The Scout Report - September 3, 1999

Scout Report for Science & Engineering
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/1999/se-990901.html
Volume 2, Number 25 of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. The In the News section annotates ten resources on hurricane predictions for the 1999 season. [MD]
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ERIC/AE Full Text Internet Library
http://ericae.net/ftlib.htm
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE) has recently announced the opening of its Full Text Internet Library, providing access to over 250 "of the best full-text books, reports, journal articles, newsletter articles and papers on the Internet that address educational measurement, evaluation and learning theory." The titles, currently culled from nine online journals and 29 organizations, are organized under eight topic headings, including Educational Quality, Learning Theory, Evaluation, Student Evaluation, Tests & Testing, Professional Standards, Research, and Statistical Analysis. The number of titles available in each topical section varies, but all have been reviewed and selected according to the stated selection criteria. The heading for each piece includes bibliographic information and the number of times it has been viewed since the site went live last month. The site also offers a title/author keyword search engine. [MD]
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AsiaSource
http://www.asiasource.org/
This site has been developed by the Asia Society (last discussed in the March 5, 1999 Scout Report) as a comprehensive source for news and resources on Asian culture, business, politics, and history. Researchers, students, and general users will find a wealth of useful information at this site, from breaking news stories to articles and speeches on a wide variety of topics (most are off site) to maps and statistics to special Asia Society features. Other resources include an event calendar, a glossary, related links, and a database of Asian specialists. Each segment of the major sections of the site also include a list of highlighted resources (event, book, view, and link) picked by Asia Society. Users can also subscribe for free email updates. Already a respected provider of authoritative information and analysis, the Asia Society establishes itself as one of the leading online resources for Asian Studies with this fine site. [MD]
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Southern California Earthquake Center [.pdf]
http://www.scec.org/
The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center, aims to reduce earthquake hazard by defining the locations of future earthquakes, calculating expected ground motions, and conveying this information to the general public. The SCEC's homepage contains access to research and data, including links to databases for strong motion and seismograms, and a searchable and sortable bibliographic database of publications. A link to the Earthquake Information Network provides a searchable list of up-to-date internet earthquakes resources. Also available are GPS data and a network of GPS stations. Note, in order to access the SCEC Publications Database, a username and password are required. Use your own name for the username, and enter webview as the password. SCEC is a first rate resource for earthquake engineers. [KR]
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Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) Updated ATF Site
http://trac.syr.edu/tracatf/index.html
TRAC, a nonpartisan "data gathering, data research and data distribution organization" located at Syracuse University (last reviewed in the April 16, 1999 Scout Report--http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/1999/.html#4), has put up a new edition of its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) site. Drawing data from a variety of sources, TRAC has found that referrals for federal prosecution by the ATF have sharply declined since 1992. There has also been a decline in total staff, weapons prosecutions (until 1997-98), and average prison sentences. After free registration, users may read a summary of these and other new findings, supplemented with numerous graphs and tables. Additional information at the site includes national trends and profiles in ATF activity; detailed maps, ranking tables, and individual district tables for the US as a whole and for 90 federal judicial districts; and several short essays "highlighting significant aspects of ATF enforcement policies and practices." Users may order additional detailed data from TRAC for a fee. [MD]
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The Constitution Community - NARA
http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/
A new addition to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Digital Classroom site (see the November 18, 1997 Scout Report for Social Sciences), the Constitution Community is a partnership between classroom teachers and education specialists from the NARA. Like other Digital Classroom projects, the Constitution Community offers sample lesson plans, correlated to the National History Standards, that make use of original documents and images from American history. In addition to the lesson plan, each also includes background information, a number of suggested teaching activities, and its connection to the US Constitution The lessons are grouped by eight historical eras, covering the American Revolution to the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Act. Highlights include The Growth of Regionalism, The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady, FDR's First Inaugural Address: Declaring "War" on the Great Depression, and the Founding Documents of the Peace Corps. [MD]
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Biotechnology Information Resource (BIC) - USDA [RealPlayer]
