SciTechResources.gov
http://www.scitechresources.gov
A creation of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), this site provides scientists, researchers, engineers, and others with easy access to government resources related to science and technology. Users can limit searches by keyword, subject, agency, and type of resource (such as maps and charts or data). For the "science aware citizen," who may not be a researcher, SciTechResources allows visitors to search just within general interest science and technology resources. A categorized list of portals and gateways is also available off the front page. The site's browsing function is a bit misleading,as clicking on a broad subject takes users to a search page rather than a list of sub-categories. Nonetheless, there are many ways to access information here, including the ability to list resources by agency and to search for government laboratories by state and agency. This is a useful portal for the science community that promises to grow. [TK]
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ISIHighlyCited.com
http://isihighlycited.com/home.cgi
"This freely accessible Web site gives research professionals working in a variety of occupations an invaluable tool to identify individuals, departments and laboratories that have made fundamental contributions to the advancement of science and technology in recent decades," boasts the About page of this handy tool. Part of the ISI Web of Knowledge platform from the Thompson Corporation (an e-business solution provider), ISIHighlyCited is a database of people most highly cited from 1981 to 1999 for each of the following categories: chemistry, physics, engineering, and neurosciences. These distinguished, most-highly-cited individuals comprise less than one-half of one percent of all publishing researchers! The database can be searched by name, institution, category, or country. The information returned includes a full listing of publications (journal articles, book or book chapters, conference proceedings, Websites, and other Internet resources), education, faculty and professional posts, memberships and/or offices, current research interests, and personal Websites. The next categories planned for release are Molecular Biology & Genetics, Biology & Biochemistry, Immunology, and Microbiology. Besides its database, which will continue expanding, ISIHighlyCited also has a section of news features from various disciplines. [HCS]
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Digital Millennium Copyright Act Report -- US Copyright Office/ Library of Congress [.pdf]
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/reports/studies/dmca/dmca_study.html
Section 104 of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) required the US Copyright Office to conduct a study to begin "an ongoing evaluation by Congress on the relationship between technological change and U.S. copyright law." This report focuses on three areas traditionally handled under copyright law that have changed in the digital world: first sale doctrine and the related issue of digital transmission of copyrighted works, certain temporary incidental copies, such as copies of a work existing in RAM on a computer, and archival copying of computer programs. First sale doctrine allows the purchaser of a copyrighted work to loan or share that work and has a great impact on the functions of libraries. In summary, the report does not recommend amending the DMCA in the area of first sale doctrine; it does argue that copies of a work created in RAM for the purposes of streaming media are probably protected under fair use and that archival back-up copies of computer programs are becoming less necessary for the average consumer. The report includes public commentary from the library community, publishers, and private citizens. [DS]
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Two on Stem Cells from NIH
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Update on Existing Human Embryonic Stem Cells
http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/082701list.htm
MOU Between WiCell Research Institute, Inc. and the Public Health Service (US Dept. of Health and Human Services) [.pdf]
http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/WicellMOU.pdf
In response to President Bush's August 9 address, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released online their statement on use of existing human embryonic stem cells. It includes a list of the ten laboratories worldwide that have existing stem cell lines, as reported to NIH. The Update also covers the derivation and characterization of human embryonic stem cells, how NIH is implementing the President's plan, and technology transfer issues relevant to NIH-funded investigators. Additionally, the NIH site offers the text of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the WiCell Research Institute, Inc., of Madison, Wisconsin (.pdf). Signed on September 5, the MOU outlines plans for research use of WiCell's five human embryonic stem cell lines that meet the criteria set by the President. [HCS]
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Free Medical Journals.com
http://www.freemedicaljournals.com/
Folks looking for medical journal articles available for free online can be frustrated by the multiple interpretations of "free" -- some journals offer free trials, others only certain back issues, some have free abstracts but not full text, etc. This new metasite, Free Medical Journals.com, has organized the growing list of online medical publications into the following categories: free full text, free one to six months after publication, free one year after publication, free two years after publication, new, and cancelled. The over-800 titles here are sorted alphabetically or by specialty. There are also Spanish and Portuguese listings. Users can sign up for the journal alert feature and can also submit information on new free medical journals. [HCS]
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"Monthly surface air temperature time series area-averaged over the 30-degree latitudinal belts of the globe"
http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/temp/lugina/lugina.html
A new report containing nearly a century's-worth of air temperature data is available online from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC). The mean monthly and annual values of surface air temperature were compiled from existing World Weather Records, Monthly Climatic Data for the World, and Meteorological Data for Individual Years over the Northern Hemisphere (excluding the former USSR). These published records were supplemented with information from various national publications. The compiled and updated data series through 1999 shows that the northern hemisphere has warmed at a rate of 0.6 degrees celsius per 100 years, and the southern hemisphere at a rate slightly greater than 0.5 degrees celsius per 100 years. Anomalies in the global record show unprecedented warming in the 1980s and particularly the 1990s. The data, which show global and zonal temperature deviations (seasonal and annual), are available as text or graphics. Visitors to the site can also find citations for articles in which the data were published. [HCS]
