The Scout Report -- Volume 11, Number 25

The thirteenth issues of the fourth volumes of the Life Sciences Report and Physical Sciences Report are available. The Topic in Depth section of the Life Sciences Report annotates sites on Permaculture. The Physical Sciences Report's Topic in Depth section offers websites and comments about Surface Chemistry Research.

Dear Reader,

With this edition, the Internet Scout Project ends the NSDL Reports for Physical Sciences and Life Sciences after four years of publication. We are very excited about our newest NSF National Science Digital Library-funded effort, the Applied Mathematics and Science Education Repository (AMSER), a new four-year project that will link community and technical colleges to online applied math and science resources via a Web portal and complementary services. Our goal is to make AMSER-- http://amser.org/ -- the same kind of high-quality source of information about online resources that the NSDL Scout Reports have been.

As part of our effort to make AMSER useful and usable we have created an online survey -- http://amser.org/survey -- to help us better understand how faculty and staff at community and technical colleges are currently using digital materials. We would encourage readers from these environments, as well as those from the rest of the education and library communities, to complete the survey. Your valuable feedback will help inform the work of AMSER and NSDL as a whole. If you have questions about AMSER or an interest in using AMSER in your classroom, please e-mail info@amser.org, or watch for information about the project on the Scout website at http://scout.wisc.edu/ -- where you can also find information about subscribing to our flagship publication, The Scout Report.

Chris Long
Managing Editor

http://iume.tc.columbia.edu/

The Teachers College at Columbia University has been involved with cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields related to education for decades, and the research conducted at The Institute for Urban and Minority Education is part of these important efforts. The Institute was founded in 1973 and "has been committed to better understanding the educational, psychological, and social development of urban and minority group students". Visitors looking for background information on the Institute would do well to first peruse the "About" section of the website, which contains basic information on the history of the Institute and its staff members. The "Programs" section contains information on its most recent scholarly and pragmatic outreach efforts. The site is rounded out by a selection of scholarly reports and briefs produced by researchers at the Institute. [KMG]

http://www.ncrg.org/index.cfm

Established in 1996 with the financial support of a number of leading gaming companies across the United States, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is dedicated to funding independent, peer-reviewed scientific research on pathological and youth gambling. The NCRG website is divided into a number of useful sections, including those dedicated to its publications, an events calendar, and a number of germane resources, such as information for those who may have an addiction to gambling. The publications area is a good place to look for such publications as the NCRG's very own Responsible Gaming Quarterly, which premiered in 2001 and The WAGER, which is a weekly online research bulletin that provides the latest information on pathological gambling. "The Experts Say" area is a place where visitors can watch video clips of various experts in the field talking about pathological gambling and the warning signs of problem gambling. [KMG]

http://famine.tufts.edu/

Around the world, various individuals and organizations continue to tackle the complex issue of famine from an increasingly holistic approach. The Alan Shawn Feinstein International Famine Center is one such organization, and it continues to work "to improve humanitarian, relief and refugee efforts in times of famine, war and complex emergencies." Through its work during the past nine years, the Center continues to build a number of partnerships with international, national and indigenous private, governmental, and non-governmental organizations. Visitors to the site can learn about the organization's latest work by looking through the "New Developments" listed on the left-hand side of the homepage, or by browsing the "Featured Updates" on the other side of the homepage. Here they will find a number of recent publications, such as "Coping with War, Coping with Peace: Livelihood Adaptation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1989-2004". Overall, the site will be of great interest to those working in the fields of public health and a number of allied fields. [KMG]

http://webphysics.ph.msstate.edu/javamirror/

The Physics Department at Mississippi State University provides links to physics-related Java and Macromedia Shockwave Player simulations that have been created around the world. The modules are sorted into nine categories: measurements, math, mechanics, waves, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, light and optics, modern physics, and astronomy. The simulations are then further divided into subtopics so that users can easily locate helpful items. This website offers a great way for students to quickly obtain materials to assist in their physics studies.
This site is also reviewed in the June 24, 2005 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [RME]

http://www.expomuseum.com/

While some may think that world's fairs may no longer be important events for cities around the world, the ExpoMuseum website may prove those persons completely wrong. The site pays tribute to the past, present, and future of these immensely popular expositions, and also includes a number of fun features, such as a discussion area and a special section dedicated to the architecture of these places. From the homepage, visitors can also learn about the upcoming world's fairs, such as Shanghai's Expo 2010. The historical material here is the real highlight, as visitors can peruse a timeline of these fairs, and move to various other sites that provide substantive explorations of each fair through primary documents and first-hand recollections. Also, the Architecture section of the site provides images of such well-known buildings as the Space Needle (built for the 1962 World's Fair) and the Hungarian Pavilion at the 2000 World's Fair in Hanover. [KMG]

