The Scout Report -- Volume 14, Number 29

http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Industrial_Agriculture/PCIFAP_FINAL.pdf

Most people have probably heard about the recent troubles with mad cow disease, but they might not know much about the broader changes that have occurred with meat production over the past fifty years. This compelling 124-page report, released in April 2008, takes a close look into the nature of industrial meat production in America. The report was funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The report is divided into four separate chapters and a conclusion, and the sections cover environmental risks, animal welfare, and public health concerns. Most visitors will also want to take a look at the substantive recommendations offered by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production which concludes the report. Additionally, there is a shorter version of the report that's also available on the site. [KMG]

http://www.citmedialaw.org/

Formed as a cooperative project between Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the Center for Citizen Media, the Citizen Media Law Project (CMLP) was established "to provide education, legal training, and resources for individuals and organizations involved in citizen media." For journalists, academics, and lawyers, this site will prove to be an indispensable resource. First-time visitors will want to start with the "Looking for Help?" area. Among other things, this area contains the online Citizen Media Legal Guide which is designed to help citizen media creators with such issues as defamation, privacy torts, intellectual property matters, and newsgathering. The section also contains information about finding a lawyer and how to get involved with the CMLP. Additionally, visitors can use their search engine to find specific resources and they will definitely want to glance over their weblog. [KMG]

http://130.74.92.141/harris.php

Sheldon Harris was an avid record collector, and he began his collection as a young man growing up in Brooklyn. During his life, he also served as the blues editor of "Jazz & Pop Magazine", and also found time to publish an important biographical dictionary of blues singers and an oral history of jazz as told by jazz trombonist and blues singer, Clyde E.B. Bernhardt. This particular digital sheet music collection pays tribute to his work, and it was created by The University of Mississippi Department of Archives and Special Collections. Visitors can browse the sheet music at their leisure, and the holdings are particularly strong in the blues and early minstrel numbers. There are a number of ways to complete searches, as users can browse the selections by creator, decade, publisher, or geographic region. Items of note in the collection include "Jazzin' the Blues Away", "I'm Saving Up The Means To Get To New Orleans" and the W.C. Handy-penned classic "Memphis Blues". [KMG]

http://hrw.org/reports/2008/icc0708/

The International Criminal Court (ICC) began operations in 2003, and the Human Rights Watch organization recently released this detailed look into the first few years of their operations. The 244-page report was released in July 2008, and it is divided into eight chapters that cover the ICC's various divisions, including the Office of the Prosecutor, victim and witness protection, and outreach and communications. Commenting on the report Richard Dicker, the International Justice Program director at Human Rights Watch, said, "the court should tackle real shortcomings so that its work resonates in the communities most affected by major international crimes." The report is also available in French and Japanese, and for persons with a penchant for international law or human rights; it is well worth a look. [KMG]

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/HumanEcol/subcollections/MillineryBooksAbout.html

From millinery to dressmaking, this excellent digital collection from the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections group brings together a myriad of books from the early 20th century on the world of such matters, along with forays into costume design. Interestingly enough, the University of Wisconsin offered courses in these fields in the 1910s and 1920s. Visitors can start their exploration of these materials by browsing through a few of the titles, which include Florence Anslow's 1922 work "Practical Millinery" and Gene Allen Martin's "Make Your Own Hats" from 1921. In total, this collection contains 36 complete works, and visitors may be inspired by the site to create their own costumes, dresses, and so on. [KMG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/

The BBC has created a number of fine online subject guides based on their own programming, and the BBC Health site continues in that exemplary tradition. First-time visitors may want to look over the "Explore" section in order to get a feel for the site. Here they will find resources on preparing for surgery, fertility drugs, staying healthy after 50, and a number of lively message boards. After that, visitors will want to move around to sections that include "Your weight", "Men's health", "Women's health", and "First aid". Visitors shouldn't miss the clips from their recent programs either, particularly the show "Make My Body Younger", which features doctors working with people who are trying to change some of their particularly unhealthy behaviors. [KMG]

http://www.bioedonline.org/slides/slide01.cfm?tk=55

The Baylor College of Medicine's BioEd website is a veritable cornucopia of biology teaching resources. Recently, they added a new video presentation and slide set that will delight science educators everywhere. Titled "The Pathway to Genomic Medicine", these materials were created by Dr. Richard Gibbs, Director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Throughout both the slide set and the video presentation, Dr. Gibbs offers specific information about recent progress made in this area that will help educators better understand some of these developments. Overall, it's quite a resource, and one that can be used in high school and college science classrooms. Visitors should also note that each slide contains keywords, so they should feel free to search the slides this way, if they are so inclined. [KMG]

