The Scout Report - July 21, 2000

Scout Report for Science & Engineering
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/2000/se-000719.html
Volume 3, Number 23 of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. The In the News section annotates eleven resources on the most recent solar-radiation storm. [MD]
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"America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2000" [.pdf, 5600K]
http://childstats.gov/ac2000/ac00.asp
The 2000 edition (last edition reviewed in the July 9, 1999 Scout Report) of this annual compendium of statistical indicators on US children, produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, was placed online on July 13. This issue, which contains 23 indicators in 4 topics, shows overall improvement in children's well-being but also reports continuing and significant disparities, principally along economic lines. Information is presented in non-technical terms with heavy use of charts and tables. The full text of the report, including the appendices, is available for download in HTML or .pdf format. Users may also browse the report highlights, the official press release, and two "backgrounders" on specific issues (Beginning Kindergartners' Knowledge and Skills and Youth Participation in Volunteer Activities). [MD]
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West Nile Virus Maps
http://nationalatlas.gov/virusmap.html
One of the potential effects of global climate change is the spread of disease to new areas, as the vectors of those diseases (e.g., mosquitoes, birds) expand into new locations in response to shifting climate conditions. Although the direct cause of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the United States is not known, the National Atlas of the US Geological Survey (reviewed in the June 26, 1998 Scout Report) has recently launched this new resource on WNV distribution. First documented in the US during the summer of 1999 and previously limited to Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East, the West Nile Virus is of danger to humans as it interferes with "normal central nervous system functioning" and can cause encephalitis. This site describes WNV Surveillance Activity for the year 2000 and offers a series of maps highlighting the US distribution of WNV cases found in humans, wild birds, chickens, mosquitoes, and veterinary clinics. A series of links point to further information on the virus. [LXP]
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The "Death Squad Protection" Act -- NSA
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB34/index.html
This very important new electronic briefing book from the National Security Archive (last mentioned in the January 28, 2000 Scout Report) offers analysis and background materials regarding a recently passed (July 13) measure in the FY 2001 Defense Authorization Act that -- if approved by the full Congress -- would severely reduce the amount of information released by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). These materials, especially the documents produced by the Defense HUMINT Service and routinely declassified in the past, have been central in many investigations of human rights violations committed by US-supported foreign military and intelligence units. At the site, users will find a summary of how the legislation will impact this research, sample documents that would have been withheld, the full text of the proposed exemption, background on the HUMINT Service, and HUMINT reports. [MD]
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Two from the Hoover Institution
Russian Economy [.pdf]
http://www.russiaeconomy.org/
Campaign Finance
http://www.campaignfinancesite.org/
The first of these two sites, both launched in early June, is offered by Michael S. Bernstam and Alvin Rabushka, fellows at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. It features the full text of their book, Fixing Russia's Banks, and the first four chapters of their current work in progress, From Predation to Prosperity: Breaking Up Enterprise Network Socialism in Russia. The former is offered in both HTML and .pdf formats, while the latter is currently available only in .pdf format. New chapters and related materials will be added to the site on a regular basis. The second site contains a number of resources, primarily essays, articles, and op-ed pieces, related to various facets of campaign finance, its history, and reform proposals. As a whole, the site serves as a solid backgrounder to the issues and should interest a wide range of readers. [MD]
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Kiosk: Journal of Geo-Politics
http://FowlerLibrary.com/Kiosk/
Published by Fowler's Internet Library since September 1999, this fast-loading and well-organized site is a solid reference resource for a wide range of users. Essentially, the site hosts a large number of country listings, accessed via pull-down menus at the top of each screen, that include a map, the national flag, background information from the CIA World Factbook, links to newspapers (quite extensive for some countries), and numerous links to other resources, such as general information sites, history and culture, language, government and politics, economy, in-country sources, and even travel and tours. The site also offers a number of value-added features, including links to language translations, currency conversion, geography resources, and biweekly feature articles. While there are some advertising banners, they appear to be limited to one on the Homepage and an Amazon search link on each country listing page (a familiar site to most users by now). [MD]
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Guides to Quality in Visual Resource Imaging
http://www.rlg.org/visguides/
On July 17, the Research Libraries Group (RLG), Digital Libraries Federation (DLF), and the Council on Library and Information Resources announced a new set of five guides to the technical and planning aspects of digital imaging of visual resources. As the official press release notes, "this new Web-based reference is designed to serve the growing community of museums, archives, and research libraries that are turning to digital conversion to provide greater access to their visual resources as well as to help preserve the original materials." The guides include "Planning a Digital Imaging Project"; "Selecting a Scanner"; "Imaging Systems: the Range of Factors Affecting Image Quality"; "Measuring Quality of Digital Masters"; and "File Formats for Digital Masters." All are offered in HTML format, and users's comments are encouraged for future updates. [MD]
