Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/1999/ss-991005.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/1999/be-991007.html
The second issues of the third volumes of the Scout Reports for Social Sciences and Business & Economics are available. The In the News section of the Social Sciences Report annotates eight resources on the landmark issues the US Supreme Court has agreed to rule on this term. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers eight resources on the upcoming NetAid charity concert. [MD]
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Two from the DOJ
Juvenile Offenders and Victims:1999 National Report [.pdf]
http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/nationalreport99/toc.html
The 1999 National Report Notebook [.pdf, .xls]
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/qrptnote.html
National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/nibrs.htm
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently placed two items of interest online. The first, from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention (OJJDP), is the 1999 national report on Juvenile Offenders and Victims, "the most comprehensive source of information about juvenile crime, violence, and victimization and about the response of the juvenile justice system to these problems." The report is offered in seven chapters in .pdf format. The National Report Notebook offers quicker access to many of the report's key facts. These are listed with links to a page offering more detail and another link to the supporting data in .pdf or Excel format. The second item concerns a joint Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and FBI effort to create individual records on each crime reported. "Under NIBRS, law enforcement authorities will provide information to the FBI on each criminal incident in 22 broad categories of offenses that occur in their jurisdiction." As part of an effort to encourage the use of this data, the BJS offers several resources at this site. The first is a project description and link to the main site of SEARCH, The National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics. The second is the Incident-Based Reporting Resource Center, which provides information on accessing and using incident-based reporting data for the analysis of crime and reporting of justice statistics. The third is a collection of standardized incident-based table shells (in .pdf and .xls format) used for presenting crime data. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Cave of Lascaux
http://www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/index.html
Created by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, this fine Website focuses on the prehistoric artwork of the famous cave at Lascaux. Through graphics and text, the site elucidates the geological and historical timeline of the cave, the story and circumstances of its discovery, the circumstances of its closing in 1963, the construction of a "copy" of the cave ("Lascaux II"), and a virtual visit through the different "rooms." This last feature offers a hyperlinked map of the cave that allows users to move from room to room examining the artwork from an overall perspective or by selecting close-ups of key features of the paintings. (Note: Users may want to adjust their monitor controls to optimize the viewing of these images.) The site also contains sections discussing the identification of the figures (with extreme close-ups of the detailed work), the artists's use of the cave's surfaces to create perspective, the techniques of the artists, and their means of access and lighting. Since the original cave is no longer open to the public, this Website is all the more valuable. [DC]
[Back to Contents]The Economic and Social Impacts of Electronic Commerce: Preliminary Findings and Research Agenda [.pdf]
http://www.oecd.org/subject/e_commerce/summary.htm
Electronic Commerce has been in existence for little more than three years, but due to its enormous capacity to affect "economic activities and social environments," it has already had a huge impact on retail, finance, and communications, representing 30 percent of GDP. This 156-page report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development examines the past and potential impact that e-commerce promises to have on business and the economy. The report is broken into five chapters, which need to be downloaded separately, including "Growth of electronic commerce: present and potential," "Electronic commerce, jobs and skills," and "Societal implications of electronic commerce," each with its own set of charts and graphs. A report summary is also included. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Environmental Literacy Council [.pdf]
http://www.enviroliteracy.org
Environmental studies in secondary schools has evoked a great deal of controversy, especially over the character and quality of the textbooks used in these classes. The Environmental Literacy Council, a successor organization to the Independent Commission on Environmental Education, has put together a fairly balanced collection of resources to help teachers and students. The site is divided into sections, each of which contains a hyperlinked bibliographic essay on a specific topic, such as water, forests, biodiversity, food, and population. Each section links to a variety of materials: essays, data pages, lesson plans, articles, related sites, etc. The emphasis is on government and university sources, but numerous articles, reports, and debates also offer opposing views on a number of topics. The site also host a 22 page .pdf report, "A Review of Advanced Placement Environmental Science Textbooks." The report reviews and grades six textbooks typically used in upper level high school environmental science classes and finds that most of them are more appropriate for environmental studies classes than "advanced laboratory science" classes due to their privileging of social, political, and economic aspects over pure science. While sure to provoke disagreement, the report deserves the attention of teachers and researchers on both sides of this debate. [MD]