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/

Since the last time the Scout Report looked in on The Digital South Asia Library, it has grown tremendously, and scholars with an interest in reference and research materials on South Asia will be delighted to learn about the many new additions to the site. The project is based at the Center for Research Libraries, and participants in the project include the Library of Congress, the Asia Society, the British Library, and the South Asia Microform Project. The materials are contained within eight primary sections on the homepage, including "Indexes", "Images", "Maps", and "Statistics". The "Maps" section contains two complete Imperial gazetteers of India, along with "A Historical Atlas of South Asia" from 1992. Next, the "Statistics" area contains the "Statistical Abstract relating to British India" from 1840 to 1920. Overall, the site is a standout resource for those studying this region, and educators will find much to recommend to their students who are seeking primary and secondary source materials. [KMG]

http://lmt.rcm.ac.uk/

Eighteenth century London bustled with musicians of all stripes. Of course, this heady brew of musical activity included those in related professions, such as music publishers, composers, and instrument makers. This database created by the Royal College of Music's Centre for Performance History provides a peek into this world. The database provides basic biographical information about such individuals, much of which is derived by a range of archival material that includes insurance records, wills, and apprenticeship records. Visitors will need to complete a brief free registration form, and then they can make their way through this material. On the left-hand side of the main page, users will note six primary sections, including "Insurance Records", "Poll Books", and "Wills". Within each section, visitors can read a brief summary about each type of historical document, and afterwards, they can begin their search of the records. [KMG]

http://www.getty.edu/conservation/

Started in 1985, The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) "works internationally to advance conservation practice in the visual arts." Their mission is quite broad, as it includes conservation projects that involve architecture, individual objects, and site examinations. First-time visitors may wish to start by looking at the "What's New" area on the right-hand side of the homepage. Here they will find short videos on Asian orange colorants, information about Middle East heritage databases, and a direct link to the latest edition of the GCI's newsletter, "Conservation". Moving on, the "Free PDF Publications" area contains access to full-length books, reports, glossaries, and short papers published by the GCI. The "Videos and Audio" area contains a number of compelling talks, including a conversation with a panel of experts about long-term preservation plans for the bridges that span the Los Angeles River. Finally, the site also contains information for potential visiting scholars, graduate students, and interns within the "Public Programs" area of the site. [KMG]

http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/index.html

Trying to capture the essence of a country's history through photographs and portraiture is difficult, but the National Diet Library of Japan has done just that through this remarkable digital exhibit. They started to compile this collection of prominent members of modern Japanese society in 2004, and the exhibit currently contains over 350 images. After reading a short introductory essay, visitors can browse the images by category (such as jurist and literary figure) or look at an alphabetical list of all the individuals profiled here. Interestingly enough, the photographs here are culled from two large volumes published in 1914 and 1934, and they include photographs and brief biographies of such personages as noted military officer Sadao Araki, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, and historian and journalist Soho Tokutomi. [KMG]

http://www.favoritearchitecture.org/

The American Institute of Architects has thrown down a gauntlet of sorts by offering up this list of the top 150 architecture projects as selected by the American public. Through a partnership with Google Earth, visitors can locate each building on an interactive map, but they might want to start by browsing through the list first. Each building profile includes a photograph, a brief overview of its general significance, and a section where visitors can chime in with their two cents. Visitors can also look at an alphabetical list of buildings, or a list of architects arranged alphabetically. The user interface for this feature is easy to use and quite compelling, and visitors will find plenty to argue about with friends, family members, and fellow lovers of the built environment. For those who are curious, the Empire State Building is ranked number one, followed by the White House, the Washington National Cathedral, and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. [KMG]

http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/idahogardens/

From tomatoes to pesky (and helpful) insects, the Idaho Landscapes & Gardens website has information for a wide range of interested parties, and not just persons who live in Idaho either. Created and maintained by the University of Idaho's Extension program, the site is divided into areas like "Gardening Basics", "Lawn & Turf", "Herbaceous Ornamentals", and "Wildlife in the Garden". For those with a budding green thumb, the "Gardening Basics" section offers some practical information on gardening equipment, composting, soil preparation, and irrigation methods. More advanced gardeners may wish to skip over to the "Plant Your Landscape" area. Here they will find resources on how to create a general landscape plan and how to install different elements of the basic plan. The site is rounded out by the "Seasonal Topics" area, which contains up-to-the minute details on summer pruning and fall lawn care. [KMG]

http://www.gettysburg.edu/library/gettdigital/maps/stuckenberg_maps.htm

As a small boy, John Henry Wilbrandt Stuckenberg emigrated to the U.S. from Germany and later served as an Army chaplain during the Civil War. Over the course of his life, Stuckenberg returned to Germany several times and it was while living in Germany that Stuckenberg purchased the majority of his collection. Upon his death in 1903, he left Gettysburg College his personal library. It contained a vast collection of maps, atlases, and personal items that belonged to the famed geographer and explorer, Alexander Von Humboldt. The Special Collections Department at the College has digitized many of his treasures, and placed them online here for use by the general public. Some of the cartographers featured here include Matthias Seutter, Willem Janszoon Blaeu, and Tobias Conrad Lotter. Visitors can search the entire collection by keywords, or they can also just click on sections such as "City", "Region", and "Country". The "Cities" area offers more than a few gems, including a 1777 map of Philadelphia and an 1832 rendering of Lisbon. Moving on, the "Country" area includes a 1579 map of Mexico and an 1808 map of Finland. [KMG]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/

