Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/1999/ss-991214.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/1999/be-991216.html
The seventh 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 Surgeon General's comprehensive new report on Mental Illness in America. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section recounts a "Christmas E-tail" with seven resources exploring online holiday shopping. [MD]
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Atlas of Cancer Mortality in the United States, 1950-94 [.pdf, .dbf]
http://www.nci.nih.gov/atlas/
Recently published by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), this unique resource tracks cancer death rates in over 3,000 counties through more than four decades. Containing over 250 color-coded maps, the atlas allows users and researchers to view patterns of cancer death rates at both the state and county level. For the first time, separate maps are also available for both white and black populations. Users can view the complete atlas online in both HTML and .pdf formats, view maps, download data, and create customizable maps. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)
http://www.thegateway.org
Announced on December 9 by US Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, the newly redesigned GEM site (originally reviewed in the June 12, 1998 Scout Report) is still a one-stop resource for K-12 educational materials. At the site, teachers, parents, and students can search for lessons, instruction units, and other resources by topic and grade level from over 140 Websites. Users can also browse the more than 7,000 items by subject and keyword. Annotated entries in the database include a link to the resource, an indication of grade level(s), and a link to the full description, which offers GEM subjects, audience, resource type, format, publisher, and rights management information. Additional features at the site include a list of Hot Topics Pages and a new resources listing. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General [.pdf]
http://www.sg.gov/library/mentalhealth/index.html
Released on December 13, the first Surgeon General's report on mental health reveals that nearly half of all Americans who have a severe mental illness fail to seek treatment. The 500-page publication was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under the guidance of the Surgeon General. It notes that "disorders such as depression, schizophrenia and eating disorders are real illnesses that, if untreated, can be as disabling and serious as cancer and heart disease in terms of premature death and lost productivity." The report takes a life-span approach, considering vulnerability to distinct forms of mental and behavioral disorders at different stages of life as well as the impact of gender, culture, and age on the diagnosis, course, and treatment of mental illness. Users can read the full text of the report and the accompanying tables and figures in HTML or .pdf formats at the Virtual Office of the Surgeon General or one of three mirror sites. For more on the report, please see the In The News section from this week's Scout Report for Social Sciences.[MD]
[Back to Contents]Human Rights Watch World Report 2000
http://www.hrw.org/wr2k/
Human Rights Watch issued their annual world report last week, summarizing the state of human rights in 66 countries around the globe. Written with the clarity and detail that marked previous annual issues, this year's report is distinguished by its note of guarded optimism. The report cites two main trends -- the increased activity of international courts to bring sovereign leaders to justice and the greater willingness of nations to act in concert against a single nation to oppose human rights violations -- as evidence of a partial dismantling of national sovereignty as an impenetrable defense for human rights violators. Separate sections of the report address special topics, such as academic freedom, child soldiers, the international campaign to ban landmines, and lesbian and gay rights. [DC]
[Back to Contents]E-conomy Project
http://e-conomy.berkeley.edu/
A joint effort of the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE), the College of Engineering, the Haas School of Business, and the School of Information Management and Systems (SIMS), E-conomy Project creates "an intellectual resource to focus on the profound transformation being wrought by new digital technologies." Along with describing the focuses of the project, this Website also includes course descriptions and syllabi, news articles on the E-conomy Project, and papers and presentations from the E-conomy Project-sponsored conference, The Digital Economy in International Perspective: Common Construction or Regional Rivalry. [EM]
[Back to Contents]HUD Report: Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve [.pdf]
Home Page HUD: Homelessness:
http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless.html
Highlights Report:
http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless/homelessness/highrpt.html
Summary Report:
http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless/homelessness/
.pdf version of Summary Report (1158K):
http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless/homelessness/homelessness.pdf
Technical Report -- Table of Contents (individual sections in .pdf):
http://www.huduser.org/publications/homeless/homeless_tech.html
