma/women/
This University of Michigan Museum of Art women's history exhibition is likely to satisfy some, but not others, depending on how you like your virtual museum experience. For visitors who are interested in the arrangement of artifacts, the Virtual Tour allows panning through all eight galleries of the show. Unfortunately though, no close-ups were available at the time of this review. For visitors who prefer static digital images with accompanying text, the Real Stories section provides ten examples of pictures with stories or biographies, such as Fede Galizia's 1596 painting of biblical heroine Judith with the Head of Holofernes, a portrait of Catherine de' Medici on a medal, or Elizabeth I. The Gallery Guide, a digital equivalent of the brochure you carry though the museum, provides eight additional images. Other sections of the Web site offer information on purchasing the Catalogue, which contains reproductions of over 100 items in the show; events on the University of Michigan campus during the theme semester that are related to Women Who Ruled; and resources for educators. [DS]
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American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org/adainfo.html
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is an online resource for nutrition and health that offers a vast amount of information on attaining and maintaining a healthy life style. This Web site offers everything from nutrition and health tips, to a complete food and nutrition guide, to books and other resources. Furthermore, ADA has a national referral service that links consumers, physicians, food manufacturers, and restaurant owners or managers with dietetic professionals. All participants in the American Dietetic Association's referral service "are professionals--professionals who provide reliable, objective nutrition information, separate facts from fads and translate the latest scientific findings into easy-to-understand nutrition information." If you are ready for a healthy lifestyle change, then this is definitely the place to start. [MG]
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Jo Freeman: Feminist Scholar and Author
http://www.JoFreeman.com/index.htm
Jo Freeman, a well-known feminist scholar, activist, author, speaker, and lawyer, recently launched this new site consisting of works by and about her. The site contains a portion of Freeman's numerous scholarly and journalistic articles, including "The Feminist Movement," "Women in Society," "Women, Law and Public Policy," and "Social Protests in the Sixties." The site also contains a photo gallery of historic photos of the civil rights vigil at the 1964 Democratic Convention, the June 1966 Meredith Mississippi March, Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign, and the 1968 Democratic Convention. In addition, Freeman has included her extensive collection of political buttons for viewing, as well as a substantial list of links to other related sites. Political activists, feminists, and those users interested in women's studies may find this site valuable. [MG]
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National Institute for Literacy
http://www.literacydirectory.org/
A service of the National Institute for Literacy and Partners, America's Literacy Directory is an online national database of literacy programs that connects employers, learners, volunteers, social service providers, and others to current information about literacy programs in all 50 states and US territories. The site offers program information for children, people with learning disabilities, and those users interested in the GED and other high school programs, as well as students who need help with reading, writing, and math. In addition, the site also lists programs for those interested in learning English as a second language. Users merely enter their zip code, city, and state; and the site will list the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of program facilities within 5 to 100 miles of your location. [MG]
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FSU Films [Quicktime, RealPlayer]
http://www.fsufilms.com/index.cfm
Having won over 600 honors, awards, prizes, and featured screenings across the globe, the Florida State University School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts is proud to present this one-of-a-kind showcase of many of their best films. This free, nonprofit Web site offers information on hundreds of student-produced films, most of which can be viewed directly online using RealPlayer or Quicktime. Also, Internet2 users may view high quality Internet2 encoded films using the MPEG-1 format. On the whole, film lovers and other interested parties should find this site useful and entertaining. [MG]
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Hieros Gamos: Law and Legal Research Center
http://www.hg.org/
Part of Hieros Gamos, a listing service for lawyers and law firms worldwide, the Hieros Gamos Law and Legal Research Center is free and open for consultation, offering an array of options for research into legal matters of every nature and variety. Literally, there is a little something for everyone, from the student to the average citizen in the market for legal information or, beyond that, to someone willing to represent them in a particular area. Accessible in more than fifty languages, the site is as easy to navigate and attractively presented. [WH]
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Congress Online: Assessing and Improving Capitol Hill Web sites
http://www.congressonlineproject.org/webstudy2002.html
The Congress Online Project is a two-year project to study Congress' use of the Internet and to help congressional offices use Internet technologies to inform and communicate with constituents, reporters, and the engaged public more effectively. According to the report, there is a gap between what Web audiences want and what most Capitol Hill offices are providing on their Web sites. Instead of providing basic legislative information such as position statements, rationales for key votes, status of pending legislation, and educational material about Congress, offices are using Web sites primarily as promotional tools - posting press releases, descriptions of the member's accomplishments, and photos of the members at events. As a result, this report provides substantial data on the five essential building blocks of an effective Web site --audience, content, interactivity, usability, and innovations. This information is useful not only for Congressional sites but also for any Web site in general. Therefore, anyone interested in building his/her own Web site should definitely investigate further. [MG]
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The September 11 Digital Archive
http://911digitalarchive.org/
