Healthy People 2000 Final Review
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2k01.pdf
Assistive Technology Version
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2k01-acc.pdf
The National Center for Health Statistics just released the seventh and final review of the Healthy People 2000 objectives. Healthy People 2000 is "the national health promotion agenda that guided Americans toward living longer and healthier lives" from 1990 until now (see the September 18, 1998 Scout Report for a discussion of Healthy People 2010). The final review reports on progress made on the agenda's 319 objectives. Sixty percent of the objectives were met, including reducing deaths from coronary heart disease and cancer, and meeting targets for AIDS incidence, syphilis, mammograms, and violent deaths. Among the goals that remain unmet are reducing the number of people younger than 65 without health insurance and increasing the numbers of states that meet prison suicide prevention standards. The 382-page report is filled with explanatory text, tables, and figures and should be of interest to anyone involved in public health issues. The second URL above provides a version formatted especially for assistive technology. [TK]
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Anthrax: pre-publication and special issue [.pdf]
http://www.nature.com/nature/anthrax/
This special topics Webpage from Nature contains two pre-publication research papers and a collection of articles, news stories, and commentary from Nature's archive. The two pre-pubs, Bradley et al.'s "Identification of the cellular receptor for anthrax toxin" and "Crystal structure of the anthrax lethal factor" by Pannifer et al., should be useful to researchers and scientists working on treatments for anthrax. The two other feature articles here, "Designing a polyvalent inhibitor of anthrax toxin" by Mourez et al. and "Genomics and future biological weapons: the need for preventive action by the biomedical community," by Fraser et al., come from October issues of Nature Biotechnology and Nature Genetics respectively. Interested members of the general public should find the collection of Nature news stories, which cover a range of issues related to bioweapons and defense, a worthwhile read. All material is available in HTML or .pdf formats. [TK]
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Historic Topographic Maps of California
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/histopo/#
The University of California Berkeley's Earth Science's and Map Library has produced a Website that highlights historical maps of the San Francisco Bay area from 1895 to the present. The maps, produced by the US Geological Survey, are scanned topographic 7.5 and 15-minute quadrangles and can be zoomed to impressively fine detail. The site allows visitors to choose from the quadrangle index, search by place name, or browse by clicking on the general overview map. Researchers in cartography, general history, or the San Francisco Bay area should find this site enjoyable and informative. [JAB]
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Crime in the United States, 2000 [.pdf]
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/00cius.htm
The FBI this week released their annual report on United States' crime levels (the 1998 report is discussed in the November 5, 1999 Scout Report). Data in the report are compiled from approximately 17,000 law enforcement agencies as part of the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. According to this year's report, the Crime Index total, which indicates serious crime volume, decreased 0.2 percent from 1999. Among other findings, Crime in the United States reports that robbery, aggravated assault, and murder all decreased from 1999 to 2000, but forcible rape increased .9 percent. The report, which contains detailed tables and charts throughout, is available in seven sections in .pdf format only. Sections include a summary, crime index offenses reported and cleared, persons arrested, an analysis of motor vehicle theft, and a section on law enforcement personnel. [TK]
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Terrorism and Security Collection -- NAP
http://www.nap.edu/terror/
The National Academies Press (NAP) offers the full text of several publications related to bioterrorism, laboratory safety, and cryptography, among other topics, for browsing online. Although not all of the titles are new, NAP has collected them on one page for easy access in light of current events. The 26 titles include Airline Passenger Security Screening: New Technologies and Implementation Issues (1996), Chemical and Biological Terrorism: Research and Development to Improve Civilian Medical Response (1999), Firepower in the Lab: Automation in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases and Bioterrorism (2001), Improving Civilian Medical Response to Chemical or Biological Terrorist Incidents: Interim Report on Current Capabilities (1998), Improved Fire- and Smoke-Resistant Materials for Commercial Aircraft Interiors: Proceedings (1995) and Black and Smokeless Powders: Technologies for Finding Bombs and the Bomb Makers (1998). Users can perform keyword searches within each publication. [HCS]
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Legislation Related to the Attack of September 11, 2001 -- Thomas