Last Friday, the department of Housing and Urban development released their "most comprehensive study ever of homelessness in America." The survey of the homeless and the social programs supporting them is offered online in three separate chunks. The Technical Report provides the "full, detailed technical report consisting of 17 chapters with appendices and complete sets of data tables (over 500 pages)." The Summary Report gives complete analysis of the extensive findings of the survey, including five chapters summarizing the methodology and data. The Highlights Report offers a substantial review of both the data and analytic conclusions. One significant finding that seems to fly in the face of certain myths about homelessness: "when homeless people get housing assistance and needed services - such as health care, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, education and job training - 76% of those living in families and 60% of those living alone end their homeless status." [DC]
[Back to Contents]Russian Duma Elections 1999 -- CEIP
http://www.ceip.org/programs/ruseuras/Elections/elections.htm
A project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) and the Carnegie Moscow Center, this modest site offers several helpful resources for following and understanding the December 19 Russian Duma Elections. Among these are pre-election bulletins, an election calendar, issue briefs, op-ed pieces, links to political parties/ blocs contesting the 1999 Duma Elections, and a number of related English- and Russian-language links. Additional content includes links to polling data and a listing of books recently published by the Carnegie Endowment Project on Russian domestic politics. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Attack of the Killer Weeds -- EWG [.pdf, 621K]
http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/killerweeds/killer-foreword.html
Press Release
http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/killerweeds/press-release.html
This new report from the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) is a spirited expose of what it describes as hypocrisy on Capitol Hill regarding the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA). The EWG claims that, under the influence of pesticide company lobbyists, members of Congress have worked to expand loopholes and delay children's health protections mandated by the FQPA. While certainly written from a specific viewpoint, the report makes interesting and at times disturbing reading. Users can access the full text of the report in .pdf format or by chapter in HTML format. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
http://www.odci.gov/csi/books/19104/index.html
This new full-length book from the CIA's center for the Study of Intelligence is an attempt to translate and make available to intelligence analysts selected cognitive psychology technical reports on the processing of incomplete and ambiguous information. Compiled by Richards J. Heuer, Jr., the volume "pulls together and republishes, with some editing, updating, and additions, articles written during 1978-86 for internal use within the CIA Directorate of Intelligence." Users can read the full text of the report by section and chapter in HTML format. [MD]
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Y2K Global Status Watch
http://www.iy2kcc.org/GlobalStatus.htm
International Y2K Cooperation Center
http://www.iy2kcc.org/
Will Y2K be a big yawner or the end of the world as we know it? Either way, users can keep track of worldwide events via this site (provided, of course, they have power and a working phone line). Created by the International Y2K Cooperation Center, the Global Status Watch will serve as a central source for country-specific information on Y2K and infrastructure status. Other governments and the general public can visit the site during the date rollover to view a country summary Webpage which will show the status of all reporting countries and when the information was submitted. The summary page will also offer links to each country's individual report and its national Y2K Webpage. The country summary will be available beginning December 28 and continuing into January as long as needed. A selection of additional Y2K resources is available at the International Y2K Cooperation Center homepage, including surveys, a calender, Y2K coordinator contact information, conference proceedings, and tools and templates. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Two From American Memory -- LOC
Civil War Maps
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/cwmhtml/
The African-American Experience in Ohio, 1850-1920
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ohshtml/aaeohome.html
The Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory collection has recently expanded yet again with these two new exhibits. The first, from the LOC's Geography and Map Division, features a selection from the approximately 2,240 Civil War maps and charts and 76 atlases and sketchbooks held by the Division. The majority of the maps were made during the Civil War, although some were produced afterwards to illustrate certain events or battles. Of special interest are maps produced by Confederate Major Jedediah Hotchkiss, a topographical engineer responsible for battle maps that were used by Generals Lee and Jackson. Users can search the collection by keyword or browse by subject, creator, title, or geographic location. Maps are offered as thumbnail images with several size and zoom options. Updates will be made to the collection on a monthly basis. The second new exhibit contains selected texts and images from the Ohio State Historical Society. These include manuscripts, pamphlets, photos, newspapers, and other periodicals. Users can browse the collection by subject or source material or search by keyword. The site also contains a special presentation featuring favorite items chosen by the curators. [MD]
