Taxday Reports, 2002 [.pdf]
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/taxday2002/taxday02.html
Ever wonder how the federal government is spending your tax dollars? Well, the National Priorities Project has provided the answer with the recently released Taxday Reports, 2002. This document breaks down by category how the government spends income tax dollars in each state and selected cities and counties. According to the report, most of the money from federal income taxes goes to military spending and interest on the debt, leaving little money left for education, the environment, and other local needs. This report also includes a tax day action and media package that contains information on how to conduct a tax day penny poll, a sample tax day press release, a sample tax day ballot for polling action, and a tax day checklist for action. In short, this is a noteworthy site that should be of interest to every tax payer in America. [MG]
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American Experience: A Brilliant Madness
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/
A Brilliant Madness is a PBS special that offers insight into the life of MIT mathematical genius, John Nash. At the age of 30, Nash was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after he suddenly began claiming he was a special messenger for aliens. For the next three decades, Nash found himself in and out of mental hospitals. In the mean time, a proof he had written at the age of 20 became a foundation for modern economic theory, and in 1994, Nash was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. The PBS program, which is not to be confused with the movie "A Beautiful Mind," airs Sunday, April 28 (check local listings) and features interviews with John Nash, his wife Alicia, his friends and colleagues, and experts in game theory and mental illness. The Web site, a companion to the film, offers users the opportunity to hear an interview with Nash, get a crash course in game theory, trace an historical timeline of the treatment of mental illness through the ages, enter a Q & A forum with a panel of experts on mental illness and recovery, tour a gallery of American Nobel Economists, and much more. [MG]
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Drafting a Faculty Copyright Ownership Policy
http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=982
Great perspective on a topic of critical interest to everyone engaged in academic writing and research, but especially to those laboring ex officio. In an era when copyright is being rewritten and reconsidered in almost every field of endeavor, this article explores the ramifications of changing copyright agreements and expectations from the viewpoint of those writing on campus, as part of their work. While many in the academy are still engaged in the same kind of writing traditionally expected of faculty, many are now working in much different venues, in particular in the creation of online resources in the form of courses or stand-alone informational Web pages. Who owns what is created? The university, the department in which the instructor works, or the author alone? Or all of the above? Governing boards of academic institutions across America are rapidly coming to the conclusion that the university should enjoy the privileges of authorship, regardless of who does the work. A clear wake-up call, this article insists that authors, whoever they might be, get involved now. At the very least, the article insists that authors as employees must establish at the outset who is going to own what gets created under the aegis of the academy. [WH]
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Copyright Data Dissemination Search
http://strategis.gc.ca/cipo/copyrights/jsp/search.jsp
An impressive, multi-functional interface for the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's online services, this Web site is user friendly for anyone in search of existing Canadian patents or copyrights, as well as for those interested in submitting an application for either. Offering extensive how-to information on the application and product development processes, the site will interest those conducting business or research on intellectual property in Canada. Patents, copyrights, and trademarks are all searchable via the main page through either single or multiple terms, however specific or imprecise. For example, users can search for patents via a known patent number or by product type, manufacturer name, or year. Searches can also be conducted on authors, agents, and country of origin. Additionally, all databases can be searched simultaneously and with multiple terms and/or delimiters. As a primary resource, the site also links to other agencies and associations (Canadian and international) that support intellectual property rights and trade. [WH]
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2001 Internet Fraud Report [.pdf]
http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/IFCC_2001_AnnualReport.pdf
The Internet Fraud Complaint Center's (IFCC) 2001 Internet Fraud Report is the first annual compilation of data on complaints received and referred by the IFCC to law enforcement or regulatory agencies for appropriate action. From January 1, 2001 - December 31, 2001, the IFCC Web site received 49,711 complaints ranging from computer intrusions, to SPAM/unsolicited email, to child pornography. The total dollar loss from all referred cases of fraud totaled $17.8 million, with a median dollar loss of $435 per complaint. This 27-page report has recently been made accessible for online users in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. [MG]
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Soil Texture Triangle: Hydraulic Properties Calculator
http://www.bsyse.wsu.edu/saxton/soilwater/
Dr. Keith E. Saxton from Washington State Universities Department of Biological Systems Engineering offers the Soil Texture Triangle-Hydraulic Properties Calculator Web site. By simply entering its percent sand and clay, this online calculator allows users to find the wilting point, field capacity, bulk density, saturation, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and available water of particular soils. A great resource for researchers and professionals, the utility can even be downloaded free of charge to use on your own computer as a MS-DOS program. This site is also reviewed in the April 19, 2002 NSDL Physical Sciences Report. [JAB]
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Freshwater and Marine Image Bank
http://content.lib.washington.edu/fish/
This image bank is part of the University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections. The site makes available more than 2600 images, all from 18th and 19th century publications, many of which "lay buried in aging volumes on fragile paper in obscure corners of library stacks." Users can search or browse for images; each has been scanned for the digital collection and includes a description and bibliographic citation. This is a unique resource that uses modern technology to preserve substantial historical data. This site is also reviewed in the April 19, 2002 NSDL Life Sciences Report. [AL]
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