http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/
Agricultural biotechnology has garnered considerable attention from the media as of late. This site, maintained by the National Agricultural Library of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), offers a wide-ranging collection of resources on biotechnology research and education. While skeptics or opponents of current practices in agricultural biotechnology will find few items that reflect their views, the site is still useful for anyone interested in biotech research and regulation. Resources include the full text of selected biotechnology patents (1994-96), research news and newsletters, links to sites involved in biotech education, government and NGO documents, bibliographies (all from 1996), and subject specific resources for Bovine Somatotropin (bST/BGH), Bioremediation, and BT Toxin. Please note that some of the linked sites are rather dated and that this site should be regarded as a starting point rather than a comprehensive source, especially with regard to new developments in the field. [MD]
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Bartleby Verse: American and English Poetry, 1250-1920
http://www.bartleby.com/141/verse/
The New Bartleby Library has added the texts of five additional poetry anthologies covering American and English poetry, 1250-1920, to its Verse page, which previously hosted The Oxford Book of English Verse (see the August 23, 1996 Scout Report). The new additions include the Yale Book of American Verse (1912), Modern British Poetry (1920), Modern American Poetry (1919), Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the 17th Century (1921), and the Golden Treasury (1875). All six anthologies are searchable by keyword or browsable by author (chronological or alphabetical), title, or first line. The anthologies are, of course, highly selective and reflect the period in which they were originally published, representing the canon as it stood in the first quarter of this century. [MD]
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Milestones of Modernism 1880-1940: Selections from the Norwest Collection
http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/
This site is an online version of a current exhibition at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts that highlights over 200 objects from the recently donated Norwest Collection, "the worlds most significant collection of Modernism." This clean and easily-navigated site groups the objects by the major movements of the period. These include Arts and Crafts (1875-1915), Art Nouveau (1880-1910), Wiener Werksttte (1903-1933), De Stijl (1917-1928), Bauhaus (1919-1933) and Art Deco (1920-1940), among others. Each section offers a brief introduction to the movement and thumbnails of the selected works. Each full-size image of the work is accompanied by a caption of varying length. Additional resources include a Timeline and a list of works sorted by maker. [MD]
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Introduction to Islam
http://www2.ari.net/gckl/islam/introislam.htm
Provided by the Middle East Institute George Camp Keiser Library, this online version of M. Cherif Bassiouni's book offers an interesting and useful introduction to the history and culture of Islam for non-Muslim readers. The book is well-organized and attractive, offering numerous photos, maps, and charts. In addition to providing a historical and cultural context of Islam, the book covers basic tenets of Muslim belief, Islamic law, schools of thought, the social and economic systems of Islam, and an overview of Islamic civilization. [MD]
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Inner City Press
http://www.innercitypress.org/
Based in the South Bronx, the Inner City Press has been publishing a newspaper focused on low-income neighborhoods nationwide since 1987. A few months ago, the organization went online with a weekly publication featuring original and engaging investigative and analytical pieces from a selection of beats, including the Federal Reserve, Community Reinvestment, Insurance Redlining, Wall Street, Environmental Justice, and Banks, among others. The most recent issue (August 30) includes concise reports on predatory lending, the economic crisis in Ecuador, press leaks and the Federal Reserve, and a round-up of bank news. The site also provides overviews and related resources for Community Reinvestment, the Inner City Public Interest Law Center, Environmental Justice, Insurance Redlining, and related topics. [MD]
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Salt Made the world Go Round: MRBLOCH Salt Archive
http://www.salt.org.il/
Don't you just love it when everything can be summed up with one simple explanantion? Created by David Bloch, this Website proves that life as we know depends upon salt. Sections of the site look at salt in relation to a wide range of areas of study, such as Physiology, Geology, Archaeology, Paleoclimatology, Religion, and Economics. For example, the Economics section provides information on the use of salt as money, the history of the control of salt by monopolies, and the influence of the salt trade on transportation. The Religion section points out the importance of salt in religious practices, such as Jewish koshering and Egyptian embalming. Also included are links to over fifty additional salt sites, an email list, and an announcement for Salt 2000, the 8th World Salt Symposium, to be held in the Hague in May 2000. [DS]
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homes.wsj.com
http://homes.wsj.com/