[Back to Contents]ISOO 1998 Report to the President
http://www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/isoo98.html
The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) at the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) oversees the security classification programs in both Government and industry, and reports to the President each year on their status. As in previous years the Federation of American Scientists' (FAS) (last mentioned in the February 19, 1999 Scout Report) Project on Government Secrecy has placed the full text of the report online. The report offers a summary of 1998 classification and declassification actions. For instance, there were over 7.29 million classification actions, (of which the CIA was responsible for 40 percent), and over 193 million pages declassified, including 20,000 on appeal. Other sections of the report discuss the Department of the Army's declassification program, the national Industrial Security Program, the cost of classification, as well as offering more detailed overviews of last year's classification and declassification actions. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Electronic Policy Network (EPN) Relaunch
http://www.epn.org/
EPN, a veteran online consortium of research and advocacy organizations and publications (originally reviewed in the January 12, 1996 Scout Report), has just announced an overhaul and relaunch of its main site. In addition to a more attractive and better-organized layout, the new site includes several new features. Among these are the Featured Member section, which presents a detailed look at one of EPN's more than fifty affiliated organizations each week; a Pick of the Week, which "points visitors to particularly interesting, important, or whimsical features within our members' Web sites"; Voices, a selection of recent editorials and articles from periodicals around the country; and three new issue areas: Urban Policy, Foreign Policy, and the Environment, which join the six others already covered on the Idea Central page. Users familiar with EPN will appreciate the new layout and added features, while new users interested in public policy issues will certainly want to pay this well-respected site a visit. [MD]
[Back to Contents]S.O.S. - Site-of-the-School Day Mailing List
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/sos.html
Launched at the end of August by Web resource veteran Kathy Schrock (see the December 1, 1995 Scout Reporthttp://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/1995/.html#5 ) and the Discovery Channel School, this new mailing list offers a brief description and link to one educational site each day. The quality of sites featured in the past month has been generally high (but not necessarily new), though the daily email does not provide a direct link to the featured site. Users are annoyingly channeled through the list's Homepage first. While users could simply bookmark and visit this page each day, they will not be able to access the brief description included in the email. Despite this, the brief daily emails are a helpful resource for busy educators. [MD]
To Subscribe:
Send email to LISTSERV@LISTS.DISCOVERY.COM
In the message area type:
SUBSCRIBE DCS-SCHROCK
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Two from the EPA & DOE on Fuel Economy
Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends [.pdf, .zip,.wpd]
http://www.epa.gov/oms/fetrends.htm
EPA Fuel Economy Site [.pdf]
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/
The first item is a recently released technical report on US light duty automotive technology and fuel economy trends for model years 1975 through 1999. A Fact Sheet, the main body of the report, and appendices are available in .pdf format. The latter two can also be downloaded as zipped WordPerfect files. Among other things, the report reveals that average fuel economy has declined consistently since the late 1980s and now stands at its lowest level since 1980. The primary source of this decline, the report states, is the increasing market share of light trucks, which have a lower average fuel economy than cars. The second resource is the EPA's main fuel economy site. It features a .pdf version of the agency's 2000 Model Year Fuel Economy Guide; a search engine that allows users to find the MPG of any 2000 model car and compare it with others, search by MPG, and view the best and worst models by size class; information on why fuel economy is important; a review of current and future fuel conservation technologies; a collection of FAQS; and tips on maintaining your car and driving more efficiently. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Read Up On It - 1999
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/pubs/ruoi/1999/eruoi99.htm
Read Up On It
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/ruoi/eruoi.htm
The National Library of Canada recently released the eleventh annual version of Read Up On It, a bilingual guide to the best in Canadian literature for children and young adults. This year's theme is "Tickle Your Funny Bone!," focusing on humorous Canadian children's books. The guide lists English and French titles, English titles in braille, award-winning French and English books, and French books on cassette. Selection criteria and indexes are also included. The online version offers brief reviews of each book, images of their cover, and links to publisher information. (Please note this last feature was not operable at time of review, but publisher information can be accessed from the table of contents.) The main Read Up On It site offers information on ordering a print copy and an interactive game for young users. [MD]
[Back to Contents]secrets of the sat - PBS [RealPlayer G2]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/
