The Scout Report - April 30, 1999

It's our fifth birthday in Internet time that's practically middle age!
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
Five years of the Scout Report and six years of Net-Happenings - we can barely believe it! Over the last five years the Internet has grown tremendously and the Internet Scout Project and its services have grown along with it. To celebrate our birthday we will spend the next 5 weeks taking a brief look back at each year of the Scout Report and Net-happenings. The celebration will end with the release of our newly designed Web site on June 1st. We hope that the site's new design and improved navigation will make it easier to use and will aid you, our users, in your quest to "surf smarter". See the Internet Scout Project's front page on Monday for the first look back to the very beginning: 1993-1994.
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Scout Report for Science & Engineering and KIDS Report
Scout Report for Science & Engineering
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/sci-engr/1999/se-990428.html
KIDS Report
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/KIDS/archive/KIDS-990427.html
Volume 2, Number 16 of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. The In the News section annotates nine resources on the discovery of a new species of human ancestor, Australopithecus garhi. The April 13 issue of the KIDS Report, written by and for K-12 students, comes to us from students of Elmore Elementary School in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This issue features Internet resources on archaeology. [MD]
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ResearchIndex [.ps, .pdf]
http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/cs
Sponsored by the NEC Research Institute, ResearchIndex was created to improve the dissemination, functionality, usability, and efficiency of online scientific literature by demonstrating and providing "algorithms, techniques, and software that can be used in other digital libraries." The current demonstration database indexes over 150,000 computer science articles containing over 2 million citations. Searchable by keyword only, database returns feature several options. Users can review a list of citations to a given paper with links to the full text articles (Postscript or .pdf format), view related articles, and sign up to have new citations for selected articles emailed to them. In the future, users should also be able to review a dynamically created and continuously updated bibliography. Additional resources at the site include a collection of papers about citation indexing, digital libraries, Web analysis, and neural networks. Users may also submit papers to the database and subscribe to be notified when additional databases become available at the site. [MD]
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New Additions to NAIL Database -- NARA
http://www.nara.gov/nara/recdata.html
The eighteenth and final batch of digitized documents and photos was added to the National Archive and Record Administration's (NARA) Archival Information Locator (NAIL) (last discussed in the February 26, 1999 Scout Report) on April 23. These new additions include 113 photographs from the St. Paul and Chicago Districts of the US Army Corps of Engineers, 16 formerly classified documents related to Japanese aerial attacks on US merchant ships in World War II, 1,042 photographs from the Engineering and Research Center of the Bureau of Reclamation, 17 multi-page documents related to James Meredith's attempts to enroll at the University of Mississippi, and a number of multi-page documents from the Kennedy Administration (including the President's recipe for New England Fish Chowder), among other items. A brief description, sample image, and searching instructions are provided for each of the collections. [MD]
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Benchmarks for Science Literacy Online [Frames]
http://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/bolframe.html
Benchmarks for Science Literacy, a companion publication to the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) project "Science for All Americans," describes "what all students should know and be able to do in science, mathematics, and technology by the time they graduate from high school." Offered as "a tool to be used by educators in designing a curriculum," Benchmarks is a compendium of specific goals for science literacy in several key areas: science, mathematics, technology, the physical setting, the living environment, the human organism, human society, historical perspectives, common themes, and habits of mind. Each section includes a summary of desired knowledge and specific targets for literacy goals by grade categories K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. In addition to its direct and intended application, Benchmarks is a useful gauge of society's scientific awareness (or lack thereof). For any science educators, this is a fascinating publication that merits attention. [LXP]
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Births: Final Data for 1997 -- HHS [.pdf, 94p.]