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RABooks -- Oriental Institute
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/DEPT/RA/RABooks.html
The Research Archives of the Oriental Institute "is one of the better libraries of ancient Near Eastern studies in North America," whose collections cover the languages and civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, and related areas from the earliest periods to the Hellenistic period. In previous years, lists of recent acquisitions to the archives were distributed both informally and formally, but now the archive has developed a free one-way mailing list which will distribute the Research Archives Acquisitions List to subscribers each month. In addition, the site notes that "we hope also to use this list to distribute topical lists, lists of dissertations, and other useful material from time to time as they are developed here." [MD]

To subscribe send email to:
    majordomo@oi.uchicago.edu
In the body of the message type:
    subscribe rabooks
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The "Government's Annual Report 99/00" - UK
http://www.annualreport.gov.uk/
Annual Report Films
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/default.asp?PageID=1265
Manifesto Commitments
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/default.asp?PageID=36
On July 13, the Blair Administration published the "Government's Annual Report" for 1999-2000. As always, the Annual Report celebrates the accomplishments of the government and predicts a rosy future for a Labour-led Britain. This year's report is also multimedia-focused, with numerous photos and ten short films which "show the work of frontline public sector staff." These are linked in the appropriate sections of the report or available separately at the URL above. The report itself may be browsed by topic, such as the economy, europe, health, transport, housing, etc. The Manifesto Commitments page, hosted by the Prime Minister's official site, details the 177 commitments made by the Labour Party in the 1997 election for the five years of the Parliament and the progress made so far on each one. [MD]
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2MASS Second Incremental Data Release Gallery
http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass/gallery/second/
The Two Micron All Sky Survey at IPAC
http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass/
2MASS Homepage
http://pegasus.astro.umass.edu/GradProg/2mass.html
On July 14, NASA announced the public release of a huge collection of images (1.9 million) from the Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), the most thorough census of stars ever made. Using two automated, 51-inch telescopes, one in Arizona and the other in Chile, the three-year-old survey has so far taken images of half a million galaxies and 162 million stars. By its completion in 2001, the survey's catalogs will contain more than 300 million objects. A sampling of these images has been placed online at the 2MASS site at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at the California Institute of Technology. The twelve-page gallery contains some amazing images, including the center of the Milky Way, the Sombrero galaxy, the Crab Nebula, and the Dark Nebula, offered as large thumbnails which link to a full-sized image. Users can learn more about 2MASS at the survey's homepages at Caltech and the University of Massachusetts. [MD]
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Earthquake Hazards Program -- USGS [.pdf]
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
National Earthquake Information Center Home Page
http://neic.usgs.gov/
Announced this week, this site will serve as a portal to all US Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake information, both real-time and historic. At the site, visitors can find information on past, present, and predicted future earthquake activity; access a range of publications, maps, and fact sheets; use a number of earthquake education activities; link to various earthquake research centers; and read in-depth information on selected recent earthquakes worldwide. While the site does offer some detailed information, it is probably still best suited for K-12 students and general users. Researchers and university students will continue to use the National Earthquake Information Center, which offers a searchable database, near real-time earthquake coordinate information, and global seismograph station information, among other resources. [MD]
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American Photography: A Century of Images [Shockwave 7, Flash 4]
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/
Not your parents's history of photography, this Web presentation of a public television production is divided into topical features rather than using a more traditional chronological approach. These features include the use of photography in art, as persuasion, to affect social change, in presidential image-making, and the photography of war. Probably the most entertaining area of the site is the Image Lab, where users can experiment to see how cropping can change the meaning of a photograph, and manipulate the digital image of a political candidate. The Image Lab also provides the opportunity to go along with Dorothea Lange on the photo shoot that produced her famous Dust Bowl migrant mother photograph. [DS]
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Union Songs [QuickTime, RealPlayer]
http://crixa.com/muse/unionsong/
Forgotten the words to "Joe Hill," "Look for the Union Label," or "Do Re Mi?" Look no further than this site, created and maintained by Mark Gregory, a Web Development Project Officer at Macquarie University (Australia), which features the lyrics and many audio clips of approximately 100 classic and more recent union songs. Numerous lyrics pages also link to related sites. In addition, the site offers some book and CD reviews, a Union Discography, a bibliography, and song and union links. Joe Hill ain't never died. [MD]
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TVRadio Network
http://tvradionetwork.com/
Pandia Radio Search
http://www.pandia.com/radio/
This free service offers Webmasters a searchable database of TV and Radio stations that they can place on their site for a 50/50 split on advertising. Visitors can use this resource at partner sites that mirror the database, such as the recently announced Pandia Radio Search, or simply visit the TVRadio Network homepage. Users can browse the listings by category or location. Each listing includes a link to the homepage and format and speed in which content is offered (RealPlayer or Windows Media Player or both). Selected stations may be added to "My Stations" or emailed to a friend. A keyword search engine is also provided. While a few of the category listings seem a bit sparse -- there are only 22 entries for Jazz, for instance -- the location listings are a very useful resource for those seeking nation-specific audio and video broadcasts. [MD]
