Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2000/ss-000613.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2000/be-000615.html
The nineteenth 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 recent Supreme Court ruling that patients cannot sue HMOs in Federal court for giving doctors financial incentives to hold down treatment costs. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers seven resources on this week's huge security fraud crackdown in which 120 people were charged, including members of all five New York City organized crime families. [MD]
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Climate Change Impacts on the United States [.pdf]
http://www.gcrio.org/NationalAssessment/
Sponsored by the US Global Change Research Project, this site contains the much-publicized draft report of the Climate Change Impacts on the United States National Assessment Project. This landmark project investigates the impacts of global climate change at a regional scale. The report includes an overview from the fourteen-member National Assessment Synthesis Team and the full text of the draft report containing information about the effects of climate change on specific regions of the United States and the future of the country's ecosystems. The text is in .pdf format and is accompanied by color figures and tables. The report has been put online for public review and a comments page with instructions for submitting responses via email is included. [HCS]
[Back to Contents]National Statistics: the Official United Kingdom Statistics Site
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/
This newly revised and revamped Website results from changes mandated last fall by the British government to improve the quality, uniformity, and accessibility of United Kingdom government statistics. The Website's main feature organizes the vast body of government statistics around thirteen themes, such as crime and justice, education, the economy, health and care, population and migration, and so forth. Other features of the site include the latest headline information on data upon release; a section proffering a cross section of daily living-type data, StatBase (see the October 20, 1998 Scout Report for the Social Sciences); and DataBank, a subscriber service for economic data. Also provided here are direct links to birth, marriage, and death data; the UK census 2001; a "learning zone" for educational materials; and free, downloadable editions of Horizons, the National Statistics quarterly newsletter. [DC]
[Back to Contents]"Reforming Welfare and Rewarding Work: A Final Report on the Minnesota Family Investment Program" [.pdf]
Press Release:
http://www.mdrc.org/PressReleases/mfip-pr.htm
Summary Report:
http://www.mdrc.org/Reports2000/MFIP/MFIPSummary.htm#The Findings in Brief
Full Report [.pdf, 58 pages]:
http://www.mdrc.org/Reports2000/EWORK-RPOVERTY.pdf
Cited last week in a printed statement on welfare reform from President Clinton, this new report offers a comprehensive assessment of Minnesota's welfare reform program. The report was produced by The Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC), a "nonprofit, nonpartisan social policy research organization." MDRC found that Minnesota's reform program brought substantial, far-ranging improvements to the lives of single parents who were long-term welfare recipients, including increases in employment, reduction in poverty, decreased levels of domestic abuse, and improvements in children's behavior and school performance. Unlike many welfare reform programs, Minnesota's is premised upon a commitment to support people while they work. This welfare-plus-work dimension was emphasized by the MDRC as crucial to the reform's successes. [DC]
[Back to Contents]Gray's Anatomy -- Bartleby.com
http://www.bartleby.com/141/107/
Bartelby.com (last reviewed in the May 12, 2000 Scout Report) has placed yet another classic reference work online. This time, it's the 20th edition (1918) of Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body. At Bartleby, the classic is given a new feel, with its 1,247 illustrations ("many in color and unchanged since the first edition of 1859") rendered in multiple resolutions, and its 13,000 entries presented in an encyclopedic subject index with hyperlinks to their respective pages and illustrations in the text. As with other Bartleby texts, access is free and the electronic book is searchable by keyword or browseable via the table of contents. The illustrations may also be accessed directly and browsed by thumbnail. [MD]
[Back to Contents]HIV/AIDS: A threat to work, productivity, and development -- ILO [.pdf, 630K]
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/pdf/aidse.pdf
This recently released report from the International Labour Organisation was created as a document for discussion at the Special High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. An estimated 33 million people were living with HIV in 1999; two-thirds of these people were living in sub-Saharan Africa, and 5 million were infected with the virus in 1999. This study considers the ways in which HIV/AIDS has affected the global working world. Those infected with HIV/AIDS often have their rights to "non-discrimination, equal protection and equality before the law, to privacy, liberty of movement, work, equal access to education, housing, health care, social security, assistance and welfare [violated] on the sole basis of their known or presumed HIV/AIDS status." AIDS/HIV also affects economic development; in 2015, the work force population will be between 10 to 22 percent lower than it would be without HIV/AIDS. For some industries, such as food production and food security, this drop in the employment field will have crucial implications. This 54-page report is divided into three main sections. The first details the overarching issues of the epidemic, briefly touching on regional features, risk and vulnerability, and human rights implications. The second part considers the economic and social impact of HIV/AIDS, with emphasis on the work force, employees, and organizations. Finally the third major section examines the response to the epidemic by governments, international organizations, and employers. The report also contains a chapter on the ILO's response to HIV/AIDS. [EM]
