the Scout Report -- April 22, 2005
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The Scout Report
April 22, 2005
Volume 11, Number 16
-----
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 ====
1. NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
====== Research and Education ====
2. Inside Higher Ed
3. American Radio Works: Power Trips
4. World War I Sheet Music
5. EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory
6. Journal of Online Behavior
7. Al-Islam.org
8. Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic
Development Strategies
====== General Interest ====
9. Before Victoria: Extraordinary Women of the British Romantic Era
10. PBS: The Meaning of Food
11. Canada Gazette
12. Heritage Council
13. MedlinePlus: Mental Health
14. Mississippi Department of Archives & History
15. Stanford Medieval and Modern Thought Text Project
====== Network Tools ====
16. Opera 8
17. iPodder 2.0
====== In The News ====
18. Rising urban community fortunes continue to spark debate among local
residents and policy-makers
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.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.wisc.edu/About/criteria.php
The Scout Report on the Web:
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2005/scout-
050422.php
Visit the Internet Scout Weblog at:
http://scout.wisc.edu/Weblog/
Feedback is always welcome: scout@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
====== NSDL Scout Reports ====
1. NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
The eighth issue of the fourth volume of the MET Report is available. Its
Topic in Depth section offers websites and comments about 3-D Simulations.
====== Research and Education ====
2. Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/
The wide, wide, wide world of higher education has found a new chronicler in
the form of the Inside Higher Ed website. The group was founded in 2004 by
three higher education journalism and recruitment executives who felt that
"the time was right for new models of providing information and career
services for professionals in academe." First-time visitors should consider
signing up to receive the electronic updates, or just browsing through some
of the latest news stories. Also, each news story has a place where visitors
can chime in with their own opinions, if they so desire. The site also has a
good job posting area, so persons looking to make a career move (or secure a
first-time position) will want to look at this area of the site closely.
Finally, the "Views" section contains some first-hand observations about
such topics as blogs, the importance of jobs in far-flung places, and Saul
Bellow. [KMG
3. American Radio Works: Power Trips [RealPlayer]
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/congtravel/index.html
Under rules enacted in 1995, members of Congress are effectively banned from
accepting any gift worth more than $50, though as this latest investigative
radio series from the American RadioWorks team demonstrates, it would appear
that members of the House or Senate are still taking many trips at no cost.
Working in tandem with a group of graduate students at Northwestern
University's Medill School of Journalism, the team catalogued every
privately sponsored trip taken by members of Congress since 2000. They
discovered that more than $14 million was spent by universities,
corporations, and other groups to take these influential persons to a
variety of meetings, presentations, and other functions. On this site,
visitors can listen to the complete radio presentation, along with obtaining
information about how much their own representatives travel and who accepts
the most money in trips. Overall, this site is quite informative and more
than a bit provocative. [KMG]
4. World War I Sheet Music
http://dl.lib.brown.edu/sheetmusic/ww1/index.html
The Center for Digital Initiatives at Brown University has created a number
of fine collections since its inception in 2001, and this latest offering is
no exception to that trend. The site is focused on providing access to
hundreds of instances of sheet music that addresses various aspects of World
War I. In this area, it is a definite success as the material is perfect for
historians, musicians, or others who may be studying material and visual
culture in the early 20th century. Users may browse through the sheet music
by title, publisher, subject, and creator. Additionally, a historical essay
and general introduction should be forthcoming on the site in the near
future. Visitors would do well to check out such fine titles as "America
He's for You", "Salvation Sal", and of course, "The Girl Behind the Man
Behind the Gun," with lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse. [KMG]
5. EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory [pdf]
http://www.epa.gov/nerl/index.html
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performs applied research in a
variety of fields, and one of its main laboratories happens to be the
National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). Scientists at the laboratory
"conduct research and development that leads to improved methods,
measurements and models to assess and predict exposures of humans and
ecosystems to harmful pollutants and other conditions in air, water, soil,
and food." Visitors will appreciate such features as the summaries of the
lab's current research projects (which include studies of upland coastal
areas and biological indicators of pollution). Additionally, visitors can
search an interactive map of the US to find out what such projects might be
going on in their own state or locale. For fellow scientists and researchers
that might have need of such information, the site also contains a number of
databases, including the Human Exposure Database System and the Water
Resources Database. [KMG]
6. Journal of Online Behavior
http://www.behavior.net/JOB/
The Journal of Online Behavior (JOB) "is concerned with the empirical study
of human behavior in the online environment, and with the impact of evolving
communication and information technology upon individuals, groups,
organizations, and society." The peer-reviewed articles cross science and
social science disciplinary boundaries as well as geographical boundaries.