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/terrorleg.htm
Thomas (see the January 13, 1995 Scout Report), the Library of Congress' (LoC) Web gateway to legislative information, has here collected links to legislation related to the September 11 attacks. This is a handy page for people looking for the exact text and disposition of bills. The legislation is simply listed, by number and title, in four categories: Bills & Joint Resolutions Signed Into Law, Other Resolutions Approved, Legislation With Floor Action, and Legislation Without Floor Action. From here, users can link to the usual information available through Thomas, including a summary of the bill, its status, amendments, related documents, and the text of the legislation. [TK]
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Hot Topics Series -- CSA
http://www.csa.com/csa/hottopics/hottopics-main.shtml
The Hot Topics series provides a free sampling of the resources in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) and the Internet Database Service (IDS). The 30 topics span subjects in the humanities, engineering, environmental policy, and medicine. Each Hot Topic gives an overview of the subject, key citations with abstracts, a list of Websites, a glossary, a comment form so that users can correspond with the editors, and a "source" section, which explains from which of CSA's paid services the resources were culled. The latest hot topic is MicroElectroMechanical systems (MEMS), "small integrated devices or systems that combine electrical and mechanical components." [TK]
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Global Corruption Report -- TI [.pdf]
http://www.globalcorruptionreport.org/
Released on October 15, this new annual report from Transparency International (TI, see the September 7, 2000 Scout Report for Business & Economics) reviews the "state of corruption" worldwide, July 2000-June 2001. After the introduction and prefatory material, the report is divided into three main sections: Regional reports, Global issues (such as money laundering and an update from OECD on implementing the Anti-Bribery Convention), and Data and research, which summarizes a wide variety of research projects from governments, private organizations, scholars, international organizations, and more. The About the GCR link on the front page of the report gives a summary of authors contributing to the different report sections and an overview of the report as a whole. The report is designed for a wide audience and should appeal both to policymakers and interested members of the general public. [TK]
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What Now -- The Edge
http://www.edge.org/documents/whatnow.html
This feature from the nonprofit Edge Foundation, Inc. (reviewed previously in the July 25, 2000 Scout Report for Social Sciences & Humanities) is an impressive collection of thoughtful words in response to the recent terrorist attacks and ensuing war. The Edge postulated the question, "What now?" to its members with the idea that, as editor John Brockman explains, "within the community is invaluable expertise in many pertinent areas, not to mention the intelligence that the 'Edgies' can bring to the subjects." What separates this forum from many others dealing with recent issues of terrorism is that Brockman asks for "'hard-edge' comments, derived from empirical results or experience specific to the expertise of the contributors," rather than emotional or purely rhetorical responses. Here are a few of the pieces -- some essay length, others only a few sentences -- found here: psychiatrist Richard Rabkin takes a "strategic psychotherapy" approach to dealing with terrorism, science writer and television commentator Margaret Wertheim and archaeologist Timothy Taylor both touch on the corruption of science by weapons development as well as the intermingling of science and religion, and evolutionary scholar Richard Dawkins brings up the tendency to "bend over backwards to see the other point of view and blame ourselves for everything." Take time to peruse this collection of 44,000 words from 55 contributors and you'll be glad you did. [HCS]
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Climate Change: Science, Strategies, and Solutions -- "Facts and Figures" [.pdf]
http://www.pewclimate.org/book/
An online sneak preview of the "Facts and Figures" section of this forthcoming book from the Pew Center for Global Climate Change (of the Pew Charitable Trusts) is now available (.pdf). The book, Climate Change: Science, Strategies, and Solutions, conveys the latest information and analyses from experts on a number of global warming issues: the scientific evidence that human activities are changing climate; present and projected impacts of climate change on agriculture, sea level, and water resources; the main determinants explaining projected costs of addressing climate change; and US and international policies and initiatives addressing global warming. The .pdf file contains visually pleasing, simply stated chapters on global and national greenhouse gas and emission levels, along with a section of conversion tables and Web links. This would be a good reference for college students taking an introductory environmental science course. [HCS]
