The Scout Report

November 21, 1997

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Science Department, University of Wisconsin

A Project of the InterNIC

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators, the InterNIC's primary audience. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.

Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics, KIDS Report
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/bus-econ/
K.I.D.S Report
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/KIDS/current/
The fifth issues of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics, each of which annotate over twenty new and newly discovered Internet resources, are available. The In the News section of the Social Science Report annotates eleven resources related to the Standoff in Iraq. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section annotates eight resources related to the free trade/fast-track debate. The latest KIDS report, produced by Nederland Elementary school students in Nederland, Colorado is titled Irresistible Resources and contains a smorgasbord of nine wide-ranging resources. [JS]
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Jonas Hallgrimsson Selected Poetry and Prose
http://www.library.wisc.edu/etext/Jonas/
Dick Ringler, University of Wisconsin professor of Scandinavian Studies, and Peter C. Gorman, UW Librarian, opened this site to coincide with the 190th birthday of the great Icelandic poet Jonas Hallgrimsson. This wonderful tribute contains a detailed biographical sketch, an overall analysis of Hallgrimsson's poetry, and a large bibliography of manuscripts, facsimiles, and works about the poet (mostly in Icelandic). The text and commentary section currently features 50 works (Icelandic with parallel English translations) supplemented by commentary provided by Professor Ringler. Many poems are accompanied by images of the places they describe; 21 pieces are available in audio (language varies). Scandinavian language and studies scholars are encouraged to visit this site. [JS]
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Two Agricultural Economics Annual Meetings--Selected Papers [.pdf]
American Agricultural Economics Association 1997 Annual Meeting Selected Papers
http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/aaea.html#aaea97
Rethinking Markets--Fellows Address at the American Agricultural Economic Association 1997 Annual Meeting [32p.]
http://aae.wisc.edu/www/pub/misc/
Western Agricultural Economics Association 1997 Annual Meeting Selected Papers
http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/waea97.html
These two Agricultural Economics Meetings, held in the summer of 1997, have made selected papers available through the University of Minnesota AgEcon Search site (discussed in the November 29, 1996 Scout Report). The nine AAEA papers currently available cover topics such as agricultural pollution, risk management for farmers, and the enlargement of the European Union. Daniel Bromley, Chair of the University of Wisconsin Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, gave the Fellows Address at the meeting. The full text of his address, Rethinking Markets, urging economists to be more "modest about the alleged magic of the market," can be found on the University of Wisconsin AAE site. The WAEA Annual Meeting has provided over 80 papers to the AgEcon Search site at this time, in 24 broad subject categories ranging from environmental economics, to agricultural business and finance, to community and regional economics. Note that all papers are available in Adobe Acrobat [.pdf] format only. [JS]
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Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators Service--CIESIN
http://sedac.ciesin.org/entri/
Browse All Treaties
http://sedac.ciesin.org/pidb/texts-menu.html
ENTRI is an international, collaborative effort hosted by the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) charged with providing "information about environmental treaties and national resource indicators." These treaties are organized into nine issue areas which cover land use change and desertification, transboundary air pollution, and trade and the environment, among others. Treaties can be searched or browsed by seven pre-written, basic questions. Free text searching of the treaties and treaty summaries is also available. [ATW]
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A Comprehensive Bibliography on the El Nino Phenomena--COAPS FSU
http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/lib/biblio/enso-bib-front-gif.html
Less graphical entrance:
http://www.coaps.fsu.edu/lib/biblio/enso-bib-intro.html
The Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) Library at Florida State University (discussed in the October 1, 1997 issue of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering) has created this bibliography on El Nino and its effects. Users can browse publications from COAPS or outside sources via author's last name. Unfortunately, no search facility (except the browser "find" command for each page of the bibliography) is available. A number of COAPS publications are available online. [KH]
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Communications Regulation - New Patterns and Problems--JILT
http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/issue/1997_3/commsreg.htm
Journal of Information, Law, and Technology
http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/
The latest issue of the well-known Journal of Information, Law and Technology, provided by the CTI (Computers in Teaching Initiative) Law Technology Centre at University of Warwick (UK) and the Centre for Law, Computers and Technology at Strathclyde University (UK), contains a special section devoted to communications regulation. It features eight articles and three book reviews on the topic, including copyright issues, media regulation, telecommunications law, and the relationship between television and telecommunications policy. Articles are written from a largely European point of view. An annotated list of pointers to international communcation regulation sites is provided, as is a glossary. JILT, an "electronic law journal covering a range of topics relating to IT law and applications," publishes a combination of peer and non-peer reviewed articles, as well as reviews, commentaries, and related news. [JS]
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IBM Redbooks
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/
Redbook Library
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooksonline.html
IBM Redpieces
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces.html
