======== The Scout Report == ======== September 3, 1999 ==== ======== Volume 6, Number 16 ====== ====== Internet Scout Project ======== ==== University of Wisconsin ======== == Department of Computer Sciences ======== == I N T H E S C O U T R E P O R T T H I S W E E K ======== ====== Subject Specific Reports ==== 1. Scout Report for Science & Engineering ====== Research and Education ==== 2. ERIC/AE Full Text Internet Library 3. Three From SoftLine 4. AsiaSource 5. Southern California Earthquake Center 6. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) Updated ATF Site 7. The Constitution Community - NARA 8. Biotechnology Information Resource (BIC) - USDA ====== General Interest ==== 9. Bartleby Verse: American and English Poetry, 1250-1920 10. Milestones of Modernism 1880-1940: Selections from the Norwest Collection 11. _Introduction to Islam_ 12. 11. Inner City Press 13. Salt Made the world Go Round: MRBLOCH Salt Archive 14. homes.wsj.com ====== Network Tools ==== 15. REBOL 16. Ultimate Processor Guide - CNET ====== In The News ==== 17. Israeli and Palestinian Peace Deal Imminent Copyright and subscription information appear at the end of the Scout Report. For more information on all services of the Internet Scout Project, please visit our Website: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ If you'd like to know how the Internet Scout team selects resources for inclusion in the Scout Report, visit our Selection Criteria page at: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/criteria.html Feedback is always welcome: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ====== Subject Specific Reports ==== 1. Scout Report for Science & Engineering http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/1999/se-990901.html Volume 2, Number 25 of the Scout Report for Science & Engineering is available. The In the News section annotates ten resources on hurricane predictions for the 1999 season. [MD] ====== Research and Education ==== 2. ERIC/AE Full Text Internet Library http://ericae.net/ftlib.htm The ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE) has recently announced the opening of its Full Text Internet Library, providing access to over 250 "of the best full-text books, reports, journal articles, newsletter articles and papers on the Internet that address educational measurement, evaluation and learning theory." The titles, currently culled from nine online journals and 29 organizations, are organized under eight topic headings, including Educational Quality, Learning Theory, Evaluation, Student Evaluation, Tests & Testing, Professional Standards, Research, and Statistical Analysis. The number of titles available in each topical section varies, but all have been reviewed and selected according to the stated selection criteria. The heading for each piece includes bibliographic information and the number of times it has been viewed since the site went live last month. The site also offers a title/author keyword search engine. [MD] 3. Three From SoftLine Ethnic NewsWatch http://www.softlineweb.com/softlineweb/ethnic.htm GenderWatch http://www.softlineweb.com/softlineweb/genderw.htm Alt-HealthWatch http://www.softlineweb.com/softlineweb/althealth.htm SoftLine Information http://www.slinfo.com/ Developed by SoftLine Information, these three full text, fully indexed databases are an astounding free resource. Each database is composed of articles, pamphlets, papers, conference proceedings, and other publications, and is searchable by keyword, with numerous modifiers to narrow the query. Most test searches produced hundreds of returns, and the articles are quickly and conveniently displayed on site with the header from the source publication. Ethnic NewsWatch, the largest of the three databases, indexes over 500,000 complete articles from 200 publications of the "ethnic, minority and native press," dating back to 1990; with archival material dating back to the mid 1980's. The database is searchable in English or Spanish and contains over 100,000 articles in Spanish. GenderWatch contains publications from 140 international sources devoted to women's and gender issues, dating to the mid 1970's. Finally, Alt-HealthWatch indexes text and images from 160 international publications "focused on all areas of alternative, holistic, complementary and integrated approaches to health care and wellness," dating back to 1990. [MD] 4. AsiaSource http://www.asiasource.org/ This site has been developed by the Asia Society (last discussed in the March 5, 1999 Scout Report) as a comprehensive source for news and resources on Asian culture, business, politics, and history. Researchers, students, and general users will find a wealth of useful information at this site, from breaking news stories to articles and speeches on a wide variety of topics (most are off site) to maps and statistics to special Asia Society features. Other resources include an event calendar, a glossary, related links, and a database of Asian specialists. Each segment of the major sections of the site also include a list of highlighted resources (event, book, view, and link) picked by Asia Society. Users can also subscribe for free email updates. Already a respected provider of authoritative information and analysis, the Asia Society establishes itself as one of the leading online resources for Asian Studies with this fine site. [MD] 5. Southern California Earthquake Center [.pdf] http://www.scec.org/ The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center, aims to reduce earthquake hazard by defining the locations of future earthquakes, calculating expected ground motions, and conveying this information to the general public. The SCEC's homepage contains access to research and data, including links to databases for strong motion and seismograms, and a searchable and sortable bibliographic database of publications. A link to the Earthquake Information Network provides a searchable list of up-to-date internet earthquakes resources. Also available are GPS data and a network of GPS stations. Note, in order to access the SCEC Publications Database, a username and password are required. Use your own name for the username, and enter webview as the password. SCEC is a first rate resource for earthquake engineers. [KR] 6. