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The Scout Report
November 11, 2005
Volume 11, Number 45
-----
A publication of the Internet Scout Project.
Sponsored by University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries.
=======
==   I N   T H E   S C O U T   R E P O R T   T H I S   W E E K  ========
====== NSDL Scout Reports ====
====== Research and Education ====
1.  The Chymistry of Isaac Newton
2.  Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of South Carolina
3.  Roll Back Malaria Partnership
4.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies
5.  Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma
6.  National Low Income Housing Coalition

====== General Interest ====
7.  Red Color-News Soldier
8.  Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia
9.  Frontline: The Torture Question
10. Black Europeans
11. The National Organization on Disability
12. Boys & Girls Clubs of America

====== Network Tools ====
13. Mediabee 1.27
14. Slim Browser 4.06

====== In The News ====
15. Amtrak?s Woes Continue


====== NSDL Scout Reports ====
====== Research and Education ====

1.  The Chymistry of Isaac Newton
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/index.jsp

To merely say that Isaac Newton was a good scientist and brilliant thinker
would be a bit like saying that Rachmaninov?s manipulation of the pianoforte
was merely pleasing. Newton?s legacy in the annals of science is the mark of
a genius, and there are literally hundreds of his manuscripts that have not
yet fully been interpreted, described, or annotated. With support from the
National Science Foundation, Indiana University?s Digital Library program
has produced this fine website which will eventually contain a complete
scholarly online edition of Newton?s alchemical manuscripts, along with new
research on Newton?s ?chymistry?. This ?chymistry? was the term used in 17th
century England to describe the science of alchemy. So far, approximately
250 pages of these laboratory notebooks are available online, with another
1500 scheduled for digitization in the future. The site contains a number of
reference tools, such as a symbol guide, and an introductory essay. [KMG]


2.  Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of South Carolina
http://www.sc.edu/library/digital/collections/sanborn.html

As with many interesting products of material culture, Sanborn Fire
Insurance maps found themselves a new life as generations of historians,
architects, and planners have rediscovered them over the years. The maps
were originally created for insurance underwriters in the middle of the
nineteenth century, and by World War II, the company had surveyed over
13,000 towns in the United States. This particular collection comes from the
Digital Collections division of the University of South Carolina Libraries
and includes some 580 maps of various cities in the state. Using the search
engine, visitors can look for maps by city, year of publication, or county.
One particular interesting wrinkle of the collection is that there are 232
previously unpublished maps included in this digital collection. [KMG]

3.  Roll Back Malaria Partnership [pdf]
http://www.rbm.who.int/cgi-bin/rbm/rbmportal/custom/rbm/home.do

With all the attention paid to a wide range of diseases that affect various
populations around the world, some may still be surprised to learn that
relatively little money is spent researching malaria. Bill Gates recently
gave $258 million to help research this disease, and in doing so, his
efforts will complement the fine work being done through the Roll Back
Malaria Partnership (RBM), which is an initiative of the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank. The site is divided into four
primary areas, including a publications section and information about events
sponsored by the initiative. Visitors unfamiliar with the disease may want
to peruse the FAQ section, as it answers some basic queries, such as ?How is
it transmitted?? and ?How can Malaria be controlled??. One key document that
has recently been released to the site is the Roll Back Malaria Global
Strategic Plan, which is available in English and French. Finally, the site
also has an audio and video archive which includes a number of public
service announcements and video clips that detail some of the RBM?s primary
activities. [KMG]


4.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies [pdf]
http://cip.cornell.edu/DPubS/UI/1.0/JourNav?authority=psu.ph&type=home

Many states have official historical journals that publish important works
that explore the nooks and crannies of their respective locales. One such
journal is Pennsylvania History, which serves as the official journal of the
Pennsylvania Historical Association (PHA). The journal does not limit itself
to exploring the Commonwealth?s history; it also features articles that
focus on the broader region. Recently, the Pennsylvania State University
Libraries and Press cooperated with the PHA to bring back issues of the
journal online. Here visitors can browse through the journals from the year
1934 (the first year of publication) all the way to the year 2000. Some of
the selections offered here include articles on the Pennsylvania anthracite
industry and social life in Philadelphia during the American Revolution. It
should be noted that there are some years that are not available on the
archive, including between 1964 and 1970. The site is still quite
interesting, and will be of use to scholars with an interest in the region
or those seeking eminently readable material on the Keystone State and
environs. [KMG]


5.  Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma [pdf]
http://www.dartcenter.org

With a substantial donation from William Dart of Mason, Michigan, the Dart
Center for Journalism & Trauma started its work at Michigan State
University, and has grown significantly over the past decade and a half.
Currently located at the University of Washington, the Center is a ?global
network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals
dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy.? On
their site, visitors can learn about fellowship opportunities, read fact
sheets about trauma research, and peruse their in-house blog. Journalists
will appreciate the ?Quick Tips? section on the homepage, as it covers a
broad range of subjects, such as how to cover disasters, murder, suicide,
and domestic violence in a sensitive manner. The site also has a rather
impressive series of case studies on reporting on such events as the
Columbine massacre and the genocide in Rwanda. [KMG]


