PSIgate (Physical Sciences Information Gateway)
http://www.psigate.ac.uk/homenew.htm
Launched on Monday, PSIgate is the physical sciences hub for the UK's Resource Discovery Network (RDN). From this page, users can search the PSIgate database, search an expanded catalog (PSIgate+) generated by harvesting pages from the PSIgate database, or search across RDN databases. Returns include resources focused on astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, history of science, and more. In the future, PSIgate plans to launch a current awareness service. This is a "must-bookmark" for scientists, students, and educators. [TK]
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Two on Rwanda
The US and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994 [.pdf]
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB53/press.html
"Bystanders to Genocide" -- The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/09/power.htm
The National Security Archive last month posted sixteen declassified documents relating to the US response to 1994's genocide in Rwanda. The documents reveal that the United States planned from the beginning not to get involved until peace was restored, that the US tried to persuade the UN to withdraw all forces in Rwanda in April of 1994, and that US officials knew who was responsible for the killings and even spoke with leaders to try to stop further violence. These cables, memorandums, and papers are chilling in the light of the nearly one million dead. The latest issue of The Atlantic features an article by Samantha Power which uses the declassified documents along with interviews with those involved to deliver a "narrative of self-serving caution and flaccid will." [TK]
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Documenting the American South: North American Slave Narratives, Beginnings to 1920 [SGML viewer]
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/neh.html
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries' Documenting the American South project (first discussed in the April 18, 1997 Scout Report--) brings us this collection of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and early twentieth-century slave narratives. The collection, which was just completed last month, comprises 230 English-language narratives and many biographies of fugitive and former slaves. The texts were originally published as broadsides, pamphlets, and books, and users can now access the narratives in HTML or SGML format via an alphabetical list. William L. Andrews, the editor of the series, has provided a very helpful "Introduction to the Slave Narrative" as well as an alphabetical and a chronological bibliography. As with the other four components of Documenting the American South, this is a well organized and rich resource. [TK]
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Health, United States, 2001 With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook [.pdf, Excel, Lotus]
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hus/hus.htm
Released Monday, this large statistical report presents data on the nation's health in 460 pages, including birth and death rates, infant mortality, life expectancy, health personnel and facilities, financing of health care, health insurance and managed care, and much more. This is the 25th annual report of its kind (see the July 28, 2000 Scout Report for a review of 2000's report), and this year is the first to give statistics on health status relative to level of urbanization, finding that suburban Americans "fare significantly better in many key health measures than those who live in the most rural and most urban areas." The report is available in its entirety or by section in .pdf format, and trendtables are available in Lotus or Excel formats. [TK]
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Online Digital Special Collections -- DOT
http://specialcollections.tasc.dot.gov/
The Department of Transportation (DOT) offers this Website giving access to digitized versions of a number of their special collections, such as Civil Aeronautic Manuals, Civil Air Regulations, Superseded Advisory Circulars, Historical Aircraft Accident Reports (1934-1965), FAA and CAA Research Reports, and more. Transportation researchers will find this a very useful resource. The interfaces for each of the collections are easy to manage, and certainly, this Website make looking up selected DOT documents much easier. [TK]
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Rosetta Project
http://www.rosettaproject.org
The Rosetta Project aims to create a contemporary version of the Rosetta Stone as a platform for comparative language study and to preserve languages that may perhaps become lost in the future. The database contains "a growing collection of descriptions, texts, analytic materials and audio files for 1,000 languages." The Long Now Foundation has initiated the project, sponsored by Charles Butcher of the Lazy Eight Foundation, which accepts contributions and comments from linguists, native speakers, and interested members of the public in order to develop a survey and archive of 1,000 languages. The archive consists of seven components: detailed descriptions of the languages, a translation of Genesis, glossed vernacular texts, orthographies, swadish word lists, inventories of phonemes, and audio files. In the end, the results will be available in three formats: a nickel disk with a 2,000 year life expectancy, a reference book, and the online archive. More information about the project and its language holdings thus far are available on the Rosetta Project site. [TK]
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Federal, State, and Local Governments: State and Local Government Finances -- Census [Excel, .zip]
http://www.census.gov/govs/www/estimate.html
Released Monday, this Census Bureau report provides data on state and local spending for 1999. The data are available as Excel tables and self-extracting .zip files (non-delimited, comma delimited, and coefficients of variation, comma delimited) and cover four main areas of finances: revenue, expenditures, debt, and assets. Revenues are detailed by type and source, and expenditures by function. This annual survey reveals that state and local expenditures for 1999 increased 6.3 percent, while revenues increased 4.3 percent. [TK]
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The Collaborative Digital Reference Service (CDRS) -- LOC
http://www.loc.gov/rr/digiref/
