Scout Report for Social Sciences and Business & Economics
Scout Report for Social Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/socsci/2000/ss-000822.html
Scout Report for Business & Economics
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/bus-econ/2000/be-000824.html
The first issues of the fourth 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 UN Millennium Summit. The Business & Economics Report's In the News section offers seven resources on the first of undoubtedly several congressional hearings on the Firestone tire recall. [MD]
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IMF Financial Transactions Plan Quarterly Report
http://www.imf.org/external/NP/TRE/ftp/2000/eng/053100.htm
On August 31, 2000, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that, for the first time, it will start regular publication of "information on the sources of financing for IMF lending." After each quarterly financial transaction plan is completed, the IMF will post on their Website the data on the amount of money donated by each member country used to finance lending operations as well as other transactions. This first report covers member lending from March 1, 2000 to May 31, 2000. Along with the data, it also explains the significance of each column in the report and the criteria for selecting members to finance IMF transactions. On the left side of the screen, users will find a short menu which links to other sources of information about the IMF, including a lengthy explanation on the financial operations and organization of the IMF, lending information, and a helpful glossary of terms. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Repertoire Of The Practice Of The Security Council [.pdf]
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/repertoire/
Published by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General at the request of the General Assembly, the Repertoire is "the only analytical record of the practice of the Security Council, as reflected in its decisions, positive and negative, and related statements." The full texts of the original (unaltered) published volumes of the Repertoire for 1946-1951 to 1981-1984 have recently been placed online by the UN. Each volume is organized in twelve standard chapters, which are described on the site. Users can download each volume by chapter in .pdf format. [MD]
[Back to Contents]1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/nhsda.htm
Released by Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala on August 31, this report shows a continuing decline in illicit drug use among young people aged twelve to seventeen. Issued annually, this year's National Household Survey offers, for the first time, "state-by-state estimates of illicit drug, alcohol and cigarette use by age group, as well as information about the brands of cigarettes that Americans smoke." The site, provided by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), links to the full text of the report in HTML format as well as to the press release, Secretary Shalala's remarks, highlights, state data accessed via an interactive map, and an HHS fact sheet. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Geography Hub
Geographers.com
http://www.geographers.com/
Biogeography.com
http://www.Biogeography.com/
CulturalGeography.com
http://www.culturalgeography.com/
UrbanGeography.com
http://www.urbangeography.com/
Though still very much under development, the Geography Hub will likely become a major resource and online community for geography students and professionals. The core of the present offerings is the directory of geographers offered on Geographers.com. The directory is divided into three categories: Physical Geographers, Human Geographers, and Technical Geographers. Each is searchable by keyword or name, and full search results include name, school, Website (when applicable), field notes, and publications. A prototype search engine, scheduled for release in October, will allow searching by name, with modifiers for country, research field, region studied, and level of education. All geographers are welcome to add themselves to the directory. An additional feature at Geographers.com is Geography Times, designed to be an online professional news services for geographers. At present, the Times offers related headlines (last updated August 31) and conference announcements (last updated August 13). Future plans for the site include online forums. Content available at the other three sites in the Geography Hub is primarily limited to (fairly detailed) collections of organized links. Anyone interested in geography should bookmark one or more of these sites and trace their development. [MD]
[Back to Contents]The Economics of Tobacco Control -- World Bank [.pdf, QuickTime]
http://www1.worldbank.org/tobacco/
According to this new site from World Bank, more than 1.1 billion people worldwide smoke, and over 500 million people alive today will die of smoking-related illnesses unless governments implement effective tobacco control measures. Featured on the site is Curbing the Epidemic: Governments and the Economics of Tobacco Control, a 134-page World Bank report offering current global smoking trends, health consequences, and suggested responses to the tobacco epidemic. Tobacco control measures introduced in this report include raising tobacco taxes, comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, public service announcements, health warning labels, restrictions on smoking in public places, and making nicotine cessation therapies more accessible. The Country Data section allows users to generate short reports on topics including tobacco trade, mortality from smoking, and regulations and restrictions in over 100 countries. Finally, the site offers several versions of a World Bank-sponsored public service announcement about the evils of smoking, two online slide shows, "Risks of Dying From Smoking" and "Governments and the Economics of Tobacco Control," and an excellent Myths and Facts section. All in all, The Economics of Tobacco Control offers compelling information and data about the global epidemic of tobacco use as well as the ways in which countries are affected in both economics and in public health. [EM]