6.  National Low Income Housing Coalition [pdf]
http://www.nlihc.org/

Amid the successes of new residential housing developments throughout the
United States, there are many policy analysts and community activists who
remain concern about the general lack of affordable housing in some parts of
the country. One such group is the National Low Income Housing Coalition,
which is primarily focused on the creation and maintenance of housing for
persons in the lowest income brackets. The site itself is quite rich in
materials, including the Advocate?s Guide which contains short chapters
describing more than 60 housing-related programs, proposals, and issues.
Another very useful set of documents are the ?Out of Reach? annual reports,
which offer statistical data and summaries of the affordability (or lack of
affordability) of housing options in different regions of the country. [KMG]



====== General Interest ====

7.  Red Color-News Soldier
http://red-colornewssoldier.com/

The world is a richer place for the efforts of those who have sought to
document the various social and cultural transformations that have taken
place around the globe during the twentieth century. One must only think of
A.J. Liebling?s dispatches from Europe during the World War II or Robert
Capa?s images of the Spanish Civil War to be reminded of the importance of
such materials. This website pays homage to the work of another such
dedicated individual, Li Zhengsheng, who took it upon himself to document
the Cultural Revolution in China through photographs. This fine online
exhibit includes some of the thousands of images Zhengsheng took from 1964
to 1976. The contents are divided into five chronological sections, such as
?Revolution is Not a Dinner Party?. Within each section, visitors can view a
number of images, including photographs of peasant women at work on an
irrigation project and a gathering of Communist party officials who met to
mourn the death of Chairman Mao. [KMG]


8.  Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia
[Real Player]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/tending/

Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia, a new
addition to Library of Congress' American Memory, features digital versions
of sound recordings and photographs collected during the American Folklife
Center's Coal River Folklife Project, 1992 ­ 1999.  This project documented
traditional uses of the mountains and their resources in Southern West
Virginia's Big Coal River Valley. Visitors to the site will find extensive
information on area residents? ways of utilizing local plants and animals,
such as harvesting ginseng, gathering butternuts and walnuts, and hunting
squirrels. In addition, a series of illustrated essays provide detailed
portraits of mountain culture and activities, including ramp (wild leeks)
suppers, and the importance of ginseng. There is also a clickable diagram of
the "Seasonal Round of Activities on Coal River"; selecting any activity or
time period shown - e.g. "drying", or "October" - executes a search of the
collection on that topic. [DS]


9.  Frontline: The Torture Question [Real Player, pdf, Windows Media Player]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/

Experts and pundits continue to debate the myriad of strategies deployed by
the United States in the effort to combat terrorism around the world and
internally. The Frontline program on PBS has created this website to
complement a special edition of their show. This show focused on the
question of whether torture is a viable way to obtain effective results in
combating terrorism. Visitors can dive right in by watching the program in
its entirety, or they may also wish to visit one of the sections providing
supplementary information. One particularly compelling area is the section
that provides information on how the current administration of President
George W. Bush has created a protocol for conducting such investigations.
Another very useful section is titled ?Behind the Wire? and offers visitors
an inside look into the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Perhaps
the most moving and intense portion of the site is the discussion section,
where visitors can leave feedback and read the impassioned opinions of
others who have seen the program. [KMG]


10. Black Europeans
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/homepage.html

The British Library has been producing quality online features for close to
a decade now, and this latest offering is worth a close look. This
particular feature offers some insights and commentary on five prominent
black Europeans. It may even come as a surprise to some visitors that
several of the individuals profiled were black, such as Alexandre Dumas, the
celebrated author of The Three Musketeers. These profiles are supplemented
with essays by Dr. Mike Phillips, a writer, scholar, and journalist. The
essays are accompanied by a series of images, including engravings,
portraits, and illustrations. Visitors may also want to view and print out
extended versions of Phillips? essays, which are available here in the pdf
format. [KMG]


11. The National Organization on Disability [pdf]
http://www.nod.org

Founded in 1982, the mission of the National Organization on Disability
(NOD) is ?to expand the participation and contribution of America?s 54
million men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.?
>From their homepage, visitors can delve into a number of their resources,
such as summaries of the organization?s own advocacy work that deals with
such themes as community involvement, economic participation, and creating
an environment that is supportive for those with a broad range of
disabilities. The site also contains important information for community
leaders, such as summaries of projects developed by the NOD and its partners
on topics such as making religious facilities more accessible. The site is
rounded out by a section designed for the media that the general user will
appreciate as well, as it contains a number of basic reports and surveys on
disabled persons and general press releases. [KMG]


12. Boys & Girls Clubs of America [pdf]
http://www.bgca.org

The social reform and welfare movement in the United States may be most
commonly associated with such persons as Jane Addams, but years before her
pioneering work on Chicago?s West Side, the Boys & Girls Club of America
organization was started in Hartford, Connecticut. Over the past century and
a half, the organization has provided a host of services to young people in
order to help them realize their full potential. Their website contains
information about Club locations around the country, as well as the various
programs offered by the Club, including those that teach about career
options and leadership. Visitors can also read the Club?s in-house
publication, Connections, which contains stories about the activities that
take place across the organization and at specific locations. Finally,
visitors will also want to read up on the National Youth of the Year
program, which is administered by the organization and awarded annually to a
young person by the President of the United States. [KMG]