This companion site to FRONTLINE's recent program examines the "national obsession" with the SAT test and the controversy surrounding it. At the site, users can read a large selection of interviews with test prep experts, admissions officials, SAT critics, and educators; view a video clip of an undergraduate admissions screening session at the University of California, Berkeley; explore the test score gap and the debate on race and admissions; and read about the test itself, the prep business, and the American ideal of meritocracy. Another feature allow users to play the role of admissions counselor and review five applications to the UC-Berkeley and then compare their decision with the professionals. A bibliography, video excerpt, and collection of annotated links round out the site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Two Music Resources
mojam
http://www.mojam.com/
DW3 Classical Music Resources
http://www.lib.duke.edu/music/resources/classical_index.html
While a bit disparate, both of these resources have something to offer music lovers. The first, presented by Mojam Media, is a large and frequently updated database of live music shows all over the world, though strongest on the US. Users can access the database of over 5800 bands by keyword search (performer, city, venue, event), or browse by performer name, city, or selected "top" and new bands. The number of shows listed for each artist or city vary significantly, but each entry (artist, venue, state) is hyperlinked to a list of additional concerts. The amount of information available from the Details button on each listing can also vary quite a bit, from complete contact information, related sites, and a map to the venue to a simple musical genre identification. The second site, hosted by the Duke University Music Library is a sizable and well-organized metasite for classical music resources. Sections include Composer Homepages, Chronologies and Necrologies, National and Regionally Oriented Pages, Organizations and Centers for Scholarly Research, Electronic Journals and Newsletters, Genre-Specific Pages, and Databases (over 40). With the exception of the Chronologies and Necrologies and Databases sections, the featured links are not annotated. An internal search engine is also provided. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Drawn Sword: engravings and woodcuts from the MacBean Stuart and Jacobite Collection
http://george.qmlib.abdn.ac.uk/macbean.html
Created and maintained by the University of Aberdeen Historic Collections, this site offers access to images of 1,278 loose engravings and woodcuts that form part of the MacBean Stuart and Jacobite Collection. In addition to the images, the collection contains approximately 3,500 books and 1,000 pamphlets which "cover every aspect of the Jacobite rebellions, the causes and effects, and the personalities, royal, national and local." Users have two options for retrieving images: a keyword search or simple browse. Since the latter is simply a list of captions for all 1278 images and is not divided into any categories, users will probably find the keyword search more efficient. Each image is accompanied by a caption "detailing the subject and where known the artist, engraver and printer." [MD]
[Back to Contents]A Virtual Tour of the Architectural Heritage of Antigonish, Nova Scotia
http://www.stfx.ca/people/lstanley/History/
Created by history professor Laurie Stanley-Blackwell and her students at St. Francis Xavier University for History 300, "A Cultural and Intellectual History of Canada", this site presents the architectural history of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The site is organized to allow users to browse through examples of Ecclesiastical and Educational, Commercial and Public, and Domestic architecture. Each example consists of a photograph of a building and a signed essay providing the history of the structure and its inhabitants. There is also a section on Antigonish architects and builders, with links associating them with the buildings they built. Also included are maps, links to additional Web-based architectural resources, and a quiz so users can test their knowledge of architectural terms. [DS]
[Back to Contents]Morning Edition's Series on the Crisis in Colombia [RealPlayer]
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/991001.columbia.html
This week National Public Radio's (NPR) Morning Edition featured a five-part investigative series on the crisis in Colombia, source of most of the cocaine and roughly half the heroin sold in the US. The drug trade, a guerilla insurgency, and a spiraling economy have created a vacuum of sorts in Colombia that the US is trying to fill with vastly increased military aid. Averaging just under nine minutes each, the audio reports offer an overview of the situation and more detailed looks at the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Colombian military, the paramilitaries, and potential US involvement in the civil war. At time of review only the first three reports were available at the site, but the remaining two are expected shortly. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Best Places to Live 2000 -- Money
http://pathfinder.com/money/depts/real_estate/bestplaces/
Money magazine has changed its annual Best Places to live rankings yet again. Two years ago the magazine broken down their list by size within geographical area. Now the editors have simply picked two national winners and four runners up and created an interactive tool that allows users to select from 63 factors (or a nine category quick search) and find their own city to love. The magazine explains it top choices with several paragraphs and a statistical snapshot for each city. Visitors can also use the site to compare the cost of living between any two US cities. [MD]
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Take it Offline
http://www.takeitoffline.com/
