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Research

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

Susan Butcher, a four-time champion of the Iditarod, spoke at my high school graduation; I learned a little bit about the "last great race" from her and figured that this would be a good opportunity to learn more. I knew that the dogsled racers are called mushers and that the race is run from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska in March. I would like to find out about the history of the race, including the tradition behind it; about the mushers, who they are and what it takes to be one; and about the dogs, specifically the lead dogs. My assumption is that not a lot of people know very much about the race. Thus, I have a very general intended audience: essentially, anybody who likes to know a little bit about a lot of things.


Web Sources

Cabela's Iditarod
http://www.cabelasiditarod.com
This site provides twice daily updates during the Iditarod. The other 11 months of the year, it provides information about the history of the race as well as about the dogs, mushers, trail and rules of the race. It also serves as an online store for Cabela Inc, a corporation that manufactures and sells outdoor clothing and supplies.
Cabela's Inc.

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
http://www.workingdogweb.com/iditarod.htm
This site is very similar to Cabela's in that it provides a plethora of information about the race as well as updates when the race is on. It also provides tons of links.
Heritage North Press

Iditarod: The Source for Everything About the Iditarod and More
http://www.designperfect.com/iditarod

This site seems to be privatley run by an Iditarod enthusiast. Along with all the factual information, regarding the history, trail, dogs, mushers, etc., it also has a more unique section that includes quizzes, trivia, a kid section, and glossary among other things.
Jan Wong

Iditarod: The Last Great Race Online
http://www.adn.com/iditarod
This site is part of the Anchorage Daily News Online. Because the race begins in Anchorage, and provides a big source of revenue as well as interest or the city, the newspaper dedicates a lot of coverage to the event. The site, obviously, focuses on media coverage, but has links and information, too.
The Anchorage Daily News

Dogsled.com
http://www.dogsled.com
Provides general information on the sport of sled-dog racing, but pays special attention to the Iditarod. Posts results as well as archived information.
Dogsled.com


Print Sources

Feldman, Barbara. (2001, March 20). Mush! The San Diego Union-Times [online], p. 15 (573 words). Available: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe [2001, March 22].

Green, Sarah. (2000, February 20). The last great race on earth: Ontarion man follows dream to gruelling Alaskan dog sled competition. The Toronto Sun [online], p 28 (1599 words). Available: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe [2000, February 22].

Hanes, Tracy. (2001, February 16). Putting on the dog. The Toronto Star [online], (1040 words). Available: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe [2001, February 16].

Hayes, Mark. (2001, March 14). Swingley close to 3rd Iditarod in row. USA Today [online], p. 2B (981 words). Available: http://web.lexis-neis.com/universe [2001, April 17].

Molyneaux, Paul. (2001, March 5). On the sled trail, the dogs never doze. New York Times [online], p. D7 (825 words). Available: http://web.lexis- nexis.com/universe [2001, March 6].


Mini Essay

Napster Knockoff Out to Sea?

As a court ruling has seemingly stunted Napster's once insurmountable growth, several other music file-sharing sites have proliferated over the Internet. These new satellite sites have adopted different mechanisms and policies to evade any legal action and thus escape the fate of their mothership. Gnutella, for instance, is a site with the same principles of Napster, basically a "too bad for the artist" policy, but with a more advanced system. It allows patrons to search and swap with a high level of anonymity and thus avoid prosecution. Other sites, such as eMusic, Farmclub, MP3.com and AudioGalaxy, have adopted a more artist-friendly policy. They charge a subscription fee to all the users for unlimited service, and the artists, with all their copyrights, get a cut of the profits. (1)


There is, however, a more creative solution. Matt Goyer, 21, a student of the University of Waterloo, is currently raising the $15,000 he needs to start his own music-swapping Web site called OpenNap.com. Goyer plans to locate his web site on Sealand, a man-made island a few miles off the coast of Great Britain. The island was declared a sovereign principality in international waters in 1967. "Basically we want to put a Napster server offshore so no government can touch it," Goyer said. (2) Goyer already runs Fairtunes.com, a Web site that allows fans to send an artist money for the music they downloaded. Goyer says he believes in artist compensation, "just differently from the way the record labels do it." Although Goyer's plan has many probable obstacles, if he can get it to float, users will certainly swim over.

Notes:
(1) Will Pry, "Net Song Swapping Will Go On With or Without Napster," The San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 March 2001, p. 9.
(2) Philip lee-Shanok, "Webhead Floating New Idea," The Toronto Sun, 7 March 2001, p. 3.

 

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