Thursday, May 31, 2007

Native Americans

Native American Citizenship

This series of illustrated essays discusses the history of American Indian citizenship and U.S. policy concerning Native Americans.

Subjects include the reservation system, American Indian schools, citizenship for native veterans, the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act, and related topics.

From Nebraskastudies.org, a project of the Nebraska Department of Education and the Nebraska State Historical Society.

URL: URL=http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0140.html

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Nonprofit Organizations

From the John Hopkins Center for Civil Studies:


Nonprofit Fiscal Trends and Challenges (PDF; 967 KB)

Press Release:

Despite continuing fiscal challenges, the percentage of nonprofits reporting severe fiscal stress fell between 2003 and 2006, according to a recent survey by the Johns Hopkins Nonprofit Listening Post Project.

Reflecting this, a substantial majority — 76 percent — of nonprofit organizations in all fields, and of all sizes, reported generally successful financial performance during 2006, the survey showed.
The nearly 750 organizations surveyed are involved in children and family services, elderly housing and services, community and economic development, and culture and the arts.

The study followed up on similar surveys of nonprofit fiscal trends and challenges conducted in 2003.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Bioterriorism

From The Center for Public Health and Disasters:

Bioterrorism: Are You Prepared?

The materials available through this site were developed specifically to help familiarize physicians with:

agents most likely to be used in a bioterrorist incident
associated signs and symptoms
decontamination and infection control measures
treatment
reporting
working with local, regional, and state facilities
bioterrorism-related information resources.

The Center for Public Health and Disasters is committed to bringing you the best in disaster training materials. We hope this information will help you and your staff learn about recognizing and responding to a biological terrorism event.

The training materials include:

PowerPoint slide presentation
List of bioterrorism-related journal articles
Links to other web-based resources
Frequently asked questions about biological agents

Source: Center for Public Health and Disasters (UCLA)

Friday, May 25, 2007

Airport Codes

If you are travelling this summer, this is a handy Web site to know about:

World Airport Codes


http://www.world-airport-codes.com/


The place to find airport codes, abbreviations, runway lengths and other airport information.

World Airport Codes provides information for almost every airport in the world.

Using the search box, you can search for airport codes in 5 different ways:
By country name (e.g. Egypt).
By country abbreviation (e.g. GB for Great Britain).
By city name (e.g. Amsterdam).
By airport name (e.g. Heathrow).
By airport code (e.g. LAX).

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Health Map

A map of emerging infectious diseases:

HEALTHmap: Global Disease Alert Map

This site aggregates data from news and health information sources to provide a real-time map of emerging infectious diseases. View all disease alerts by country, or limit results to specific diseases or information source.

Includes a feed of the latest alerts. Created by a team from the Children's Hospital Informatics Program of Children's Hospital Boston and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health, Sciences and Technology.

URL: http://healthmap.org/

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

World Health Statistics 2007

From the World Health Organization:

Statistics: WHO publishes key world health statistics

World health statistics 2007, the most complete set of health statistics from its 193 Member States. This edition also highlights trends in 10 of the most closely watched global health statistics. It is the authoritative annual reference for a set of 50 health indicators in countries around the world.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Border Security and Immigration Reform

From the White House:

Fact Sheet: Border Security and Immigration Reform

Administration Officials And A Bipartisan Group Of Senators Reach Agreement On Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation.

The proposal includes:

Putting Border Security And Enforcement First: Border security and worksite-enforcement benchmarks must be met before other elements of the proposal are implemented.

Providing Tools For Employers To Verify The Eligibility Of The Workers They Hire: Employers will be required to verify the work eligibility of all employees using an employment eligibility verification system, while all workers will be required to present stronger and more verifiable identification documents.

