NSDL Scout Reports for the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences
The sixth issues of the first volumes of the Life Sciences Report and Physical Sciences Report are available. The Topic in Depth section of Life Sciences Report provides sites on endangered species. The Physical Sciences Report's Topic in Depth section offers comments and Web pages on electricity.
[Back to Contents]
Thomas Head Raddall Electronic Archive Project
http://www.library.dal.ca/archives/trela/trela.htm
Presented by Dalhousie University Libraries located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Thomas H. Raddall Electronic Archive Project is an extensive online collection of "one of Canada's and Nova Scotia's famous authors and historians." This collection contains a vast majority of Mr. Raddall's published works, from his earliest writings to his memoirs. These include novels, short stories, articles, radio broadcasts and plays, sound recordings, and forewords for other works -- from 1929 to 1976. Visitors may search the archive for references to people, places, or literary works. In addition, this easily navigable site also contains a biography, a bibliography of books and anthologies written by and about Mr. Raddall (arranged alphabetically by title), an inventory outline of the archive's contents, a photo gallery, and links to other related sites. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Silk Road Seattle
http://depts.washington.edu/uwch/silkroad/index.shtml
Silk Road Seattle is a "collaborative public education project using the 'Silk Road' theme to explore cultural interaction across Eurasia from the beginning of the Common Era (A.D.) to the Sixteenth Century." The Silk Road is a term understood to have been the overland trade route from China to the Mediterranean, opened first in the 2nd century and coming to an end between the 15th and 17th centuries. Traditional discussions of the Silk Road, however, recognize that there were branches that went into South Asia, or extended from Central Asia north of the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea. Sponsored primarily by the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington and directed by Professors Daniel C. Waugh, Joel Walker, and Cynthea Bogel, this Web site contains a vast range of Silk Road materials. These materials include a list of texts that may be used in teaching and learning about the Silk Road, a section on cities and architecture along the Silk Road, information on traditional culture in Central Asia, a page of teaching and learning guides that list and annotate Silk Road materials, and a virtual art exhibit. This site is still in a constructive stage; therefore, every link is not yet accessible. In short, this site may be of value for a range of audiences, including school children, teachers, college and graduate students, and independent adult learners. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/
In 1984, Dr. Gwendolyn Hall, a professor emerita of history at Rutgers University, stumbled upon a treasure of historical data in a courthouse in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. For the next 15 years, Dr. Hall rummaged through documents from all over Louisiana (as well as archives in France, Spain and Texas) and uncovered the background of approximately 100,000 slaves who were brought to Louisiana in the 18th and 19th centuries. Armed with this information, Dr. Hall designed and created a database into which she recorded and calculated the information she obtained from these documents regarding African slave names, genders, ages, occupations, illnesses, family relationships, ethnicity, places of origin, prices paid by slave owners, and slave testimonials and emancipations. Together, Dr. Hall, the Center for the Public Domain, and ibiblio.org presents this online collection of significant historical data. The user-friendly database is searchable by name, gender, racial designation, and plantation or origin. From historians, genealogists, anthropologists, geneticists, and linguists, to Americans seeking keys to their past, there are many who can benefit from this freely accessible information. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
http://www.nmafa.si.edu/
Although not brand new, the Web site of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is worth a visit. The What's New link from the homepage leads to 5 different specialized interfaces of the museum's collections: diversity, uses, imagery, currently on view, and advanced. For example, in the imagery section, you can search by Animal, Human, or Object Imagery. In diversity, clicking on a classification icon -- such as Architectural Elements, Costumes and Textiles, Tools and Equipment, or Toys -- takes you to a search screen for just that particular category, and the uses interface has its own set of categories from Adornment to Weaving. The on view interface searches only those objects that are on display, while advanced search covers more of the collection. For example, a search on Costumes and Textiles gets only one item in on view, and 29 in advanced. Another rich area of the site is Exhibitions, with over two dozen available,including selections from shows that have left the physical museum, such as Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery and In the Presence of Spirits: African Art from the National Museum of Ethnology, Lisbon. [DS]
[Back to Contents]
Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts
http://www.kb.nl/kb/manuscripts/