[Back to Contents]ft.com Business Directory
http://www.globalarchive.ft.com/directory/topLevelNavigation.htm
This new resource from ft.com's Financial Times site (originally reviewed in the October 9, 1997 Scout Report) indexes over 20,000 business Websites. Users can search by keyword or browse one of three main categories: Reference, Work, and Current Affairs. Each of the three is further broken down into several levels of subcategories, such as Reference>Industries>Autos>Research and Development. Entries in the Directory include a brief description (usually text copied from the site) and a link. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The State of the World's Children 2000 -- UNICEF [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://www.unicef.org/sowc00/
This year's UNICEF State of the World's Children report (last reviewed in the December 11, 1998 Scout Report) includes an appeal for a new international coalition on behalf of children. The report also summarizes progress made since the 1990 World Summit for Children and the challenges that remain. Included in the report are a number of photographs, maps, tables, and a glossary. A summary, features (a collection of children's own words on important issues), RealPlayer videos, and a .pdf version of the report are available form the main page. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Grimm Brothers @ nationalgeographic.com [RealPlayer]
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/
National Geographic presents this site that will read you a bedtime story, although these unexpurgated Grimm Brother's Fairy Tales from a 1914 translation are not exactly soothing. The twelve tales here are full of wicked stepmothers, hungry wolves, bewitched wild beasts, and all manner of spells and curses. All of the stories include at least one illustration, and audio is provided for several. I was pleased to find the story I remember from my childhood edition of Grimm Brothers's, "Little Briar Rose," the original Sleeping Beauty story. The site also includes biographical information on the Grimms, kids's activities, links to other fairy tale resources on the Web, and the complete text of an article by Thomas O'Neill from the December 1999 National Geographic on the Grimm Brothers and the history of fairy tales. Ignore the screaming banner ads, and enjoy a good read. [DS]
[Back to Contents]NOAA's Top Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century
Hyperlinked Press Release [.avi]
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s334.htm
NOAA's Top Global Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century [.pdf]
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/images/global.pdf
NOAA's Top U.S. Weather, Water and Climate Events of the 20th Century
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/images/usafactsheet.pdf
Here's an interesting pair of "greatest of the century lists." Compiled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these lists detail US
and global storms and climate events most "noted for their atmospheric marvel or impact on human life." Users can browse the "winners," and view background information, historic photos, and animations from the press release page. Text-only lists (with some background information) are also available in .pdf format. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Past Men of the Year -- TIME
http://www.pathfinder.com/time/special/moy/moypast.html
Since 1927, TIME Magazine has selected a Man of the Year, "the single person (man, woman, or even idea) who, for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year." At this site, created to mark the close of the century, users can browse and read the full text of each year's story, from 1927 to 1997. The names and images of each recipient are listed by decade and can be browsed via a menu bar on the lefthand side. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Holiday Recipes
Holidays & Gatherings -- Food Network
http://www.foodtv.com/holidays/ho-g1/0,1948,,00.html
Christmas Recipe.com
http://www.christmasrecipe.com/
Gingerbread Lane
http://www.gingerbreadlane.com/
Vegetarian Holiday
http://members.tripod.com/vegholiday/index.html
New Years -- _epicurious-
http://food.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_newyears/main.html
White House Holiday Recipes
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/First_Lady/html/Recipes.html
'Tis the time of year for cooking, hosting, and feasting, and these seven sites offer tips, recipes, and ideas that are useful no matter what the holiday. The first, from the Food Network, contains several guides with recipes, how-to advice, and party suggestions. Users can access a host of other cooking resources from the sidebar on the left. Christmasrecipe.com includes menus; gift ideas; recipes for cakes, candies, and gingerbread; a recipe of the day; a top ten listing; and more. The next site, maintained by Ginger Lane Kitchens, offers helpful basic tips on designing, constructing, and decorating gingerbread houses as well as a selection of related links. Be sure to check out the elaborate examples in the photo gallery. Good Karma cafe has created a helpful page for hosts expecting vegetarian guests. In addition to tips on feeding herbivoric revelers, the site includes a number of meatless recipes. epicurious, an online food magazine, celebrates the New Year with recipes, menus, cocktails, food history, and menus for the morning after. Finally, curious users can see what the First Family has when they sit down for their holiday dinner can visit the last site, which contains several recipes prepared by the White House Chefs. [MD]