This new consumer site from The Wall Street Journal offers several resources for moving to a new city, finding and buying a home, and improving it. Users who have the luxury of deciding where they would like to move might begin with the City Profiles, which offers information on the 100 largest cities in the US. Information categories include: housing, weather, crime, economic status, health care, education, and entertainment. Another option is the Best Places to Live, which suggests metro areas based on answers to over 40 variables. Once a destination is decided, users will want to review the Relocation Toolkit and buying and selling tips. After settling in, they can check back to the site for help with home design, improvement, and their lawn and garden. [MD]
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REBOL
http://www.rebol.com/
REBOL, the Relative Expression-Based Object Language, is a fascinating new scripting language developed at REBOL Technologies by Carl Sassenrath, the architect of the Amiga operating system. REBOL is intended to be used for Internet programming and, among its many features, it contains very easy-to-use networking capabilities. An example is this tiny line of REBOL code which retrieves a web page and emails it to a (fictitious) email address: "send fred@cs.wisc.edu read http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/" As anyone with experience in other programming languages knows, this simple task would require more code in almost any other language. The simplicity of some tasks in the language comes at the expense of the apparently extensive task of learning the entire language. For users more comfortable with traditional, imperative programming languages, this task may seem daunting at first, but ultimately REBOL may provide a far faster and easier way to implement useful network-centric programs. REBOL, while not open source, is freely available in binary form for use on numerous platforms including Win95/98/NT, MacOS, Linux, and many others. [CL]
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Ultimate Processor Guide - CNET
http://home.cnet.com/specialreports/0-6014-7-308397.html?tag=st.cn.1fd2.tlpg6014-7-308397
This new special report from CNET is offered as a guide to "everything you need to know about processors." Users shopping for a new PC will want to start with the Know Your CPU section, which offers a set of flash cards on the most popular processors. Those interested in the higher-end chips will want to read the Athlon vs. Pentium III Shoot-Out section, which compares features and performance.The more curious and technical-minded will also be interested in the Supersonic Chips section, which explains what makes chips fast and speculates on future speeds. Finally, the DIY user may want to review Upgrading Your CPU and The Trouble With Overclocking, the latter of which explores the pros and cons of overclocking CPUs. [MD]
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Israeli and Palestinian Peace Deal Imminent
Special Report: Middle East Peace process - BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/10/98/middle_east/newsid_196000/196649.stm
Issue In Depth: The Mideast Peace Process - The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/mideast-peace-index.html
"Barak and his set of NOs" - Palestinian Times
http://www.ptimes.com/
"The uniqueness of Wye 2" - The Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-1.html
"No peace without justice " - The Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-2.html
The Wye River Memorandum - Full Text - ArabicNews
http://www.ArabicNews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/981024/1998102453.html
Israel Radio International [RealPlayer]
http://www.israelradio.org/
After several days of intense wrangling, Israeli and Palestinian officials have announced that they have cleared the last major obstacle in the way of signing a revised Wye River peace accord and resuming formal peace negotiations. The dispute was over the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Palestinian negotiators demanded the release of some 400 prisoners, who are regarded as heroes fighting for statehood. The Israelis had offered to release 356 prisoners, refusing to free Palestinians "with blood on their hands" - those jailed for killing Israelis. Although one disagreement remains, a clause in the accord on a ban on either side taking unilateral actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it is expected that the accord will be signed Saturday night, after the Jewish sabbath, in Egypt with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in attendance.

BBC News offers a good starting point for users interesting in learning more about this topic and following future developments. Their special report features breaking news, several interactive features, archived articles, analysis, profiles, and background pieces. The New York Times (free registration required) also offers a special feature on the Mideast peace process, containing recent and archived articles, interactive maps, profiles, and related links. The August 1999 issue of Palestinian Times offers several items of interest, including an editorial critical of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, which is located in the Comment section (please note that this issue will be moved to the Previous Issues section sometime in September).The next two items, both editorials from The Jerusalem Post, explore Wye 2 in comparison to Hebron 2 and the Palestinian prisoner releases in light of international law, respectively. Users interested in reading the full text of the original Wye River Memorandum will find the document at the ArabicNews site. Finally, Israel Radio International offers streaming English broadcasts of its daily news program. Additional resources on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process can be found in Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include United Nations Information Center on the Question of Palestine Database and Our Voice. [MD]
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