Survival Guide for New Teachers http://www.ed.gov/pubs/survivalguide/ This guide has been prepared by the US Department of Education for beginning teachers. It includes hands-on tips from other first-year teachers who talk candidly about their successes and setbacks, with a particular emphasis on the relationships they formed with their colleagues and their students' parents. The full document is available in PDF. [EdNA] Politicalweb.info http://politicalweb.info/ Created and sustained by Kirsten Foot, assistant professor of communication at the University of Washington, and Steven Schneider, associate professor of political science at the SUNY Institute of Technology, politicalweb.info monitors political candidates' use of the Internet throughout the 2002 campaign season. Offering a glimpse into the US electoral Web sphere, this site tracks the emergence and development of House, Senate, and Gubernatorial campaign Web sites and provides weekly analysis regarding the content and features available on these sites, as well as whether or not the candidates are encouraging or deterring public involvement. [Scout Report] OneLook Dictionaries http://www.onelook.com/ "A search engine for words," OneLook Dictionaries contains over 4 million words indexed in more than 700 online dictionaries. Whether you're looking for a definition or translation, OneLook will provide a list of Web dictionaries that can answer the questions you're seeking. Equally important, for those rare occasions when the spelling of a word is unknown, OneLook allows you to type in a pattern of letters with wildcard symbols such as "*" and "?," and it will retrieve a list of words matching that pattern. In short, everything you could ever want or need in a dictionary is available at this site. [Scout Report] ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education (ERIC-HE) http://www.eriche.org/ "The range of information covered is extensive. It includes students, faculty, graduate and professional education, legal issues, financing, planning and evaluation, curriculum, teaching methods, and state-federal institutional questions." Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) http://www.atea.schools.net.au/ This is a professional association for teacher educators in Australia. The mission of the Australian Teacher Education Association is to promote the pre-service and continuing education of teachers in all forms and contexts; teacher education as central in the educational enterprise of the nation; and research on teacher education as a core endeavour. Membership from teachers interested in enhancing the quality of education for the profession is encouraged. [EdNA] The Quality Teacher Programme (QTP) www.qualityteaching.dest.gov.au Designed to enable teachers to access QTP information and exchange their professional development experiences and learning outcomes, the site is expected to play an important role in the Howard Government's ongoing efforts to improve teacher quality throughout Australia. Interights http://www.interights.org The International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights, is an international human rights law centre established in 1982. It aims to support and promote the development of legal protection for human rights and freedoms worldwide. Its website includes databases on Commonwealth and international case law. Also available is a lengthy and detailed analysis on 'Responding to September 11: The Framework of International Law' by the Legal Director of Interights, Helen Duffy. [Freepint] Workplace Issues Today http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/wit/default.html Provided by the Catherwood Library of Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations " as a comprehensive news center where our faculty, students and interested public could go for the late breaking news on workplace issues." Linked news stories are archived and searchable. [NeatNew] Political Lobby www.lobby.org.au From the web site: "Our mission is to provide you with a one-stop-shop for all things political in Australia. Political Lobby is a project of the Australian Millennium Youth Foundation Inc, a not-for-profit organisation whose objectives are the promotion of civic awareness, involvement, leadership and responsibility." Causes of Poverty http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Poverty.asp The poverty section of the Global Issues website looks into causes of poverty around the world. Many links to other articles, research, essays and organisations are provided to look into questions such as why poor nations are poor, what are the roles of the IMF and World Bank with their Structural Adjustment policies have been and what the effects of debt has been. The roles of major players such as the United Nations, United States, and Britain are also introduced. [EdNA] ABC Relaunches Indigenous Resource http://abc.net.au/message/proper Australia's national broadcaster the ABC has re-launched a cultural site for indigenous reporting. The ABC New Media cultural protocol site is now "more relevant and current", the broadcaster said. The Web site hopes to help Australian and foreign journalists communicate effectively with Australia's indigenous communities while maintaining respect for their customs. It provides guidelines for the researching, interviewing, writing and publishing of works on indigenous Australians, advice on consent, conduct and copyright, and cultural protocols relating to a death in a community. It is part of Message Stick, an ABC site with coverage of major events, Black arts and events, news, recipes, and useful links. [The Update] National Labor Committee (NLC): In Support of Human and Worker Rights http://www.nlcnet.org/ This organization sees "worker rights in a global economy as human rights. The Committee undertakes public education, research and social activism to support worker movements in Asia, Africa and the