Bellows Report
Chapter 6 (excerpts)
http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/bellows_chap6.html
Chapter 7
http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/bellows_chap7.html
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has posted excerpts of Chapters 6 and all of Chapter 7 of the March 2000 Bellows Report (formally titled the Final Report of the Attorney General's Review Team on the Handling of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Investigation), which finds fault in the way the FBI and DOE handled the Wen Ho Lee investigation. The justice department released the report in declassified form last week, but as the FAS warns, "the document was so aggressively censored that the surviving text is often incoherent." Nonetheless, users following the case will want to check out the release. [TK]
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Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Cloning [RealPlayer, .pdf]
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/pd/cosepup.nsf/web/human_cloning?OpenDocument
This National Academies site features presentations from an August 7, 2001 workshop on the implications of human cloning. The workshop was held to gather information for a study that aims to review research on the science, medicine, and ethics of human cloning undertaken by a joint panel of the National Academies' Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy and the Board on Life Sciences. Here, users can read more about the workshop, listen to speakers' presentations, and view their slide shows (online or in .pdf format). Users who wish to replicate the experience of seeing the presentations as workshop participants saw them may want to open two browser windows so that they can view the graphics in one while they access the audio in another; the former are in the Speaker Presentations section, the latter in the Workshop Agenda section. [TK]
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globalhealth.gov
http://www.globalhealth.gov/
Announced last week, this new Website from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is geared toward illuminating the connection between domestic and international health issues. The site reviews HHS's work in these areas and offers useful pointers to data resources, international travel information, reports and publications, and more. Both the general public and researchers and medical professionals should find this a useful bookmark. [TK]
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UNESCO Windows to Culture
http://www.unesco.org/culture/links/
This new online directory from UNESCO is devoted to "policy making in the field of culture." Though the page is relatively new, there are already more than 400 annotated links here in ten categories including Ministries of Culture, Networks and Culturenets, Research Institutes, International Organizations, and so on. Part of the larger Culture and UNESCO site, Windows to Culture is a good demonstration of "value-added"; clicking on the detailed view for a resource brings up the title, address, URL, email address, country, region, themes, and a nice description of the resource/ organization. [TK]
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"Indonesia the War in Aceh" -- HRW [.pdf]
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/aceh/index.htm
This 41-page report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) covers the conflict in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia. The war has been marked by human rights violations on both the part of the Indonesian security forces and GAM (an acronym for the Free Aceh Movement), and HRW here reports on both sides' infractions. To gather information for the report, HRW met with and interviewed military and civilian Indonesian government officials, GAM leaders, NGO representatives, and villagers. The report contains a series of recommendations for the Indonesian government and GAM as well as recommendations for the International community. [TK]
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HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report -- CDC [.pdf]
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/stats/hasrlink.htm
U.S. HIV and AIDS cases reported through December 2000 Year-End edition Vol.12, No.2
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/stats/hasr1202.htm
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been releasing data on US AIDS and HIV cases since 1982. This semi-annual report provides tables and graphics for by state, metropolitan area, mode of exposure to HIV, gender, race/ ethnicity, age group, vital status, and more. The latest report suggests that the decline in the number of deaths from AIDS is levelling and that the proportion of cases attributable to heterosexual contact is on the rise. [TK]
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H-Buddhism
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~buddhism/
This latest H-Net discussion list "has been created to serve as a medium for the exchange of information regarding resources, events, projects, publications, job listings, and so forth, among the worldwide Buddhist scholarly community." Subscription information and discussion lists are available at the H-Net site. [TK]
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To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process: The National Commission on Federal Election Reform Final Report [.pdf]
