NSDL Scout Reports for the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/nsdl-reports/life-sci/2003/ls-030822.html}
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/nsdl-reports/phys-sci/2003/ps-030822.html}
The thirteenth issues of the second volumes of the Life Sciences Report and Physical Sciences Report are available. The Topic in Depth section of Life Sciences Report annotates sites about E.O. Wilson. The Physical Sciences Report's Topic in Depth section offers Web sites and comments about Compasses.
[Back to Contents]
Nuremberg Trials Project: A Digital Document Collection
http://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/php/docs_swi.php?DI=1&text=overview
Any project to document the long and complex history of the Nuremberg Trials (held between 1945 and 1949) would have to be extremely ambitious, and this site provided by the Harvard Law School Library certainly fits that description. The Harvard Law School Library has approximately 120,000 Nuremberg documents, and this project (when it is fully completed in 10 years) will contain 82,000 documents and 650,000 pages of material. The work is being funded by a generous grant from the Kenneth & Evelyn Lipper Foundation, and currently visitors can search 3800 documents from the Medical Case, as it is often referred to. This case (USA vs. Karl Brandt, et al.) was prosecuted in 1946-47 against 23 doctors accused of organizing and participating in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Various types of documents are included in these collections, including evidence files, trial transcripts, and various visual material. The Web site is rounded out by a Who's Who of the Nuremberg Trials, and a list of additional resources related to the Nuremberg Trials. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
DNA Interactive [Macromedia Flash Reader]
http://www.dnai.org/index.html
Fifty years ago, one of the most important landmarks in the history of science was reached when James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double-helical structure of DNA. Developed by the Dolan DNA Learning Center at the legendary Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, this Web site provides a host of interactive exhibits and background material about DNA, the human genome project, and the various applications that are gleaned through an intimate and detailed knowledge of human DNA specifically. From the home page, visitors can traverse an interactive timeline, complete with biographical profiles of different scientists and information about preliminary experiments that helped provide some of the fundamental groundwork leading up to the work of Watson and Crick, and which continues to the present. One other section that should not be missed is the Genome area, where visitors can explore the features of the genetic landscape, learn more about the methods used to map and sequence the entire human genome, and learn how genomes are utilized. Finally, there is a section for teachers which includes helpful learning guides and lesson builders. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
T. Rex: The Killer Question [Macromedia Flash Player]
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/museum/tempexhib/trex/
This is the companion Web site to a new Tyrannosaurus rex exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London. The exhibit explores evidence that this famous dinosaur may have actually been a scavenger, not the ferocious predator we all know and love. Virtual visitors can weigh some of the evidence for themselves with Predator or Scavenger? -- a multimedia feature located in the Activities section. Likewise, T. rex Trumps lets players have a "battle of the facts" with an online card game. The cards may also be printed out, and new cards will be made available over the coming weeks. The Web site also provides an interesting image gallery that lets visitors also explore how our ideas about T. rex have changed over the past century. This site is also reviewed in the August 22, 2003 NSDL Life Sciences Report. [RS]
[Back to Contents]
AskERIC: Education Information with the Personal Touch
http://www.askeric.org/
AskERIC is a "personalized Internet-based service providing education information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents, and anyone interested in education throughout the United States and the world." Quite comprehensive in its overall scope, AskERIC began in 1992 as a project of the Educational Resources Information Center, and is now a component of the Information Institute of Syracuse at Syracuse University. Currently, AskERIC consists of a question and answer service (where education questions submitted by users are submitted to a specialist in the field), a resource collection, a question archive, and over 200 lesson plans submitted from teachers across the United States. The resource section is particularly useful, as the AskERIC information specialists have compiled over 3000 internet-based resources on educational issues ranging from peer education programs to classroom management. This impressive Web site will be extremely valuable to a number of interested parties in the field of education, including administrators, teachers, and policy makers. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
National Association of Development Organizations
http://www.nado.org/
Founded in 1967, the National Association of Development Organizations "provides training, information and representation for regional development organizations serving the 82 million residents of small metropolitan and rural America." Additionally, one of its adjunct organizations, the NADO Research Foundation provides research, education and training for community and economic development practitioners and policymakers. From their Web site, visitors can learn about the many programs and services they provide to member institutions, including consultation information and legislative lobbying. Most persons browsing through the site will want to take a look at the rather helpful regional transportation online center, which contains the archives of the their newsletter (the Regional Transportation Connector), a best practices area, and information for contacting other persons working in the field of rural transportation planning. Another helpful area is the policy and priorities section, which contains legislative fact sheets about pending bills affecting rural and smaller metropolitan areas, and testimony given by NADO before the House and the Senate. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
