NSDL Scout Reports for the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences
The sixteenth issues of the first volumes of the Life Sciences Report and Physical Sciences Report are available. The Topic in Depth section of Life Sciences Report annotates sites about peregrine falcons. The Physical Sciences Report's Topic in Depth section offers Web sites and comments about seismic waves.
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The British Library's Twenty-ninth Annual Report and Accounts 2001-02 [.pdf]
http://www.bl.uk/about/annual/latest.html
The British Library's Twenty-ninth Annual Report has recently been made available for the Internet community. Highlighting the library's performance and achievements of the year (one of which is the acquisition of the theatrical archives of Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud, which joined the papers of Sir Laurence Olivier in the national collection), the report contains seven case studies ranging from crop tests and gene therapy to TV wives and the relationship between long memory foam and spinal injuries. Also included are the library's performance statistics, advisory and support bodies, and organizational structure. Available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format (some of the sections are also accessible through HTML), this report is designed for anyone interested in the collections and activities of the British Library. [MG]
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Attacks on the Press in 2001
http://www.cpj.org/attacks01/pages_att01/attacks01.html
Released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established to "monitor abuses against the press and promote press freedom around the world," Attacks on the Press 2001 documents the deaths, imprisonment, and abuses of journalists around the world within the past year. Prefaced by CPJ board member Anne Garrels with an introduction by CPJ's executive director Ann Cooper, the report contains an overview of media attacks arranged by country, along with three special press freedom reports on Syria, Burma, and Colombia. In addition, the report contains a Ten Worst Enemies of the Press section that focuses attention on individual leaders responsible for the world's worst abuses against the media. Topping the list are Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran, President Jiang Zemin of China, and Liberian president Charles Taylor. [MG]
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A Call to Action on Behalf of Latino and Latina Youth in the US Justice System
http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/latino_rpt/index.html
This report, prepared by Francisco Villarruel and Nancy Walker of Michigan State University, examines the treatment of Latino and Latina youth in the United States Justice System. Within the 83-page report (available here in HTML and PDF formats), the authors utilize a variety of statistical data and narrative research to show that Latino and Latina youth are significantly over-represented in the US justice system and often receive harsher treatment than similarly incarcerated young whites. The report includes significant policy recommendations, including the elimination of racial profiling and seeking to employ more bilingual and culturally competent staff in order to ensure better service delivery to the broader Latino community. The site also includes a variety of press releases regarding the report, local and national press coverage, an executive summary, and a fact sheet. Quite appropriately, all of the materials on the site are also available in Spanish. The site will be of great interest to those with an interest in the social justice movement and with the current debates regarding the juvenile justice system. [KM]
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Central Banking For A New Era [.pdf]
http://www.fmcenter.org/pdf/ACCBreportonline.pdf
Convened by the Financial Markets Center from March 2-3, 2002, the Atlantic Conference on Central Banking brought together economic researchers, leaders of trade unions, and civil-society representatives involved in central bank governance in the US and Europe. This report contains 129 pages of transcripted sessions and presentations that occurred over those two days. The subjects covered within the report include discussions surrounding the prescriptive proposals to improve central bank effectiveness (such as the Federal Reserve in the US) and strategic discussions about the practical steps required to influence the actions of central banks on a single nation basis or on a multi-national basis. The participants whose remarks are included here include Richard L. Trumka, the AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer; Christian Weller of the Economic Policy Institute; and Christine Asmussen of UNI-Finance. Broad in its scope and purpose, the report will be useful to those looking for current and topical discussion of the thorny problem of central bank governance and effectiveness at the national and international level. [KM]
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The President's Council on Bioethics
http://www.bioethics.gov/
Late last year, the President's Council on Bioethics was "created to advise the President on bioethical issues related to advances in biomedical science and technology." The council's Web site allows the public to access information regarding the activities of this council. The site provides transcripts of council sessions organized by date and by topic; a full report regarding human cloning dated July 2002; links to similar bioethics councils of other governments; background information in the form of staff working papers; and, interestingly enough, works of fiction such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birth Mark." While this site does not provide any actual scientific information per se, it is an important resource for familiarizing oneself with the ongoing debate regarding sensitive biomedical research issues in the US, as well as for understanding the Bush administration's general disposition toward these issues. The Search our Site feature is currently under construction. This site is also reviewed in the August 23, 2002 NSDL Life Sciences Report. [RS]
