The Scout Report -- Volume 11, Number 49

http://www.whannenberg.org/

Born in 1908, Walter H. Annenberg wore many hats during his long career, including publisher, broadcaster, and Ambassador to the Court of St. Jamess, Great Britain from 1969 to 1974. He remains perhaps best known for his devotion to philanthropy and the work done by The Annenberg Foundation, which he established in 1989. Visitors to the site can learn about their work, and also learn about how to apply for a grant from the Foundation. The News section on the sites homepage provides concise details about their latest funding endeavors, such as their donations to disaster relief programs and literacy programs in Philadelphia. Users may also wish to read their 15th anniversary report, which details how the Foundation has made grants totaling more than $2.8 billion. The site is rounded out by a selection of links that lead directly to other programs and organizations established by the Foundation, such as the Annenberg Media organization and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. [KMG]

http://urbo.ovpm.org/index.php?newlang=eng

Created in 1993, the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) has been given a mandate by the United Nations to protect the cultural, historical, and social heritage of the worlds great cities. For a number of years, the organization has worked towards this goal by publishing helpful how to materials for any number of interested parties, including city officials, heritage groups, and concerned citizens. Recently, this site was created in an attempt to bring these materials together at one online destination. On this site, visitors can learn about case studies (such as those designed to rehabilitate the urban core of Havana), read publications on how to preserve the built environment, and peruse a list of related links. The publications area is quite strong, as it contains a number of introductory works such as A History of Architectural Conservation by Jukka Joklehto and Standards in Preventive Conservation by Rebeca Alcantra. [KMG]

http://digarc.usc.edu:8089/cispubsearch/

Universities and colleges have been involved in creating digital archives for the web-curious public for over a decade, and successful projects have been launched at institutions such as the University of Wisconsin and the University of Pittsburgh, among others. The University of Southern California (USC) has created their own digital archive, which draws on their own archival holdings, along with those of other collaborating institutions. Currently, the USC Digital Archive provides access to over 100,000 photographs, maps, and texts. Within this archive, there is a distinct emphasis on materials that relate directly to the Southern California region, particularly the city of Los Angels. Additional materials are related to the western United States more generally, and the Pacific Rim region as well. Visitors can perform a basic or advanced search within this archive, or they can also browse through one of the thematic collections. These collections include a clutch of land use maps of Los Angeles created by the Works Progress Administration and the Sea of Korea map collection. [KMG]

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=7277&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

The phrase information society may not be well-known to all, but the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been compelled to keep member states abreast of related developments in this area since October 1998, when the Observatory was created. Their initial objective was to provide information on the following issues: access to information in public domain, electronic commerce, privacy and confidentiality in cyberspace, and violence in cyberspace. Today, their mission is much the same, and those persons with an interest in these general and specific areas will find this site quite useful. The Observatory maintains a number of regional observatories in different regions of the world, and visitors can look through each of these areas to read topical news coverage and reports generated by each of these units. Visitors can also look through a thematic list of categories on the homepage that address such topics as e-governance, internet governance, frameworks for online communication, and several dozen others. [KMG]

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

With substantial financial support from the Liberty Fund, Inc. the Library of Economics and Liberty is dedicated to advancing the study of economics, markets, and liberty. The site will be a real treat for anyone with a penchant for these issues, and perhaps may even spark a new interest for the first-time visitor. The sites features include a number of features columns, definitive editions of classics in the fields of political theory and economics, and a number of annotated bibliographies. For those looking for some contemporary perspectives on related issues, they need look no further than the Librarys homepage. Visitors can read reflections on licit globalization from Ibsen Martinez and a piece titled Why is Economics so Boring? from Boston Colleges Donald Cox. For a bit of fun, visitors can also view a list of upcoming birthdays of notable economists such as Gunnar Myrdal and others. [KMG]