Americas." The Resources and Reports are categorized by company or country. There are links organizations and other relevant Web sites. Searchable. [Librarians Index to the Internet] Human Rights Watch - World Report 2002 http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/contents.html NATLEX http://natlex.ilo.org/ NATLEX is a continuously-updated database containing references to over 55,000 national laws on labour, social security, and related human rights, and over 300 laws in full text. Records and texts in NATLEX are in either English, French, or Spanish. World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII) http://www.worldlii.org A free, independent and non-profit global legal research facility developed collaboratively by the following Legal Information Institutes (LIIs) and Law Schools: Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII), British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII), Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII, Hong Kong Legal Information Institute (HKLII), Legal Information Institute (Cornell) (LII (Cornell)), Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute (PacLII), Wits University School of Law [GradFlash] Upcoming Elections Around the World http://www.ifes.org/eguide/elecguide.htm Web forum on racial and religious discrimination http://www.humanrights.gov.au/racial_discrimination/Erace/ A website forum on racism against Australian Muslims, launched on Wednesday, considers whether Muslims could constitute an ethnic group. The Erace Forum examines whether Muslims are protected by the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). The Act outlaws discrimination and vilification based on race, colour, descent, national origin or ethnic origin. Religious discrimination, however, is not included. If the Act is not amended to make religious discrimination unlawful, the future inclusion of Muslims will depend on whether courts accept evidence that Australian Muslims see themselves and are seen by others as sharing an ethnic origin. Jews and Sikhs are are recognised as ethnic as well as religious groups and therefore are covered by the Act. Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr William Jonas is seeking comment on three central questions: How do Australian Muslims identify themselves and how are they seen by others in the community -- as members of an ethnic group or a religious group or both? When Muslims from the Middle East are vilified or discriminated against, is it because of their religion, their ethnicity or a mixture of both? Should religious discrimination and vilification be covered by federal law? The site has a background paper on Islam and the Racial Discrimination Act. A summary of State and Territory laws about religious discrimination and vilification is included. The site includes a bulletin board for comments. Alternatively comments can be emailed to HREOC at erace@humanrights.gov.au. Human Rights http://www.bayefsky.com/ The United Nations Human Rights Treaties"...was designed for the purpose of enhancing the implementation of the humanrights legal standards of the United Nations. Accessibility to UN human rightsnorms by individuals everywhere is fundamental to their successful realization. Theinformation provided herein encompasses a range of data concerning theapplication of the UN human rights treaty system by its monitoring treaty bodiessince their inauguration in the 1970's."Sections include: Texts of the Treaties ; Amendments to the Treaties ;Documents By State - By Category - By Theme ; How to Complain AboutViolations ; Reform of the UN Human Rights Treaty System. [AcademicInfo] Update to Researching Australian Law http://www.llrx.com/features/australian2.htm Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Encyclopedia http://www.glbtq.com/ Edited by Claude Summers and Ted-Larry Pebworth, this online encyclopedia is an excellent resource for information about many aspects of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender culture. From the main page, users can search the encyclopedia by keyword, or move through one of the thematic sections offered here, such as literature or the arts. Each of these sections contains an alphabetical subject guide and a popular topics section. Also featured is a Spotlight section that, in March 2003, features an extended essay on lesbian photography before Stonewall. The site also has a lively, monitored discussion area, featuring commentaries on literature, a suggestion area, and feedback on technical issues related to the site. Finally, the site has a list of all contributors to the project, with links to each of their entries. [Scout Report] National Coalition for Girls and Women in Education http://www.ncwge.org/ Welcome to the website of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE). NCWGE is a nonprofit organization of more than 50 organizations dedicated to improving educational opportunities for girls and women. Our mission is to provide leadership in and advocate for the development of national education policies that benefit all women and girls. This site provides information on our coalition; current activities; updates on relevant federal education legislation; useful resources; and NCWGE publications. Union Network International http://www.union-network.org/ After just two years of negotiations a new trade union International was born on January 1 2000. UNI - Union Network International - is the skills and services International for the 21st century with 15.5 million members. UNI was created in response to the huge changes going on in the global economy and because of the impact of technology on increasingly overlapping industries. It brings together about 900 unions, the world's largest grouping of individual trade unions. It is a new International for a new millennium. It is on-line and uses the latest communications technology to build networks with affiliates. Industrial