The IBM Redbooks, produced by IBM's International Technical Support Organization, are useful technical publications written by and for technical and marketing professionals. Full versions of these publications detail features, configurations, and uses of a wide range of IBM hardware and software systems. The Redpieces area offers not-yet-published versions of Redbooks that provide detailed information on new products. Though the collection is not searchable, the books are easy to find via a product-based hierarchical classification scheme. [CL]
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Two Resources on Native Americans of North America
Indians of California
http://www4.hmc.edu:8001/humanities/indian/welcome.htm
Indians of the Great Basin
http://www4.hmc.edu:8001/humanities/basin/gb-title.htm
Tad Beckman, professor at Harvey Mudd College, has compiled a selection of educational resources for students and teachers studying the indigenous people of California in his Indians of California site. The general resources section includes a selection of informative books, related maps, and a lengthy historical sketch. Information specific to four geographic regions is also provided; each region's resources are divided by Reservations and Rancherias, Museums and Archives, Ongoing Programs, Contacts, and Books. Professor Beckman also developed the Indians of the Great Basin site in conjunction with a course he taught on "Indigenous People of the Western United States" at HMC. The eleven "chapters" discuss the archaeology of the region; the material, social, and political cultures; spiritualism; and the arts. Illustrations (photos and maps) and related Internet resources accompany each discussion. Finally, a complete bibliography of all the cited works is available. [AG]
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PE Central--VTU
http://pe.central.vt.edu/
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute Health and Physical Education Program provides this site, a clearinghouse of information about K-12 physical education and health. An extensive list of lesson plans and assessment ideas, arranged topically and by grade level, is the focal point of this site; the Classroom Teacher Lesson Ideas uses PE "across the curriculum" to help students learn concepts in other subjects. PE Central provides information for PE professionals on relevant journals, job announcements, and equipment purchases, among other topics. [JS]
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Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses: VA, DOD Continue To Resist Strong Evidence Linking Toxic Causes To Chronic Health Effects--US House Committee Report
http://www.house.gov/reform/reports/gulfweb.htm
The US House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversite published this report, the result of an oversight investigation begun in March 1996. The report is an indictment of the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense. Among its findings: "VA and DOD did not listen to sick Gulf War veterans as to possible causes of their illnesses"; "Neither the VA nor the DOD has systematically attempted to determine whether sick Gulf War veterans are any better or worse today than when they first reported symptoms"; and "treatment of sick Gulf War veterans by VA and DOD to date has largely focused on stress and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)." In addition to summary findings, interested users can survey background material, additional views and detailed finding and recommendations. [JS]
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City/Place Population Estimates 1996--US Census Bureau [.zip]
http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/citypop.html
The US Census Bureau has released updated population estimates for cities, places, and minor civil divisions in the US. Seven major sections list cities over 100,000 and 10,000 by rank and percent growth, as well as cities, places, and minor civil divisions. The latter three sections contain figures from 1990-1996; these are arranged by state and they are also available as aggregated .zip files. Documentation and file layout are available. This City/Place information is part of a larger Census population site that covers national, state, and metropolitan area estimates (discussed in the April 25, 1997 Scout Report). [JS]
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The Princess and the Press--PBS Frontline Online
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/royals/
After the tragic death of Princess Diana recently, there was much controversy over the role of the press as an intrusive force that helped lead to her demise. PBS Frontline, in a companion site to a recent TV documentary on the relationship between the English press and monarchy, examines this controversy in detail. Interviews with thirteen journalists, including Andrew Morton, who wrote a controversial biography of the late Princess; a transcript of Diana's Interview with the BBC in 1995; selected tabloid pictures and headlines; and a timeline illustrating British royalty encounters with the press are featured. A transcript of the show will be available shortly. As always, Frontline tackles controversial issues, and while some users may not agree with the tone or conclusions of the show (and site), there is a gold mine of information on the topic here. [JS]
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Two Economic Resources--AmosWorld
AmosWorld Economic Glossary
http://amos.bus.okstate.edu/glossary/
Ask Mr. Economy
http://amos.bus.okstate.edu/ame/
The AmosWorld Economic Glossary and Ask Mr. Economy sites are provided by Orley Amos, Professor of Economics at Oklahoma State University. The Economic Glossary allows users to search or browse through hundreds of economic concepts and terms for their definitions. These definitions are hyperlinked together so users can quickly jump to related concepts. Ask Mr. Economy is a weekly section where questions on economic matters are answered. The answers provide a mixture of humor and economic concept description. Users can search topics covered in Ask Mr. Economy in the economic glossary. [THN]
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CBC Online--Children's Book Council [Frames]
http://www.cbcbooks.org/
This week (November 17-23, 1997) marks the 78th anniversary of National Children's Book Week. The CBC, administrator of this event since 1945, offers suggestions for ways to celebrate National Children's Book Week to teachers, parents and librarians. Year round this site provides a rich source of information and links related to children's literature. Within one of the five general user catagories, visitors can take a sneak preview at new children's books in the Hot Off the Presses section, consult an extensive bibliography of established children's books, learn about the 75 children's authors and illustrators that everyone should know, or browse the bi-monthly topical bibliography section. [JR]