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) Updated ATF Site http://trac.syr.edu/tracatf/index.html TRAC, a nonpartisan "data gathering, data research and data distribution organization" located at Syracuse University (last reviewed in the April 16, 1999 Scout Report--http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/1999/scout-990416.html#4), has put up a new edition of its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) site. Drawing data from a variety of sources, TRAC has found that referrals for federal prosecution by the ATF have sharply declined since 1992. There has also been a decline in total staff, weapons prosecutions (until 1997-98), and average prison sentences. After free registration, users may read a summary of these and other new findings, supplemented with numerous graphs and tables. Additional information at the site includes national trends and profiles in ATF activity; detailed maps, ranking tables, and individual district tables for the US as a whole and for 90 federal judicial districts; and several short essays "highlighting significant aspects of ATF enforcement policies and practices." Users may order additional detailed data from TRAC for a fee. [MD] 7. The Constitution Community - NARA http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/ A new addition to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Digital Classroom site (see the November 18, 199 Scout Report for Social Sciences), the Constitution Community is a partnership between classroom teachers and education specialists from the NARA. Like other Digital Classroom projects, the Constitution Community offers sample lesson plans, correlated to the National History Standards, that make use of original documents and images from American history. In addition to the lesson plan, each also includes background information, a number of suggested teaching activities, and its connection to the US Constitution The lessons are grouped by eight historical eras, covering the American Revolution to the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Act. Highlights include The Growth of Regionalism, The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady, FDR's First Inaugural Address: Declaring "War" on the Great Depression, and the Founding Documents of the Peace Corps. [MD] 8. Biotechnology Information Resource (BIC) - USDA [RealPlayer] http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ Agricultural biotechnology has garnered considerable attention from the media as of late. This site, maintained by the National Agricultural Library of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), offers a wide-ranging collection of resources on biotechnology research and education. While skeptics or opponents of current practices in agricultural biotechnology will find few items that reflect their views, the site is still useful for anyone interested in biotech research and regulation. Resources include the full text of selected biotechnology patents (1994-96), research news and newsletters, links to sites involved in biotech education, government and NGO documents, bibliographies (all from 1996), and subject specific resources for Bovine Somatotropin (bST/BGH), Bioremediation, and BT Toxin. Please note that some of the linked sites are rather dated and that this site should be regarded as a starting point rather than a comprehensive source, especially with regard to new developments in the field. [MD] ====== General Interest ==== 9. Bartleby Verse: American and English Poetry, 1250-1920 http://www.bartleby.com/verse/ The New Bartleby Library has added the texts of five additional poetry anthologies covering American and English poetry, 1250-1920, to its Verse page, which previously hosted _The Oxford Book of English Verse_ (see the August 23, 1996 Scout Report). The new additions include the _Yale Book of American Verse_ (1912), _Modern British Poetry_ (1920), Modern American Poetry (1919), _Metaphysical Lyrics and Poems of the 17th Century_ (1921), and the _Golden Treasury_ (1875). All six anthologies are searchable by keyword or browsable by author (chronological or alphabetical), title, or first line. The anthologies are, of course, highly selective and reflect the period in which they were originally published, representing the canon as it stood in the first quarter of this century. [MD] 10. Milestones of Modernism 1880-1940: Selections from the Norwest Collection http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/ This site is an online version of a current exhibition at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts that highlights over 200 objects from the recently donated Norwest Collection, "the worlds most significant collection of Modernism." This clean and easily-navigated site groups the objects by the major movements of the period. These include Arts and Crafts (1875-1915), Art Nouveau (1880-1910), Wiener Werksttte (1903-1933), De Stijl (1917-1928), Bauhaus (1919-1933) and Art Deco (1920-1940), among others. Each section offers a brief introduction to the movement and thumbnails of the selected works. Each full-size image of the work is accompanied by a caption of varying length. Additional resources include a Timeline and a list of works sorted by maker. [MD] 11. _Introduction to Islam_ http://www2.ari.net/gckl/islam/introislam.htm Provided by the Middle East Institute George Camp Keiser Library, this online version of M. Cherif Bassiouni's book offers an interesting and useful introduction to the history and culture of Islam for non-Muslim readers. The book is well-organized and attractive, offering numerous photos, maps, and charts. In addition to providing a historical and cultural context of Islam, the book covers basic tenets of Muslim belief, Islamic law, schools of thought, the social and economic systems of Islam, and an overview of Islamic civilization. [MD] 12. 