This Web site is a scholarly database of information regarding medieval illuminated manuscripts of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands, and the Museum Meermanno-Westreenianum. Viewers may search the database by keyword or browse by subject content -- Religion and Magic, Nature, Human Being, Man in General, Society, Civilization, Culture, Abstract Ideas and Concepts, History, Bible, Literature, Classical Mythology, and Ancient History. Accessible in English, German, or French, this site is specifically designed for those with an interest in medieval images and history. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Digest of Education Statistics, 2001 [.pdf]
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002130
On March 1, 2002, the National Center for Education Statistics released Digest of Education Statistics, 2001. This report provides "a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from prekindergarten through graduate school." Topics covered by the Digest include information on the number of US schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, as well as information on educational attainment, finances, Federal funds for education, employment and income of graduates, libraries, technology, and international comparisons. The report consists of seven chapters, an appendix, an index, and definitions -- downloadable, viewable, and printable in its entirety or by chapter. (The Digest of Education Statistics, 2000 was featured in the February 6, 2001 Scout Report). [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Getting Serious Online [.pdf]
http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=55
As readers of this report will discover, Americans are growing more sophisticated in their use of the Internet, both in terms of what they want out of it, as well as how they lend themselves to it. The Pew Internet Project reports that Americans are becoming increasingly more demanding and thoughtful when it comes to the Web, spending more time interacting with it in personally meaningful ways, particularly by communicating with friends and family. An extensive study, the report also reveals that 55 percent of Americans now access the Web from work and that use is more and more focused on overall quality of services and resources, as well as on access speed and reliable connectivity. The report bears this out by attesting that Americans are increasingly turning to broadband providers for Internet service. Further, and not surprisingly, Americans are also turning to the Net to conduct business of all kinds, from banking to investing to paying bills and making purchases. [WH]
[Back to Contents]
Dictionary of Victorian London
http://www.victorianlondon.org/
Designed and maintained by Lee Jackson, an author and librarian, the Victorian Dictionary is a useful resource on Victorian London history during the 19th century. This site contains over 40 categories that range from architecture, to clothing and fashions, to dates and events, to entertainment and recreation, to words and expressions. The site also contains a bibliography containing most of the resources used for the site, as well as links to other related sites. In brief, this site is a helpful resource for those working on and interested in the history of the Victorian age. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/
Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy is a three-part, six-hour documentary series and Web site. Providing a comprehensive history of the ideas, events, and values that have shaped the present global economy, the Commanding Heights Web site examines the history of the global economy and demonstrates how key economic theories have evolved in the context of historical events. The three-part television series includes: Part One -- "The Battle of Ideas" -- which aired last Wednesday, April 3rd at 9pm; Part Two -- "The Agony of Reform" -- which airs this Wednesday, April 10th at 9pm; and Part Three -- "The New Rules of the Game" -- which airs Wednesday, April 17th at 9pm. Internet users not able to view the television series will have the opportunity to watch streaming online videos of all three programs. The Commanding Heights Web site is available in both high and low bandwidth versions, offering a time map, an interactive atlas of economic history that allows users to track changes in political boundaries and major shifts in economic policies in more than thirty nations from 1910 to the present, and an online forum for users to discuss contemporary economic issues raised by the broadcast. Forthcoming is an online teachers' guide that will provide suggestions for applications of the Web site in classroom instruction. This guide will be available in versions for both high school and post-secondary educators. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
The Norwegian Jazz Base [RealPlayer]
http://www.jazzbasen.no/index_eng.html
A product of the Norwegian Jazz Archives and the National Library of Norway, the Norwegian Jazz Base is a catalog of jazz recordings involving Norwegian musicians from 1905 to the present. Accessible in both Norwegian and English, Jazz Base contains an historical overview of Norwegian jazz history, biographies and photographs of Norwegian jazz musicians listed alphabetically by name, sound clips (arranged by recording date), and various links to other related sites. RealPlayer is required for those users interested in listening to the available sound clips. The catalog is searchable by title/keyword, album and track titles, musician's name, and year recorded. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Institute of Food Research
http://www.ifr.bbsrc.ac.uk/
A for-profit enterprise, the Institute of Food Research (IFR), based in the United Kingdom, offers a wealth of public access information regarding food, diet, and nutrition on their Web site. Serving as a clearinghouse for information across a broad spectrum of academic, agricultural, and industrial interests, the site is very user-friendly, with numerous lists of popular topics and terms, as well as drop-down menus of searchable subjects and fields. Potentially useful to professionals, students, and lay people, the information available on the IFR site links to services and databases of many kinds and quality. The site serves as a great starting point for anyone interested in studying something the IFR knows a great deal about -- food. [WH]