The CDRS provides professional "library to library" reference service to researchers any time, anywhere, through an international network of libraries and related institutions. Cooperative Partners include the Library of Congress, OCLC, Reference and Users Services Association of the American Libraries Association, Library Systems and Services (LSSI), and Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) with over 100 participating member libraries. The service uses new technologies to provide the best answers in the best context, by taking advantage of Internet resources, localized print and archival collections, as well as the knowledge of staff in general and specialist libraries. The CDRS process begins when the Requesting Library enters a question (on behalf of their client) into the system with additional "metadata" including keywords, subjects, education level, turnaround time needed, sources already consulted, etc. Once the question has been answered, a notification is sent back to the Requesting Library that an answer is available and waiting. Future enhancements may include other processes like interlibrary loans, information on where to buy cited books, and/or document delivery functions. [DJS]
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The United States Government Manual -- 2001/ 2002 [.pdf]
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/browse-gm-01.html
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released the latest edition of the United States Government Manual on the US Government Printing Office Website September 5 (last year's edition is discussed in the September 15, 2000 Scout Report). The 693-page manual covers agencies in all three branches of the government as well as "quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees." Agency descriptions include main officials, the agency's purpose and history, its activities, and a section entitled "Sources of Interest," which gives information such as employment, publications, and other
activities of interest to the general public. Each section of the document is available in text or .pdf format. [TK]
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Two from PBS [Flash]
Africa
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/
Art:21
http://www.pbs.org/art21/
Africa is the companion Website to a PBS series being broadcast September 9 - October 28. The Photoscope section has five photo essays, on AIDS, Conflict, Urban Africa, Environment, and Women. Urban Africa presents views of contrasts, like a man cutting lettuce in a field under a billboard advertising Internet access, an aerial view of shacks in Cape Town's Philippi Township, and a well-dressed woman bargaining for vegetables in a street market in Lagos. Also included are Africa Challenge, a history game; Africa for Kids; Teacher Tools, including lesson plans; and About the Series, with descriptions of episodes, series profiles (what has happened to people featured in the shows), a link to hear the theme music, and more. Art:21 will be broadcast beginning September 21. The first four programs are Place, Spirituality, Identity, and Consumption. Performance artist Laurie Anderson opens the Place episode, and video clips of her opener are available at the Website. Other featured artists are Richard Serra, Sally Mann, Margaret Kilgallen, Barry McGee, and Pepon Osorio. Biographies, video, and examples of artworks, with extensive commentary, for all the featured artists are also at the site. And if you sign up to receive the email newsletter Artblast, you are entered in a drawing to win the Art:21 companion book. [DS]
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Capitol Spotlight [RealPlayer]
http://www.c-span.org/capitolspotlight/
A joint service of C-Span and Congressional Quarterly, Inc., Capitol Spotlight is an online newsletter highlighting events and issues on Capitol Hill. Each week that Congress is in session, Capitol Spotlight's content will focus on a key vote. Features include key vote preview stories and interviews, interactive chats with experts, and vote results and breakdowns by party. This is a good resource for those interested in government because top editors from C-Span and Congressional Quarterly are tracking bills, gleaning committee news, and generally keeping their ears to the ground for you with regard to national politics. Live hearings and archived videos of news conferences round out the site (Real Audio). [HCS]
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Band of Brothers -- HBO [QuickTime, RealPlayer, Flash 4]
http://www.hbo.com/band/episode6_landing/index_flash_aol.html
With the wealth of allusions to Pearl Harbor in the news this week, this miniseries from HBO focused on World War II is well-timed. Parts one and two of the ten-part Band of Brothers premiered this week, and viewers will find supplemental material here including veterans' stories, a timeline of events related to the war, details on drop zones and paratroopers' uniforms, explanations of the defensive strategies, and more. Flash movies allow viewers to see highlights from the war, pausing where they want more detail. Those who want to pursue their interest in topics further will find pointers to other sites in the Resource Room, which also features chat rooms and message boards. Note that we found the site's navigation not entirely intuitive and the load times quite long even with a high speed connection. [TK]
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History Through Deaf Eyes
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/deafeyes/index.htm
Gallaudet University of Washington DC is presenting a travelling exhibition entitled History Through Deaf Eyes. At this Website, readers can learn about the plan, curator, and travel specifics of the exhibition that seeks to place the social history of deaf Americans within the context of better-known aspects of American history and to trace the development of a Deaf identity and language. Contents of the Website are Introduction and Orientation, Formation of Community, An Oral Approach to Education, The War and Post-War Years, Civil Rights Recognition and Access, Information Age, and Choices. Interesting historical photographs accompany the engaging text. [HCS]
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Two on College Rankings
College -- US News
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/cohome.htm
Best 331 Colleges Rankings -- Princeton Review
http://www.review.com/college/rankings.cfm
It's that time of year: when students are not only going back to school, but high schoolers are thinking about where they might go next year. These two rankings, from US News and the Princeton Review, should help students and their parents make choices for higher education. The first site, College, features US News' rankings based on sixteen indicators (more information about the methodology is available on-site). Schools can be sorted in a number of ways, and the information available here ranges from teacher/ student ratio to details of campus life to top departments at a given school. In addition, users will find features on getting into colleges, Fiske's campus profiles, and a Family Contribution Calculator to determine costs of college. From the left-hand-side of the page, users can access information on Community Colleges, Graduate Programs, and other related topics. The Princeton Review offers the second rankings site, which departs from traditional college rankings in that it is based on a survey administered to students. Want to know which schools have the best food on campus, the most keg parties, the best race relations? These listings will tell you. Our own University of Wisconsin-Madison distinguishes itself by making the top twenty in three of site's five party lists. [TK]