====== Network Tools ====

13. Mediabee 1.27
http://mediabee.com/

With soccer games, ?play dates?, and a cornucopia of other such events,
keeping track of the modern family?s calendar can be an almost Sisyphean
task. Fortunately, there is the application Mediabee, which can help users
manage these complex matters through a series of interactive calendars, ?to
do? lists, and the ability to add photos and other images to create a more
delightful and pleasant experience. The interface for the application is
quite easy to use and visually appealing, and visitors will appreciate the
helpful suggestions contained on the website dedicated to the application.
This version is compatible with all computers running Windows 2000 or XP.
[KMG]


14. Slim Browser 4.06
http://www.flashpeak.com/sbrowser/

While there are many tabbed browsers floating around the Internet for
general consumption, Slim Browser is definitely one of the better ones out
there. They have recently released a new version of this browser, and it has
a number of new features that are worth noting.  For starters, users now
have the ability to display local weather conditions in their status bar and
they can also save memorized zoom levels for web pages. First-time users
will benefit from such existing features as a built-in web form spell
checker and a universal URL filter. This version is compatible with all
computers running Windows 98 and newer. [KMG]



====== In The News ====

15. Amtrak?s Woes Continue
Amtrak Fires David Gunn as Railroad?s Chief Executive
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a7O0SxbxAgos&refer=us

Amtrak?s Board Derails Its President
http://www.forbes.com/2005/11/09/amtrak-railroad-gunn-
cx_vc_1109autofacescan12.html

GAO: Amtrak Management: Systemic Problems Require Actions to Improve
Efficiency, Effectiveness and Accountability [pdf]
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06145.pdf

Amtrak
http://www.amtrak.com

Amtrak Unlimited
http://www.amtraktrains.com/

Amtrak?s Beginnings
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/123clbam.asp

This past Wednesday, Amtrak?s board of directors fired President David Gunn,
citing his inability to effectively restructure the company into a group of
separate companies serving discrete regions of the US. This development
struck some as merely adding to Amtrak?s mounting problems, many of which
have seemed to exist since the company?s inception. Amtrak was chartered by
an act of Congress and signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1970.
Representative John Mica remarked that Gunn was fired because he took
exception to the proposal offered by Amtrak?s oversight board that
authorized splitting off the Northeast Corridor. Gunn had certainly made
some improvements during his three year tenure, such as working to normalize
relations with the big freight railroads (such as Norfolk Southern), that
own the tracks that Amtrak runs its passenger trains on. Others commenting
on the recent news were less sanguine, such as Senator Charles Schumer, who
remarked that Dunn?s ouster was ?a crushing blow to Amtrak?s hopes for
success and reform?. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to a news article from Bloomberg.com
released this Wednesday which deals with the dismissal of Gunn from his
post. The second will link to a similarly minded article from Forbes.com.
The third link leads to the full-text document produced by the Government
Accounting Office, which addresses the systemic problems faced by Amtrak.
The fourth link will take users to the homepage of Amtrak, where they can
learn about the corporation and the places it serves around the country. The
fifth link is a fun unofficial site about Amtrak that includes a number of
photos of the interiors of various Amtrak trains, along with some detailed
information about what to expect when riding the rails. The sixth and final
link leads to a fine article by John Kelly about the early history of
Amtrak. [KMG]




======                        ======
==   Index for November 11, 2005  ==
======                        ======

1.  The Chymistry of Isaac Newton
http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/index.jsp

2.  Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of South Carolina
http://www.sc.edu/library/digital/collections/sanborn.html

3.  Roll Back Malaria Partnership [pdf]
http://www.rbm.who.int/cgi-bin/rbm/rbmportal/custom/rbm/home.do

4.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies [pdf]
http://cip.cornell.edu/DPubS/UI/1.0/JourNav?authority=psu.ph&type=home

5.  Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma [pdf]
http://www.dartcenter.org

6.  National Low Income Housing Coalition [pdf]
http://www.nlihc.org/

7.  Red Color-News Soldier
http://red-colornewssoldier.com/

8.  Tending the Commons: Folklife and Landscape in Southern West Virginia
[Real Player]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/tending/

9.  Frontline: The Torture Question [Real Player, pdf, Windows Media Player]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/torture/

10. Black Europeans
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/homepage.html

11. The National Organization on Disability [pdf]
http://www.nod.org

12. Boys & Girls Clubs of America [pdf]
http://www.bgca.org

13. Mediabee 1.27
http://mediabee.com/

14. Slim Browser 4.06
http://www.flashpeak.com/sbrowser/

15. Amtrak?s Woes Continue
Amtrak Fires David Gunn as Railroad?s Chief Executive
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a7O0SxbxAgos&refer=us



======                                ====
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====== 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.

               Editor   Max Grinnell        [KMG]
      Managing Editor   Chanda Halderman    [CMH]
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