The electronic version of the journal, which is available free of charge,
includes an interactive discussion space. Some topics addressed in the
articles and research reports include comparative media effects on
communication processes and outcomes; social-cognitive dynamics and their
effects presented by online interaction; temporal and longitudinal analyses
of media influences and adaptation; and media usage and effects by and among
ethnic and cultural groups. This site is also reviewed in the April 22, 2005
_NSDL MET Report_. [VF]
7. Al-Islam.org [pdf]
http://www.al-islam.org
Created and maintained by the Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project
(DILP), this nice website is designed to facilitate access to high-quality
resources related to Islamic history, law, practice, and the societies of
various Muslim peoples. The homepage is well designed, as it provides a
general search engine, and an option to browse the site and its materials in
four different languages. For those unfamiliar with the subject, they may
want to begin by perusing the materials in the "Discover Islam" section.
Here they will find essays that introduce the basic tenets of Islam and
Muslim practices. The homepage also contains a list of the "Most Popular"
areas of the site, which include a fine gallery of photos and calligraphy,
along with a Shi'ite encyclopedia. [KMG]
8. Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic
Development Strategies [pdf]
http://www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20050117_conventioncenters.pdf
Among urban policy analysts, politicians, and investigative journalists,
there is great concern about the viability of developing new convention
centers in an attempt to "prime the pump" of an urban region. For the most
part, the prevailing wisdom seems to indicate that persons coming to large
conventions in a city will spend millions of dollars when they are in town,
and that cities will benefit greatly from such inward investment. This
paper, authored by Heywood Sanders for The Brookings Institution, takes on
much of this conventional wisdom in its 36 pages. Released in January 2005,
the report finds that the overall convention marketplace continues to
decline, and despite this fact, numerous localities continue a type of "arms
race" in order to those these events. The paper is well written, and should
be of interest to those persons in the fields of economic development, and
the future of cities, more generally. [KMG]
====== General Interest ====
9. Before Victoria: Extraordinary Women of the British Romantic Era
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/victoria/
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, life for women in
Britain was much different in many regards than in the present day. Women
could not join the professions, and married women had no rights to property.
By the time of Queen Victoria, women's lives had become even more
transformed, and this change produced new feminine roles and also produced a
clutch of great poets, novelists, and actresses. This online digital
exhibit, which complements an in situ installation, from the New York Public
Library contains seven brief topical essays, along with a nice selection of
images that afford additional insights. One such essay is the one titled
"Fables for the Female Sex", which addresses the explicit moral direction
handed down to women through visual culture, literature, and conduct books
during this period. For those who find this topic compelling, the site also
has a fine list of additional readings. [KMG]
10. PBS: The Meaning of Food
http://www.pbs.org/opb/meaningoffood/
This PBS documentary companion website on the Meaning of Food describes
itself as "an exploration of culture through food. What we consume, how we
acquire it, who prepares it, who's at the table, and who eats first is a
form of communication that is rich with meaning." The site shares stories,
recipes, beautiful images, and more under the headings: Food & Life, Food &
Family, and Food & Culture. The website addresses such subjects as kosher
food, the Slow Food Movement, pet food, and heirloom seeds, to name a few.
In addition, the site provides a bibliography; a simple, downloadable lesson
plan for educators; broadcast times for the Meaning of Food documentary
series; a small collection of cartoonish desktop backgrounds; and several
related links. This site was also reviewed in the April 15, 2005 _NSDL Life
Sciences Report_. [NL]
11. Canada Gazette [pdf]
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/index-e.html
Published regularly by the Queen's Printer since 1841, the Canada Gazette is
the "official newspaper" of the Government of Canada. The Canada Gazette
serves Canadians by giving them access to the laws and regulations that
govern their daily lives, along with assisting the private sector in meeting
legal requirements. Essentially, what appears in the Gazette are new
statutes and regulations, proposed regulations, and an assortment of other
government notices. Before perusing a copy, visitors may want to examine the
very detailed explanatory section, including Publishing Information.