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Two from McKinsey and Company on Emergency Preparedness and Response
Increasing FDNY's Preparedness [.pdf]
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/mck_report/toc.html
Improving NYDP Emergency Preparedness and Response [.pdf]
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/pdf/nypdemergency.pdf
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks increased this country's expectations for future threats and attacks, thereby creating a new urgency for emergency preparedness. At the request of New York's fire and police departments, McKinsey and Company spent several months working with both departments' personnel to develop recommendations for structural changes that could enhance their preparedness for future attacks. The first report focuses on FDNY's preparedness and contains recommendations in the areas of operations, planning and management, communication and technology, and family and member support services. This report is accessible through individual sections. The second report on the NYPD's preparedness and response focuses on the department's reaction to the World Trade Center attacks and determines the lessons that the department can learn in order to improve its disaster preparedness and response capabilities for the future. [MG]
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Libraries and the Patriot Legislation [.ppt, .pdf]
http://www.ala.org/washoff/patriot.html
Given the substantial concern over the rapid passage (ALA) developed this site to gather materials related to the availability and confidentiality of library records. As the site states, ALA provides the following materials to offer guidance and suggestions how libraries should respond if law enforcement knocks at the door. Highlights of the site include a well-thought out PowerPoint presentation that detail some of the responsibilities that libraries have to their patrons and to matters of national security. Other links include a chronology of events surrounding the passage of the USA Patriot Act and links to the US Department of Justice documents on the search and seizure of computer and electronic records. Also, there are numerous links to analyses and summaries of the Patriot Act. For those with an interest in the pragmatic and philosophical implications of the Patriot Act as regards libraries, their mission, and their patrons records, this Web site will definitely be useful. [KM]
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Politicalweb.info
http://politicalweb.info/
Created and sustained by Kirsten Foot, assistant professor of communication at the University of Washington, and Steven Schneider, associate professor of political science at the SUNY Institute of Technology, politicalweb.info monitors political candidates' use of the Internet throughout the 2002 campaign season. Offering a glimpse into the US electoral Web sphere, this site tracks the emergence and development of House, Senate, and Gubernatorial campaign Web sites and provides weekly analysis regarding the content and features available on these sites, as well as whether or not the candidates are encouraging or deterring public involvement. [MG]
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Theban Mapping Project [Flash]
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/
Under the direction of Egyptologist Dr. Kent Weeks of the American University in Cairo, the Theban Mapping Project (last mentioned in the November 18, 1997 Scout Report) has enhanced its look and added new features. Some of the many enhancements include an interactive atlas of the Valley of the Kings that offers 250 detailed maps, streaming animations narrated by Dr. Weeks, and a visual search and filter tool. Users wanting to view the atlas will need to have Macromedia Flash Player 6 installed. In addition, the site offers sixty-six narrated tours of the Valley, including a 3D tour of KV 14, a searchable database of archeological text and images of the Valley, articles, a glossary, a bibliography, a timeline, and other relevant sources. Preserving the heritage of "one of the world's richest archaeological zones," this site would be of interest to both scholars and fans of ancient Egypt. [MG]
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Steam and Electric Locomotives of the New Haven Railroad Digital Collection
http://railroads.uconn.edu/locomotives/
The Railroad History Collections at University of Connecticut, home of the archives of the New Haven Railroad, makes available these 460 digitized pictures of locomotives and other scenes associated with the railroad. The images were selected from several thousand collected by railroad enthusiast Fred Otto Makowsky during the first half of the 20th century. Probably the easiest way to search the collection is by using Homer, the online catalog of the UConn Libraries; follow the instructions given under "Search the Collection" to use the tool. Because the default display is a brief catalog record accompanied by tiny thumbnail, browsing is a little limited; users can link to larger views of individual images though. In addition to the Makowsky collection, many other railroad resources can be found by following the Railroads Home link, including the Railroad History Collections list, brief descriptions of the many railroad archives at UConn, links to related digital resources, and email to the curator. [DS]
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The Yucca Mountain Project
http://www.ymp.gov/
The Senate recently agreed to allow the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project to proceed to the next stage of development. The US Governmental site, the Yucca Mountain Project, gives a thorough description of its objectives; describes timelines, milestones, and economic concerns; and even provides a tour of the mountain using pictures and videos. This site is also reviewed in the August 23, 2002 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [JAB]
