The Scout Report - July 20, 2001

July 20, 2001

A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Scout Report is a weekly publication offering a selection of new and newly discovered Internet resources of interest to researchers and educators. However, everyone is welcome to subscribe to one of the mailing lists (plain text or HTML). Subscription instructions are included at the end of each report.


In This Issue:

Research and Education

General Interest

Network Tools

In The News


Research and Education

Country Briefings -- The Economist
http://www.economist.com/countries/
The Economist has placed online a very useful reference collection of country profiles, which contain background information, forecasts and statistics, market updates, new headlines, articles from the newspaper, and links to more information. These profiles may prove helpful to a variety of users and can be browsed by country. Updates are listed at the bottom of the page. [MD]
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Human Development Report (HDR) 2001 -- UN [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://www.undp.org/hdr2001/
Released on July 10, the latest edition of the United Nation Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report ranks 162 countries on quality-of-life indicators such as life expectancy, wealth, and literacy. It also includes analysis of the progress of countries towards meeting international development targets as well as assessing the technology achievements of 72 countries. This year, Norway ranks first while Sierra Leone yet again comes in last. Users can download the full text and statistical tables of the report by chapter or in its entirety at the UNDP site. Additional resources include a press kit, an interactive technology map, a FAQ, and several other items. [MD]
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ABC Directory of UK Business & Management Courses
http://www.abs.bized.ac.uk/
A joint project of the Association of Business Schools and Biz/ed, this site is an online directory of business and management courses for undergraduates and postgraduates in the UK. Visitors may browse the directory by location (no listings for Northern Ireland), mode of learning (full-time/ part-time), and type of qualification, or search by keyword or advanced options. Course listing information includes level, qualification, mode, application deadline, entry requirements, fees, and in some cases, a course outline/ description. Browsing by location will also bring up detailed information pages about the universities and schools offering the listed courses. A solid resource for anyone contemplating enrolling in business and management courses in the UK. [MD]
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Bibliography of Fossil Vertebrates
http://eteweb.lscf.ucsb.edu/bfv/bfv_form.html
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), one of most reputable American paleontological societies, sponsors this online edition of its Bibliography of Fossil Vertebrates. The database, which currently covers the years 1509-1958 and 1981-1993 with approximately 112,000 references, is searchable by author, subject, taxon, language, editor, and journal book or volume title. A help page with query instructions for the somewhat finicky search engine is provided. [HCS]
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International Comparisons in Education -- NCES
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has recently relaunched and revamped its International Comparisons in Education Website. From this site, visitors can access international comparative education data from major international studies, discover new international projects, and find links to additional resources on international education comparisons and related topics. Project information is listed by topic area: Math and Science, Reading, Civic Education, and Adult Literacy, and each topic page offers background information and further resources. [MD]
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crashDATABASE.com
http://www.crashdatabase.com
Created by Air Safety Online, this site is "the Internet's first completely searchable database of every commercial airline accident with more than 10 fatalities since 1970." Designed for use by the general public and specifically members of media and aviation professionals, the database may be browsed by airline, aircraft type, or date. Visitors may also perform a search with multiple variables. Crash information includes date, location, airline, aircraft, registration, fatalities, and a brief description of the accident. [MD]
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Mathgate
http://www.mathgate.ac.uk/
Part of the EEVL Hub for Engineering, Mathematics and Computing, this metasite indexes Internet resources related to mathematics. The site focuses on UK-based resources, but includes sites from around the world. The annotated site listings may be browsed by subject and type or searched by keyword. A collection of links to other major math resources is also provided. [MD]
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General Interest