[Back to Contents]
The Great Buildings Collection
http://www.greatbuildings.com/
Not just an ordinary architecture site, The Great Buildings Collection is a wide gateway to architecture around the world. This collection documents approximately a thousand buildings, offering 3D models ranging in detail from very simple formal massing models of just a few cuboid blocks, to basic interior/exterior spatial walkthrough models, to detailed interior/exterior models complete with furnishings and landscaping. The site contains sections on buildings and architects (arranged alphabetically by name), as well as architectural places of the world (arranged alphabetically by continent). Furthermore, viewers can glimpse architectural building types -- such as airport terminals, castles, factories, theaters, and villas -- and architectural styles such as Neolithic, Gothic, Renaissance, Prairie, Neo-Vernacular, and many more. Also available are photographic images, architectural drawings, commentaries, bibliographies for famous designers and structures of all kinds, architectural books, updated news articles, and a link to ArchitectureWeek, a new magazine on design and building. Although established in the late 1990s, this site keeps updated information on architectural design and is definitely worth a visit. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Visible Human Server
http://visiblehuman.epfl.ch/
This Web site from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology allows users to view three dimensional models of human anatomy. A free registration allows users to log on and fully access the site, but there are some sample demonstrations available without registration. When visiting the site, you can view, rotate, and extract cross sections from the anatomical models, or build your own anatomic model by choosing the structures of interest. The site works best with Internet Explorer 5 and the latest version of Microsoft Java VM. The site provides how-to files that are extremely helpful for new users. This is certainly a site for those studying human anatomy, but it is a cool site that may also appeal to others. This site is also reviewed in the April 5, 2002 NSDL Life Sciences Report. [AL]
[Back to Contents]
Biology Online
http://www.biology-online.org/default.htm
A solid collection of sites, links, and stand-alone resources, Biology Online seemingly offers all that is biology, at least online. It is an invaluable tool for anyone in need of reliable, authoritative information in the field. Links featured on the site are searchable alphabetically, by specific sub-discipline, or across all sites via Biology Online's search engine. Aside from its extensive and well managed set of recommendations, the site also offers field-specific online tutorials in key areas, as well a 1600 term dictionary. [WH]
[Back to Contents]
TerraFly
http://www.terrafly.com/
Associated with the School of Computer Science at Florida International University, the High Performance Database Research Center (HPDRC) released TerraFly in November 2001, a Web-based application that allows users to view Geographic Information Systems (GIS) images. In agreement with TerraFly, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) provides the project with many of its satellite images in exchange for a public service: free Web-based access to its application. Through a rather sophisticated Java applet, users have a bird's eye view of the images, much like other Internet services have provided in the past, such as TerraServer (last reviewed in the June 28, 1998 Scout Report). TerraFly, though, improves the still picture delivery of these services by enabling users to view the images continuously and seamlessly, giving the user a feeling of "flying over" the photographed land areas. Different resolutions are available, and the interface is extremely slick though somewhat complicated initially. Users of low bandwidth or active memory should be wary; the applet demands a lot from your computer. Also, even though access to the Web-based application is free through the USGS agreement, users should be aware that the TerraFly Project seems to have mostly commercial motivations. Note: This reviewer had difficulty using Terrafly with Mac Netscape 4.7; however, Mac Internet Explorer functioned properly. This site is also reviewed in the April 5, 2002 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [TS]
[Back to Contents]
Stay Safe Online
http://www.staysafeonline.info/
Sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance, Stay Safe Online works to educate the public on the importance of protecting their personal computers from online intruders. If proper security procedures are not implemented, computers can become victims to viruses, denial of service attacks, Trojan horse programs, and other malicious activities that take advantage of computer vulnerabilities and result in billions of dollars of damage. Designed to provide information needed to protect home and small business computers, this Web site provides the top ten security tips on how to safeguard computer systems, such as using anti-virus software, not opening e-mail from unknown sources, and backing up computer data. The site also contains a self-guided cyber security test, educational materials, and links to other Internet security sources. In all, this is an important resource for all computer users to explore. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
SP Fonts
http://rosetta.atla-certr.org/TC/fonts/