11. Inner City Press http://www.innercitypress.org/ Based in the South Bronx, the Inner City Press has been publishing a newspaper focused on low-income neighborhoods nationwide since 1987. A few months ago, the organization went online with a weekly publication featuring original and engaging investigative and analytical pieces from a selection of beats, including the Federal Reserve, Community Reinvestment, Insurance Redlining, Wall Street, Environmental Justice, and Banks, among others. The most recent issue (August 30) includes concise reports on predatory lending, the economic crisis in Ecuador, press leaks and the Federal Reserve, and a round-up of bank news. The site also provides overviews and related resources for Community Reinvestment, the Inner City Public Interest Law Center, Environmental Justice, Insurance Redlining, and related topics. [MD] 13. Salt Made the world Go Round: MRBLOCH Salt Archive http://www.salt.org.il/ Don't you just love it when everything can be summed up with one simple explanantion? Created by David Bloch, this Website proves that life as we know depends upon salt. Sections of the site look at salt in relation to a wide range of areas of study, such as Physiology, Geology, Archaeology, Paleoclimatology, Religion, and Economics. For example, the Economics section provides information on the use of salt as money, the history of the control of salt by monopolies, and the influence of the salt trade on transportation. The Religion section points out the importance of salt in religious practices, such as Jewish koshering and Egyptian embalming. Also included are links to over fifty additional salt sites, an email list, and an announcement for Salt 2000, the 8th World Salt Symposium, to be held in the Hague in May 2000. [DS] 14. homes.wsj.com http://homes.wsj.com/ This new consumer site from _The Wall Street Journal_ offers several resources for moving to a new city, finding and buying a home, and improving it. Users who have the luxury of deciding where they would like to move might begin with the City Profiles, which offers information on the 100 largest cities in the US. Information categories include: housing, weather, crime, economic status, health care, education, and entertainment. Another option is the Best Places to Live, which suggests metro areas based on answers to over 40 variables. Once a destination is decided, users will want to review the Relocation Toolkit and buying and selling tips. After settling in, they can check back to the site for help with home design, improvement, and their lawn and garden. [MD] ====== Network Tools ==== 15. REBOL http://www.rebol.com/ REBOL, the Relative Expression-Based Object Language, is a fascinating new scripting language developed at REBOL Technologies by Carl Sassenrath, the architect of the Amiga operating system. REBOL is intended to be used for Internet programming and, among its many features, it contains very easy-to-use networking capabilities. An example is this tiny line of REBOL code which retrieves a web page and emails it to a (fictitious) email address: "send [EMAIL PROTECTED] read http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/" As anyone with experience in other programming languages knows, this simple task would require more code in almost any other language. The simplicity of some tasks in the language comes at the expense of the apparently extensive task of learning the entire language. For users more comfortable with traditional, imperative programming languages, this task may seem daunting at first, but ultimately REBOL may provide a far faster and easier way to implement useful network-centric programs. REBOL, while not open source, is freely available in binary form for use on numerous platforms including Win95/98/NT, MacOS, Linux, and many others. [CL] 16. Ultimate Processor Guide - CNET http://home.cnet.com/specialreports/0-6014-7-308397.html?tag=st.cn.1fd 2.tlpg6014-7-308397 This new special report from CNET is offered as a guide to "everything you need to know about processors." Users shopping for a new PC will want to start with the Know Your CPU section, which offers a set of flash cards on the most popular processors. Those interested in the higher-end chips will want to read the Athlon vs. Pentium III Shoot-Out section, which compares features and performance.The more curious and technical-minded will also be interested in the Supersonic Chips section, which explains what makes chips fast and speculates on future speeds. Finally, the DIY user may want to review Upgrading Your CPU and The Trouble With Overclocking, the latter of which explores the pros and cons of overclocking CPUs. [MD] ====== In The News ==== 17. Israeli and Palestinian Peace Deal Imminent Special Report: Middle East Peace process - BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/10/98/middle_east /newsid_196000/196649.stm Issue In Depth: The Mideast Peace Process - _The New York Times_ http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/mideast-peace-index.html "Barak and his set of NOs" - _Palestinian Times_ http://www.ptimes.com/ "The uniqueness of Wye 2" - _The Jerusalem Post_ http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-1.html "No peace without justice " - _The Jerusalem Post_ http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-2.html The Wye River Memorandum - Full Text - ArabicNews http://www.ArabicNews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/981024/1998102453.html Israel Radio International [RealPlayer] http://www.israelradio.org/ After several days of intense wrangling, Israeli and Palestinian officials have announced that they have cleared the last major obstacle in the way of signing a revised Wye River peace accord and resuming formal peace negotiations. The dispute was over the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released. Palestinian negotiators demanded the release of some 400 prisoners, who are regarded as heroes fighting for statehood. The Israelis had offered to release 356 prisoners, refusing to free Palestinians "with blood on their hands" - those