Visitors can view all of the latest publications from the Gazette and may
also browse back issues dating back to 1998. Overall, this site will be a
great find for those who are seeking to keep track on pending Canadian
legislation and other related items, either for personal or scholarly
reasons. [KMG]
12. Heritage Council [pdf]
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/
Ireland has a great of historic material culture to preserve, especially
when one considers its history and patterns of human settlement over the
preceding millennia. In 1995, the Heritage Council was established under the
Heritage Act of 1995 with a primary role "to propose policies and priorities
for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the
national heritage. Visitors can begin on the homepage by looking at a number
of the Council's news releases, or by signing up to receive the electronic
edition of its monthly email newsletter. The publication section is quite
strong, and visitors can search currently available online materials by
"sector", such as forestry, ecclesiastical heritage, and stained glass.
Visitors may also want to take a look at their thematic areas of research
and outreach, which also contain documents and practical information about
visiting various sites and locales throughout Ireland. [KMG]
13. MedlinePlus: Mental Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html
MedLinePlus is a joint collaboration between the U.S. National Library of
Medicine and the National Institutes of Health which has received strong
marks during the past few years for providing high-quality health-related
materials to the Web-browsing public. This particular area of the
MedLinePlus site is devoted to providing materials about mental health. Here
visitors can learn about various related topics by browsing through the top-
level sections that include Alternative Therapy, Coping, and Nutrition.
Within each area, visitors will be directed to links provided by a host of
sources, including the Mayo Foundation, the Surgeon General, the American
Psychiatric Association, and a number of other reputable institutions. The
News section is also a fine way to keep abreast of recent developments in
the field of mental health, as it culls news releases from some of the major
international press agencies. [KMG]
14. Mississippi Department of Archives & History [pdf]
http://www.mdah.state.ms.us/
Established in 1902, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History is
the second oldest department of archives and history in the United States.
>From its headquarters in Jackson, the Department administers a host of
public history programs, the state archives and library, as well as offering
oversight to a number of National Historic Landmarks in the state. Visitors
with a penchant for Mississippi history will want to take a look at the
agency's online newsletter and its special feature, "Mississippi History
NOW". Visitors can also look through individual sites for each historic site
maintained by the department, including the home of Eudora Welty and
historic Jefferson College. Of course, users will want to also peruse the
online finding aids and archival management documents if they plan on using
this resources in the future. [KMG]
15. Stanford Medieval and Modern Thought Text Project
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/medievalandmodern/
Since the inception of the Internet, there have been a number of well-done
digitization projects of medieval texts, and some of them have been in
existence for close to a decade. One of the newer and more compelling
projects in this area is Stanford's Medieval and Modern Thought Text
Digitization Project. Started in 2002, the goal of the project has been to
digitize close to 25,000 pages every year in the broad area of medieval and
modern thought. Support for the project has come from a variety of sources,
including the Smart Family Foundation and the Allan Morgan Standish book
fund. Visitors can search the materials offered here, or browse through the
currently available titles, which are organized into smaller themes, such as
science, language and literature, and so on. One real gem here that is worth
checking out is the very fine volume "Dates, Charters, and Customs of the
Middle Ages." [KMG]
====== Network Tools ====
16. Opera 8
http://www.opera.com/
The popular Internet browser Opera has been through numerous versions, and
this latest edition builds on its earlier successes. With this latest
version, users with disabilities are well served, and various keyboard
shortcuts and mouse gestures allow for simplified navigation through various
websites. Of course, features from previous editions are still here,
including a built-in pop-up blocker, an email client and a password manager.
This version is compatible with Windows 95 or newer. [KMG]
17. iPodder 2.0
http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/download/index.php
Streaming audio programs on the Web are of great interest to many, and range
from those programs sponsored by various policy institutes to popular music
programs. Unfortunately, sometimes individuals cannot be present when their
favorite programs are broadcast over the Internet. Stepping in to assist
users is iPodder 2.0, which allows them to select and download audio files
from anywhere on the Internet to their desktops. Also, users can use the
application to download various audio files at specific times as well.
iPodder 2.0 is compatible with Windows 2000 or XP and Mac OS 10.3 or newer.