Deaths Support and Advocacy Inc. http://www.idsa.com.au/ IDSA Inc. is a non-profit-making voluntary association whose charter is to provide emotional support and practical assistance to the families of those who have lost their lives as a result of occupational accidents or disease. Higher Education Resource Hub [pdf] http://www.higher-ed.org/ Developed and maintained by James Forest, the Higher Education Resource Hub is a fine source of information about the field of higher education within the United States and around the world. Most of the site's sections can be reached from the home page, and deal with such topics as assessment in higher education, news, and recent publications that feature research on higher education. Another helpful feature is a collection of links to the syllabi for courses at the college and graduate level that address the topic of higher education. The history of higher education is particularly helpful, as it contains a number of primary documents including the text of the GI Bill, the Morrill Land Grant Acts, some rather trenchant commentaries from John Henry Newman, and Thorstein Veblen's scathing critique of American higher education published in 1918. The site also has a section devoted to job resources in higher education, and is completed with information about the reference work, "Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia," which is co-edited by Mr. Forest and Kevin Kinser of SUNY- Albany. [Scout Report] Understanding Prejudice http://www.understandingprejudice.org/ This supplement to the print anthology Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination offers "more than 2,000 links to prejudice-related resources, as well as searchable databases with hundreds of prejudice researchers and social justice organizations." The Reading Room section has bibliographies on sexism, anti-Semitism, genocide, and many other prejudice-related topics. A searchable experts directory includes listings for more than 200 media contacts, career mentors, and social scientists. [Librarians Index to the Internet] Social and Human Sciences in UNESCO http://www.unesco.org/shs/ Description: This site is a guide to social and human science resources on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Web site. It contains reports, publications, news, events and a quarterly newsletter. It is available in English and French. Keywords: UNESCO, social sciences Subject Section(s): Social Science General International/Intergovernmental Organisations - Public Administration United Nations - Public Administration Resource Type: Resource Guides [SOSIG] Global Policy Forum http://www.globalpolicy.org/ This organization "monitors policy making at the United Nations" and "promotes a more open, accountable, and democratic policy to address peoples' needs worldwide." The site includes extensive publications, documents, and data on the United Nations (with a special emphasis on the UN Security Council), globalization, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international justice, sanctions, and social and economic policy. Also provides list of sponsored events and internship information. Searchable. [Librarians Index to the Internet] Human Rights Campaign (HRC) http://www.hrc.org/ This site for a large advocacy organization offers "the latest on national political issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans." Topics include "ending workplace discrimination, combating hate crimes, fighting HIV/AIDS, protecting our families and working for better lesbian health," as well as same-sex marriage and many other issues. Use the HRC Advocacy Scorecard to find out where political candidates stand on gay rights. [Librarians Index to the Internet] World Policy Institute [RealOne Player, pdf] http://worldpolicy.org/ The World Policy Institute, is concerned with promoting and engaging the public debate and scholarship surrounding international diplomacy and world politics. As such, the Institute seeks to "offer innovative policy proposals for public debate with the goal of developing an internationalist consensus on the measures needed for the management of a world market economy" and "to nurture a new generation of writers and public intellectuals committed to internationalist thinking." From the well-organized home page, users can read current and archived issues of the World Policy Journals (one of WPI's scholarly publications), read about ongoing research projects (including those dealing with the international arms trade and counter-terrorism), and find out about events sponsored by the Institute. Perhaps the highlight of the site is the archive, including lecture and discussion video recordings, which address such topics as "The Democratic Deficit in Latin America" and "Nation Building: Does it Work?" and are viewable in their entirety. [Scout Report] Nations Online http://www.nationsonline.org/ Gateway to a wide range of information on the countries of the world, including official national and regional government resources, maps, and statistics. Users are invited to click on an interactive map which takes them on a geographical, historical, and sociological tour of the location selected. [BUBL] Early Childhood Australia http://www.aeca.org.au/ As of 11 July 2003 the Australian Early Childhood Association Inc. (AECA) changes its name to Early Childhood Australia Inc (ECA). The public changeover and launch took place at ECA's conference 'Children: The Core of Society' held in Tasmania this week. [EdNA] Braintrack http://www.braintrack.com Provides links to college and university home pages globally. Often produces faster results for homepage lookup than typing the name of the institution into a search engine. [Free Pint] Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA) http://www.isca.edu.au/ Changing its name on 1 July 2003, the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA), formerly known as