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SF Site
http://www.sfsite.com/
Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase
http://www.sfsite.com/isfdb/
This ezine, provided by SF Site, is dedicated to "the best in science fiction and fantasy, in print and media, on the web and off." Comprised mostly of book reviews, SF Site also offers a potpourri of other information, including a science fiction webzine. Tucked into a corner of the site is an information gem for science fiction fans: the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, provided by a team headed by Al von Ruff. Interested Internauts can query over 13,000 authors and nearly 68,000 titles on this database; searches performed on name, title, year or series result in basic bibliographic responses. There is also an overall alphabetic author directory, an awards directory, and a listing of books. ISFD is similar in concept to the Internet Movie Database (discussed in the May 6, 1994 Scout Report), and is a must for science fiction fans. [JS]
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Seiwa-en
http://www.outside-in.com/seiwa-en/index2.html
The largest Japanese garden in North America, situated on 14 acres in St. Louis, Missouri, is called Seiwa-en, or the "garden of pure, clear harmony and peace." This site, provided by Outside-In, offers the next best thing to visiting Seiwa-en--a virtual tour. Users can tour the garden via the offered pathways, which guide the experience of the garden determining viewpoint, focus, and route, or by selecting areas from the garden map. Users can also choose to view the garden's features directly. These include lanterns, water basins, waterfalls, structures, and plants, trees and flowers. The photos, like the garden itself, are very attractive and include a short caption. [MD]
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NetLearn
http://www.rgu.ac.uk/~sim/research/netlearn/callist.htm
NetLearn is an annotated meta-page of Internet tutorials maintained by Iain A. Middleton and Mike McConnell at the School of Information and Media of the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK. Sites are divided into learning, teaching, and special resources (which include resources for the visually impaired, foreign language resources, and demographic resources). The power of this site lies in its carefully selected resources and in the informative, concise annotations. Those who would like to learn (or teach) Internet usage may want to bookmark this site. [JS]
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Cerf's Up [PowerPoint, ShockWave]
http://www.wcom.com/about_the_company/cerfs_up/
This site, part of MCI's technology pages, allows users to share in the wealth of Internet information and insight provided by Vinton Cerf, who, in addition to being an MCI executive, is also widely known as one of the fathers of the Internet--he is a co-inventor of the TCP/IP protocol that makes it work. Cerf's Up features over 30 PowerPoint slide presentations on various topics, and a powerful, though somewhat dated, online 36-slide ShockWave audio visual slide presentation. Users can refer to the Cerf Report for topical publications, or read interviews at the Cerf's Up Q&A section; this site cannot compare to witnessing a live Cerf presentation but it does offer the next best thing. [JS]
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Mapedit--An Imagemap Editor
http://www.boutell.com/mapedit/
Mapedit is a client-side imagemap editor provided by Boutell.Com, Inc.; it is available for Macintosh, Windows 3.1/95/NT, and Unix. This imagemap editor adds client-side imagemaps into existing HTML documents. The cost of this handy tool is just $25; evaluation copies are available and good for 30 days. Mapedit's latest version supports onMouseOver and onMouseOut JavaScript attributes. The Macintosh version requires Macintosh Runtime for Java (MRJ) version 1.5. Special note: due to a security hole which allowed for illegal access into the operating system by an Applet found in versions 1.5 and earlier, you must download version 1.5.1 of MRJ; the Unix version also requires Java runtime environment (JDK). Although Mapedit proved a bit slow in tests involving saving on the Mac, it remains a valuable, time-saving tool overall. [TB]
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Volume 1, Number 30: The Scout Report for November 18, 1994
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/archive/11-18-94.html
Internal Revenue Service
http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/
Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides--Argus Clearinghouse
http://www.clearinghouse.net/
The US Internal Revenue Service made its debut in late 1994, offering tax forms, a 21 question FAQ, and information on where to get help. The site has transformed itself into a "digital daily" newspaper, offering much information about the agency. The main draw continues to be its forms section with over 100 downloadable forms, offered in five formats. Advance copies of selected 1997 forms are now available. Other resources available at this site include a large number of tax statistics files (.exe compressed format) and Tax Regs in English, a section that seeks to explain evolving tax regulations in understandable language. When the Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides was annotated (eagerly anticipating a forthcoming change to HTML format), it was already a well known meta-guide. Originally created by students at the University of Michigan School of Information and Library Studies, the Guide has evolved into the Argus Clearinghouse, a meta site maintained by Louis Rosenfeld. Then and now, the Argus Clearinghouse represents one of the best Internet subject guides available. Each of its hundreds of guides is a portal into the available Internet resources of a specific subject. Guides are arranged and rated by the Clearinghouse. Ratings are based on five factors, including resource description, guide design, and guide meta-information. [JS]
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Copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-1997. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the National Science Foundation, AT&T, or Network Solutions, Inc.

The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout

Susan Calcari
Jack Solock
Jeannine Ramsey
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The Scout Report - November 21, 1997

The Scout Report

November 21, 1997

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