[Back to Contents]1841 A Census of Prince Edward Island
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/census/
This new offering from Canada's Digital Collections Program is a searchable database of the earliest census of the colony on Prince Edward Island. Besides being the earliest, the 1841 census is important because the 1848 and 1855 censuses have been almost completely lost, leaving no substantial amount of information until 1861. This database indexes approximately 4,000 families in 43 of the Island's 66 townships and contains surprisingly detailed information. Searchable by surname, given name, or lot number, the database returns include trade or occupation; number, sex, and ages of family members; religious affiliation; number of acres held; lease terms and length; rent paid; who paid the passage of family members to the island; produce raised by the family; and their national origins. This is an excellent resource of use to historians of Canada and its Irish, Scottish, and English diasporas as well as to genealogists. [MD]
[Back to Contents]"Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters, Third Report to Congress, June 2000" -- EPA [.pdf]
http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/gr8water/3rdrpt/
EPA Great Waters Program
http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/gr8water/
Released on June 8, this report is the third in a series from the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) "to Congress on atmospheric deposition of pollution to the Great Waters, which include the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and several other major U.S. water bodies." This report focuses on fifteen "pollutants of concern," offering updated scientific information about these pollutants and the Great Waters and discussing programs implemented by the EPA, states, tribes, and others to address them. It also describes "recent advancements in scientific research and tools used to improve our understanding of atmospheric deposition to the Great Waters." Background information and an executive summary are offered in HTML format, while the full text is provided by chapter in .pdf format. The previous two reports may be accessed from the Great Waters Program homepage. [MD]
[Back to Contents]ArtStar.com Library
http://www.artstar.com/library.html
Artstar.com is primarily an online auction house selling fine art, crafts, art reproductions, and related products like toys, puzzles, and jewelry. In the Library section, however, there are some resources for those whose interest is in information about art, rather than buying. All eighteen issues of ArtStar's magazine, Everything Art, are available, with articles on current art exhibitions, art history, and criticism. Readers can subscribe to an email version of the magazine. In addition, ArtStar offers the online version of Marquis's Who's Who In American Art, a standard reference work with short entries for over 11,000 living artists and allied professionals, such as art historians, educators, critics, and dealers, from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Entries can include exhibition history, positions held, and contact information. Also in the Library is a glossary with definitions of art terms from a la poupee to ziggurat. Art Explorer allows users to browse featured artists, artworks, institutions, and exhibitions, or search by artist name, medium, discipline, or region, as well as many additional criteria. The commercial side of the site shows in the returns; clicking on Van Gogh brings up a list of posters for purchase; still, there is no charge to simply look at the high-quality images. [DS]
[Back to Contents]National Tourism Database
http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/mastertd.html
Developed by the Michigan State University Extension Tourism Area of Expertise and the National Tourism Education Design Team, this site contains information on numerous resources related to tourism education, including bulletins, research reports, videos, and training programs. Nearly 100 of the documents featured are full-text. Users can browse the database by topic or browse or search by keyword. A separate list of the full-text publications is also provided. A useful site for students and professionals in the tourism industry. [MD]
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A Broken System: Error Rates in Capital Cases, 1973-1995 [.pdf]
http://207.153.244.129/
Released on June 12 by the Columbia University Justice Project, the "Liebman Study" is a groundbreaking report that examines every capital conviction and appeal between 1973 and 1995 (nearly 5,500 judicial decisions). It finds that in this 23-year period 68 percent of death penalty verdicts were thrown out when appealed. In other words, serious, reversible errors were found in nearly seven out of ten capital cases reviewed in this period. The majority of these cases were overturned not on technicalities, but for clearly preventable errors, the most prominent of which were "egregiously incompetent" defense lawyers, prosecutorial misconduct, and faulty instructions to jurors. Combined, these "constitute 76% of all error in capital punishment proceedings." The full text of the report is available online in HTML format, accompanied by state/national capital punishment report cards in .pdf format. Note that all of the appendices to the report are not yet available online, but the Justice Project plans to make them available in the near future. [MD]