This nifty free service from Internicity Inc. allows users to move off-topic discussions from mailing lists to their own private online bulletin board. After registering a private discussion space, users are provided with a unique URL which they can then share with interested users on a mailing list. Participants in the bulletin board can also create their own branch mailing list by choosing to receive postings via email (individually or in digest form). Terms of use and a privacy statement are provided at the site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Search IQ
http://www.searchiq.com/
Yet another in a large collection of sites on search engines, Search IQ is notable for two features. First, its collection of search engine reviews is rather extensive, covering far more than the usual dozen or so listed at most search engine review sites. Although rankings and full reviews are offered for only 17 engines, the individual and meta-search engine listings offer at least a sentence or two on many more. The other key section of the site is a fairly large directory of specialized search engines, organized by subject. Additional resources at the site include daily tips, tutorials and guides, and a listing of new search engines. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Ten Good Deeds in Web Design
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991003.html
The latest issue of Jakob Nielsen's well-respected Alertbox (see the March 7, 1997 Scout Report) suggests ten simple but effective design elements to increase the usability of almost any site. The page also offers links to Nielsen's lists of top-ten mistakes in Web design and Web project management. Anyone maintaining or contemplating the design of a Website should read these short lists. [MD]
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Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in Jeopardy
1. Washingtonpost.com: Senate on Three Fronts in Treaty Vote
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-10/08/124l-100899-idx.html
2. New York Times On the Web: Experts Say Test Ban Could Impair Nuclear-Arms Safety
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/global/100899treaty-nuke.html
3. Policy.com (Daily Briefing, 10/06/99): Debate on Test Ban Treaty Goes Nuclear
http://www.policy.com/news/dbrief/dbriefarc345.asp
4. Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom), Vienna
http://www.ctbto.org/
5. Department of Energy: Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Research and Development Program
http://www.ctbt.rnd.doe.gov/ctbt/
6. The Arms Control Association (ACA)
http://www.armscontrol.org/
7. Washingtonpost.com: Test-Ban Treaty: Let's Wait Awhile
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-10/06/014l-100699-idx.html
8. The Cato Institute: Policy Briefs and Commentaries
http://www.cato.org/
9. Brookings Institute: The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study
http://www.brook.edu/FP/PROJECTS/NUCWCOST/WEAPONS.HTM
Debate in the US Senate began today on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) scheduled for a vote on Tuesday. The treaty would ban not only atmospheric testing, but also underground testing for the nations that sign and ratify it. Currently, with Senate Republicans united in their opposition, the treaty is far short of the 67 votes needed for passage. As a result, the White House and leading senate Democrats are seeking to delay the vote rather than have the treaty go down to defeat. Internationally, the treaty is still far short of sufficient support to be put into effect, needing ratification in another 21 countries before it would be considered binding. Despite the strong Senate opposition to ratification, the United States has actually observed the terms of the treaty since 1992.
The Washington Post(1) gives a summary of the political forces at play in the debate and the likely fate of the bill next week. The New York Times(2) reports that scientists working for the Energy department have disputed or qualified Energy Secretary Richardson's claim that the treaty will improve the nation's nuclear-arms safety. Policy.com (3) offers articles from both the pro and con sides of the treaty debate as well as links to relevant advocacy organizations and the results of a single-question poll on the treaty. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (4) provides a full-text of the treaty, a list of current signatories, and discussion of the commission's plans for treaty verification. The Department of Energy (5) "provides access to data products and other information, especially reports, regarding efforts to develop technologies and analysis algorithms for monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty." A nonpartisan organization, the Arms Control Association (6) offers the online journal Arms Control Today, updated briefings on the debate, and full-texts of fact sheets and discussion papers. In the Washington Post, former high-ranking foreign policy officers John Deutch, Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft (7) advocate delaying decision until more of the 44 countries that are required to activate the treaty have ratified it. The Cato Institute (8) offers a number of publications critically analyzing the CTBT and its probable nugatory effect on current international nuclear hotspots such as Korea and India-Pakistan (search site by "CTBT"). For those seeking an economic perspective, the Brookings Institute (9) offers reports and extensive links to data, analysis and opinion sources examining the issue of the continuing and projected costs of maintaining and enhancing the US weapons stockpile. Additional resources on nuclear arms issues can be found in Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include material from the United Nations Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Conference On Disarmament Information, The Atomic Archive, and the book-length study China's Changing Nuclear Posture: Reactions to the South Asian Nuclear Tests. [DC]
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