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Mesoamerican Ballgame [Flash 5, QuickTime]
http://www.ballgame.org/
This site, which accompanies the travelling exhibit of the same name, is divided into three main sections devoted to ball games in Mesoamerican cultures, 1500 BC - 1519 AD. Explore the Mesoamerican World gives visitors basic background information on cultures and time periods in Mesoamerican history. Explore the Ball Game is, of course, focused on the game itself, a practice that went far beyond sport to sometimes involve human sacrifice. Experience the Ball Game allows users to watch or "play" a ball game, the latter entailing a quiz on the contents of the site. The fourth section, Experience the Exhibit, gives locations and dates for the travelling exhibit as well as information on purchasing a catalog. K-12 teachers using the site will find four art projects related to the exhibit in the Classroom Connections section, accessed via the button at the bottom of the page. This is an interactive site geared toward K-12 students interested in cultural history. [TK]
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DevX Source Code Library
http://www.devx.com/free/codelib/
At the DevX Source Code Library and the newer Sourcebank, users can download source code, algorithms, and sample applications. The Library is culled from DevX services and magazines, and resources are grouped into browseable and searchable categories. The Sourcebank collects code and related tools from sites around the Web and also is searchable and browseable. Users can limit their browsing by type of resource as well (Perl code, Java code, research papers, etc.). Perhaps needless to say, file formats are too numerous to name here. [TK]
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BoardReader
http://www.boardreader.com/default.asp
BoardReader was launched in May of 2000 by the University of Michigan to "address the shortcomings of current search engine technology to accurately find and display information contained on the Web's forums and message boards." Here users can search 732,456 forums & message boards from the Web, information that most search engines do not retrieve. A simple search consists of selecting a topic and a category within which to search for a key word or words. An advanced search allows one to limit by date range. This is a nice tool for fans of forums. [TK]
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Struggling with Tragedy
ResearchBuzz 911 Coverage
http://www.researchbuzz.com/911.html
SiliconValley.com
http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/special/attack/
The Virtual Acquisition Shelf & News Desk
http://resourceshelf.blogspot.com/
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/
Yahoo's Online Donation Form
http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-wtc/
Salvation Army
http://www.christianity.com/salvationarmyusa/
Yahoo's Online Donation Form
http://store.yahoo.com/salvationarmy/
100 Questions and Answers about Arab Americans: A Journalist's Guide -- Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/jobspage/arabs/index.htm
Helping Children Cope with Tragedy -- PTA
http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/tragedy/index.asp
David Baldwin's Trauma Information Pages
http://www.trauma-pages.com/
Air Traffic Control System Command Center's Real-time Airport Status Page
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyFAA/flyfaa_plain_main.html
FBI Report Form to Report Information about Terrorist Activity
https://www.ifccfbi.gov/complaint/terrorist.asp
United States Senators
http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
United States Congresspeople
http://clerkweb.house.gov/mbrcmtee/members/housemem.htm
Here in the United States, one news story or set of stories subsumed all others this week. As clean up and rescue crews continue today to deal with the aftermath of the plane crashes in New York and Washington DC, many in the nation take time to reflect on this "day of prayer and remembrance." The Scout Report offers these sites in the hopes that they might prove helpful to our readers, as we all continue to try to absorb the events of the week and prepare ourselves for whatever the future may bring.
The first three sites have devoted their Weblogs to resources related to the events of the week (the second Weblog is available from a link part way down the page listed here). Here you will find pointers to not only stories on specific events but also broader contexts and resources to understand and cope with Tuesday's violence. Of course, countless relief organizations can use our donations right now. We offer the URLs for two such organizations, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, above, along with Yahoo's secure sites for donations. In the same spirit of cooperation and good citizenship, we hope that the Detroit Free Press's page, 100 Questions and Answers about Arab Americans, will help to encourage some understanding and communication. Parents who are wondering how to address their children's anxieties can start with the PTA's Helping Children Cope with Tragedy site, and psychologist David Baldwin's site, while geared for clinicians and researchers, contains a useful page of resources dealing with trauma related to disasters. The search engine should yield more resources for helping children cope with trauma. Patient users (and clearly those who are trying to travel by air have had to be patient) can try to access the FAA's Real-time Airport Status Page, which gives constantly updated information on airport delays and closings. For obvious reasons, the server is frequently overwhelmed right now. The FBI has a page for anyone with any information about terrorist activity (or users can call 1-866-483-5137).
Finally, turning our attention away from this week's events for a moment and looking toward an uncertain future, we have listed pages giving contact information for Senators and Congresspeople. As we stand on the brink of what President Bush has called "the first war of the 21st century," users may want to email or call their elected officials with their opinions on the future actions the United States may take. [TK]
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