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SpeechBot [RealPlayer G2/7]
http://speechbot.research.compaq.com/
This new experimental search engine from Compaq indexes over 2,500 hours of content from 20 popular American radio shows. Using its speech recognition software, Compaq creates "a time-aligned 'transcript' of the program and build[s] an index of the words spoken during the program." Users can then search the index by keyword or advanced search. Search returns include the text of the clip, a link to a longer transcript, the relevant audio clip in RealPlayer format, the entire program in RealPlayer format, and a link to the radio show's Website. The index is updated daily. Please note that, while SpeechBot worked fine on Windows/NT machines, the Scout Project was unable to access the audio clips using Macs. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Eudora 4.3 Beta
http://www.eudora.com/
Perhaps the biggest change to the Eudora email client is the addition of advertising. Eudora allows users to select one of three modes: Sponsored Mode, Paid Mode, and Light Mode. Sponsored mode provides a full-featured
version of Eudora 4.3 with ads that appear in a small square box that can be moved around the screen. Paid Mode offers the same features as Sponsored Mode only with no advertisements. Light Mode is free with no advertisements, yet offers only a few of Eudora's most appealing features (multiple personalities, advanced filtering, customizable toolbars, and spell checking as you type). Eudora 4.3 also boasts the ability to import mail and addresses from Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 (and earlier versions) and Netscape. Additionally, Eudora 4.3 allows users to manage multiple email accounts within a single client and view HTML graphics in the body of a message. [AF]
[Back to Contents]Copernic
http://www.copernic.com/
Copernic 2000 is a Macintosh- or Windows-based Internet searching tool. The free version allows searching of the Web, newsgroups, or email addresses while the Plus or Pro versions can search numerous other, more specific information sources (e.g., newspapers and humor). Copernic assimilates the results of a number of relevant search engines and presents them to the user in a compact format. These results may be organized into folders, refined, or updated, and users can download the resources they reference for offline viewing. Copernic 2000 is free, Copernic Plus is $39.95 and Copernic Pro is $79.95. Copernic requires Mac OS 7.5 (or later) or Windows 95/98/NT4. [JB]
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Israeli-Syrian Talks to Resume on January 3
"The Overview: Israelis and Syrians Agreeing to New Talks" -- New York Times [RealPlayer]
http://www10.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/121799mideast-rdp.html
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
Struggle For Peace -- CNN
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/struggle_for_peace/
"On the resumption of Syrian-Israeli peace talks" -- Arabic News
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/991216/1999121607.html
Syria Times -- Politics
http://www.teshreen.com/web/homes.htm
Headline News from Syria -- Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
http://www.sana.org/headline.htm
"Weakness in numbers" -- Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/Features/Article-0.html
"Editorial: Syria's conceptual shift" -- Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-0.html
"Summit set to resume on January 3" -- Ha'aretz
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/htmls/kat3_2.htm
"Preparing the Syrian Public for Peace" -- Ha'aretz
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/htmls/kat9_8.htm
Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio [RealPlayer]
http://www.a7.org/
After an initial round in Washington this week, Israel and Syria have agreed to begin intensive talks on January 3 to end the 50-year state of war between the two nations. The two days of talks did not deal with any of the substantial issues, such as borders (especially the Golan Heights), security, water rights, and economic and diplomatic relations. Rather, they were designed as more of an ice-breaker, a talk about talks, and were apparently successful in setting the time and ground rules for more formal, and infinitely more difficult, negotiations. In the end, many analysts hope that the talks will lead to an Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights in exchange for security guarantees, water rights, and a comprehensive peace.
Users may want to begin with special sections produced by the New York Times (free registration required), the BBC, and CNN. These offer breaking news, analysis, archived articles, background information and biographies, video selections, related links, and more. Not surprisingly, reporting on the initial talks in both Syria and Israel has been mixed. For the Syrian viewpoint, users should read the Arabic News editorial and the collections of stories at Syria Times and SANA. The Jerusalem Post offers an interesting feature article on the Golan Heights as well as an editorial on the talks. Also of interest are a pair of recent articles from Ha'aretz on the progress of the talks and selling peace in Syria. Additional coverage of the talks can also be found at Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio. Further resources on the Middle East and the peace process are available in Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include Online Middle East Net Assessment Reports, the MERIA Journal, and the GEOBASE Israel regional database.
[MD]
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