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Researching WTO and Gatt
http://www.llrx.com/features/wto2.htm
This new pathfinder from LLRX should help anyone doing research on the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the preceding system under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The guide, which is focused on sources from the United States, gives pointers for research, covering a variety of materials in electronic, print, and microfiche formats. Resources are divided into eight sections including Official Documents, GATT/ WTO Legal Instruments, Dispute Settlement, Schedules on Tariffs and Services, and more. [TK]
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Perseus Greek and Latin Vocabulary Tool
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/PR/vocab.ann.html
The Perseus Digital Library of Tufts University (first discussed in the October 17, 1997 Scout Report) has just introduced the Perseus Vocabulary Tool, intended to help users of texts in the Perseus Digital Library build word lists based on those texts. The tool shows the frequency of words used by specific authors or in specific texts, and identifies key terms for building vocabulary lists. For each vocabulary word, a pop-up window containing the definition, part of speech, and word gender, plus links are given. It's a good idea to check out the help page before embarking on a journey through the Perseus Vocabulary Tool. [HCS]
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Two Virtual Journeys
Siberia Diary -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/siberiadiary/
Salmon: Spirit of the Land and Sea -- OneWorldJourneys [Flash, QuickTime, RealPlayer]
http://www.OneWorldJourneys.com/salmon/index.html
Even though most people have returned to work and school, the opportunity for travel and adventure still exists...via computer. Washington Post correspondents Robert G. Kaiser and Lucian Perkins are in the midst of a month-long expedition through Siberia, sending back dispatches on and photographs off the people and natural resources along the way. A few of the places their journey has taken them are the town of Chita, along the Chinese border, Irkutsk on Lake Baikal, and Siberia's wealthiest city, Surgut. The site is arranged so that readers can choose a featured dispatch and then see oodles of photographs, learn facts, and understand issues about the dispatch location. Interesting examples of the dispatches include "Aids Orphans," "City of Uranium," and "A River Feast." Helpful links to related news and information, and a section where readers can email questions to Kaiser and Perkins round out Siberia Diary. Another northern adventure comes from OneWorldJourneys.com, which is presenting a ten-day photo-documentary Webcast from the coastal waters and rivers of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. This virtual journey, focuses on the natural history and future of the wild Pacific Salmon. Visitors to the site can learn how the salmon is a critical link in the health of an entire ecosystem -- a particularly timely issue in the wake of water rights and forestry disputes in the Northwest. Text, gorgeous photos, and videos can be viewed in either high or low bandwidth formats (Flash, QuickTime, RealPlayer), and the site is also available in Japanese. Salmon is the fifth Webcast expedition produced by OneWorldJourneys.com. The last OneWorldJourneys Webcast that we featured was "Jaguar: Lord of the Mayan Jungle," reviewed in the April 27, 2001 Scout Report. [HCS]
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New Releases from Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/stcty/estimate.html
In August, the US Census Bureau released newly-compiled data on income and poverty as part of the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program. The aim of the program is to provide more current estimates of selected income and poverty statistics than the most recent decennial census by using data from states, counties, and school districts. The newest data tables online from SAIPE are state-level estimates of people under age five in poverty, related children ages five to seventeen in families in poverty, people under age eighteen in poverty, all people in poverty, and median household income for the year 1998. The tables can be retrieved from a main menu arranged by state, year, and statistic. [HCS]
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Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture -- FAO
http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations provides this Website about the role and impact of biotechnology in food and agriculture in developing countries. Features of the site include FAO's Statement on Biotechnology (including a discussion of genetically modified organisms), an overview of FAO's activities (such as providing advice and assistance to member countries, disseminating information, and monitoring new developments concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture), as well as an introduction to biotechnology in the agro-industry, crop, fisheries, forestry, and livestock sectors with links to FAO publications (most may be read online). Other highlights of the site include meeting news, a glossary of terms and acronyms currently used in the field of biotechnology, a member list for the FAO Inter-Departmental Working Group on Biotechnology, and links. The FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture (reviewed in the May 26, 2000 Scout Report) is a series of moderated email conferences concerning agricultural biotechnology and developing countries. The Website is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish. [HCS]
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International Trade Benefits from Exports - State Reports -- US Small Business Administration [.pdf]
http://www.sba.gov/oit/statereports/
This series of .pdf files profiling export trade benefits for each American state is posted online by the US Small Business Administration. Each state's report contains a summary of export activity; the status of export-related jobs; information on foreign competition; and color charts showing the breakdown of exports by type (transportation, computers, machinery, petroleum, etc.), the global distribution of the state's exports, percentage of exports by year, and more. Data from US territories of Puerto Rico and Guam are not yet available. Files are accessed from the homepage's easy-to-use clickable map. [HCS]
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Sister Wendy's American Collection
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sisterwendy/