Natural Resources Canada: Volcanoes of Canada
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/gsc/pacific/vancouver/volcanoes/index_e.html
Natural Resources Canada has launched yet another impressive and educational Web site. At this site you can learn all you wanted to know about Canadian volcanoes and volcanology. The site offers an introduction to volcanoes, in-depth sections on types, eruptions, hazards, and risks. You can also discover interesting facts, such as how eruptions in Alaska and the Western coast of the US impact agriculture and air travel in Canada. In addition to text, the site offers a wonderful interactive Map of Canadian Volcanoes. The Catalogue of Canadian Volcanoes is also an excellent reference tool. Available in English and French, this site is easy to understand and ideal for science students as well as anyone interested in volcanology. This site is also reviewed in the August 22, 2003 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [TJS]
[Back to Contents]
John Stuart Mill Links
http://www.jsmill.com/
Considered one of the most important philosophers of the 19th century, John Stuart Mill was born in 1806 to one James Mill, part-time philosopher and economist, and full-time official in the East India Company. Educated by both his father and the philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Mill learned Greek by age three, Latin shortly thereafter, and was a competent logician by age 12. After suffering a mental breakdown at the age of 20, Mill decided he would commit himself to persuading the general public of the need for a scientific and rational approach to understanding social, political, and economic change. Mill penned some of the most powerful statements on the behalf of utilitarianism during his life, including one of his most enduring works, Utilitarianism. This Web site (offered in numerous different languages) is a compilation of links to works by and about Mill, including full-text versions of such works as On Liberty, Principles of Political Economy, and his Autobiography. Equally compelling are the works about Mill also to be found here, most notably Isaiah Berlin's 1959 article, John Stuart Mill and the Ends of Life. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
Forgotten NY
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/
Like many urban areas throughout the world, New York has experienced numerous transformations during its storied past, with certain elements of the built environment existing as mere palimpsests amidst more modern surroundings. Kevin Walsh, a lifelong New Yorker, has fashioned this fun and informative tribute to the various elements of the city's compelling past. The sections featured on the site pay homage to street scenes from the past, subways and trains (honing in on such elements as outdated signs and closed stations), cemeteries, and alleys. One rather notable section is called "You'd never believe you're in NYC," and offers profiles of the more pastoral parts of New York, such as Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and the Queens County Farm Museum, which is the last operating farm within the city limits. For people planning a visit to New York, there is also a section where visitors can learn about Walsh's highly interactive tours, which highlight some of New York's most unusual and overlooked locales. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
Continuum 12 Artists [Flash]
http://www.nmai.si.edu/continuum/hp_flash.html
The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian is currently presenting a continuous 18-month exhibition featuring works by a changing selection of 12 contemporary Native American artists, accompanied by this Web site. The on-site show opened in April 2003 and runs until November 2004, and Web versions are being made available concurrently. Right now, 3 artists' work can be viewed in the galleries of the Web site. This includes, mixed-media drawings by Rick Bartow; paintings by Kay Walking Stick that often combine landscapes, human figures, and patterns reminiscent of weaving; and vessels by Joe Fedderson, primarily made of glass, but echoing shapes found in baskets. Other artists to come in the series include: Harry Fonseca, Hachivi Edgar Heap of Birds, George Longfish, Judith Lowry, Nora Naranjo-Morse, Shelley Niro, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, Marie Watt, and Richard Ray Whitman. Biographies of the artists, essays about their work, and the complete schedule of the exhibition can also be found at the Web site. [DS]
[Back to Contents]
Collect Britain: Putting History in Place
http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/
While the British Museum already has a number of online digital archives, it appears to be on the way to surpass its prodigious online collections with the Collect Britain Web site. The digitization project (which went online in May 2003) is the largest to date, as it contains over 100,000 images and sounds culled from the museum's holdings. The homepage has three main sections: Collections, Virtual Exhibitions, and Themed Tours. The Collections section contains 14 separate collections (all of which are scheduled to be online by early 2004), covering such topics as street maps, images of Victorian Britain, illustrated sheet music for piano, and 150 hours of rare early wax cylinder recordings dating from 1898 to 1941. Currently, the Virtual Exhibitions area has one fine exhibit, Literary Landscapes, that explores the regional setting and context from which various English authors derived their primary inspiration. Here visitors can learn about Geoffrey Chaucer's Kent, the Lake District that was much loved by Wordsworth, and of course, Sir Walter Scott's Highlands. Finally, the Themed Tours section currently allows visitors to take a multimedia tour of London's old East End. If visitors wish to be informed of the site's progress, they have the opportunity to sign up to receive email updates as well. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
EarthCam
http://www.earthcam.com/