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Foreign Terrorist Organizations
http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/2002/12389.htm
This fact sheet, prepared by the US State Department, provides a brief but detailed explication of foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) and the process by which they are identified and designated. As the site states, FTO designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business. The site contains sections on the identification of FTOs, their subsequent designation (which is for two years at a time), the legal criteria for designation, and the legal ramifications of designation. Following these sections is a brief history of the FTO list (begun in 1997) and the names of the 34 organizations that currently comprise the list. Overall, the site offers a basic overview of how the State Department identifies and classifies these foreign terrorist organizations. [KM]
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The Pocket Calculator Show Website
http://www.pocketcalculatorshow.com/
Designed and maintained by Jay Hanson and Paul Zurek, this site is a loving tribute to the not-so-distant golden age of early pocket electronics in the 1970s and 1980s. The site offers photo galleries dealing with the digital and calculator watch craze; walkmans; and, perhaps most importantly, a virtual boombox museum. Other sections include Magical Gadget, which prominently displays photos of various bargain collectible electronics that visitors to the site have sent in, along with a variety of different items for sale (including a watch from 1983 that contains a miniature version of Pac-Man). For those who want to hear more about their stories and collections, Jay and Paul host a shortwave radio show on Saturday nights on WBCQ, which can be heard over the Internet via a link on this site. [KM]
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The MS Word to Web Page: An Academic's Guide to Quick Web Page Construction
http://www.archiva.net/mstutorial3web.htm
This site is designed to help academic instructors place their syllabi on the Web without devoting tireless hours to transferring their manuscripts into HTML format. Funded by George Mason University's (GMU) TAC program and developed by Paula Petrik, GMU Professor in the Department of History and Art Associate Director of the Center for History and New Media, this site provides a brief tutorial on how to successfully turn a manuscript or syllabus into a properly formatted, fully functional Web page in as little as ten minutes. [MG]
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Scribe 2.5
http://chnm.gmu.edu/tools/scribe/
Scribe 2.5 is a free note-taking program designed specifically for historians. Essentially a computer based record management system, Scribe allows users to manage research notes, thoughts, contacts, digital images, timelines, and other material that will be useful when composing extended pieces of scholarship. Specific features include the ability to create very long notes (up to 64,000 characters); storage of published and archival sources (up to 22 types); the creation of bibliographies; linking sources to notes; and the ability to search notes and sources by author, title, keyword, note, comments, and other fields. The Scribe program will be extremely helpful to persons performing in-depth social science research and for those who seek to add more clarity and organization to their notes and preliminary writings. [KM]
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New Report Reveals Teachers are Unfit to Teach Assigned Subjects
Report: Many Teachers Lack Expertise
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news02/082202_news_teachers.shtml
Study Decries Lack of Teacher Qualifications in Public Schools
http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/507710p-4035932c.html
Study: Fourth of Classes Taught by Teachers Untrained in Subject
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/234/nation/Study_Fourth_of_classes_taught_by_teachers_untrained_in_subject+.shtml US Department of Education's Web Site
http://www.ed.gov/index.jsp
The Education Trust Web site
http://www.edtrust.org/main/main/index.asp
All Talk, No Action: Putting an End to Out-of-Field Teaching [.pdf]
http://www.edtrust.org/main/documents/teacherquality.pdf
All Talk, No Action: Putting an End to Out-of-Field Teaching, a recently released report by the Education Trust, highlights the troubling numbers regarding the percentage of public school teachers at the middle and high school levels who have little if any college training in the subjects they are assigned to teach. According to the report, an average of 24% of classes in secondary public schools are assigned to teachers who lack either a major or minor in the subject they teach. The percentage leaps to 34% for schools in low-income areas. The report is based on data from the US Department of Education's 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey and concludes that the number of "out-of-field teachers" has increased by 2.5 percent points since the Education Department's 1993-94 survey.
According to Craig D. Jerald, author of the report, two of the major reasons the numbers have not improved are the lack of a "serious system wide effort to solve the problem," and education leaders' and administrators' preference to "keep sweeping it under the rug and using loopholes." For more information concerning this story, users may access the first three news links listed above. For information about the US Department of Education and the Education Trust, users may access the organizations' Web sites provided in links four and five respectively. Finally, the last link leads to the Education Trust's newest report, All Talk, No Action: Putting an End to Out-of-Field Teaching, which offers state-by-state analysis of the most recent federal data on the percentage of core academic secondary school classes taught by teachers without a major or minor in the subject. [MG]
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