[Back to Contents]United States Department of Justice Investigation of Recent Allegations Regarding the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [.pdf]
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/crim/mlk/part1.htm
Released on June 9, this report, the product of an eighteen-month Justice Department investigation, refutes allegations of a conspiracy surrounding James Earl Ray and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and recommends no further investigation. As with the four previous investigations, this 138-page report concludes that there exists "no reliable evidence that Dr. King was killed by conspirators who framed James Earl Ray." In addition, it rejects the findings of a civil court jury in Memphis which last December found in favor of the King family against former Memphis bar owner Loyd Jowers, concluding that Jowers and others, "including government agencies," conspired to assassinate the civil rights leader. The full text of the report, with nine attachments in .jpeg and .pdf format, is available in HTML format at the Department of Justice site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Guatemalan Military: What the US Files Reveal -- NSA
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB32/index.html
This latest offering from the indefatigable National Security Archive (NSA) is part of its ongoing Guatemala Documentation Project, which has worked for the release of numerous secret US files on Guatemala. A central focus of the project has been shedding light on the secretive intelligence and security apparatus of Guatemala and US-Guatemalan military cooperation, especially with regard to human rights abuses. This site offers an overview of the project and a two-part report. The first part presents data (in Rich Text Format) on 79 key military units and officers, organized by unit and alphabetically by each officer's name with a resume of each officer's career. The second part of the report, placed online this week, presents digital images of 48 primary documents, with descriptions. Once again, the NSA is to be congratulated for its hard work, diligent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and for making its important discoveries freely available to all online. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The George Raper Collection [MS Word, MrSID Online Viewer]
http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/georgeraper/
This new online exhibit highlights the National Library of Australia's latest acquisition, the personal papers of George Raper, who sailed in 1787 at age seventeen from England to Australia as Able Seaman (later Midshipman) on the HMS Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet. In addition to participating in one of the earliest European settlements of Australia, Raper circumnavigated the globe, narrowly escaped shipwreck twice, spent eleven months on Norfolk Island after the Sirius foundered on a reef in 1790, and finally returned home, where he and the other officers had to face a court-martial for losing the ship (all were exonerated) before being reunited with his family. Held by the Raper family for over 200 years, the National Library has recently acquired Raper's naval observations as well as a collection of maps and coastal drawings he made during this trip. These have been digitized and placed on display at this fine site. Some of these materials are included in the compelling story of the Sirius in the Biography section. They can also be viewed in the Collection section, where the maps, coastal profiles, and Raper's painting of the wreck are offered as thumbnails with commentary. Users with the MrSID Online Viewer plug-in (link to free download provided) can view the images in varying sizes and resolutions. Raper's navigation calculations may be downloaded in MS Word format. An interactive timeline is also provided. [MD]
[Back to Contents]AFI's 100 Years 100 Laughs
http://www.afionline.org/100laughs/
On June 13, the American Film Institute (AFI) revealed its list of the 100 funniest movies as chosen by "leaders of the entertainment community" from a list of 500 nominated movies. At this site, users can view both the top 100 list and the 500 nominated films. Each listing links to a short description with principal cast, director, producer, and screenwriter. The list of the 500 nominated films may also be keyword searched by title, cast, director, producer, screenwriter, year, or description. Users can also make their own top ten list and submit it to the site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]StudentReel.com [QuickTime]
http://www.studentreel.com/
Created to help film students show their work, this site offers users the opportunity to view and comment on the work of tomorrow's auteurs. Presented in QuickTime format, the films are grouped in five categories: 3D Computer, Live Action, Stop Motion, Traditional, and Experimental. After free registration, users can post reviews of the films. At present, 26 short films are available. While there are a number of sites that feature short films from new talents, StudentReel sets itself apart with its specific commitment to helping students find an audience for their creations. [MD]
[Back to Contents]allmagicguide [RealPlayer]
http://allmagicguide.com/
Provided and maintained by Robinson Wizard, Inc. this site is an excellent starting point for all things magic. Whether practicing magicians or just magic-lovers, visitors will find plenty to interest them, such as numerous descriptions of tricks, a magic Website directory with weekly updates, an international events calendar, a link to a daily magic news magazine (Magic Times), a weekly guide to magic on TV, product reviews, an Ask Mr. Magic section, and more. Both the magic site directory and the Ask Mr. Magic archives are keyword searchable. [MD]
