The Scout Report for Social Sciences
August 25, 1998
A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Scout Report for Social Sciences is also provided via email once every two weeks. Subscription information is included at the bottom of each issue.
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Research
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Council of European Social Science Data Archives
http://www.nsd.uib.no/cessda/index.html
Integrated Data Catalogue UK Mirror:
http://dasun3.essex.ac.uk/Cessda/IDC/
Integrated Data Catalogue Australian Mirror:
http://ssda.anu.edu.au/Cessda/IDC/
The Council of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA) facilitates the distribution of electronic data for social science education and research in Europe. CESSDA promotes data sharing by providing the Integrated Data Catalogue (IDC) at its Website. The multilingual IDC allows users to conduct a broadcast search of up to eleven social science data catalogs located all over the world, including catalogs in Israel, Australia, the US, and Europe. The IDC's simple catalog design--based on a Z39.50-WAIS protocol--and interface make it easy to use. The clearly displayed search results are ordered in accordance to the amount of hits per record in proportion to the total size of the record. Mirrors for the IDC are available in both the UK and Australia to foster quicker searching around the globe. In addition to the IDC, the CESSDA site supplies three clickable international maps that link users to the sites of 32 other data archives. [AO]
[Back to Contents]The Drug Discrimination Bibliography [Reference Manager, EndNote Plus, Word, WordPerfect, .txt]
http://www.DD-Database.org/
Access via Institute of Psychiatry:
http://www.iop.bpmf.ac.uk/home/DDD/
Drug discrimination research examines the neuropharmacological and behavioral effects of drugs and "plays an important role in drug discovery and investigations of drug abuse." The Drug Discrimination Bibliography--compiled by Dr. Ian P. Stolerman, Section of Behavioural Pharmacology, Institute of Psychiatry in London, England--is a list of 2,685 citations published between 1951 and 1998. The searchable bibliography includes abstracts, journal articles, book chapters, and books. Two search form interfaces are provided: a general interface, wherein the user selects search terms from a provided list, and a direct entry interface, which allows users to enter their own search terms. The bibliographic database is also available for downloading in several formats for Windows and Macintosh: Reference Manager, EndNote Plus, Word, WordPerfect, and ASCII text formatted for MEDLINE. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Three New Titles--JSTOR
The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs (continued by China Journal)
http://www.jstor.org/journals/01567365.html
The Philosophical Review
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00318108.html
Population Studies
http://www.jstor.org/journals/00324728.html
Participating JSTOR Sites
http://www.jstor.org/about/charter.html
JSTOR has recently added three titles to its collection of full-text online journals: The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs (continued by China Journal) issues 1-33, covering 1979 to 1992; The Philosophical Review volumes 1-103, covering 1892 to 1994; and Population Studies volumes 1-48, covering 1947 to 1994. Note: access to JSTOR contents is currently available only on a site license basis to academic institutions. A list of institutions with site licenses is available. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Global Bibliography of Prison Systems, Version 1.0 [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.uncjin.org/country/GBOPS/gbops.html
PDF Versions:
http://www.uncjin.org/country/GBOPS/Compiler_s_Notes/GBOPSv2.pdf
WPD Version:
http://www.uncjin.org/country/GBOPS/Compiler_s_Notes/GBOPSv2.wpd
Philip L. Reichel, Professor of Sociology at the University of Northern Colorado, compiled the Global Bibliography of Prison Systems (GBOPS), Version 1.0 as a sabbatical project at the United Nations Centre For International Crime Prevention. The GBOPS provides criminal justice scholars and practitioners with a comprehensive resource for locating information about international prison systems. Version 1.0 of the GBOPS includes 615 citations representing 113 countries. Some citations are annotated, and most citations range from 1985 to 1998. Reichel plans to update the "elastic" GBOPS annually. The GBOPS is available in three file formats: HTML, .pdf, and as a .zip file for use in EndNote Plus 2. The HTML version is divided into a table of 32 subject areas for easier navigation and retrieval. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Medieval Feminist Index
http://www.haverford.edu/library/reference/mschaus/mfi/mfi.html