the National Council of Independent Schools Associations (NCISA), represents the interests of the independent school sector on a national basis in relation to Commonwealth funding and representation on national policy making bodies. Its eight member State and Territory Associations of Independent Schools represent a growing sector with over 950 schools and 371,000 full-time students, 11.4 percent of all school enrolments in Australia. Their web page includes position statements on funding of non-government schools. [EdNA] International Association of Universities http://www.unesco.org/iau/ Founded in 1950 under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Association of Universities is a worldwide association of universities. In addition to placing a premium on international cooperation between member institutions and organizations, the IAU is dedicated "to the development of the long-term vision of the university's role and responsibilities in society" and "to promoting access to higher education and equal opportunities for students." Visitors new to the site will want to read through the organization's mission statement available from the homepage, along with their constitution, and activities reports for the period from 1995 to 2000. From the homepage visitors may also look through the IAU's information centre, and learn about its thematic priorities, which include sustainable development, globalization, and intercultural dialogue. Finally, visitors may also read about upcoming conferences and meetings dealing with higher education and peruse recent publications such as "Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education". [Scout Report] Human Rights Internet (HRI) http://www.hri.ca/welcome.asp "HRI is dedicated to the empowerment of human rights activists and organizations, and to the education of governmental and intergovernmental agencies and officials and other actors in the public and private sphere, on human rights issues and the role of civil society" The Indigenous Portal http://www.indigenous.gov.au/ The Indigenous Portal, a site for and about Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, is now online! It gives access to Indigenous services and information about: Culture and Heritage: Education and Employment; Families, Society and Social Problems; Government and Business; and Health, Housing and Welfare just to list a few of the themes explored on this website. This Portal has been developed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and is part of the Australian government customer-focused portals - providing access to services and information. [EdNA] BossWatch is the first concerted attempt by Australian unions to map our corporate landscape and track the linkages between our major employers. It is a resource open to all unions sponsored by the Labor Council of NSW. It can be found at http://www.bosswatch.labor.net.au Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is the overseas aid arm of the ACTU. We support education and training projects for workers, refugees and their families in Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, the Pacific, Caribbean and the Middle East. The Australian Education Union, the Independent Education Union and the National Tertiary Education Union are all affiliated to Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA and have sponsored a range of projects in developing countries through us over the years. It would be great if we could have a link to our website from the FEUIC site, perhaps under the "international social justice/social welfare resouces" section. Our site is at http://www.apheda.org.au/ Visit the Commission for Children and Young People's website to view a copy of the full report at http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/publications/Inquiryreport.html Visit the Commission for Children and Young People's website to view a copy of the full report at http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/publications/Inquiryreport.html Centre for Work and Learning Studies (CWALS) URL: http://www.education.monash.edu.au/research/research_centres/cwals.html SITE DESCRIPTION: The Centre for Work and Learning Studies (CWALS), based in the Faculty of Education at Monash University, is concerned with learning and working. The Centre is involved in teaching, research and consultancy focused on: learning about work and through the life course from the post-compulsory years onwards; and working that supports learning. It would be great if you could include a link to the NSW Commission for Children and Young People in your resource section under "Children and Youth". The Commission is an independent organisation that works to improve the safety, welfare and well-being of children and young people in NSW. Our URL is http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/. If you need any further information please let me know. Australian Now: A Statistical Profile Online http://www.abs.gov.au Located on the Australian Bureau of Statistics Web site, Australia Now provides detailed statistics about Australia's economy and social conditions. It also provides an Internet directory to other ABS statistics and contains descriptive information about Australia's government, international relations, defence, geography and climate. The site includes a full text search facility and will no doubt further boost what is quickly becoming one of the most popular government Web sites. 