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How To Eliminate The Ten Most Critical Internet Security Threats: The Experts' Consensus -- SANS [MS Word]
http://www.sans.org/topten.htm
Issued on June 13 by SANS (System Administration, Networking, and Security) Institute, a cooperative research and education organization of over 96,000 system administrators, security professionals, and network administrators, this important document lists the top ten security exploits used by hackers to gain access to online sites. Of particular interest to systems administrators, the site not only describes each of the problems, but also provides step-by-step instructions and pointers for correcting the flaws. Available in HTML, MS Word, and rich text, this list is a living document and will be updated as new methods are developed. User input is welcome. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Shockwave 8/ Flash 4 Players
http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/
Macromedia's popular plug-ins are a must-have for users who want to view streaming animation, animated interfaces, demos, and other multimedia content at thousands of Websites. The latest versions for both Mac and Windows include Shockwave Remote, a feature that allows users to save Shockwave and Flash content locally; to pause, play, and restart content; and to search for Shockwave and Flash titles. These versions also include privacy enhancements. [MD]
[Back to Contents]CNET Music Center
http://music.cnet.com/
This new site from CNET helps users learn about and use digital music technology effectively. The site is essentially composed of four main sections. The first, Play Music, covers topics such as Internet radio, MP3 and MiniDisc players, troubleshooting MP3s, and connecting your PC to your stereo. The Finding Music section discusses searching for Internet radio stations, and finding MP3s using search tools and file-sharing programs. The last two sections deal with organizing your music collection and creating and recording music in various digital formats. The site will also feature breaking music news and product reviews. [MD]
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Security Lapses Continue at Los Alamos
"How Nuclear Secrets Disappeared" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-Missing-Secrets-Chronology.html
Missing Data -- Online NewsHour [RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/fedagencies/jan-june00/data_6-13.html
Testimony Before Senate Select Intelligence Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/News/Testimony.html
"Missing nuclear data is vital to bomb sleuths" -- San Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/front/docs/nest15.htm
"Lost Hard Drives Crash Richardson's V.P. Hopes" -- Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20000615/t000056865.html
"Nuclear Nightmare" -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53562-2000Jun13.html
"The vanishing hard drives" -- Tulsa World
http://www.tulsaworld.com/Default.asp?WCI=Displaystory&ID=000615_Op_edit116
"Secrets Still Wandering" -- Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/comment/20000615/t000056817.html
Despite Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's previous assertions that security at the Los Alamos National Laboratory had been improved, the Laboratory revealed on June 12 that two hard drives which contain "encyclopedic" amounts of information about Russian and Chinese nuclear weapon design, as well as weapons of American allies, had been missing since May 7, the day before the lab was evacuated because of the wildfire. The Lab Director and Energy Department officials, however, were not informed until May 31. Despite the sensitivity of the information on the drives, they were not classified at the highest level, and the vault where they were stored is accessible to apparently dozens of employees, none of whom are required to log in or log out. Without these records, there is no way of knowing whether the drives went missing the day the loss was discovered or at some point in the previous weeks. Richardson, who failed to appear at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday, has placed six laboratory managers, including the head of the nuclear weapons programs, on paid leave. He also asked two highly respected former members of Congress, Howard Baker and Lee Hamilton, to conduct an independent investigation and recommend security improvements. In a related development, the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm Air Force Gen. John Gordon, the deputy director of the CIA, to take on a new post of security czar at the Department of Energy. In the meantime, the investigation continues at Los Alamos, where FBI agents plan to give polygraph tests to scientists who had access to the vault.
A helpful starting point for this story is the chronology of events posted by the New York Times (free registration required). More detailed coverage is provided by the online version of a recent PBS NewsHour program on the missing drives. The full text of Lab Director John Browne's testimony before the Senate committee meeting on Wednesday has been posted on the Los Alamos National Laboratory site. More analysis on the missing drives and their impact on the Nuclear Emergency Search Team and Secretary Richardson's chances to appear on the Democratic national ticket are provided by the San Jose Mercury News and the Los Angeles Times. Finally, interesting editorials on the whole affair have been posed by the Washington Post,Tulsa World, and Los Angeles Times.[MD]
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