The librarians and scholars who maintain the Medieval Feminist Index (MFI) compile citations for journal articles, book reviews, and essays relating to women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages (450 CE to 1500 CE). Currently, MFI contains over 2500 citations from over 350 journals and essay collections, covering publications in English, French, German, and Spanish from 1994 through 1997. The entire MFI is searchable by title, author, subject, source, and date. In addition to these standard search fields, the descriptive indexing provides searchable fields for geographic region, century, and article type to facilitate detailed cross-field searches. Searching the MFI is quite simple, but users should note the following peculiarities: vague or allusive titles are appended with a summary sentence to enhance description; subject headings are controlled by a customized thesaurus, which can be viewed but not browsed; and some full citation records supply abstracts, but abstracts are not searchable by keyword. [AO]
[Back to Contents]APA PsychCrawler
http://www.psychcrawler.com/
The American Psychological Association (APA) developed PsychCrawler--a local area search engine--to provide rapid access to high quality psychological information. This search engine currently indexes five organizational sites that have "substantial authoritative content in the area of psychology." PsychCrawler searches the Websites of the APA, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Mental Health Services, and the APA Help Center. The extensive documentation in the Online User's Guide explains the functions of PsychCrawler and instructs users in the art of searching large text databases. [AO]
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Logic Resources at Texas A&M University
Logic Primer
http://logic.tamu.edu/Primer/ [frames]
The Logic Daemon Proof Checker
http://logic.tamu.edu/daemon.html [frames]
http://logic.tamu.edu/checker.html [no frames]
The Logic QuizMaster
http://logic.tamu.edu/cgi-bin/quizmaster
Associate Professor Colin Allen and Professor Michael Hand, both of Texas A&M University, have created an online version of their introductory logic textbook, Logic Primer (The MIT Press), to supplement the instruction of formal logic at the university level. The online text consists of four chapters that provide students with definitions, comments, examples, and exercises about natural deduction systems, truth tables, and the basic ideas of model theory. To accompany their text, Allen developed The Logic Daemon, an automatic proof checker. Students can enter logical proofs into the form fill-in interface of The Logic Daemon to test the validity of their arguments. This is an excellent method for immediate feedback on course assignments. In addition to the primer and the proof checker, the philosophy department at Texas A&M University offers The Logic QuizMaster, an interactive question generator produced by Associate Professors Christopher Menzel and Colin Allen. Students wishing to test their knowledge of logic can select among several quiz topics, and QuizMaster will offer help to students who need it. Both instructors and students of logic will benefit from this integrated learning experience. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Semiotics for Beginners
http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgc/semiotic.html
US Mirror Site:
http://www.argyroneta.com/s4b/semiotic.html
Daniel Chandler, lecturer in Media Theory at the Department of Education in the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and developer of the Media and Communications Studies (MCS) Site (discussed in the June 28, 1996 issue of the Scout Report), has written and updated an online introductory textbook for the study of Semiotics. This very accessible hypertext consists of fifteen chapters covering the basics of sign creation, sign analysis, and sign-using behavior, including chapters entitled Modality, Paradigms and Syntagms, Metaphor and Metonymy, Codes, and Intertextuality. The text also has a comprehensive linked index, a list of references and suggested readings, and a list of relevant Websites for further study of Semiotics. [AO]
[Back to Contents]The Heuneburg Museum: Early Celts on the Upper Danube [frames]
http://www.dhm.de/museen/heuneburg/indexe.html
The Heuneburg on the upper Danube near the town of Hundersingen provides an on-site archaeological museum that exhibits the history and culture of the early Celts who were settled in the region from the eighth to fifth centuries BC. The museum also documents the region's 120 year archaeological history. This well designed Website demonstrates the potential for online education and documentation. The online Heuneburg Museum provides expository information about the early Celts, a chronology of the Heuneburg region, information about the latest research conducted on or about the archaeological site, and a virtual Hiking Trail, which allows visitors to take a detailed tour of the burial mounds and settlements along the upper Danube. [AO]
[Back to Contents]NMAI Conexus [QuickTime]
http://www.conexus.si.edu/