http://www.reformelections.org/data/reports/99_full_report.php
The National Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, among others, released its final report at the end of last month. Even those tiring of reading and thinking about election reform may want to take a look at this 108-page document which takes a broader view on election issues than simply a discussion of chads, hanging or otherwise. The report begins with a summary of thirteen policy recommendations, among them, recommendations that Congress make presidential and congressional elections a national holiday, that news organizations should not forecast presidential election results as long as polls remain open, and that states should make allowances to restore voting rights to citizens who have served their time for felony convictions. [TK]
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Mapping Census 2000: The Geography of U.S. Diversity [pdf]
http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/atlas.html
This Census 2000 Special Report, prepared by Cynthia A. Brewer (Pennsylvania State University) and Trudy A. Suchan (Census Bureau, Population Division), synthesizes the basic patterns and changes in the US racial population distribution in the last decade. Distribution maps depict White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino Origin; White, Not Hispanic or Latino Origin as well as those people claiming two or more races. The Census 2000 data in this report are based on the US Census Bureau Redistricting Summary File, the data that are used in redrawing federal, state, and local legislative districts. This fact makes these maps noteworthy to anyone interested in American government and the population it is elected to represent. [DJS]
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Two from Space:
The Genesis Mission [.pdf]
http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/
"UC Berkeley Astronomers Find Jupiter-sized Planet Around Nearby Star in Big Dipper"
http://exoplanets.org/esp/47uma/47uma_announce.html
Space scientists postulate that the planets of our solar system arose from solar nebulae approximately 4.6 billion years ago. This July, NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab launched a new mission, Genesis, to investigate the transition from solar nebulae to planets by collecting and analyzing the isotopic composition of solar particles. You can learn more about the Genesis mission at its official Website. Theoretical background, mission description, and scientific objectives are laid out in the text, while the site's imagery includes photographs of the mission hardware, diagrams of the spacecraft's orbit trajectory, mission timeline, and the instrumentation. Press releases, .pdf-formatted fact sheets, including one entitled "How does Studying Solar Wind Tell us About the Origin of Planets?" and a glossary are also available. People wishing to "catch a piece of the sun" should check out this site. In other space and planetary news, researchers have found signs of a Jupiter-sized planet near one of the Big Dipper's stars. To learn more, check out the University of California Planet Search program's press release that contains astronomical data, a sky chart, and links. [HCS]
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Two Lists from Fortune magazine
100 Fastest Growing Companies
http://www.fortune.com/fastestgrowingcompanies
Global 500: The World's Largest Corporations
http://www.fortune.com/global500
Fortune has just released its list of the 100 fastest growing US companies. To make the list, companies had to have revenue and market caps of at least 50 million and be publicly traded for at least three years. 4Kids Entertainment tops the list with 242 percent EPS growth. Readers can also check out Perennial Companies, the 15 companies that have made the list each of the three years of its existence, and 5 Stocks to Buy Now. The second list, Fortune's Global 500, was released last month and details the 500 largest companies in the world. In addition to the standard list giving Fortune ranking, company name, and revenues, users can sort the list by company name or view lists of CEOs or industries. Clicking on a company name brings up additional information including articles, breaking news, and company information. Supplemental lists include the Top 25 in Asia, the Top 25 in Europe, Biggest Money Losers, Top Performing Companies, and so on. [TK]
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The Impressionists -- Biography.com
http://www.biography.com/impressionists/
Biography.com, part of the History Channel, has created this special feature on Impressionist painters. The site does apparently subscribe to the great man (or woman) theory of art history: Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Camille Pissaro, and Auguste Renoir are listed as great masters, with a paintbrush icon by their names, while Frederic Bazile, Mary Cassat, Eduoard Manet, and Alfred Sisley appear as lesser artists with mere spot of paint icons. Nonetheless, the artists' entries, all including essays of around 1,000 words, photos of the artists, images of several artworks, and links to related resources, provide a good, basic, reference book-style introduction to each Impressionist. The major artists' sections have interactive tours of one painting, analyzing themes, colors, and brushstrokes. In addition, the site has several fun features, such as a quiz where you can test your knowledge of Impressionist art and the Make a Masterpiece painting game. There are also links to museums, classroom materials, and the Impressionist shop. [DS]