Started in 1996, the EarthCam company was one of the first corporations to begin delivering services designed to assist those persons seeking to set up the necessary infrastructure to send live images across the globe. This free site is a helpful way to take a peek at literally thousands of places (including some rather unusual ones) around the world. Visitors will want to begin by exploring some of the fun cameras set up by the EarthCam group in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Seattle, Dublin, and Las Vegas. Also featured on the Web site's home page are the Top Ten Cam Sites, which feature the most popular Web cams from around the world. There is a search engine provided on the site, or visitors may elect to peruse the available cams by theme, such as those focused on weather, schools, beaches, or businesses. Overall, the site is quite entertaining, and more than a bit addictive. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
Buddy Rich: The Official Web Site [RealOnePlayer]
http://www.buddyrich.com/
With his truly remarkable dynamism and technique, it is no wonder that Buddy Rich eventually acquired the title of World's Greatest Drummer. One of the most popular and renowned jazz drummers, Rich began life in 1917, and by the age of 4 he was a solo performer known by his vaudeville act moniker, Traps the Drum Wonder. Rich went on to join the Tommy Dorsey band in 1939, and later went on to front his own bands until his death in 1987. Created by the estate of Buddy Rich and his family, this site is a compelling tribute to his tremendous talent and musical legacy. Visitors to the site can read a brief biographical essay on Rich, read about his career highlights (which include his many Downbeat awards), and take a look through a photo gallery which features Rich with a number of his contemporaries, such as Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, and his long time drumming competitor, the late Gene Krupa. The site is rounded out by a nice selection of clips from some of Rich's more notable recordings, such as the West Side Story suite and Big Swing Face. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
APOD Grabber 1.0.3 [Macintosh Operating System]
http://www.railheaddesign.com/
With all the increased interest in the galaxy and celestial bodies of late, this little application will really be a worthwhile addition to the computers of users with an interest in astronomy. APOD Grabber 1.0.3 gives users the ability to quickly and easily view, browse, and download images from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day Web site (some 2500 pictures in total). Additionally, users have the ability to set any given image to be used on their desktop quite easily. APOD Grabber 1.0.3 is compatible with all systems running Mac OS X 10.1 and higher. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
Network Probe 0.5
http://www.objectplanet.com/Probe/
Network Probe 0.5 is a free network monitor and protocol analyzer that offers users an immediate picture of the current traffic situation on their network. Network Probe 0.5 also gives users the option to identify and isolate traffic problems and congestion throughout their entire network. Adding breadth and depth to the available features is the fact that users may also filter out selected protocols and hosts, along with sorting out network traffic by the amount of bytes sent or received. Network Probe 0.5 is compatible with all systems running Windows NT and higher. [KMG]
[Back to Contents]
As School Year Begins, Administrators Seek to Improve Attendance
New Orleans Uses Bells, Fines, Freebies to Lure Kids to School
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/base/national-8/1061476742326262.xml
Report Cards Show Ohio's Accountability System
http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/082103/cln/News/082103-News-303025.html
Anchorage Daily News: 60 percent of City's Public Schools Fall Short of Federal Goal
http://www.adn.com/front/story/3726759p-3753535c.html
State Compulsory School Attendance Laws
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112617.html
Wisconsin v. Yoder
http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/court/wisc_v_yode.html
National Home Education Network
http://www.nhen.org/
In recent years, school districts around the United States have grown increasingly eager to improve attendance during the first few weeks of school. These early attendance figures are important, as they often determine how much aid each school will receive from the state government. Schools opened this year in New Orleans this past Thursday, and the new school superintendent, Anthony Amato, was on hand at one elementary school to greet students. Various incentives have been developed in New Orleans to increase school attendance, including the opportunity to win tickets to sporting events, free backpacks, classroom supplies, haircuts, and a marketing campaign that includes billboards and television spots. One New Orleans school board member, Jimmy Fahrenholtz, said he would be happy if the district reported 80 percent attendance over these first few days. Some commentators have also begun to call for states to dismantle compulsory attendance laws, and ease requirements for parents who wish to educate their children at home. [KMG]
The first site leads to an online news article from the New Orleans Times-Picayune about the school district policies designed to entice students to make an on-time arrival during the early weeks of the new school year. The second site will take visitors to a piece from Thisweek.com (an online news resource for Ohio communities) that discusses the new attendance section that is mandatory for all public school districts in the state. The third site highlights a news piece from the Anchorage Daily News that discusses the problems faced by the Anchorage public schools, including attendance. The fourth site, provided by Infoplease.com, provides users with a chart listing the year that each state enacted compulsory school attendance laws, along with the required age limits. On a related note, the fifth link leads to a brief synopsis of the 1972 Supreme Court decision, Wisconsin v. Yoder, that stated that the rights of three Amish families in Wisconsin were in fact violated by a state law that required their children to be enrolled in school until the age of sixteen. The final link leads to the home page of the National Home Education Network, which provides resources for those interested in home-schooling, and material on current debates over this rather contentious subject in primary education across the United States.
[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 1994-2003. http://www.scout.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, 1994-2003. The Internet Scout Project (http://www.scout.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.