If you're looking for funky fonts to include in Web designs, papers, or posters, SP Fonts may be your answer. Scholars Press (SP) Fonts "are a set of simple, public domain fonts" designed for print and non-commercial Web use. This site currently offers eight public domain fonts that may be downloaded and used free of charge. Three of the fonts are Hebrew/Aramaic fonts: "SPTiberian (a standard Hebrew font), SPDamascus (a thinner font with Palestinian as well as Tiberian vowel points), and SPEzra (a simple, fixed-width Hebrew font)." Two are Greek fonts: "SPIonic (a more complete Greek font) and SPDoric (a simpler, uncial font)." Other fonts include "SPEdessa (a Syriac Estrangela font), SPAchmim (a Coptic font), and SPAtlantis (a transliteration font that includes diacriticals and other special characters that allow the representation of numerous Indo-European, Semitic, and other languages"-- available in both Roman and Italic type). All fonts are TrueType fonts and are compatible with PC (Windows) and Mac computers. In addition, each font has a .readme file that explains the standard keyboard mapping used by the font. Although the fonts are free to the public, the Web site requests permission from the copyright holder before including the typefaces in commercial electronic products. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Cincinnati's Racial Lawsuit
Cincinnati cuts deal on race suit
http://new.blackvoices.com/news/bv-cincinnati020404.story?coll=bv-news-black-headlines
NewsOK.com: Cincinnati releases plan to end race lawsuit
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=843930&pic=none&TP=getarticle
Faced with suits, Cincinnati announces steps to cut police use of excessive force
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.cincinnati04apr04.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines
City of Cincinnati: Interdepartmental Correspondence Sheet [.pdf]
http://www.cincinnatipolice.org/roach.pdf
American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio
http://www.acluohio.org/index.htm
ACLU of Ohio's April 17, 2001 Press Release
http://www.acluohio.org/press_releases/2001_press_releases/april_17.htm
Cincinnati, Ohio gained national attention in April 2001 when Police Officer Stephen Roach shot unarmed 19-year old Timothy Thomas in an alley after Thomas fled while Roach was trying to arrest him on 14 misdemeanor warrants. At that time, Thomas was the 15th African American killed by Cincinnati police since 1995. The shooting ignited protests and four days of riots. Three weeks prior to the Thomas shooting, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Black United Front (BUF) filed a racial profiling lawsuit. It accused the city of 30 years of racial profiling, using excessive force towards African Americans, and treating them unfairly. The lawsuit took on a new life after the killing, which was viewed by many as a devastating turn to the city's already simmering racial tensions.
Negotiators representing the ACLU, the BUF, the City Council, the local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) worked into early Wednesday morning trying to iron out details of the settlement, with a goal of reaching a tentative agreement before Sunday, the anniversary of Thomas's death. The 60-page agreement, if approved as written, would restrict the use of police dogs and chemical irritants, improve the investigation of citizen complaints, enhance police interaction with community groups, and set clear guidelines to govern the use of force on suspects. Additionally, the city will have to spend up to $12 million over five years for enhanced technology and additional personnel to police the police. In the meantime, there is an ongoing boycott of Cincinnati's downtown hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues by local black organizations. The boycott gained momentum in recent months when entertainers such as Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Smokey Robinson, and Wynton Marsalis canceled performances. In addition, a national black religious group canceled a 10,000-member convention that was expected to generate more than $8 million for the local economy. For more information on Cincinnati's lawsuit settlement, viewers may access the first two articles from the Chicago Tribune and NewsOK.com, respectively. The third link provides information on Cincinnati's plans to establish an independent agency for investigating police brutality complaints. The Cincinnati Police Department's Web site contains the "Administrative Review of the Stephen Roach Shooting Case," which includes Officer Stephen Roach's description of the shooting of Mr. Thomas, as provided in an interview to the Homicide Unit on April 7, 2001. The report also includes testimonies from other officers who responded to the foot pursuit of Mr. Thomas. The fifth link will take users directly to ACLU of Ohio's Home Page, while the last link provides direct access to ACLU's April 7, 2001 Press Release of the Thomas shooting. [MG]
[Back to Contents]
Below are the copyright statements to be included when reproducing annotations from The Scout Report.
The single phrase below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing any portion of this report, in any format:
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
The paragraph below is the copyright notice to be used when reproducing the entire report, in any format:
Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2002. 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.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the National Science Foundation.
The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published weekly by Internet Scout
For information on additional contributors, see the Internet Scout Project staff page:
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/about/team.html