2000 World Population Data Sheet http://www.prb.org/pubs/wpds2000/ Posted in late June by the Population Reference Bureau, this publication "contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for all geographic entities with populations of 150,000 or more and all members of the United Nations." The data are broken down by standard variables such as birth and death rates, infant mortality and total fertility rates, life expectancy, percentages of populations with HIV/AIDS, population of rural vs. urban, increases in population rate, "doubling time" at current rate, projected population totals for 2010 and 2025, and more. These variables may also be examined by region. [Scout Report] Global Poverty Report -- World Bank [.pdf] http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/extme/G8_poverty2000.pdf According to this report stemming from the July 2000 Okinawa Summit, 1.2 billion people are estimated to live on less than $1 per day, and nearly 3 billion people, worldwide, live on less than $2 a day. This 23-page report examines the roles which the World Bank, IMF, and Multilateral Development Banks play "at the country level, where they provide policy advice, and financial and technical support for long-term country-driven programs, as well as support to deal with shocks." The first chapter of the report considers global poverty issues and trends, while the second chapter looks at poverty on a regional scale. Finally, the third chapter reports on possible ways these organizations can work together to combat poverty. [Scout Report] Giddens, Anthony. "The Great Globalization Debate" [Lecture June 15, 2000, Rapporteur's Report] http://www.ceip.org/files/events/giddens.asp?p=5 UNICEF Australia Online http://www.unicef.com.au/home.htm Site includes electronic version of "Kid's Rights in Action", dispatches from Asia on UNICEF Australia projects, and press releases. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Privacy and Human Rights 2000 http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/ Recently released by Privacy International and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), this report "reviews current issues in privacy and the privacy laws and practices in over 50 countries around the world." Privacy issues addressed include data protection, telephone tapping, genetic databases, and freedom of information laws. Provided in HTML format, the report offers an overview of the state of privacy worldwide and threats to privacy, as well as brief reports for over 50 nations. [Scout Report] ___________________________________________ Global Development Gateway (GDG) http://www.worldbank.org/gateway/ This new pilot project from the World Bank is designed as a portal for resources and tools on development issues, enabling those in the field to "share information, easily communicate, and build communities of practice around significant development challenges from the grassroots up." Currently, users can visit the site to learn about the project, its prototype features, and view the demo. At present, the demo offers country gateways for twelve nations. Each gateway provides numerous annotated links organized by topic under four categories: country guide; government and law; economy and business; and society, culture, and human development. News, a link to data, and a keyword search engine are also provided. At least 50 country gateways will be operational by June 2003. The demo also includes resources for selected topics and links to development-related news stories. Anyone interested in development issues will want to track the progress of this site. [Scout Report] Beyond Six Billion: Forecasting the World's Population http://www.nap.edu/books/0309069904/html/ As part of their continuing practice of making recently published titles available in their entirety online, the National Academy Press last month posted _Beyond Six Billion: Forecasting the World's Population_, written by the National Research Council's Panel on Population Projections. The study examines national and global population projections from such agencies as the United Nations Population Division, the World Bank, and the US Census Bureau. The panel assesses the "assumptions behind the projections of these various agencies, estimates their accuracy and uncertainty, evaluates the implications of current demographic research, and recommends changes in protocol and new research that might improve projections." [Scout Report] Australian Journals Online http://www.nla.gov.au/oz/ausejour.html A listing of over 1,700 Australian electronic journals, magazines, webzines, newsletters and e-mail fanzines. It includes both local and overseas works with Australian content, authorship and/or emphasis as well as entries for sites that advertise or promote Australian journals. [EdNA] Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalization Work for the Poor_ [.pdf] http://www.globalisation.gov.uk/ Published in early December by Prime Minister Blair and the British Secretary of State Clare Short, this second White Paper from the UK government on International Development discusses strategies for making the rapid development that has accompanied globalization benefit the world's poor more. The lengthy publication presents information and makes recommendations concerning third world governance and poverty, labour supply and skills development, private finance, trade, the global environment, effective development assistance, and the International System. A short summary of the paper in .pdf format as well as the full text in HTML (with a sidebar table of contents) has been posted. A search engine, extensive glossary, and text-only version are also available. [Scout Report] Australian Youth Web Site Makes An Impression http://www.somazone.com.au . A one-year old Australian Web site designed as a place for young people to explore issues like mental health, sexuality and drugs, has received almost two million hits since its launch. Somazone says it is finding young people that are using the service are asking questions that may be really to hard to ask friends and family. The site is divided into five different sections: Q&A which allows young people to ask questions and receive answers from experienced health professionals; Personal Stories which provides a space for young people to share their experiences; Educational Interactives, the Support Network