In conjunction with the broadcast of "Sister Wendy's American Collection" on public television, PBS online hosts this educational Website. Sister Wendy is a Reverend Mother and scholar of English who began studying art during her stay with the Carmelite nuns of Quindenham, Norfolk. She now has a popular television and book series in which she shares her "signature blend of intellect, reverence, and admiration for great works of art." Her latest project explores American museum collections. The Website furnishes color images of the works accompanied by Sister Wendy's equally colorful commentary, background on the artists, plus a guide to the six museums featured. The diverse international selection of art and artifacts includes a Native American earthen bowl, an African drum, Egyptian statuary, as well as an array of classical to contemporary paintings and drawings. [HCS]
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The Top American Research Universities 2001 [Excel, .pdf]
http://thecenter.ufl.edu
An updated version of The Top American Research Universities has been released from Florida-based research organization, The Center, which creates this report annually. (The first edition of the Top American Research Universities was included in the July 28, 2000 Scout Report.) Institutions considered "top" are those that have federal research expenditures as reported to NSF of at least $20 million and that fall within the top 25 on at least one of The Center's nine measures (total research expenditures, federal research expenditures, endowment assets, annual giving, faculty members in the National Academies, faculty awards, doctoral degrees, postdoctoral appointees, and entering freshmen SAT scores). This year, the study has been expanded to include national rankings and to include institutions ranked in the top 26-50 (in addition to those ranked in top 25). The data are available in .pdf or spreadsheet (.xls) format. Interestingly, the top ten are all private universities. [HCS]
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Learning about the Holocaust through Art
http://art.holocaust-education.net/
The heart of this site is the explore section, which contains art works produced during the Holocaust. Each artist is profiled in a biography, and internal links provide more information on camps and related artists. The Learn section contains a teachers' guide, activities for students at different levels, and study resources, including a bibliography, Webliography, and essay on camps in France. The third section of the site, Interact, allows users who register (which is free) to make their own annotated collection culled from the works on-site. (Note that we did have some trouble accessing this function when we logged on.) A joint production of World ORT, an educational nonprofit, and Beit Lohamei Haghetaot, a major Holocaust museum in Israel, the site is available in English and Hebrew, with plans for a Russian and Spanish version in the future. [TK]
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Ad-aware 5.6 [Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000]
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software.html
This is a great download for those concerned with their privacy. Lavasoft's Ad-aware scans your computer's memory, registry, and hard drives for spyware and helps you to remove them safely. This latest version includes a backup manager to easily create backups before removing spyware or fixing your registry, and support in more languages, among other enhancements. The user interface is easy to manage even for novices, and Lavasoft's site offers a forum for those who have questions not covered in the help documentation. [TK]
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"Microsoft vs. Apple: Tech-support showdown" -- CNet
http://home.cnet.com/software/0-3227900-8-6983735-1.html?tag=st.sw.3227900-8-6983735-6.back2.3227900-8-6983735-1
Yet one more installment in the Microsoft versus Apple debate, this article by CNet reviews the two biggies in terms of tech support, giving report cards on standard documentation, online help, and phone support. The results? Both companies get a "B" overall, with Microsoft proving better for customers with more advanced or complex queries and Apple better for those who have more basic questions when they first receive a product. [TK]
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World Conference against Racism
"Race Talks Edge Toward Deal on Slavery, Mideast" -- Reuters (via YahooNews!)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010907/ts/race_dc_81.html
"Conferees Fail to Resolve Their Disputes at Race Talks" -- New York Times [free registration required]
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/07/international/07RACE.html
World Conference against Racism [.pdf, MS Word, RealPlayer]
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/
UN Coverage of World Conference against Racism [.pdf, MS Word, RealPlayer]
http://www.un.org/WCAR/
Statement by Rabbi Michael Melchior, Deputy Foreign Minister of the State of Israel -- Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0kfh0
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/
President Yasser Arafat addresses the Third World Conference Against Racism -- Palestinian National Authority
http://www.pna.net/search/TitleDetails.asp?txtDocID=414
Palestinian National Authority
http://www.pna.net/
Focus on the slave trade -- BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1523000/1523100.stm
"EU to Say Sorry for Slavery" -- AP (via YahooNews!)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010907/wl/racism_conference_75.html
The eight-day World Conference against Racism is drawing to a close today, and while some strides have been made in resolving the differences that have marked this as a contentious gathering, the conference seems to have proven, above anything else, that the issues that divide the world can not be easily addressed. Much of the conference has been dominated by two issues: the language equating Zionism and racism in the draft declaration and the desire on the part of some African states for an formal apology and reparations for slavery. Israel and the United States left the conference earlier in the week in protest over the former issue.
The latest news on the conference is available from Reuters and the New York Times. Reports, documents, journals, and more are posted on the conference sites above. To investigate the middle-eastern issues in greater depth, see the statements from Rabbi Michael Melchior, Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, and President Yasser Arafat of Palestine. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Palestinian National Authority have more information on the conference and the conflicts in the middle-east in general. The BBC offers an in-depth special on the slave trade, and AP gives the news that the EU has agreed to apologize for slavery and colonialism in the final declaration of the conference. [TK]
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