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Taxi Dreams -- PBS [RealPlayer, QuickTime]
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/taxidreams/
This companion site to the documentary with the same name which screened on PBS this week tells the story of New York's immigrant cab drivers. According to the site, 90 percent of today's applicants for cab licenses are born outside of the US, and the film focuses on five of these cabbies. The Website gives brief sketches of the film's five subjects, text interviews with key players, video clips from the film, a timeline of New York cab history, and even a quiz and some QuickTime VR panoramic shots from the inside of cabs. [TK]
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GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top50index/
Compiled from opinions of GameSpy staff, developers, and freelance press, this listing reviews the best computer games, starting from number 50 and proceeding to number 1 (we're not giving it away). Each entry includes a screen shot from the game, an explanation of its significance, and for most, a quote from a writer or software producer. Significant software developers' top ten lists are interspersed throughout. This scout didn't notice any of her favorites on the list, but then, she didn't notice any women's names involved with the selection either. Hmm. [TK]
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ACTION GoMac 2.1 [Mac OS 8.1+]
http://www.poweronsoftware.com/download/default.asp#AG
Action GoMac (last mentioned in the January 21, 2000 Scout Report) is a handy utility for Mac users craving some of the Windows interface. GoMac adds a Windows-style taskbar to your screen, complete with a customizable start menu and, in this latest version, a QuickLaunch area. Version 2.1 includes support for MS Office 2001, compatibility with Apple DVD Player and iMovie, the ability to show an original file directly from any active application, and more improvements. The demo is free for 30 days, after which time, ACTION GoMac can be purchased for $29.95. [TK]
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Blogdex
http://blogdex.media.mit.edu/
This is a fun stop for those who want to keep up on the Web's ever-changing zeitgeist. A project of MIT's Media Laboratory, Blogdex lists the most referred-to sites in Weblog world. That is, Blogdex has a crawler that keeps track of what sites Weblogs are linking to and gives a list of the most popular. Clicking on the who? link brings up the Weblogs that linked to the site in question. Users interested in a less ephemeral account of popularity can check out the "all-time" top links, and the site promises a search facility in the future for Webmasters who want to know "Am I hot, or am I not." [TK]
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Deadly Conditions in Ukraine's Aging, Underfinanced Mines
1. Coal Mine Explosion in Ukraine Kills at Least 37
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/aug2001/ukra-a23.shtml#top
2. Hope Dies for Ukraine Miners - BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1503000/1503952.stm
3. Opinion: "A Blast of Reality" - The Kiev Post
http://www.kpnews.com/main/9539/
4. Mineral Resources of Ukraine
http://www.un.kiev.ua:8080/HDR/new/Physical_Resources/Physical_Resources-The.html
5. Country Analysis in Brief: Ukraine
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/ukraine.html
6. International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Worker's Unions (ICEM)
http://www.icem.org/index.html
7. Coal Information Network
http://www.coalinfo.com/
8. Embassy of Ukraine
http://www.ukremb.com/
9. Brama Ukrai Newsstand
http://www.brama.com/news/
10. Investigators Probe Deadly Ukraine Mine Blast (CNN, 3/12/2000)
http://www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/03/12/ukraine.explosion/
August 24th is Ukraine's Independence day but a recent deadly mine explosion casts a shadow over the festivities. The death toll for August 19th's blast in the Zasyadko mine, eastern Ukraine, is now up to fifty. This latest explosion is one of many disasters at Ukraines aging, under-financed mines, which are considered to be the most dangerous in Europe. According to the World Socialist Website, five miners die for every million tonnes of coal extracted in Ukraine.
Other coal mine explosions include a blast that killed 50 at the same pit two years ago, and a similar methane-coal dust explosion that left 82 miners dead last March in Krasnodon, eastern Ukraine. Also, during May of this year, eight miners were killed in a methane gas explosion at another eastern Ukrainian mine and three other miners died in unrelated accidents at coal mines in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
To learn more about the desperate situation of Ukrainian coal miners, visit the Websites suggested above. The first two resources are news reports from the World Socialist Website and the BBC Online. The third is an op-ed piece from the Kiev Post online. The next four resources deal with the coal industry and contain facts about mining in Ukraine. Websites of the Ukrainian embassy to the US and The Brama Newsstand are sites for browsing general news from Ukraine. Finally, the last resource is an archived news report from CNN.com about the explosion in the Krasnodon this past March. [HCS]
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