[Back to Contents]Criminal Justice 2000 [.pdf]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/cj2000.htm
Commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this four-volume series "examines how research has influenced today's policies and practices and how future policies and practices can build on the current state of knowledge." With contributions from over 30 criminal justice professionals, the series covers topics such as drugs and crime, juvenile justice, domestic violence, community justice, mental illness and the criminal justice system, community policing, sentencing reform, information technology, and court performance, among others. Users can access the full text of each volume in .pdf format at the NIJ site. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Political Organization Section 527 Search [.pdf]
http://www.irs.gov/bus_info/eo/posearch.html
Political Organizations -- IRS
http://www.irs.gov/bus_info/eo/pol-orgs.html
A new disclosure law requires section 527 political organizations to file with the IRS "an initial notice of their existence, periodic reports on their contributors and expenditures, and an annual return, and requires the organization and the IRS to disclose these documents to the public." The initial notification forms from the organizations, which include a (usually terse) statement of purpose, have been placed online at the above site. Contact information (including email for many) for the often mysterious 527 organizations is also listed. Presumably, when reports and returns are received, they will also be placed on the site, making it a valuable tool for journalists and others interested in public disclosure. Users unfamiliar with 527 organizations should consult the second site, which offers brief explanations of how political organizations are exempted and taxed under 527. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Concerns in Europe: January - June 2000 -- Amnesty International
http://www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/index/EUR010032000
This recently released and detailed bulletin from Amnesty International contains information about the human rights organization's main concerns in Europe between January and June 2000. These are listed by country with one or more paragraph summaries. An index is at the end of the report, which is available in HTML format only (a .pdf version would have been an excellent addition). A useful resource for anyone following human rights issues in Europe or those interested in the work of Amnesty International. [MD]
[Back to Contents]SchoolHistory.co.uk [.pdf]
http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/
Created and maintained by Andrew Field, a history teacher from Cambridgeshire, England, this site features links and teaching and learning aids for UK instructors and students. The primary content at the site is organized into five year groups (Years 7-9, GSCE, A-Level), each with related links, well-crafted .pdf worksheets, and quizzes (some off-site). Some links to related education and history sites round out the site. A nice example of a history site for secondary students that can be used by teachers anywhere for its content or as a model of effective Web design. [MD]
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By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA, 1936-1943 -- LOC [RealPlayer]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/wpahome.html
The latest installment in the Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory project features over 900 silkscreen, lithograph, and woodcut posters produced between 1936 and 1943 under the Work Project Administration (WPA). The posters depict numerous government-sponsored programs and projects, "including art exhibitions, theatrical, and musical performances; travel and tourism; educational programs; and community activities in seventeen states and the District of Columbia." Users can browse the collection by subject or creator, or search by keyword. Additional features include some collection highlights, a RealPlayer video interview with WPA Silkscreen Artist Tony Velonis, and images of a wonderful 1939 Federal Art Project Calendar. [MD]
[Back to Contents]National Gallery of Art Kids' Page [QuickTime4, Flash]
http://www.nga.gov/kids/
The National Gallery of Art presents a collection of kids's activities at this new site, several focused on individual paintings, such as James Jacques Joseph Tissot, Hide and Seek, or Wassily Kandinsky, Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle). Kids can play hide-and-seek along with the characters in the figurative Tissot, or examine colors and shapes and feelings evoked by the abstract Kandinsky painting. While these activities will appeal primarily to elementary school kids, even middle schoolers should enjoy the wry humor in Susan Finley's animated presentation "Lizzy and Gordon Visit the Sculpture Garden", in which Lizzy and Gordon reluctantly take what their mom calls an "artistic adventure." [DS]
[Back to Contents]Common-place
http://www.common-place.org/