NMAI Conexus, the online component of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), shares the collection of the NMAI "beyond the Museum's walls" to preserve and exhibit the life, art, history, and literature of Native Americans. The exhibits currently featured at the site are "Indian Humor," "Memory & Imagination: The Legacy of Maidu Indian Artist Frank Day," and "To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions." The work of visiting artists Mario Martinez, a Yaqui painter, and Susie Silook, a Southern Yup'ik and Inupiaq sculptor, are also highlighted in the Artist-in-Residence Program. Most of the exhibits at NMAI Conexus consist of a series of photographic slides accompanied by a brief explanatory narrative, although one exhibit requires QuickTime. For teachers of all levels, a free curriculum comprised of four lesson plans to support the Native Quilts exhibit is available by request. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Victorian Women Writers Project
http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/index.html
The objective of the Victorian Women Writers Project (VWWP), an initiative affiliated with Indiana University's Library Electronic Text Resource Service (LETRS), is to transcribe the written work of nineteenth-century British women authors using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) according to the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Guidelines. The Victorian texts in the collection are selected by an intercollegiate advisory board of experts. The scope of the project encompasses novels, poetry, verse drama, political pamphlets, religious tracts, and children's books. The VWWP collection currently contains over 100 complete works by over 30 different writers. More texts are being processed, and the site maintains a list of proposed transcriptions. Users can access and view the collection in both HTML and SGML. [AO]
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"Falling Through the Net II: New Data on the Digital Divide"--NTIA [RealPlayer]
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/net2/
"Falling Through the Net: A Survey of the 'Haves' and' Have Nots' in Rural and Urban America"
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fallingthru.html
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently published this report commissioned by Vice President Al Gore. The report analyzes telephone and computer penetration rates in the US to determine who is connected, and who is not connected, to the information infrastructure. This report updates the conclusions of an earlier report, "Falling Through the Net: A Survey of the 'Haves' and 'Have Nots' in Rural and Urban America" (July 1995). The new report concludes that computer usage has increased nationally, but a "digital divide" remains "based on race, income, and other demographic characteristics." The site includes links to the slide presentation given by Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information Larry Irving, and to his press conference about the findings of the report (requires RealPlayer). [AO]
[Back to Contents]Launch and Forget: An OMB Watch Report on the implementation of the U.S. Federal GILS [.pdf]
http://www.ombwatch.org/ombw/info/gilsreport3.pdf
OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that monitors the access to government information at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has published "Launch and Forget? An OMB Watch Report on the Implementation of the US Federal GILS." The report concludes that the implementation of GILS (Government Information Locator Service)--a cataloging standard for federal government information mandated by the Paper Reduction Act--has lagged because 33 agencies within the government have not yet made their records available online; moreover, many agencies who do post their records online do not update their holdings regularly. [AO]
[Back to Contents]1998 Candidate Profiles
http://www.opensecrets.org/1998elect/
The Center for Responsive Politics (discussed in the April 21, 1998 issue of the Scout Report) provides the 1998 Congressional Candidate Profiles database for users to determine from whom and from where this year's candidates are getting their campaign money. This exhaustive database--updated monthly until the elections--tracks campaign contributions for every state and congressional district in the US. Voters can compare and investigate their candidates "by the size and source of their contributions, the industries and interest groups that are supporting them, where the money is coming from geographically, and much more." [AO]
[Back to Contents]The Nordic Metadata Project: Final Report
http://linnea.helsinki.fi/meta/nmfinal.htm
Word 97 version:
http://linnea.helsinki.fi/meta/nmfinal.doc
The final report of the Nordic Metadata Project is now available in two formats. The collaborative Nordic Metadata Project created an indexing and retrieval system based on the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set. The report evaluates the existing uses of metadata, recommends enhancements to the Dublin Core, and discusses three of the project's initiatives: the creation of Dublin Core to MARC converter, the development of a metadata template for end-users, and the construction of a metadata-compliant search engine. [AO]
[Back to Contents]New Abstracts and Papers in Sleep
http://www.websciences.org/bibliosleep/naps/default.html