[KMG]
====== In The News ====
18. Rising urban community fortunes continue to spark debate among local
residents and policy-makers
Studies: Gentrification a boost for everyone
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-19-gentrification_x.htm
Community Blasts CU for Secrecy, Evasiveness
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/18/42635dc0f2a3f
NW Lauderdale to be a topic of black-heritage conference
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-
crootsapr17,0,5695095.story?coll=sfla-news-broward
Tenant Net
http://www.tenant.net/
NPR: Urban Renewal Comes to Chicago's Bronzeville [RealPlayer]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4092966
POV: Flag Wars [Macromedia Flash Player, RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/flagwars/index.html
By now the script for the process of gentrification is fairly recognizable
throughout American cities: Wealthy residents move into (or return to)
inner-city neighborhoods to be close to various urban amenities and
eventually displace long-time residents who are unable to pay rising
property costs (such as increased taxes and so on). The process is so well
known that in fact it even served as one of the themes of the recent movie,
"Barbershop 2." Of course, debates continue to swirl around questions about
the number of people actually displaced as a result of gentrification, with
certain scholars claiming that relatively few longtime residents are priced
out of their neighborhoods and still others claiming that certain aspects of
gentrification are essentially a form of "war" against low-income persons,
particularly persons of color. In a recent article in a prominent urban
studies journal, Professor Lance Freeman of Columbia University offered his
own findings from a national study which notes that comparatively few low-
income residents are forced from their home as a result of gentrification.
Regardless of this important study, the topic continues to be one that has
galvanized community groups, tenants' rights associations, and other
organizations in cities across the United States.
The first link will take visitors to an insightful news piece from this
Tuesday's USA Today that talks about the results of this recent study
examining the effects of gentrification. The second link leads to a news
story from the Columbia Spectator that discusses the recent request from
Columbia University to expand its property holdings through the process of
eminent domain. The third link leads to a news story from the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel that discusses how one African-American community in Fort
Lauderdale is coping with the process of gentrification. The fourth link
leads to the well-developed Tenant Net website, where visitors can learn
about tenant resources in New York City and other places around the United
States. The fifth link leads to a fine audio feature from the Tavis Smiley
show that affords some insight into the ongoing debates about gentrification
in Chicago's famed Bronzeville neighborhood on the city's South Side. The
final link leads to the website for the PBS program "Flag Wars", which
offers a multimedia portrait of gentrification in a neighborhood in
Columbus, Ohio. [KMG]
====== ======
== Index for April 22, 2005 ==
====== ======
1. NSDL Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology
The eighth issue of the fourth volume of the MET Report is available. Its
Topic in Depth section offers websites and comments about 3-D Simulations.
2. Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/
3. American Radio Works: Power Trips [RealPlayer]
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/congtravel/index.html
4. World War I Sheet Music
http://dl.lib.brown.edu/sheetmusic/ww1/index.html
5. EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory [pdf]
http://www.epa.gov/nerl/index.html
6. Journal of Online Behavior
http://www.behavior.net/JOB/
7. Al-Islam.org [pdf]
http://www.al-islam.org
8. Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic
Development Strategies [pdf]
http://www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20050117_conventioncenters.pdf
9. Before Victoria: Extraordinary Women of the British Romantic Era
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/victoria/
10. PBS: The Meaning of Food
http://www.pbs.org/opb/meaningoffood/
11. Canada Gazette [pdf]
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/index-e.html
12. Heritage Council [pdf]
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/
13. MedlinePlus: Mental Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealth.html
14. Mississippi Department of Archives & History [pdf]
http://www.mdah.state.ms.us/
15. Stanford Medieval and Modern Thought Text Project
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/medievalandmodern/
16. Opera 8
http://www.opera.com/
17. iPodder 2.0
http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/download/index.php
18. Rising urban community fortunes continue to spark debate among local
residents and policy-makers
Studies: Gentrification a boost for everyone
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-19-gentrification_x.htm
Community Blasts CU for Secrecy, Evasiveness
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/18/42635dc0f2a3f
NW Lauderdale to be a topic of black-heritage conference
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-
crootsapr17,0,5695095.story?coll=sfla-news-broward
Tenant Net
http://www.tenant.net/
NPR: Urban Renewal Comes to Chicago's Bronzeville [RealPlayer]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4092966
POV: Flag Wars [Macromedia Flash Player, RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/flagwars/index.html
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