http://www.schoolsanitation.org/

The United Nations and the World Bank remain committed to improving education in the developing world, and this website is designed to address one key component of this initiative, namely school sanitation. For students to remain successful in school settings, it is hoped that these materials will help create an enabling learning environment that contributes to childrens improved health, welfare, and learning performance. From the homepage, visitors can learn about the materials in the toolkit provided here, read a list of basic principles contained within the toolkit, as well as the guiding principles behind it. Visitors will also appreciate the section titled Project Cycle, which gives first-hand details about how to create these types of public health projects in a variety of educational settings. For those who may be unacquainted with the argot used in this area, there is also a glossary of terms. [KMG]

http://soundtransit.nl/index.html

Would you like to hear the sounds of people playing bingo in Glasgow? Perhaps you are interested in a night recording of crickets in Speyside, Tobago? These and many other soundscapes can be found at the Soundtransit website. Developed as a collaborative online archive of field recordings, the site contains a wide variety of sound clips from around the world, submitted by persons from countries all over the world. Visitors can begin their sound travels by using a search engine that allows them to look for sounds by country, artist, or city. Each clip is accompanied by a short description, such as this one for a clip from Vienna: an inside-recording from a fridge with a working coffee machine on top. One feature that is particularly outstanding is the SoundTransit area. Here, visitors can book audio fieldtrips by selecting an itinerary, complete with stopovers. Clearly, there are few better ways to travel from Casablanca to Cleveland in such a rich aural fashion. [KMG]

http://international.loc.gov/intldl/fiahtml/fiahome.html

A partnership between the Library of Congress and the Bibliothque nationale de France has produced this digital research library "that tells the story of the French presence in America and the interactions between the French and American peoples from the early 16th to the late 19th centuries." Presented in both French and English, the collection includes maps and many types of documents and images, such as travel narratives, missionary accounts, administrative reports, prints, and drawings. The site is organized into several themes: Exploration and Knowledge; The Colonies; Franco-Indian Alliances; Imperial Struggles; The French and North America after the Treaty of Paris (1763-1803); and France in America: Chronology. An example of materials is "King's Daughters, Casket Girls, Prostitutes", an illustrated account of how, in an attempt to reduce the ratio of six male colonists of marriageable age to every European-born female in the royal province of Canada in the 1660s, Louis XIV subsidized the emigration of over 700 young women, mostly orphans raised at the General Hospital of Paris. [DS]

http://content.lib.washington.edu/ww-spwsweb/index.html

The western United States has been the site of some of the most ambitious public works projects in the countrys history. One only need think of massive structures such as the Hoover Dam or the Grand Coulee Dam to be reminded of the strong human desire that compels various groups of individuals to harness and control water. This latest digital collection from the University of Washingtons Digital Collections group showcases images of hydroelectric power and water supply facilities built in the state of Washington from the 1890s to the 1950s. Among its 695 images, visitors will find construction photographs of the Snoqualmie Falls Power Plant, plans for the Seattle Water System, and the Lower Baker River development, which was built with steam donkeys and dynamite. Understanding of these developments in public works (and the photographs themselves) is greatly enhanced by an accompanying essay on the construction of these edifices by noted local historians Paul Dorpat and Genevieve McCoy. [KMG]

http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives/goddard/index.html

Born in Clayton, Missouri, Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr. attended Harvard in the late 1930s, served in the Air Force, and then shortly thereafter, he and his new wife moved to the state of Arizona. Goddard entered the world of politics after a time, and became governor of the burgeoning state of Arizona in the 1960s. The Arizona State University Libraries has created this rather compelling online collection of his papers, and ephemera related to his time in office and his work on the campaign trail. Here visitors can read a rather thorough biography of Goddard, view images and slogans from his various campaigns, and view interview clips with the man himself. The site also contains materials related to the broader political climate in Arizona at the time, along with information about the key legislative battles surrounding that most fractious of issues in the western United States: water. [KMG]