This promising new quarterly online publication situates itself somewhere between a popular magazine and scholarly journal, offering a common place for a variety of readers "to explore and exchange ideas about American history." Similar in some ways to the UK-based popular history magazine History Today,Common-place offers a mix of articles, short features, and reviews aimed at an interested and informed, but not necessarily academic, audience. A discussion board is planned for the near future, and users may subscribe for email notification of new issues. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Death or Liberty: Gabriel, Nat Turner, and John Brown
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/sb/exhibits/Death_Liberty/index.htm
Placed online this summer by the Library of Virginia, this site is a companion to the recently concluded physical exhibition of the same name. The online exhibition features transcripts and high-quality digital images of over 60 documents concerning acts of resistance to slavery in Virginia between the American Revolution and the Civil War. These are offered in four sections, the first of which discusses some of the lesser known early acts of resistance. The remaining sections cover Gabriel's Conspiracy, Nat Turner's Rebellion, and John Brown's Raid, respectively. Each section includes a short summary and a link to the primary documents. Overall, a compact but solid resource for teachers, students, or anyone interested in some of the most famous acts of resistance to slavery. [MD]
[Back to Contents]Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery
http://www.textilemuseum.org/fsg/
The Textile Museum
http://www.textilemuseum.org/
The current online exhibition at The Textile Museum (Washington, DC), Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery, celebrates the 75th anniversary of the museum's founding. The exhibit features textiles dating from the late 17th century to the 20th century and "explore[s] how these embroidered textiles reflect the social changes taking place in Ottoman society." The ten featured textiles are integrated with information on Ottoman Culture and a Teacher Source section for middle and high school students. This latter section includes additional background information, lesson plans, and a list of resources for further study. In addition to information about exhibitions and the museum's history, The Textile Museum's Website has a section on the Care & Display of textiles which contains links to four informative pamphlets developed by the Conservation department. The online pamphlets provide general guidelines for the care of textiles, as well as information on storing Oriental carpets, hanging systems for textiles, and dealing with pests. [AG]
[Back to Contents]David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page
http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/index.html
Created by Dickens aficionado David Perdue, this site offers concise introductory information on a wide variety of Dickens-related topics. Users of the site can browse short synopses of Dickens's novels, or view an alphabetical directory of many of the author's noteworthy characters. One section of the site discusses artists who contributed illustrations to Dickens's works; another features a selection of timelines to help readers situate Dickens historically. Dickens' London includes an interactive map of the city which allows users to click on various locations and learn how they figure into Dickens's works, and Dickens & Christmas features tidbits like a plum pudding recipe and a modern diagnosis of Tiny Tim's illness. Links throughout the site lead to outside sources of information, and a Dickens on the Web page collects and categorizes the links for users seeking more thorough scholarly information on the author and his works. This site does not attempt to provide every detail in its treatment of Dickens, but its broad scope offers a very nice introduction to the life and works of this important English author. [SW]
[Back to Contents]Two More on the Olympics
Kodak: 2000 Olympic Games
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/sydneyOlympics/index2.shtml
Yahoo Internet Life!: Olympic Buzz
http://www.zdnet.com/yil/content/depts/olympicbuzz/index.html
The Summer Games draw ever closer, and fans can whet their appetites at these two sites. The first is an attractive and well-crafted site from Kodak, which naturally features several exhibitions of photographs. These include a photographic history of the Summer Olympics, a photo tour of Sydney (high speed connection recommended), an excellent collection of images of athletes, and a "photo walkabout" with tips on photographing Australia. A Photoquilt of Olympic Moments is promised for the near future, and visitors can sign up to receive the "Olympic picture of the day" throughout the Games. The second site, created by ZDNet's Yahoo Internet Life! and SportJones, offers summaries and links to each day's Olympic-related stories, including the humorous or overlooked. Presented in a breezy yet economical style, Olympic Buzz is a great resource for anyone following the games. [MD]
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CompletePlanet [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.completeplanet.com/