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The 2000 National Doctoral Program Survey
http://survey.nagps.org/
The 2000 National Doctoral Program Survey has recently been released from The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS), which "is dedicated to improving the quality of graduate and professional student life and education by actively promoting the interests and welfare of graduate and professional degree-seeking students." The survey represents 32,000 graduate students and recent PhDs from 1,300 different programs in the US. The site allows users to rank programs based on student assessment, look at individual program reports, and view overall results for each discipline. The nine topics covered in the survey, which range from teaching and TA preparation to overall satisfaction, are reported by letter grade based on responses and can be viewed by individual topic and individual questions within each topic. Although some programs may only have one or two responses and the NAGPS admits that "The National Doctoral Program Survey is an observational study, not a controlled experiment," the site can be beneficial for prospective students, university administrators, and faculty who hope to gain some insight into a particular university's program. [JAB]
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US National Response Team Hazardous Materials Planning Guide 2001 Update [.pdf]
http://Itdomino1.icfconsulting.com/nrt/home.nsf/resources/Publications/$File/cleanNRT10_12.pdf
The National Response Team (NRT) is a suite of sixteen federal agencies responsible for coordinating federal planning, preparedness, and response actions related to oil discharges and hazardous substance releases. The NRT recently updated its Hazardous Materials Planning Guide, originally published in 1987, and posted it online (.pdf). The intent of this guide is to help local communities plan for hazardous materials incidents. The guide discusses how to organize a planning team, identify hazards, and write and update an emergency plan. It makes reference to legislation such the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Air Act, and the FEMA Emergency Operations Plan. It also refers to organizations such as EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Hazardous Materials Safety Assistance Team, among others. The report includes 69 pages of text and seven appendices, among them a glossary and a directory of federal agencies. [HCS]
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The Peacemakers Speak
http://www.thecommunity.com/crisis/
TheCommunity.com, a for-profit that has partnered with organizations including Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, and CARE, among others, has posted here statements from seventeen of the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates made in the weeks following September 11. Among the statements are words from David Trimble, the Dalai Lama, and a joint letter from Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and F.W. de Klerk. The statements are brief, and the site allows readers to respond to individual Laureates via email. The More About This Laureate link at the bottom of each page takes users to the official Nobel site information on the writer. [TK]
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The Museum of E-Failure
http://www.disobey.com/ghostsites/
The Museum of E-Failure bears witness to the dot.bomb phenomenon, presenting the last images of the front pages of failed Websites. Steve Baldwin, who maintains the site, explains, "It is my hope that these screenshots may serve as a reminder of the glory, folly, and historically unique design sensibilities of the Web's Great Gilded Age (1995-2001)." The sites are arranged in a long list, with recent additions on the top of the page. Clicking on a site name brings up a screen shot of the site's farewell front page. A sort of virtual graveyard, the Museum of E-Failure represents a memorial on the side of the information highway. [TK]
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Three for Halloween
2001 Halloween Guide @ PhillyBurbs.com
http://halloween.phillyburbs.com/
Halloween Pop-up Book
http://www.goldenbooks.com/fun/emagic/flash/h2k.html
Halloween 2001: Oct. 31
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01fff14.html
Even though many children in the United States won't be trick-or-treating door-to-door this year, that's no reason to let Halloween pass unremarked. These three sites provide some holiday fun. The first, this year's Halloween Guide from PhillyBurbs.com, is a veritable omnibus of Halloween fare. Billing themselves as "the biggest and best Halloween site online," the site includes a number of features on topics such as Dracula, zombies, Ed Wood, and other spooky fare. These are the heart of the site and are geared toward adult readers with a sense of irony. The features on costumes and decorations are sometimes less rewarding, as they seem to be focused shopping guides (though some of them are pretty entertaining even so). A page on Halloween safety and a guide to local Philadelphia events round out the site. Lest kids miss out on the fun, the next site is just for them, though this scout must confess some lost time playing with this fun virtual pop-up book. The last site is from the US Census and consists of a brief page of Halloween data culled from recent Census releases. [TK]