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/99news/99news/97natal.htm
Released on April 29, this new Department of Health and Human Services report reveals that the US birth rate has dropped to a record low, due in part to a continuing decline in the teen birth rate. The birth rate for fifteen to nineteen year-olds has declined for six straight years, falling sixteen percent between 1991 and 1997. The report, presented in .pdf format, offers a comprehensive look at birth and fertility patterns based on the latest data for the nation and each state. In addition, it addresses topics such as maternal lifestyle, medical services utilization, and infant health. References and technical notes are also provided. [MD]
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Learning Curve -- PRO [Shockwave, Quicktime, .pdf, Java]
http://learningcurve.pro.gov.uk/
This recently expanded learning center from the UK Public Record Office (PRO) explores British history with exhibitions, famous documents, special focus sections, and educational activities. The documents, which include the Domesday Book, the Magna Carta, Guy Fawke's confession, Shakespeare's will, the 1805 log from the HMS Victory (Nelson's flagship), the 1936 Abdication Instrument, and several others, are offered as digitized images along with annotations and transcripts. The Snapshots section currently contains 22 educational activities crafted around visual sources from the National Archives. A typical activity in the section uses several images and primary documents as a jumping off point for student questions, teacher's notes, and related links. The first of several planned exhibitions on the site explores changing political rights in nineteenth-century Britain with timelines highlighted by explanatory text, images, source documents, a glossary, and a teacher's guide (portions of the exhibit are still under construction). Numerous items are also offered in .pdf format for printing and classroom use. The current focus sections briefly explore the Domesday Book (aimed at a younger audience than the other features on the site) and British political cartoons. Planned future additions to the site include exhibitions on The Great War, Victorian Britain, and Twentieth-Century Heroes and Villains. The site is intended for secondary school audiences in Britain, but instructors in other areas teaching British or European history classes in secondary schools or perhaps to freshman university students may also find the site useful. [MD]
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Mathematical Musings
http://stcloudstate.edu/~musings/
This new online journal provided by St. Cloud State University is aimed at undergraduate math students who want to share ideas, propose problems, or have questions answered. The journal will present mathematical student research and student problems "at the level of calculus and higher as well as ideas from basic algebra." The inaugural issue features five articles from St. Cloud State students, a section on Software help, and a few related links. Submissions are welcome, and guidelines are provided. [MD]
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UN System Pathfinder [frames]
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/pathfind/frame/start.htm
This new service from the United Nations Dag Hammarskjold Library conveniently selects "current, relevant and useful" publications from UN organizations and groups them by topic (Culture, Disarmament, Human Rights, Economic Development, etc.). Materials listed at the site include "global studies and reports, handbooks and guides, bibliographies and indices, international statistical publications, compilations of treaties, resolutions and documents as well as annual reports of UN bodies and specialized agencies." Each publication entry includes basic bibliographic information, keywords, document symbol and sales number or UN Library call number, and whenever possible, a link to the electronic version (full-text, executive summary, or extracts.) In the case of recurrent publications, links are provided to the UN Info Quest (reviewed in the October 20, 1998 Scout Report for Social Sciences), a ready reference database of UN document symbols and sales numbers. As the majority of citations are not available online, this site will appeal most to users planning a visit to the UN Library or ordering hard copies of the required publications. [MD]
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SciCentral
http://www.scicentral.com/
SciCentral will appeal to a wide variety of users interested or working in science or medicine. The site is first and foremost a gateway to thousands of online resources, grouped by science area (Biological, Health, Engineering, Physical & Chemical, etc.) and then subdivided by resource type (directories, specialized resources, databases, special reports, articles). SciCentral also features a number of diverse Special Features, including Academic Programs, K-12 Science, The Media Room, and a Bulletin Board, among others. Other resources include an internal search engine as well as links to science news wire search engines and science journal metasites. The site is quite large, and some users may feel overwhelmed at first, an impression not helped by the site's inclusion of several tangentially related resources. However, SciCentral's real appeal is what sets it apart from other science metasites: its strength as a current awareness resource, with links to current research highlights, breaking science news, and new articles from an impressive range of sources. In addition, the site has recently introduced a free customizable weekly science e-mail update service, which allows users to select from over 120 topics. [MD]
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H-Seasia
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~seasia/
This new H-Net moderated discussion network will function as a forum for academics in Southeast Asian Studies. It will serve two constituencies: academics working and living in Southeast Asia, who previously lacked a formal electronic network for scholarly communication, and members of the broader academic community with an interest in the region. Sponsored by the Centre for Advanced Studies at the National University of Singapore, the network will probably be used primarily by those in the humanities and social sciences, "but an effort will be made to draw in people from faculties of science, law and business as well." Subscription information is provided at the site, which will also feature discussion logs and reviews when they become available. [MD]
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The American Century, Part 1: Art and Culture 1900 to 1950 [Shockwave 7.0, Flash 3.0, RealAudio G2, Live Picture]
http://www.artmuseum.net/
Whitney Museum of American Art
http://www.whitney.org/