http://www.nfb.org/

When thinking of blind persons in the United States, many people may immediately think of such notable figures as Stevie Wonder or the late Helen Keller. Currently, there are approximately 1.3 million people living with blindness in the United States, and one of the primary organizations dedicated to lobbying for the rights of the blind is the National Federation of the Blind. Their website contains a wide variety of materials, including information on employment and training for blind and visually-impaired individuals and a section titled How Do You?. This section provides answers to questions that children may ask about blind people, such as What is the White Cane Law? and How do blind people cook?. Visitors will also want to peruse their publications area, which includes current and past issues of the Braille Monitor and Voice of the Nations Blind. The site also contains information about a free service that allows blind people to listen to hundreds of newspapers over the telephone. [KMG]

http://www.theparisreview.com/

While George Plimpton may be gone, the Paris Review continues to soldier on, much the same as it has done for the past fifty years. Over its long history, this literary periodical has published important works by Philip Roth, V.S. Naipul, and Samuel Beckett. Their website offers selections from both current and previous issues, and for various members of the intelligentsia, this site will merit several visits. One special feature should be noted straightaway, namely The DNA of Literature area accessible on the homepage. Here, the staff members at The Paris Review have placed author interviews, including conversations with the likes of Saul Bellow, Nelson Algren, and James Baldwin. Additionally, visitors should take a look at the audio section of the site, which includes readings by a variety of poets and authors, including Billy Collins, Agha Shahid Ali, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. [KMG]

http://www.cleverkeys.com

Sometimes users may discover that they need access to quick information from a variety of sources while using different applications, such as Microsoft Word or Outlook Express. The CleverKeys application can allow them to do just that with its non-intrusive interface. The program will provide users with access to definitions, synonyms, and basic reference information from several trustworthy online sites with just one mouse click. This version of CleverKeys is compatible with computers running all versions of Windows and Mac OS X. [KMG]

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Long-time supporters of Mozillas Firefox browser will be glad to hear that a new version of this web-browser has recently been released to the general public. This latest version incorporates a number of new features, such as a new option to clear private browsing data, more robust pop-up blocking, and the option to quickly reorder browser tabs. This latest version is compatible with computers running Windows 95 and newer. [KMG]

On the road to India, bringing deadly cargo
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/06/news/india.php

In todays India, status comes with four wheels
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/05/content_500536.htm

National Highways Authority of India [pdf]
http://www.nhai.org/

Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India [pdf]
http://www.saathii.org/

World Health Organization: Regional Office for South-East Asia [pdf]
http://w3.whosea.org/en/Section10/Section18.htm

U.S. Highways: From US 1 to US 830
http://www.us-highways.com/

For many countries, the development of a modern highway system is considered one of the most important steps on the road to economic prosperity. Of course, such developments can also serves as precursors to the creation of other problems, a situation that India is finding out as they continue work on their own highway system. Currently, India is undergoing a massive highway-building program that will modernize the path of the so-called Golden Quadrilateral, which includes 3,625 miles of national highways. While it is hoped that these developments will bring ease of access to large urban centers, the unintended consequences are quickly becoming apparent. The development of these highways has dramatically increased the rate of rural migration to cities, along with easing the spread of HIV through truckers who stop off at any number of roadside brothels. The HIV situation continues to be of grave concern in India, especially given the lack of knowledge regarding the transmission of the disease among Indian citizens. [KMG]

The first link will lead visitors to a fine story from the International Herald Tribune about the concerns about how the development of the Indian highway system may exacerbate the countrys HIV situation. The second link will take visitors to a piece from the China Daily news service about the status associated with owning an automobile in India. The third link will whisk users away to the homepage of the National Highways of India website. Here visitors can learn about the progress of the work being done on their highways and about their master plan for the coming roadways. The fourth link leads to the homepage of the Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India (SAATHI) organization, which works to strengthen and expand HIV/AIDS services around India. The fifth link will take users to the site of the World Health Organizations HIV/AIDS Regional Office for South-East Asia, which serves as an omnibus site for materials on their work in the region. The final link will take users to a nostalgia-filled website that provides information on the old United States highway system. Here visitors can learn about the sites along such fabled routes as US 20, and of course, Route 66. [KMG]