Public Agenda Medical Research Guide
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/frontdoor.cfm?issue_type=medical_research
Public Agenda
http://www.publicagenda.org/
Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization devoted to public opinion, policy analysis, and citizen education, (originally reviewed in the February 26, 1999 Scout Report) has recently added a new issue guide focusing on medical research. As with its other useful issue guides, Public Agenda's medical research page offers an overview, a digest of recent stories, a graphical fact file, and links to further information. The site also contains three sections that explore public opinion on a number of topics and policies involving medical research. [MD]
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The Digital Performance Archive
http://dpa.ntu.ac.uk/dpa_site/
The Digital Performance Archive (DPA) is essentially an online catalog providing searchable information on the use of computer technology in performance art, "from live theatre and dance productions that incorporate digital media, to cyberspace interactive dramas and webcasts." Records in the DPA database include searchable fields such as artists' and collaborators' names, titles of works, performance venues, dates, and technology used. Once a record has been retrieved, it is possible to broaden a search to other works that use the same technology. There is also an A-Z listing of artist names. Records include links to original URLs for artworks, performances, and homepages for the artists and groups that have created the works. In some cases where the artwork is a Website, a cloned copy exists in the DPA database. [DS]
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Sunday School Books: Shaping the Values of Youth in Nineteenth-Century America
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/award99/miemhtml/svyhome.html
This latest addition to the Library of Congress' American Memory collection contains the full text of 163 Sunday school books published in America between 1815 and 1865, drawn from the collections of Michigan State University Libraries and the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University Libraries. The collections may be searched by keyword or browsed by title, author, or subject. The books are available in HTML format or as page images. Special presentations at the site include links to some author biographies and an essay, "Shaping the Values of Youth," both of which are hosted at the Michigan State University site. [MD]
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The National Academies In Focus
http://infocusmagazine.org/
Published by the National Academies Press, this new electronic magazine highlights recent research and reports sponsored by the National Academies and the National Research Council. The main portion of the magazine is a collection of short summaries which link to full-text reports (available for free), organized by topic. Also included are an opinion column, brief takes, and a listing of new projects and publications. This magazine should prove interesting and helpful to anyone in the scientific community or interested general users. [MD]
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Debt To Society -- Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/prisons/
This new special project from Mother Jones magazine examines the "real price of prisons" as the American inmate population continues to balloon, currently topping two million persons. The site contains a number of brief essays (including two written by New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and the Rev. Jesse Jackson), discussion boards, and a well-organized directory of resources. The heart of the site is an incarceration atlas, an interactive guide to the growth of the prison population, spending on prisons and higher education, what proportion of prisoners are drug offenders, and the racial disparity between general and prison populations in each state. [MD]
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Early Las Vegas
http://library.nevada.edu/digproj/
Provided by The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Libraries, this online exhibition explores the early history of Las Vegas. The site is divided into four sections (Early Las Vegas, The Depot, The Cottages, and Now and Then), each of which is viewed horizontally to simulate an actual gallery. Each gallery contains a number of images with captions that link to a full record and full-sized image. Subjects include buildings, notable persons, building blueprints, scenes from town life, and letters. Additional galleries are planned for the future. In all, a modest but well-crafted exhibit that should appeal to anyone interested in the pioneer days of "sin city." [MD]
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Network Tools

Odigo 3.1/2.0
http://corp.odigo.com/download/index.html
Odigo, a cross-platform instant messenger (IM) program, allows users to communicate with users of ICQ, and AOL and Yahoo messengers. Since it was originally reviewed in the June 2, 2000 Scout Report), Odigo has released versions for Mac, WAP, and a Java Applet. The most recent version for Windows includes an auto update, improved stability and security, and enhanced cross-platform compatibility. Users can download Odigo for free at the above URL. [MD]
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Google Adds Date-Based Searching
http://www.google.com/advanced_search
Google has introduced yet another new feature to its dominant search engine -- date-based searching. Users can access this feature on the advanced search page, limiting their searches to pages that have been updated in the past three months, six months, or year. Definitely worth a spin. [MD]
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In The News

G8 Summit Opens Amidst Tear Gas And Petrol Bombs
"Clashes erupt at Genoa summit" -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1448000/1448751.stm
The G-8 Summit -- Time
http://www.time.com/time/2001/g8/
Special Report: G-8 Summit -- Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/globalisation/story/0,7369,524805,00.html
Bush and the G-8 -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/issues/busheurope0701/
"Tear gas fired in G8 clashes" -- CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/07/20/genoa.protests/index.html
"Police Clash With G8 Demonstrators" -- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Summit-Protests.html
Genoa Summit Meeting
http://www.genoa-g8.it/eng/index.html
G-8 Information Centre
http://www.g7.utoronto.ca/
In what is now becoming a familiar scene at international economic meetings, police and anti-globalization protesters clashed violently in Genoa, Italy, as leaders of the world's seven richest countries and Russia met to discuss the threat of a world recession, liberalizing trade, and global warming. The violence began just outside the "red zone" established by security forces to keep protestors away from the summit venue, a medieval palace. Italy and Genoa have been preparing for the conference for weeks, assembling some 20,000 security forces, preparing water cannons, and even placing surface-to-air missiles at the city's airport. As with previous protests, those involved in the marches and rioting represent a wide variety of international economic and human rights causes and espouse a range of tactics, from peaceful marches to deliberate destruction of property. Safely isolated from these protests, the G-8 leaders will discuss issues such as concessions to developing countries, a new round of trade talks, and the danger of a world recession.

The BBC's special report on the summit includes background information, an in-depth examination of the protests and the issues under discussion, some analysis, and links to related stories. Time's report features photo galleries, reporting and analysis, and a timeline. The Guardian offers a number of articles, while the Washington Post's special section includes breaking news, commentary, photos, editorial cartoons, and related articles. Additional coverage is available from CNN and the New York Times. The official homepage of the summit includes news and background information, while the G-8 Information Centre at the University of Toronto Library offers a range of background materials and reference resources. [MD]
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From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/

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Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2001. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies.

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The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout
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