After the fall of the Taliban, a number of political experts and scholars discussed a scenario in which the Taliban and elements of Al Qaeda would set up command centers in nearby Pakistan. This episode of Frontline takes a very close look into that situation, and visitors can watch the program in its entirety here. The site also offers up a number of other features, including a detailed map of the region profiled in the film and interviews with former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage and author Barnett Rubin. In "The Region's New Fighters", visitors can read transcripts of interviews with top Taliban lieutenants such as Haji Omar and Jalaluddin Haqqani. Visitors are also welcome to offer their own comments on the program in the "Join the Discussion" area of the site. [KMG]

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2008/ernst/index.shtm

The exhibit "Max Ernst: Illustrated Books" showcases "mysterious, species-bending creatures invented by German surrealist Max Ernst (18911976) during the 1920s and 1930s." Images such as bird- and insect-headed women, or a strange machine that seems to be part man, part crocodile, and part bicycle have been selected from the pages of nineteen collage novels created by Ernst. On the website visitors see pages from five or six of these titles, including Rve d'une petite fille qui voulut entrer au Carmel (A little girl dreams of taking the veil), Une semaine de bont (Kindness Week), and Spectacle metallique (1930). There are also some examples from Ernst's Histoire naturelle that the artist created by rubbing a pencil over various textures and surfaces, producing shapes reminiscent of bamboo, seed balls, rabbit ears, and bird's claws. [DS]

http://www.glaryutilities.com/

Glary Utilities continues to improve with this latest release. For those who haven't tried the program yet, the package offers a number of system tools and utilities that help users maintain and protect their computers. Visitors can take advantage of their well-organized interface to remove unwanted junk files, clean up invalid and broken shortcuts, and also scan, remove, and back up faulty registry entries. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 98 and newer. [KMG]

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

The Firefox browser has been around for sometime now, so those who haven't given it a whirl may wish to do so now. In this latest release, users will find that the location bar drop-down menu now includes URLs from both the browsing history and the bookmarks area. Also, a new add-ons manager includes a built-in plug-in search engine. This version is compatible with computers running either Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5 or Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]

The End of White Flight
http://www.wsj.com/article/SB121642866373567057.html

Racial Balance Shifts as 'White Flight' Subsides [Real Player]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92744947&ft=1&f=1015

How Willie Kathryn Suggs Changed the Harlem Real-Estate Market
http://nymag.com/realestate/features/48328/

In Thousands of Images, a Photographer Builds a History in Harlem [Free registration may be required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/nyregion/21photographer.html

Older Cities Hold On to More People, Census Shows [pdf]
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/0710_census_frey.aspx

DCGentrification.com
http://www.dcgentrification.com/

Reversing a fifty-year pattern, recent reports and Census data seem to indicate that the era of 'white flight' from large urban areas in the United States may be over. In a recent article from the Wall Street Journal it was reported that between 2000 and 2006 eight of the largest 50 cities (including Boston and San Francisco) saw their proportion of whites increase. The causes for this broad transformation are complex, but because so many whites left large cities in the previous decades, even modest gains in the white population results in significant increases. Also, African-Americans are continuing to move to the suburbs, and more Hispanics frequently bypass the city altogether due to rising real estate costs and lack of job opportunities in certain sectors. There are other interesting aspects related to this demographic change, including struggles over local cultural identity in neighborhoods that have been defined by African-American culture for decades, such as the Fillmore neighborhood in San Francisco and Harlem in New York. To address this issue, San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom has convened an "African-American Out-Migration Task Force and Advisory Committee" to help retain black residents noting, "The city is experiencing growth, yet we're losing African-American families disproportionately. When that happens, we lose part of our soul." [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to the aforementioned Wall Street Journal article, which was published this past Saturday. The second link will lead visitors to an interesting discussion from National Public Radio on the changing demographics of American cities. Participants on this program include Conor Dougherty, author of the Wall Street Journal article on 'white flight' and William Frey, demographer for the Brookings Institution. Moving on, the third link leads to an article on Harlem real estate maven, Willie Kathryn Suggs. She's part of the ongoing debate surrounding the gentrification in Harlem, and the piece is well worth a read. The fourth link leads to an excellent profile of Harlem photographer Alix Dejean from this Monday's New York Times. The fifth link will whisk users away to a report from the Brookings Institution from demographer William Frey which discusses the recent (and somewhat surprising) population gains made by older American cities. Finally, the last link leads to a website that tracks various symbols of gentrification (new housing developments, etc.) in Washington, D.C. [KMG]