Presented by ArtMuseum.net, Intel Corporation's "new Internet-based museum experience," the Web version of the American Century currently offers a selection of 100 images from this massive exhibition of over 1,200 works organized by the Whitney Museum of Art. The second half of the century opens at the Museum September 22nd, and its online version will include another 100 images. The Web version concentrates on placing the artwork in its historical and cultural context. Virtual visitors proceed along a timeline where images and text marking significant events appear on the bottom, and thumbnail images of artwork on the top. For example, the timeline locates a 1929 Imogen Cunningham photograph of Calla lillies with the publication of Rainier Marie Rilke's All Quiet on the Western Front and Virginia Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own." Navigation can be a little tricky; moving from enlarged art images back to the timeline and from decade to decade doesn't always work, but these appear to be programming glitches that will likely be corrected. The Web exhibition does succeed at placing the art in context, but viewers who wish to wander randomly among large, colorful paintings may be disappointed. Before entering the American Century, users can pause and follow links to more information about the Whitney, including an overview of the physical installation at the Museum. [DS]
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Origins of American Animation -- LOC [RealPlayer, MPEG, Quicktime]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/oahtml/oahome.html
The latest release from the Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory Project (last reviewed in the April 16, 1999 Scout Report) chronicles the history of early American animation. The site features 21 animated films and 2 fragments from 1900 to 1921, created with several techniques, including clay, puppet, and pen drawings. As the site authors argue, in addition to demonstrating the connections between newspaper comic strips and early animated films, these selections also offer a glimpse into the social attitudes of the period. Available in RealPlayer, MPEG, and Quicktime formats, the films are searchable by keyword or browseable by title or subject. Brief story notes are provided with each film. [MD]
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iMP: The Magazine on Information Impacts
http://www.cisp.org/
April 1999 Issue
http://www.cisp.org/imp/april_99/04_99contents.htm
Edited by Amy Friedlander and published the Center for Information Strategy and Policy (CISP) of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), iMP "seeks to promote discussion of timely issues arising from new information technologies and their development." With a mix of articles, commentary, and current awareness resources, this free online journal will offer a forum for members of numerous communities interested in advanced information technologies and their social, economic, and political impacts. This month's issue focuses on e-commerce/e-business, with articles and op-ed pieces on micropayments, handheld computing, open networks, and Internet stocks, among others. Users may subscribe for email notification of new issues. [MD]
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Three Child Support Resources
A Parent's Guide to Child Support -- CDF [.pdf, 40p.]
http://www.childrensdefense.org/childsupport.html
Child Support For Custodial Mothers and Fathers: 1995 [.pdf, 6p.]
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/chldsupt.html
Support Guidelines.com
http://www.supportguidelines.com/
The first two of these resources highlight the economic difficulties faced by many one parent families across race and income lines due to insufficient or nonexistent child support. The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) report offers answers to basic questions about obtaining support for your own children or those of community members. The guide addresses issues such as finding the noncustodial parent, establishing and enforcing child and medical support orders, and where to turn for help in obtaining child support. The second item, a joint Census Bureau and Department of Health and Human Services report, reveals that "about a third (32 percent) of custodial parents who did not receive the child support payments awarded them in 1995 were poor." Based on data collected in the April 1994 and April 1996 supplements to the Current Population Survey (CPS), the full text of the report is available in .pdf format at the site, along with detailed tables for 1994 and 1996 and the official press release. The third resource, created by Laura Wish Morgan, a prominent family law and child support attorney, is offered primarily as an aid to other attorneys "who wish to research the law of child support in general and child support guidelines in particular." The site features links to child support guidelines for each state and the District of Columbia, weekly overviews of current notable child support cases, monthly articles on current legal issues concerning child support, and a collection of related links. [MD]
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USDA for Kids
http://www.usda.gov/news/usdakids/index.html
Dozens of links from this U.S. Department of Agriculture site help kids (and adults) get information about everything from the food guide pyramid to backyard conservation. Many of the links take users to related sites sponsored by others. The Twig Walkingstick site, for example, from the Ohio State University Extension program, gives kids answers to all kinds of science and nature questions including "Why are slugs so slimey?" and "How does the goo get inside chocolate-covered cherries?" Other topics of interest in the array of links include information about food handling and bacteria, starring a rather scary looking character appropriately named "Bac"; campground information; the Smokey the Bear Web pages; a site which lists farmers markets for each state; and The Joint Agricultural Weather Facility site, which seems aimed at an adult audience. There is also a link to the USDA photo center whose mission is "acquire and make available, to the people of the United States, useful photography depicting general agriculture, health, economics, resource conservation, forestry, and other programs administered by the agencies of the Department of Agriculture." Although the age range for the links here varies greatly, overall the site brings kids and adults alike good information about agricultural matters and also provides a whole list of agricultural and kid friendly links beyond those listed on the home page. [REB]
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Three New Reports from the World Wildlife Fund
Living Seas: Marine Conservation Actions in Asia/Pacific [.pdf, 22p.]
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/asiadocs/marine.html
Living Forests: Forest Conservation Actions in Asia/Pacific [.pdf, 26p.]
