Two from the Bureau of Labor Statistics [.pdf]
Report on the American Workforce, 2001
http://www.bls.gov/opub/rtaw/rtawhome.htm
National Compensation Survey
http://www.bls.gov/comhome.htm
Full Report
http://www.bls.gov/special.requests/ocwc/oclt/ncsocs/ncs/ncbl0343.pdf
Summary
http://www.bls.gov/special.requests/ocwc/oclt/ncsocs/ncs/ncbl0354.pdf
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently posted two new publications online, with sections downloadable as .pdf files. The first publication from BLS, called Report on the American Workforce, chronicles key events for American workers during the 20th century. This report is information-rich and interesting. Chapter one covers important changes in the demographics of the workforce due to internal migration and immigration. Chapter two follows the evolution of compensation practices, while Chapter three discusses the structural evolution of the economy and development of occupational and industrial classification systems. The report concludes from statistics that the American workforce was much better off at the end of the 20th century than at the beginning. The previous Report on the American Workforce, from 1999, was reviewed in the November 16, 1999 Scout Report for Social Science and Humanities. The second release, the National Compensation Survey, is a redesign of BLS' compensation statistics to reflect the workplace of the 21st century. From the main page, users can access the full .pdf-format text of the survey results as well as a summary, and a wealth of other related sites and documents. [HCS]
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CIA World Factbook 2001 [.pdf, .zip]
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
The US Central Intelligence Agency last week released the 2001 version of its annual reference book the CIA World Factbook (last year's factbook is discussed in the September 1, 2000 Scout Report). The data, which are current as of January 1, 2001 in most cases, cover 266 countries as well as the "world," a category that summarizes the data overall. For each country, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, the Factbook gives information on geography, populations, economies, communications infrastructures, and armed forces. New information subcategories include currency code, HIV/AIDS, Internet users, and Internet Country Code. In addition to accessing information via country, users can browse by field and category, which is an easy way to compare statistics across countries. Note that individual country maps are being revised and that the Background category has not been completed for all countries. [TK]
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Evolution -- PBS [Shockwave, QuickTime, RealPlayer]
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/
As a companion to the seven-part, eight-hour television series, PBS's Website offers an in-depth look at the history and complexities of evolution. From Darwin's Origin of Species to the role of religion, this site explores the topic in vivid detail. All interested will discover excellent information, but K-12 teachers will find the Teachers & Students section especially valuable. Here, resources on methods of teaching and understanding evolution are provided in online courses and guides. The site features a number of multimedia elements, film clips and interactive displays, and surfers with older computers and slow modems will want to choose the low bandwidth options when they are available. [JAB]
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Second Early Release of Selected Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey [.pdf]
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhis/earlyrelease2000.htm
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has released eleven estimates of selected health measures for the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), prior to the final data editing and weighting, to speed access to the latest information. This release includes four new measures (lack of health insurance coverage, pneumococcal vaccination, obesity, and participation in leisure time physical activities) and seven updated measures (among them, current smoking, HIV testing, and alcohol consumption). Data for each of the eleven measures can be downloaded separately as .pdf files or together in one 61-page file. Graphs show NHIS results from 1997 to the first quarter of 2001, as well as 2000 estimates by gender, age group, and race/ ethnicity. [TK]
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Two from National Geographic
Earthpulse [RealPlayer]
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/
Eye in the Sky [RealPlayer, Windows Media Player]
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/
National Geographic magazine, long known for its educational maps and writing that is easily understood by a variety of readers, has added two new features to its Website. The first, Earthpulse, sponsored by Ford Motors, covers environmental conservation issues with features that change monthly. This month, readers can learn more about "humans and habitats," with an article on the state of the Penan culture of the rainforest in Borneo, a map of the most endangered regions of the globe, and an audio cast from the Arctic about the Gwich'in peoples and caribou migrations (RealAudio). Other resources available from Earthpulse include lesson plans and links to previous months' features. The second new online resource from National Geographic, sponsored by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), is called Eye in the Sky, and it showcases what we can learn about our planet using satellites. Here, users can read about the history of satellites and remote-sensing technology and choose from a menu of brief lessons on natural disasters, human impacts on Earth, human conflicts, and exploration of Mars. Each lesson page gives photographs, facts, and short movies (RealPlayer or Windows Media Player). The title "Eye in the Sky" is slightly misleading because most of the images featured are taken at ground-level, and it isn't always clear how some of the lessons fit with the idea of remote sensing. Nevertheless, the site is worth a look, and a few satellite images (of floodplains and the ozone hole, for example) pepper the material here. [HCS]
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America's Crisis: Asian Perspectives -- AsiaSource
http://www.asiasource.org/americacrisis/
AsiaSource (originally reviewed in the September 3, 1999 Scout Report) provides an Asian perspective on the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. The site contains information on the attacks and how they have and will affect Asia's peoples and governments. It also provides links on the suspected terrorists' groups, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the religion of Islam, reference maps of the area, and much more. [JAB]
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Meeting God
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/meeting_god/index.html
The American Museum of Natural History's new online exhibit Meeting God, Elements of Hindu Devotion is on display from September 8, 2001 until February 24, 2002, and this Website offers a companion to the installation. The exhibit explores the religious elements of devotion including prayer methods and rituals in Hindu homes, communities, and temples. The site contains straightforward information and appealing photographs of artifacts that help make it an excellent resource for those interested in the fundamentals of Hindu traditions. [JAB]
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