jailed for killing Israelis. Although one disagreement remains, a clause in the accord on a ban on either side taking unilateral actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it is expected that the accord will be signed Saturday night, after the Jewish sabbath, in Egypt with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in attendance. BBC News offers a good starting point for users interesting in learning more about this topic and following future developments. Their special report features breaking news, several interactive features, archived articles, analysis, profiles, and background pieces. _The New York Times_ (free registration required) also offers a special feature on the Mideast peace process, containing recent and archived articles, interactive maps, profiles, and related links. The August 1999 issue of _Palestinian Times_ offers several items of interest, including an editorial critical of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, which is located in the Comment section (please note that this issue will be moved to the Previous Issues section sometime in September).The next two items, both editorials from _The Jerusalem Post_, explore Wye 2 in comparison to Hebron 2 and the Palestinian prisoner releases in light of international law, respectively. Users interested in reading the full text of the original Wye River Memorandum will find the document at the ArabicNews site. Finally, Israel Radio International offers streaming English broadcasts of its daily news program. Additional resources on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process can be found in Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs: Current Contents of Periodicals on the Middle East, United Nations Information Center on the Question of Palestine Database, and Our Voice. [MD] Signpost http://www.signpost.org MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs: Current Contents of Periodicals on the Middle East http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/pages/00007624.html United Nations Information Center on the Question of Palestine Database http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/pages/00007522.html Our Voice http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/pages/00008872.html ====== ====== == Index for September 3, 1999 == ====== ====== 1. Scout Report for Science & Engineering http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sci-eng/1999/se-990901.html 2. ERIC/AE Full Text Internet Library http://ericae.net/ftlib.htm 3. Three From SoftLine Ethnic NewsWatch http://www.softlineweb.com/softlineweb/ethnic.htm GenderWatch http://www.softlineweb.com/softlineweb/genderw.htm Alt-HealthWatch http://www.softlineweb.com/softlineweb/althealth.htm SoftLine Information http://www.slinfo.com/ 4. AsiaSource http://www.asiasource.org/ 5. Southern California Earthquake Center [.pdf] http://www.scec.org/ 6. Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) Updated ATF Site http://trac.syr.edu/tracatf/index.html 7. The Constitution Community - NARA http://www.nara.gov/education/cc/ 8. Biotechnology Information Resource (BIC) - USDA [RealPlayer] http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/ 9. Bartleby Verse: American and English Poetry, 1250-1920 http://www.bartleby.com/verse/ 10. Milestones of Modernism 1880-1940: Selections from the Norwest Collection http://www.artsmia.org/modernism/ 11. _Introduction to Islam_ http://www2.ari.net/gckl/islam/introislam.htm 12. 11. Inner City Press http://www.innercitypress.org/ 13. Salt Made the world Go Round: MRBLOCH Salt Archive http://www.salt.org.il/ 14. homes.wsj.com http://homes.wsj.com/ 15. REBOL http://www.rebol.com/ 16. Ultimate Processor Guide - CNET http://home.cnet.com/specialreports/0-6014-7-308397.html?tag=st.cn.1fd 2.tlpg6014-7-308397 17. Israeli and Palestinian Peace Deal Imminent Special Report: Middle East Peace process - BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/10/98/middle_east /newsid_196000/196649.stm Issue In Depth: The Mideast Peace Process - _The New York Times_ http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/mideast/mideast-peace-index.html "Barak and his set of NOs" - _Palestinian Times_ http://www.ptimes.com/ "The uniqueness of Wye 2" - _The Jerusalem Post_ http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-1.html "No peace without justice " - _The Jerusalem Post_ http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Article-2.html The Wye River Memorandum - Full Text - ArabicNews http://www.ArabicNews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/981024/1998102453.html Israel Radio International [RealPlayer] http://www.israelradio.org/ ====== ==== == Subscription and Contact Information == ==== ====== For information on subscribing to the Scout Report, send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message type: info scout-report Or visit our Website and subscribe using a Web form: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/misc/subscribe.html The Scout Report's Webpage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/ Net Scout team member information: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/addserv/team.html ====== The Scout Report ====== Brought to You by the Internet Scout Project ==== == The Scout Report (ISSN 1092-3861) is published every Friday of the year except the last Friday of December by the Internet Scout Project, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences. Director Susan Calcari Managing Editor Rachael E. Bower [REB] Editor Michael de Nie [MD] Production Editor Travis Koplow [TK] Contributors David Charbonneau [DC] Pat Coulthard [PC] Aimee D. Glassel [AG] Christopher Lukas [CL] Emily Missner [EM] Laura X. Payne [LXP] Krishna Ramanujan [KR] Michael Roszkowski [MR] Debra Shapiro [DS] Gerri Wanserski [GW] Amy Tracy Wells [ATW] Webmaster Paul M Schwartz [PMS] 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 1994-1999. 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, 1994-1999. 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. == ==== ======