and About Us. [The Update] Anzwers http://www.anzwers.com.au/ Subtitled Australia and New Zealand Web Enquiry Research System, this Inktomi-powered search engine limits searches by geographical location (Australia, New Zealand, World), and media type in basic search. Power search is similar to HotBot, with many limit options. Considered, by Search Engine Watch, to be the largest and best of the Inkotomi databases. Their subject directory is the LookSmart directory and can be browsed two ways - for Australian sites or the World's. [Librarians Index to the Internet] MS Magazine http://www.msmagazine.com/ Current issue online with archived issues from April 1999. .. OneWorld Online http://www.oneworld.net/ This Web site is "a worldwide Internet partnership of 350 NGOs and media organisations, whose mission is to promote sustainable development and human rights by harnessing the democratic potential of the Internet." This searchable site provides a gateway to an enormous amount of information about global development issues for NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and other interested parties. The material (from publications of their partner organizations) can be browsed by topic or by country. Also available in French, Dutch, Italian, and German. [Librarians Index to the Internet] The Whirled Bank http://www.whirledbank.org This site is both a satirical look at the World Bank and a very informative site as to past World Bank policies and actions. Labour Left Briefing Links http://links.briefing.org.uk/ A UK-based site, Labour Left Briefing Links offers nearly 700 links related to labor movements. This extensive browseable, annotated index includes the categories Academic Sites and Libraries, Campaigns and Pressure groups, Greens and Environmentalists, International Labour Movements, as well as Protest Songs and Socialist Music, Radical Media, and Social Communists and Revolutionaries. The sites are rated, and users may opt to view the most popular sites as well as ones that have been newly added. [Scout Report] Global Unions http://www.global-unions.org/ The site is sponsored by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and partner organizations (including all the international trade secretariats) and is entirely focussed on labour news. [Labour Start] Global Financial Data [.pdf] http://www.globalfindata.com/ This impressive collection of historical global financial data stretches from the years 1264 to 2000. While most of the actual data must be purchased, this Website does offer several free series, including Stock Markets since 1693, Interest Rates since 1700, and Inflation Rates since 1264. The site also contains a decent-sized collection of research papers written about the Eurodollar and a links page with financial Websites from around the world. [Scout Report] The Institute for Higher Education Policy [.pdf] http://www.ihep.com/ "The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to foster access to and quality in postsecondary education." The Institute's Website offers the fruit of these efforts in the form of policy research and analysis that includes "database modeling, legislative and regulatory review, comprehensive issue analyses, and identification of best practices from primary field research and literature reviews." The site posts dozens of reports, articles, and studies on systems of financing in higher education, accountability and effectiveness, new teaching and learning strategies, and institutional response to social and economic change. Abstracts are offered of these documents as well as full texts in .pdf. Also included here are reports and press releases relevant to two ongoing research projects the IHEP is involved with: the New Millennium Project On Higher Education Costs, Pricing, And Productivity; and the Alliance for Equity in Higher Education -- a collaborative program of the Institute which "promotes greater cooperation among colleges and universities that serve large numbers of students of color." [Scout Report] A list of all statistical agencies in the world that have websites: http://www.ssb.no/english/links Dictionary of Difficult Words - http://www.lineone.net/dictionaryof/difficultwords/ A simple searchable A-Z index of over 13,900 difficult words from The Hutchinson Dictionary of Difficult Words. Use as a resource for increasing your vocabulary; for word games and puzzles; or just for enjoying and enriching your word power. Includes many foreign words used in the English language today. [Librarians Index to the Internet] Universal Rights Network http://www.universalrights.net/ Site created to promote the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Includes reports of violations, peoples stories, history and education resources. Amnesty International: 1999 Annual Report http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/ar99/index.html Amnesty International, one of the world's foremost human rights organizations, released its 1999 Annual Report this week. The web version is not complete, but it does offer lengthy summaries of human rights concerns and abuses in 142 countries and territories as well as the full text of the substantial four-part introduction. Users can view regional summaries, which highlight and detail events and rights violations in 1998, or view the complete entries on specific countries in the regional indexes section. [Scout Report] International Organization for Migration http://www.iom.int/ The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental body "committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society." IOM currently has 69 member states and 48 observer states worldwide. In addition, numerous international governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations hold observer status with IOM, assisting in the study, development, and enactment of migration policies. The IOM Website offers a wealth of information on the