http://www.powerofculture.nl/uk/index.html

The link between culture and various forms of development remains a somewhat mysterious one, but this website provided by the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs begins to explore this rather compelling connection. The website states that "Culture is not a peripheral matter", then proceeds to offer a number of themes that visitors will want to take a closer look at. The themes that are covered on the site include policy, cultural diversity, cultural heritage, and global ethics, along with several others. Within each theme, visitors can view latest news releases on each topic, along with a selection of links to related sites, such as those provided by UNESCO. The "Specials" section is well-developed, and features in-depth discussion of such emergent cultural trends as the relatively undiscovered worlds of African cinema and Chinese media art. Finally, visitors can also choose to enter their own comments in the online visitor's book. [KMG]

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

Known to several generations of students as a potentially valuable source of basic information about the various nations of the world, the CIA's World Factbook has been published every year since 1962. Since 1971, the Factbook has been available to the general public, and in recent years, the CIA has made new editions of the work accessible via the Internet. From the homepage, visitors can select various countries of the world and learn some basic facts about each country's history, their geography, their demographics, and their government. As might be expected, the site also contains a gallery of the flags of the world's nations, a number of helpful reference maps, and a history of the World Factbook itself. Finally, visitors can also elect to download the entire World Factbook, if they so desire. [KMG]

http://www.priweb.org/index.html

The mission of the Ithaca, N.Y.-based Paleontological Research Institution (first mentioned in the January 10, 2003 NSDL Scout Report for Physical Sciences) is "to increase and disseminate knowledge about the history and evolution of the Earth and its life." The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) website offers brief information about the work of several different researchers including mastodon-related research, and studies looking at turritelline gastropods, and hard-to-identify fossils. Site visitors who are just learning about paleontology will find that the information is presented in an accessible manner. The site also provides information about the rich PRI collections, and descriptions of a variety of related publications for amateurs and professionals. In addition, the site contains detailed Instructions for Authors wishing to submit manuscripts to Bulletins of American Paleontology or Palaeontographica Americana. This site is also reviewed in the June 24, 2005 NSDL Life Sciences Report. [NL]

http://www.latinoarts.org/

Based in New York, the Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA) was founded in 1975 as a not-for-profit organization "dedicated to the advancement of Latino arts, artists and arts organizations as an integral part of the cultural life of the nation." With generous funding from a variety of organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, AHA continues to fulfill this admirable mission. First-time visitors will want to start by looking through the Latino Events On-line (LEO) calendar, which serves as a clearing-house of information about upcoming cultural events in the Latino community, such as exhibitions and readings. Equally valuable is the archive of the issues of organization's publication, AHA! Hispanic Arts News. The site is rounded out by an area that allows users to peruse various Latino-themed videos, musical recordings, and books. [KMG]

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibits/tanner/index.html

Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1859-1937, was a deeply religious, mystical painter, who, as an African-American, found it difficult to gain acceptance for his artwork in the United States, and lived most of his life in France. The Smithsonian American Art Museum presents this comprehensive online exhibition on Tanner's life and work, utilizing both paintings and archival materials from its collections. The Flash exhibit is divided into three sections. First, there is Biography, essentially an illustrated timeline, including photographs showing Tanner in his studio at 51 boulevard Saint-Jacques, Paris, ca. 1900, and Tanner's wife, Jesse Macauley Olssen, at the time of their marriage in 1899. Second, Work in Context, where users can first read a bit about Tanner's education and contemporaries, then view examples of Tanner's work, and try a self-test, attempting to pick out the Tanner paintings from groups of four paintings on particular themes, e.g. Nocturnes, Portraits, Shepherds. Finally there is a Gallery of all 57 Tanners held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. [DS]

http://www.ifcwtc.org/index.html

Originating from Daniel Libeskind's master plan for the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, the International Freedom Center will serve as a multi-dimensional cultural institution that combines education, history and civic engagement. This particular site provides ample information about the plans for the Center, along with material about the people responsible for the direction of this impressive and laudable structure. A number of partners have been signed on to this project, including IBM, the Tribeca Film Festival, and a host of universities, including the University of Capetown and the City University of New York. At the "Words of Freedom" section of the site, where visitors can read inspirational documents, such as the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. [KMG]

http://radiomemories.libsyn.com/

The "Golden Age of Radio" that arguably lasted until the early 1950s may be hard to imagine today in an era of swirling iPod playlists and other genre-bending devices and technologies, but during this time the radio reigned supreme. People tuned in every week to hear the exploits of Flash Gordon, Sam Spade, and Amos n' Andy. Thanks to the Radio Memories website, many of these memories can be relived, or just experienced for the first time. Started in May 2005, the site contains a host of compelling programs, including episodes from the Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon and a number of original episodes of the fabled Radio Detective Story Hour. If those types of programs fail to pique the interest of the casual visitor, the site also contains archived shows that explore the world of radio soap operas from the 1940s and the musical worlds of such stars as Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. [KMG]