Creating A Temporary Worker Program: To relieve pressure on the border and provide a lawful way to meet the needs of our economy, the proposal creates a temporary worker program to fill jobs Americans are not doing.
No Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants: Illegal immigrants who come out of the shadows will be given probationary status. Once the border security and enforcement benchmarks are met, they must pass a background check, remain employed, maintain a clean criminal record, pay a $1,000 fine, and receive a counterfeit-proof biometric card to apply for a work visa or “Z visa”.

Strengthening The Assimilation Of New Immigrants: The proposal declares that English is the language of the United States and calls on the United States Government to preserve and enhance it, as well as enacting accelerated English requirements for many immigrants….
Establishing A Merit System For Future Immigration: The proposal establishes a new merit-based system to select future immigrants based on the skills and attributes they will bring to the United States.

Ending Chain Migration: The immigration system would be reformed to better balance the importance of family connections with the economic needs of our country by replacing the current system, where nearly two-thirds of green cards are awarded to relatives of U.S. citizens, with a system in which future family immigration will focus on the nuclear family and parents.

Clearing The Family Backlog In Eight Years: Millions of family members of U.S. citizens now wait years in line for a green card, with some waits estimated at as long as 30 years. Family members who have applied legally and have lawfully waited their turn in line will receive their green card within eight years.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Census Information

From the Census Department:

Statistics: Minority Population Tops 100 Million (U.S.)

The nation’s minority population reached 100.7 million, according to the national and state estimates by race, Hispanic origin, sex and age released by the U.S. Census Bureau. A year ago, the minority population totaled 98.3 million…California had a minority population of 20.7 million — 21 percent of the nation’s total. Texas had a minority population of 12.2 million — 12 percent of the U.S. total.

There were other milestones reached as well during the July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006, period: The nation’s black population surpassed 40 million, while the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group reached the 1 million mark.

Hispanic remained the largest minority group, with 44.3 million on July 1, 2006 — 14.8 percent of the total population. Black was the second-largest minority group, totaling 40.2 million in 2006. They were followed by Asian (14.9 million), American Indian and Alaska Native (4.5 million), and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (1 million). The population of non-Hispanic whites who indicated no other race totaled 198.7 million in 2006.

See Also: National Characteristics of U.S. Population

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Environment-Global Warming

From NPR and National Geographic:

Climate Connections

This yearlong exploration of climate change throughout the world provides news and features about energy, fuel efficiency, carbon emissions, effects of climate change on plants and animals, activism, and other environmental topics.

Also includes video clips, podcasts, images, and an interactive map showing coverage and conditions around the globe.
URL: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9657621

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

National Parks

From the National Parks Service:

Searchable E-book: U.S. National Parks List


Search a database of over 400 National Parks from the National Parks Service. The U.S. National Park Service cares for and protects national parks. People from all around the world visit national parks.

There are nearly 400 natural, cultural and recreational sites across the nation. This eBook provides name, location, contact information and a short description for over 400 National Parks, monuments, historical sites, and more.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Homeland Security

UN counter-terrorism body launches online information assistance

New: Counter-Terrorism Technical Assistance Database

The Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate has launched an online database containing information about technical assistance both requested by and provided to States.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Energy and Climate Change

From the World Resources Institute:

A comparison of selected energy options, with respect to energy security and climate change impact.

Full PDF version of chart (609 KB)

Background information (PDF; 479 KB)

U.S. policymakers are now considering a range of options to address the issues of future U.S. energy security and climate change. Energy policies are often proposed to address some combination of these. Yet not all policy options have equal impacts across both, and many options have negative impacts with respect to one or the other.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Green Power Partners

From the Environmental Protection Agency -

Lists & Rankings:

EPA’s National Top 25 Green Power Partners


1. PepsiCo
2. Wells Fargo & Co.
3. Whole Foods Market
4. U.S. Air Force
5. Johnson & Johnson
6. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
7. Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts
8. Starbucks
9. DuPont Co.
10. U.S. Department of Energy
11. Vail Resorts Inc.
12. HSBC North America
13. Cisco Systems Inc.
14. Staples
15. New York University
16. The World Bank Group
17. University of Pennsylvania
18. IBM Corp.
19. U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
20. NatureWorks LLC
21. Sprint Nextel
22. Safeway Inc.
23. Pennsylvania State University
24. Kohl’s Department Stores
25. Nike Inc.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Civil Rights Web sites