organization and its initiatives. The site posts official IOM news releases and statements and provides access to IOM publications including books, surveys, studies, journals, newsletters, and informational updates. IOM also hosts MIGRATION WEB, a searchable and browseable gateway to a bevy of information resources on the Internet. [Scout Report] Your Nation [Flash] http://www.your-nation.com/ Your Nation is an interactive online tool allowing users to compare various statistics for any two countries worldwide, rank countries by specific statistics, or display statistical summaries of individual countries. Users may customize statistical analyses through three settings: the world zone, the data category, and the current modifier. The world zone and data category settings allow users to choose the countries and data items displayed after a query. The current modifier setting permits users to 'normalize' the data they choose to compare or rank. Explicit instructions for customizing queries are available at the site. Most of the data presented are derived from the CIA World Factbook (1998). Your Nation uses Macromedia Flash by default, hence users without newer browsers will need to obtain the free browser plug-in. [Scout Report] THE PROGRESS OF NATIONS 1999 [.pdf, 38p.; RealPlayer] http://www.unicef.org/pon99/fronote1.htm UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) has once again posted its annual report, The Progress of Nations, online. This year's report places special focus on the debt crisis of the world's poorest nations, the AIDS emergency, the campaign to eradicate polio, and a new Child Risk Measure League Table, which ranks the risks to children in countries around the world on a scale of 0 to 100. The report is available in HTML or .pdf format. [Scout Report] META SEARCH ENGINE FOR SEARCHING MULTIPLE HUMAN RIGHTS SITES http://www.innovamedtech.com/lawform.html Recently unveiled by the Human Rights Library of the University of Minnesota, this new search engine will be welcomed by researchers and activists in human rights. Searchable by keyword and several optional operators (Boolean, proximity, truncation), the engine retrieves data from any or all of the 23 different rights-related sites that users select. Interestingly, returns are presented "as is" from the source pages (with page header, images, and unique formats) but combined into a single results page. A test search for "Northern Ireland" on four selected sites returned over 40 results. Direct links to the featured databases and, in some cases, their search tips pages are also provided. [Scout Report] Monthly Labor Review Online http://stats.bls.gov/opub/mlr/mlrhome.htm This is the online version of the print periodical of the same name. Abstracts and excerpts of articles are presented in HTML and full-text in PDF. The archives and index go back to 1989. Also provided, under Current Labor Statistics, are BLS pre-formatted data tables and a link to the BLS LABSTAT database where you can download data for use in spreadsheets and databases. The MLR provides "a wealth of research in a wide variety of fields - the labor force, the economy, employment, inflation, productivity, occupational injuries and illnesses, wages, prices, and many more." [Librarians Index to the Internet] The annual UN Human Development Report 1999 is available online at: http://www.undp.org/hdro/report.html (copy also in FEUIC) The Union Difference: Fast Facts on Union Membership and Pay, 1998 http://www.aflcio.org:80/uniondifference/index.htm The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) prepared this inventory of fast facts from figures derived from various sources to provide information about labor unions and union membership in the US. Presents statistical summaries outlining data about American unions and their 16.1 million members, in relation to occupational groups, age groups, wages, benefits, job stability, productivity, women, minorities, and part-time workers. Exciting New Website on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights The International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) is pleased to announce the launching of its new website at www.escr-net.org. We encourage you to visit the site and explore its features and we hope you will find the website useful. The Escr-net.org website is designed to serve as an information-sharing resource for groups and individuals around the world active in advocating for and promoting economic, social and cultural rights. On the site, you will find four interactive, searchable databases of organizations and individuals, projects and activities, case law, and events relevant to economic social and cultural rights. We invite you to submit information about projects, events, or cases in which you are involved. These databases will serve as a growing resource of comprehensive, up-to-date information on ESCR. http://www.users.bigpond.com/Takver/soapbox/index.htm The Center for Strategic and International Studies - CSIS http://www.csis.org/ The CSIS is a public policy research institution that covers every major geographic region in the world - generates strategic analysis, brings together important policymakers, and develops policy action commissions. This Website provides institutional information, a directory of CSIS experts, analysis of international current events, summaries of numerous research projects, a list of publications, and the full-text of the journal of the CSIS. Social Capital http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/scapital/ Part of the World Bank's Poverty Net site. Includes a database of articles and papers on social capital as well as a range of full-text resources. Better Schools http://www.betterschools.com.au/ This website has been set up to capture some of the ideas of students and parents for government school education in Victoria, now and in the future. It contains a parent and student survey.