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Web Search Engines FAQS: Questions, Answers, and Issues
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/oct01/price.htm
The October issue of Searcher magazine offers this article by Gary Price, Web searcher extraordinaire (see the October 3, 1997 Scout Report). The article, which "reviews the latest goings on in the search world and tries to provide some suggestions and tools to make you more knowledgeable and save you some time," is, as one might expect from Price, clear and detailed in its review of the latest in search engines and the like. Running down the side of the page are "Price's Priceless Tips," including Ten Things to Know about Google (AllTheWeb, Altavista, etc.) and information on new search tools. There is a wealth of useful information here. [TK]
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Internet Filters: A Public Policy Report
http://www.ncac.org/issues/internetfilters.html
This recently released report from the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) reports on their research about products and software used to filter Internet content. Over the spring and summer, NCAC's Free Expression Policy Project reviewed all of the studies and tests it could find covering the nineteen most common Internet filtering tools. This report, summarizing the review, gives a general introduction and results for each of the nineteen products as well as a bibliography and appendices covering blocked sites by subject and blocking categories. In the main, NCAC finds that the technology used in blocking is too indiscriminate because of its dependance, to at least some degree, on mechanized means of filtering. NCAC suggests that "Ultimately, less censorial approaches such as media literacy, sexuality education, and Internet acceptable-use training may be better policy choices than Internet filters." [TK]
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About.com Closed Guide Relocation Directory and Assistance Links
http://www.ericward.com/guidehelp/relocationdirectory.html
As some of our readers may know, About.com has discontinued more than 300 of its sites, sites that functioned as guides to particular topics, maintained by individuals. This page is designed to help editors relocate their pages and users find the pages that have moved. [TK]
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New Mining Rules
"Bush White House Reverses Clinton Decision on Mining" -- New York Times (free registration required) http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/26/politics/26MINE.html?ex=1004760000&en=79e33a134b56657a&ei=5040&partner=MOREOVER
"New Mining Regulations Overturn Late Clinton Rules" -- Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53812-2001Oct25.html
"Mining Industry Cheers Bush Plan" -- AP (via Yahoo!News)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011026/us/mining_regulations_1.html
"BLM To Retain Key Hardrock Mining Rule Provisions" -- BLM
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2001/pr011025_3809.htm
BLM Regulatory Actions
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/regulatory/index.htm
Current "3809" final regulations -- BLM
http://www.blm.gov/nhp/news/regulatory/2000f.html#3809-final
National Mining Association
http://www.nma.org/
EarthWINS
http://www.earthwins.com/
The Bush administration yesterday overturned some of former President Clinton's eleventh hour legislation governing mining. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) explains that the new rule, amending the "3809" surface mining regulations, will eliminate "several unduly burdensome provisions of the current mining regulations." Among the provisions being eliminated is one that allows the Secretary of the Interior to prohibit new mines on federal land if they could cause "substantial irreparable harm" to the environment or communities. The administration is, however, keeping provisions that regulate the use of cyanide in gold mining and the control of acid waste, as well as those that require mining companies to issue reclamation bonds to ensure they will have money for clean up. The new regulations will be published as a final rule on Tuesday and take effect 60 days later. Also, in a separate action, a top legal advisor for the Department of the Interior recommended reversal of a legal decision issued under former Secretary Bruce Babbitt to block an open-pit gold mine near sites sacred to the Quechan Tribe in California. This is perhaps the beginning of more wide-reaching changes to mining laws as Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, intends to ask for Congress' help in a more wide-reaching overhaul of the mining laws.
Yesterday's changes are covered by the New York Times,Washington Post, and AP (via Yahoo!News). The Bureau of Land Management has issued a press release, and the new regulations will be posted for comment on Tuesday at BLM's Regulatory Actions site. Users can see the current "3809" regulations also at the BLM site. The National Mining Association, which favors the changes in regulations, has more information about US mining activities on-site as does EarthWINS, which provides Website services for a host of environmental activist groups. [TK]
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