From the Library of Congress:

New from LC: Civil Rights Resource Guide

This guide provides links to Library of Congress and external Web sites focusing on civil rights and a bibliography containing selections for both general and younger readers.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Consumer Health Information

New from the FDA:

A Web page, “Consumer Health Information for You and Your Family” (www.fda.gov/consumer), provides comprehensive and timely consumer information.

A free monthly e-newsletter - “FDA Consumer Health Information” (www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html), will alert consumers to content contained on the page.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Air Quality Information

From the EPA:

New Database: AirCompare from the EPA

AirCompare, a new EPA-developed air quality tool, provides local air quality information to help people make informed decisions about moving, vacationing or living in different areas of the country.

“From people getting ready to retire to vacationers or those changing jobs, Americans are increasingly considering air quality as they make their plans,” said Bill Wehrum, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation. “AirCompare helps answer those questions in a way that’s simple to understand.”

AirCompare uses EPA’s popular Air Quality Index (AQI) to explain air quality from a health perspective.

A person with asthma, for example, can use AirCompare to select up to 10 counties across the country — and with the click of a button, find out how many days the air was unhealthy for asthmatics last year. Or someone planning a trip can find out the best time of year to visit a particular area, based on concerns about asthma, heart disease, outdoor activity, or just general interest.

Monday, May 7, 2007

The Price of Gasoline

From the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights:

The Changing Relationship Between the Price of Crude Oil and the Price At the Pump

(PDF; 191 KB)


From the Press Release:

A report commissioned by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights shows a sharply higher (and still growing) gap between crude oil prices and gasoline prices — and between pump prices in California and the rest of the nation. The study, conducted by oil analyst Tim Hamilton, finds that Californians are paying $7 to $15 per fill-up more than the rest of the nation, with gasoline prices stuck at 40 cents to 55 cents a gallon above the U.S. average.

Because the costs of making gasoline are relatively stable, the disconnect between oil and gasoline prices amounts to a bottom-line bonanza for oil companies, the report concludes.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Presidential Campaign Finance

From the Center for Responsive Politics -
"a non-partisan, non-profit research group ... that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy."

Compilation of data on campaign contributions for the 2008 presidential election.

Candidate profiles include total funds raised and spent, cash on hand, debts, and a breakdown of sources of the funds (such as individual contributions). Also includes week-by-week comparisons, a donor lookup, contributions by industry, and other data.


URL: http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp?cycle=2008

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Adolescent Health

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

Fact sheets, data, and other material about adolescent health topics such as injuries, alcohol and drug use, sexual behaviors, nutrition and obesity, skin cancer, and youth violence.

Includes background on the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health by the Year 2010, and links to related websites.

URL:
http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec801e457a

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Women in Congress

From the Joint Committee on Printing (via GPO Access)

Women in Congress 1917 - 2006 (House Document No. 108-223)

Reference document including biographical profiles of individual Representatives and Senators, portraits of every woman who has served in Congress, and statistical graphs and charts.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

GovTrak.us Updates

New from GovTrack.us:


Updates at GovTrack.us

GovTrack continues developing into an essential resource for political and legislative research in the U.S. It has many useful tools/databases and it’s free.

What's new:

A new Presidential Candidates page for those candidates that have served in Congress. You can see how they line up in political leanings, sorted them based on their position in GovTrack’s Political Spectrum.

The representative statistics page has been updated to go back a few more years, and the political spectrum has been updated for the 110th Congress.

New download options at the top-right of the main Votes page and on the pages for individual roll call votes so that you can import the data into Excel (CSV format) or use it for other applications (XML format).

Source: GovTrack News and Notes