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Bushido Online
http://www.bushido.ch/
Bushido, literally "the way of the warrior" and originally the code of conduct for the Samurai, is the starting point for all of the martial arts. Created and maintained by Marco Benedetti, a martial arts enthusiast who has practiced Karate in Tokyo and holds ranks in several disciplines, this site is an online encyclopedia of martial arts. Bushido Online offers readers a wealth of information on the history and practice of numerous martial arts, the better known and more obscure. It also features a martial arts dictionary in four languages and a selection of annotated links. Please note that the site is in the midst of a redesign and a few links may be misdirected or broken. [MD]
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ePrompter [Windows 95/98/2000/NT]
http://www.eprompter.com/
The full release of this free and very easy-to-use email notification utility is now available. After a small download (570KB) and easy installation, ePrompter automatically (or manually) checks up to eight AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, Mail.com, email.com, and POP3 email accounts at the same time. It also features an optional screensaver that shows the current status of your selected email accounts. After installing ePrompter, users need to setup each of the accounts they wish to monitor by entering service type, login name, login password, and the email server (for POP3 accounts). No personal information beyond this is required or requested. ePrompter will then check manually or at user-determined intervals for new messages, which can be read in full or just the headers. Users can also have ePrompter delete unwanted messages at the next update. As two or more email accounts become the norm for most users, this utility will help users simplify and save time. [MD]
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Macworld Expo 2000
http://www.macworldexpo.com/
ZDNet -- Macworld Expo [RealPlayer, Windows Media Player]
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/special/nymacexpo2000.html
Macworld Expo 2000 wraps up today in New York City, but users can still find plenty of information and commentary on the slew of new products announced, especially in Steve Jobs's keynote address on Wednesday. These include dual-processor power Macs, less expensive iMacs (in new colors), and the eight-inch G4 cube, the big surprise of the expo. Jobs also announced that OS X, Apple's new operating system, will be available in "public beta" form in September. The official site of the expo offers a complete list of workshops, speakers, and events, but users may be more interested in ZDNet's special report. The latter offers news, analysis, and commentary. [MD]
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Debt Relief Remains at Center Stage in G-8 Summit
G8 summit at-a-glance -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/newsid_841000/841924.stm
"Clinton, Putin vow at economic summit to cooperate on arms control" -- CNN [RealPlayer]
http://www.cnn.com/2000/ASIANOW/east/07/21/g8.summit.03/index.html
"World Leaders Seek to Answer Critics of Globalization at G8 Summit" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/late/21cnd-g8summit1.html
"Clinton, Putin Disagree on US Missile Shield" -- Washington Post
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20766-2000Jul21.html
"Clinton conciliatory on Okinawa bases" -- Financial Times
http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3X260PXAC&live=true&tagid=IXL5PIPSW8C
"Clinton, in Japan for G-8 Summit, Vows to Cut U.S. 'Footprint' on Okinawa" -- Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/asection/20000721/t000068450.html
Kyushu-Okinawa G-8 Summit Meeting 2000 [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://www.g8kyushu-okinawa.go.jp/e/index.html
G8 Online [RealPlayer]
http://g8.market2000.ca/
Jubilee 2000
http://www.jubilee2000uk.org/main.html
Leaders of the seven largest industrial nations were sharply criticized at the start of their annual economic summit, held this year in Okinawa, for not following through on last year's pledge to write off $100 billion of the $260 billion owed to the West by the most indebted states. Most of the opening discussions have focused on how the debt forgiveness process might be sped up or at least how to reschedule debt payments under better terms. By the start of the summit, debt relief should have been approved for nine countries, but only one, Uganda, is close to having its debts cancelled. Of the seven powers, only the UK has enacted 100 percent debt relief, cancelling bilateral debts owed by 41 of the world's poorest countries. Germany, one of the biggest creditors, opposes cancellation, leaving activists less than sanguine about the chances for full debt cancellation or any new initiatives from the summit. Since 1994, Russia has attended the political discussions at the summit (making it the G8), and this year President Putin is almost sure to lodge strong objections to the missile defense system under consideration in the US. On the way to the summit, Putin stopped in China and North Korea to gather support for his case. Another issue for President Clinton, who is expected to leave the summit early to return to the Mideast peace talks, is a growing opposition among Okinawans to the huge American military presence on the island.

Readers can begin exploring the summit with the BBC's special report, which contains analysis, an overview, key stories, and archived and breaking news. CNN's coverage includes several related stories, a link to a summit notebook, and some audio and video content. Additional stories have been posted by the New York Times (free registration required), Washington Times,Financial Times, and Los Angeles Times. At the Japanese government's official site for the summit, users will find an outline of the meeting, official documents, streaming broadcasts, and a FAQ, among other resources. The G8 Online site offers a number of videos, a photo gallery, current news, and related links. Finally, the Jubilee 2000 site contains a wealth of resources on the debt cancellation movement as well as news and commentary on the present summit. [MD]
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