New Abstracts and Papers in Sleep (NAPS) is a current awareness service managed by the Brain Information Service at the University of California, Los Angeles for researchers and practitioners who study the clinical treatment of sleep and sleep-related disorders. NAPS subscribers select from among 28 subject areas within the sleep field to customize a weekly email alert that delivers new citations relevant to their areas of interest. The NAPS Archives houses all sleep-related papers for the current year. The archives database is searchable by author, category, or keyword. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Conference Announcements
Electronic Publishing of Data Sets on the World Wide Web
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/arl.workshop/
October 12-14, 1998 Charlottesville, VA. The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Statistics and Measurement Program has announced a workshop that will examine methods for managing and distributing social science data on the Web. Participants will create their own interactive resources using data garnered from public domain sources. Segments of the workshop will cover data and data structures, CGI, PERL, and HTML. [AO]Migration, Borders & Displacement: The Jewish Diaspora in Latin America
http://www.princeton.edu/lajsa99/
March 14-15, 1999 Princeton, NJ. The Latin American Jewish Studies Association's (LAJSA) tenth international research conference will examine the sociological, historical, cultural, and literary issues of the Jewish Diaspora in Latin America. Possible topics include "immigration, multiculturality, historical events and conflicts, sociological and anthropological views, literary expression of nationality, ethnicity, identity, and anti-Semitism." [AO]First National Conference of the Society of Early Americanists
http://www.hnet.uci.edu/mclark/SEAConf.html
March 4-7, 1999 Charleston, SC. The first national conference of the Society of Early Americanists will explore the cultural history of pre-1820 North America. Some accepted session topics for the conference include Building Cultures in Colonial America, Marks of Native Identity, Puritans and the 'Christianization' of Eighteenth-century America, and Sexing the Republic. [AO](For links to additional calls for papers and conference announcements, see the Conference section of the Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/).
[Back to Contents]New Think Tank Policy Papers and Briefs
Anderson, James H., "Downplaying the Iraq Crisis is Doomed to Failure"--Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/library/execmemo/em547.html
.pdf version:
http://www.heritage.org/library/execmemo/pdf/em_547.pdfBurt, Martha, Lisa C. Newmark, Lisa K. Jacobs, and Adele Harrell, "Evaluation of the STOP Formula Grants to Combat Violence Against Women, 1998 Report"--Urban Institute
Highlights of the report:
http://www.urban.org/crime/vaw98.html
.pdf version of full report:
http://www.urban.org/crime/vaw98.pdfDempsey, Gary T., "Reasonable Doubt: The Case against the Proposed International Criminal Court"--Cato Institute
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-311es.htmlFacts About Children and Guns--Children's Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/facts_chlrngun.htmlKaroly, Lynn A., Peter W. Greenwood, Susan S. Everingham, Jill Hoube, M. Rebecca Kilburn, C. Peter Rydell, Matthew Sanders, and James Chiesa, "Investing in Our Children: What We Know and Don't Know About the Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions"--RAND Corporation
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR898/(For links to additional new Think Tank publications see the Think Tank Policy Papers section on the Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/).
[Back to Contents]New Tables of Contents/Abstracts for recent and forthcoming issues are
Columbia Journalism Review (full text)
http://www.cjr.org/
Internet Archaeology (full text)
http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue5/index.html
Migration News (full text)
http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/mntxt.htm
Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology (abstracts)
http://www.uiowa.edu/~osa/publica/mcja/mcja23_1.htm
Labor History
http://www.carfax.co.uk/lah-con.htm
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1998 KIDS COUNT Data Book
http://www.aecf.org/kc1998/toc.htm
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charitable organization, aims to initiate and develop "public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports" to assist disadvantaged children in the US. One of the principal activities of the organization is the publication of the KIDS COUNT Data Book, "which uses the best available data to measure the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children" all over the US. This site offers public access to the online database for the 1998 KIDS COUNT Data Book. Included are tables of state and national data profiles based on ten statistical indicators, lists of states ranked by indicator, line graphs comparing indicators from various states, and color-coded US maps representing KIDS COUNT data. The particularly helpful line graph section of the online data book allows users to compare data for a single indicator. Users select a time range and up to eight areas to be included in a customized graph. Overall, this site does an excellent job of synthesizing child-related data from quality data sources. [AO]
[Note: Internet resource(s) may no longer be current/available.]