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/asiadocs/forest.html
Living Water: Freshwater Conservation Actions in Asia/Pacific [.pdf, 17p.]
http://www.panda.org/resources/publications/asiadocs/water.html
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has recently placed online three reports focusing on conservation efforts in the Asia/Pacific region. Offered in .pdf format, all three reports provide overviews of WWF's current (the reports were originally published in 1997 and 1998) and planned efforts in their respective areas of concern, both at the regional and national levels. While aimed particularly at WWF fundraisers and potential donors, these reports will benefit any users with an interest in Asia/Pacific conservation actions. [MD]
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The Piltdown Plot
http://www.clarku.edu/~piltdown/
Less Graphical Entrance
http://www.clarku.edu/~piltdown/pp_map.html
Created by Clark University Professors Charles Blinderman and David Joyce, this site explores one of the most famous scientific frauds in history. For almost forty years, Piltdown Man "inhabited a branch of the tree of human evolution, [and was] featured in professional articles and books, in newspaper reports, and even in biology textbooks read by high school students." It was not until 1953 that scientific detectives decisively proved that Piltdown was a hoax; the fossils consisted of the skull of a woman combined with the jaw of an orangutan. Essentially a large collection of primary documents, this site traces the hoax from its origins in 1912-17 to the 1953-55 expose. Included are articles that set the context of early 20th-century anthropology, examples of favorable and critical commentary on Piltdown Man, and pieces setting out the "prosecution" and "defense" of likely hoax suspects (please note that the final two sections, on Secondary and Tertiary suspects, are still under construction). While any user with an interest in the Piltdown hoax will want to pay this site a visit, because of the large selection of articles, the site also lends itself for use in anthropology or history of science courses. [MD]
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State of the Internet: USIC's Report on Use & Threats in 1999
http://www.usic.org/papers/stateoftheinternet99.htm
The United States Internet Council (USIC), a non-partisan group of state policymakers and industry leaders "committed to advancing public policies essential for the digital era," especially the continued growth of the Internet, released this report on April 12. The study offers brief conclusions and statistics on a large selection of topics related to the Internet, including use and users, data traffic, electronic commerce, access, broadband technology, and government regulation. Users can access the full text of the report in HTML format at the site. [MD]
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Java Corner
http://sunsite.pub.ro/java/
US Mirror
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/java-corner/
Produced by SunSITE Romania and mirrored by the Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE (reviewed in the February 9, 1996 Scout Report), this metasite links to a large number of Java resources. Organized in four categories (Documentation, Development, Resources, and Other) and divided by resource type (Tutorials, Compilers, Applet Collections, Games, etc.), the sites are offered in table format with very brief descriptions. While not the most comprehensive or information-rich Java resource, this metasite is a good place for Java users to begin. [MD]
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PC Webopedia
http://thetech.pcwebopedia.com/
Ever wonder what a Routing Switch is? How about CMOS or seek time? Look no further than the PC Webopedia. Provided by The Tech Museum of Innovation, this encyclopedia of computer terms contains over 4,000 entries. Users may search by keyword or browse within 25 categories. Terms are briefly but clearly explained, with links to related terms and, when possible, related Websites. [MD]
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Elections in Israel
Jerusalem Post -- Elections 1999
http://www.jpost.co.il/Info/Elections99/index.shtml
IsraelWire - Election Watch '99
http://www.israelwire.com/elections.html
Elections in Israel May 1999 -- Special Update
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0d1c0
Sound Bites Over Jerusalem -- _New York Times Magazine_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/19990425mag-nagourney.html
Israelis will go to the polls on May 17 in what promises to be a close race between Israeli Labour party leader Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party. Polls have shown that neither will likely win more than 50 percent of the vote required on May 17, necessitating a June 1 run-off. Recent developments, including the Palestinian Central Committee's decision to postpone the declaration of an independent state slated for May 4 and criminal investigations of top aides, have not gone in Netanyahu's favor, and his poll ratings have slipped as a result. However, two weeks remain and a sizable block of undecided voters could still swing the election either way. Readers will do well to begin with the Jerusalem Post's special election site, which features primers on the candidates, parties, campaign issues, electoral system, and system of government. In addition, the site includes breaking news, op-ed pieces, and readers' letters. IsraelWire, an electronic wire service, offers continually updated election news stories from Israel. The next site, from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is aimed at non-Israelis interested in the election. It contains basic information on the electoral system, campaign regulations, and voting procedures, as well as brief profiles of the candidates. The final resource, from the April 25 issue of the New York Times Magazine, is an engaging account of the Americanization of the Israeli election campaign under the influence of American political strategists James Carville and Arthur Finkelstein, who have been hired by Barak and Netanyahu respectively. More resources on Israel can be found in the Scout Report Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include the Jewish Student Online Research Center (JSOURCE), Online Middle East Net Assessment Reports, and GEOBASE: Israel regional database. [MD]
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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, or the National Science Foundation.

Susan Calcari Rachael E. Bower Michael de Nie Travis Koplow Aimee D. Glassel Todd Hanson Sheilah Harrington Christopher Lukas Dave Mayer Sujani Nannapaneni Andrew Osmond Laura X. Payne Jeannine Ramsey Mike Roszkowski Debra Shapiro Geraldine Wanserski Megan Waters Amy Tracy Wells Paul M Schwartz

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