http://www.sister-cities.org/

People from around the world have sought to establish links with other individuals from different nations, and since 1956, cities have sought to also establish meaningful relationships with other urban areas through the Sister Cities International organization. Currently, the organization represents more than 2,500 communities in 126 countries. Visitors to the site can learn which cities are currently seeking partnerships with other cities, read about the organization's annual conference, and also read about the programs they administer. Also, its calendar of events is quite full with programs designed for the general public, such as those dealing with relationships with countries in the Middle East and the question of local government. Finally, the material on the site is available in a number of different languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. [KMG]

http://www.awm.gov.au/dawn/index.asp

Throughout Australia, April 25, 1915, is a date that every Australian knows well. This is ANZAC Day, and it commemorates the landing of Australian troops on a hostile shore along the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. This online exhibit, developed by the staff of the Australian War Memorial, pays tribute to that fateful day by providing brief essays and digitized images of primary documents that recall those events. The story begins when Australia began to raise a volunteer army in 1914, and this website brings this event to life through a series of sketches by Frank Crozier, who was with the 22nd Battalion at the time. The story continues to build as the site profiles the initial plan to land on Gallipoli, along with offering some insight into the Turks involved on the other side of the battle, including the legendary Mustafa Kemal. Overall, this online exhibition brings to life a date in Australian and World War I history that is sometimes overlooked. [KMG]

http://www.fxfoto.com/fxdownload.htm

Instead of asking what you can do with the application FxFoto, it might be better to ask what one can't do with this handy application. FxFoto 3.0.054 serves as tool that allows users to automatically organize, enhance, email, and uploading their digital photographs. The program also includes red-eye correction, image enhancement, and blemish removal. Additionally, users can elect to assign different keywords to each photograph, which can come in handy if they need to search through hundreds of photos. This version of FxFoto is compatible with Windows 98 or newer. [KMG]

http://www.adiumx.com/

For better or worse, more people enjoy copious amounts of online messaging while at work, at play, or just out at the beach. Adium X 0.82 is one such device that enables this particular form of social communication. It happens to function as a multiple protocol instant-messaging client, and it includes support for AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Trepia, and Napster. With the program, users can manage multiple conversations and also maintain a presence on multiple services simultaneously. This version of Adium is compatible with Mac OS X 10.2.7 or later. [KMG]

'Frankly my dear' named top movie quote
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2005/06/22/afi_picks_top_100_movie_quotes/
AFI's 100 Years100 Movie Quotes [Quick Time]
http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/quotes.aspx
Quest for inclusion compromises list
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/s_346272.html
NPR: Top 100 Lists Shape Modern Culture [Real Player]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4711534
Trivia for Gone with the Wind
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/trivia
Orson Welles-Paul Masson Commercial
http://www.viceland.com/issues/v9n4/htdocs/touching.php#

The sheer volume of "top" and "best" lists should never be viewed as indicative that an inordinate amount of so-called "objective" research has been done to arrive at a logical hierarchy that will effectively squelch debate on any given topic. Released earlier this week, the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotes (as voted on by 1,500 persons in the entertainment industry) will no doubt generate much haranguing among the general movie-going populace and film critics and pundits everywhere. In fact, director and CEO of the American Film Institute, Jean Picker Firstenberg, remarked "We expect nothing less than a war of words as we reignite interest in classic American movies". The quote at the top of the list was the famous retort to Gone With the Wind's Scarlett O'Hara (as played by Vivien Leigh) offered by Rhett Butler (as played by Clark Gable), where he opines, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Overall, Humphrey Bogart has ten quotes on the ballot, and Al Pacino and the Marx Brothers each follow with six quotes each.

The first link will take visitors to a news story from the Boston Globe on the release of the AFI list this past Tuesday. The second link will take users to a webpage created by the AFI that features the entire list and a short clip from the film Mrs. Miniver. The third link leads to a trenchant opinion piece from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (authored by film critic Ed Blank) that offers some informed commentary on the current state of writing for films and the problems of increasingly short attention spans. The fourth link leads to a very fine audio feature from NPR's All Things Considered which discusses the very phenomenon of the "top 100"-styled lists that seem to be everywhere in the world of pop culture. The fifth link leads to a very nice selection of trivia about the film Gone with the Wind, as offered by the Internet Movie Database site. While Orson Welles's immortal line "Rosebud" from the film Citizen Kane only made it to number seventeen on the AFI's recent list, the sixth site offers a very different perspective on this auteur. On this site, visitors can watch Welles attempt to make it through one of his legendary (or more accurately, infamous) television advertisements for Paul Masson wine. [KMG]