CompletePlanet concerns itself with the "deep" Web, "content that resides in searchable databases, the results from which can only be discovered by a direct query," and thus cannot be indexed or queried by traditional search engines. The site offers a number of resources related to the "deep" Web, including a listing of approximately 13,000 "deep" Websites (out of an estimated 100,000 total) organized in 20 subject categories. Each category breaks down into numerous topical headings, and listings for the individual sites include a description and rankings for relevance, popularity, and links. CompletePlanet's database is also keyword searchable. The site notes both new additions and the most popular sites and offers a detailed search tutorial. Users who would like to learn more about the "deep" Web are invited to read CompletePlanet's 41-page white paper, "The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value," offered in HTML, .pdf, and .zip formats. Users can also download a free 30-day trial version of a new utility (Lexibot) that can search the "deep" Web. The registered version costs $89.95. [MD]
[Back to Contents]SearchBug.com
http://www.searchbug.com/
This handy site brings together some of the most common searches and places them at your fingertips. The most popular searches are listed on the front page, and the remainder are offered by category (Government, Entertainment, Finance, Legal, Auctions, etc.) with a listing of related Open Directory topics below them. The search interface is located at the SearchBug site, while results are listed at the provider's page. Simply put, a nifty idea. [MD]
[Back to Contents]NetFactual.Com [.pdf]
http://www.netfactual.com/
All the Internet facts you need (and probably a few more) can be found at NetFactual.com, a company that conducts numerous studies on different aspects of the Web and makes them available at this site. The front page offers a number of interesting facts, including total domains (over 22 million and growing), average domains per Web IP, and most-used Webserver (Apache). More detailed information is accessed via a pull-down menu, which leads users to collections of reports (in .pdf format) on domains, e-commerce, Webpage technology, and a handy glossary. New reports appear to be added on a regular basis. [MD]
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MP3.com Loses Big
Unofficial Version of MP3.com/Universal Ruling -- New York Law Journal
http://www.nylj.com/links/mp3ruling.html
"Record labels win huge ruling against MP3" -- San Jose Mercury News
http://www.mercurycenter.com/business/top/085480.htm
"MP3.com Faces Damages: Judge orders payment of up to $250 million" -- San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/09/07/BU66174.DTL
"Judge Orders MP3.com to Pay at Least $117 Million" -- Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/20000907/t000083988.html
"MP3.com Loses Court Ruling" -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24289-2000Sep6.html
"MP3.com told to pay $250m" -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_913000/913566.stm
"MP3" - All Things Considered -- NPR [RealPlayer]
http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/atc/20000906.atc.13.rmm
MP3.com Press Release
http://pr.mp3.com/pr/169.html
my.mp3.com
http://my.mp3.com
On September 6, the record labels won a major victory in their fight against digital music services when a judge ruled that MP3.com had "willfully" violated Universal Music Group's (UMG) copyrights when it created my.mp3.com, a service that gives users free online access to copies of CDs they claimed to own. US District Judge Jed Rakoff awarded damages of $25,000 per infringed CD, and the total could range from $117.5 million to $250 million. Rakoff stated that his decision to award damages at this level was, in part, an effort to deter other Internet companies from violating copyright law in hopes of making "huge profits." The judge had previously ruled in April that MP3.com had violated the five major labels's copyrights, but Sony Music, BMG Entertainment Warner Music Group, and EMI all settled with MP3.com for an estimated $80 million, leaving UMG as the only plaintiff. Some have speculated that UMG may not seek to collect the full damages, which could potentially bankrupt MP3.com, but instead use the ruling to strengthen their bargaining position in any renewed settlement talks. The next phase of the trial is set to begin on November 13, where damages will be assessed by determining how many of UMG's works were copied onto MP3.com's servers. The latter claims that no more than 4,700 of UMG's CDs qualify for damages, while the former estimates the number could be as high as 10,000. If a settlement is not reached, MP3.com will most certainly appeal this decision. Failing that, the company's future remains uncertain.
An unofficial copy of the text of Judge Rakoff's ruling has been placed online by the New York Law Journal. Coverage on the ruling can be found at the San Jose Mercury News,San Francisco Chronicle,Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. The BBC's report includes a number of links to related stories and resources. National Public Radio's (NPR) All Things Considered recently featured a piece on the case, which is available in RealPlayer format. Users can also read MP3.com's reaction to the ruling and examine my.mp3.com for themselves. [MD]
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Corrections
Last week's Scout Report incorrectly identified the Children's Picture Book Database as located at the University of Miami. The site is hosted by the library at Miami University, Ohio. The Scout Project regrets the error.
Since our initial review of the GrayLIT Network, full text versions of the more than 30,000 documents from the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) have been made available in .pdf format. All of the collections at GrayLit Network are now available in full text.
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