Funded by a major grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and organized by the American Social History Project at the City University of New York Graduate Center and the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, the September 11 Digital Archive is a project that uses electronic media to "collect, preserve, and present the history of the September 11, 2001 attack in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and the public responses to them." The major goal of this project is to create a permanent record of the events of September 11, 2001, foster positive legacies of those terrible events by allowing people to tell their stories, and then make those stories available to a wide audience. The project also seeks to provide an historical context for understanding these events along with their consequences. [MG]
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Directory of Development Organizations 2002
http://www.devdir.org/
The Directory of Development Organizations lists 25,000 contacts of organizations that offer "(non-) financial support, market access, information and advice to the enterprise and poverty-reducing sectors in low-income countries." Contact details include the organization's mail and street address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail and Web page address (if available). This Directory is intended to provide a comprehensive source of reference for development practitioners, researchers, donor employees, and policy makers who are interested in private sector development and poverty alleviation, particularly in low-income countries. For easier referencing, the Directory has been divided into 7 geographical sections --- Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, Oceania, South America, and Canada and the USA. Furthermore, each of these regions/countries have been divided into the following 9 categories: international organizations, government, private sector support organizations, finance institutions, training and research organizations, non-government organizations, development consulting firms, information providers, and grant makers. This site is easy to navigate and can be viewed in English, Spanish, or French. [MG]
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Center for Women and Information Technology
http://www.umbc.edu/cwit/
The Center for Women and Information Technology (CWIT), located at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, was named "the best resource on women and technology on the Web" by ABCNews.com. The center's primary goal is to promote women's involvement in the IT industry. CWIT's Web site provides a wealth of information for women, ranging from learning the basics of computers to IT training and certification. Women considering IT as a field of study will also find information on financial aid and the CWIT Scholars Program. There is a list of books and many links to news articles about women and IT that are both interesting and insightful. This site was also reviewed in the March 01, 2002 NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology. [CL]
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MyBookmarks
http://www.mybookmarks.com
MyBookmarks is a free Internet service that allows registered users to access their bookmarks from anywhere at anytime. The full-featured editor makes it easy to organize and search online bookmarks, and from the interface, users can export them back to their browser to use locally. Furthermore, MyBookmarks provides the option of making some or all bookmarks publicly accessible. [MG]
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OURFAX: Free World Wide Email to Fax Service
http://www.ourfax.com/
OURFAX is a free service that allows any email user in the world to send faxes directly from their email address to almost any fax machine in the world. Viewers can fax from any email service (i.e., browser-based email applications or personal email programs such as Eudora or Outlook). Viewers can also send faxes from Webtv, Mac, Linux, WAP Phone, Email Boxes or Internet Kiosks. To access this service, users must have either Windows 3.1, 95, 98, NT, Mac, Linux, Unix, Webtv, or a WAP Phone. Registration is required. [MG]
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Challenges to US Military Policies
Hindustan Times: US military changes female policy in Saudi Arabia
http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/230102/dLFOR14.asp
Nando Times: Military stops requiring servicewomen in Saudi Arabia to wear Muslim-style clothing
http://www.nando.net/nation/story/226315p-2180756c.html
Washington Post: Detainees' Protest Wins US Reversal
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19634-2002Feb28.html
St. Petersburg Times: 72 hours at Camp X-Ray
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/02/20/Worldandnation/72_hours_at_Campa_X_r.shtml
LA Times: Pentagon Closes Besieged Strategy Office
http://mv.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000014950feb27.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
Civil Liberties Groups Challenge USA Patriot Act
http://www.cnsnews.com/Nation/archive/200201/NAT20020121a.html
BBC News: Camp X-ray -- The legal options
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1843000/1843966.stm
The Guardian: Play it by the Law Book
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,3604,659097,00.html
Military Ethics
http://ethics.acusd.edu/Applied/Military/index.asp#Internet
In the aftermath of September 11th, the US military has undergone both domestic and international challenges to numerous key policies. With the aid of extensive US and foreign press coverage that has made Donald Rumsfeld and Ari Fleischer household names, ethical and legal questions have saturated the public psyche daily. In the past month, a flurry of coverage has occurred on a wide scope of issues, including the treatment of US servicewomen in Saudi Arabia, the legal and religious rights of Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners in Cuba, and the allegations surrounding the Office of Strategic Influence and its dilemma of intentional misinformation. In all these instances, opposition has influenced, if not forced, certain choices by US government officials. In the end, the practicality of the War on Terrorism have compelled both US officials and the public as a whole to recognize the sometimes fragile balance that human rights issues play in the United States' understanding of itself and other cultures' perception of the United States.
Articles from the Hindustan Times and the Nando Times discuss the new policy toward and the continuing controversy of US servicewomen working in Saudi Arabia. Next, the Washington Post offers a report about the results of a hunger strike by Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners in Cuba, while the St. Petersburg Times's magazine piece should help elucidate the conditions and life in the Cuba prisons. The next three links provide background, historical context, and commentary on the legal implications of the detention of Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners. Finally, In the News ends with a military ethics Web site that informs and illustrates by giving materials that include scholarly journal articles, classical texts, case studies, and more. [TS]
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