[Back to Contents]A Profile of Medicare: 1998 Medicare Chart Book [.pdf]
http://www.hcfa.gov/pubforms/chartbk.pdf
Health Care Financing Administration
http://www.hcfa.gov/
The 1998 Medicare Chart Book provides an overview of Medicare and its 39 million beneficiaries. This 81-page publication consists of 52 statistical graphs, charts, and tables, profiling Medicare beneficiaries, health care spending, and managed care. Currently, only a .pdf version of the chart book is available, but the Health Care Financing Administration (discussed in the January 23, 1998 issue of the Scout Report) intends to post an HTML version as soon as it is produced. [AO]
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Target: Terror
Washington Post: Bombings and Retaliation [RealPlayer]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/eafricabombing/eafricabombing.htm
New York Times: US Offensive Against Terrorism [RealPlayer]
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/index-us-attack-terror.html
Strikes on Terrorist-Related Facilities in Afghanistan and Sudan
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/sudan_afghan.html
Patterns of Global Terrorism
http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1997Report/1997index.html
The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism
http://www.ict.org.il/articles/bombings.htm
MSANEWS ScholarsBase: Bin Laden
http://msanews.mynet.net/Scholars/Laden/
A Terrorist Bombing by Any Other Name
http://www.nonviolence.org/board/messages/4170.htm
World Islamic Front Statement Urging Jihad Against the US
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm
Charter of the United Nations: Article 51
http://www.un.org/Overview/Charter/chapter7.html
This week's In the News investigates the US military strike against targets linked to international terrorism. These eight resources provide analysis, commentary, and recent news. On August 7, simultaneous bombings of US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, injured thousands of civilians and killed more than 250, including a dozen Americans. In a reprisal on August 20, based on "compelling evidence" from US intelligence agencies, President Clinton ordered a Tomahawk cruise missile attack on several sites suspected of being connected to the terrorist network responsible for the embassy bombings. The targets of the assault included six sites within the distributed Zhawar Kili al-Badr guerrilla camp near Khost, Afghanistan, and the El Shifa Pharmaceutical Plant near Khartoum, Sudan--assumed to be a manufacturing center for chemical weapons. Both locations are believed to be supported by Osama Bin Muhammad Bin Laden, who is, according to the Pentagon, linked to the embassy bombings and considered the "world's leading individual sponsor of terrorism against Americans." The transnational missile attack marks the most powerful military offensive against a private sponsor of confederate terrorist groups. The US called the assault a pre-emptive measure against terrorism and justified its use of force under Article 51 of the UN charter, which authorizes nations to act in self-defense if they anticipate aggression. US Defense Secretary William Cohen acknowledged that the military retaliation "will not eliminate the problem" of terrorism, but he believes the disruption and destruction of terrorist sanctuaries sends a clear message that the US will be steadfast in defense of its citizens "against these cowardly attacks."
The Washington Post and the New York Times sites devote special sections to the embassy bombings and the US retaliation. Both feature breaking news, editorial analyses, detailed maps, vivid photos, audio clips, archived articles, and related links. The first US State Department site provides background information, public notices, and official statements and interviews about the strikes; the second site is an online version of Patterns of Global Terrorism, an annual report submitted to Congress by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrrorism. The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism examines the consequences of the American attacks and offers insightful analysis and commentary. The MSANEWS ScholarsBase profiles Bin Laden, the alleged sponsor of the embassy bombings, by supplying a bevy of interviews, reports, and articles. The Nonviolence Web presents A Terrorist Bombing by Any Other Name, an editorial by Martin Kelley, who questions the hypocrisy of combating terror with terror. The Federation of American Scientists has posted the fatwa issued on February 23, 1998, by the putative leaders of the World Islamic Front--including Bin Laden--urging Jihad against Americans. The link to the UN Charter presents the text of Article 51, used to justify the legality of the unilateral missile assault. [AO]
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The Scout Report for Social Sciences is published every other Tuesday by the Internet Scout Project, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences.
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