From: USDA
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
The AFSIC "specializes in identifying resources about sustainable food systems and practices" by listing links to relevant sites. Searchable, or browse by topics such as sustainability, alternative plants and crops, farm energy options, grazing systems, organic production, ecological pest management, and soil and water management. Also includes related publications and a directory with links to searchable databases that pertain to sustainable/alternative agriculture. From the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Library.
http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_cente...
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Iraq Policy Documents
From the Military Education Research Library Network
Iraq - U.S. Policy Documents
A central repository of publicly available U.S. policy documents.
Includes documents from the White House, Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, Other Policy Sources.
Searchable.
Iraq - U.S. Policy Documents
A central repository of publicly available U.S. policy documents.
Includes documents from the White House, Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency, Other Policy Sources.
Searchable.
Health Insurance Costs
From the California Healthcare Foundation:
Employer Health Insurance Costs in the United States
Key findings include:
• While wages and salaries increased by 39 percent between 1996 and 2005, health insurance costs to employers rose 97 percent.
• At offering businesses, the share of total compensation paid as health insurance rose from 6 to 8 percent from 1996 to 2005. As health insurance costs increased, the share of compensation paid as wages fell.
• Of those businesses that offered insurance, costs relative to payroll increased 34 percent between 1996 and 2005.
• Premium contributions as a share of payroll were highest for unionized businesses, businesses with a high share of full-time workers, and low-wage businesses.
• Although the increase in health insurance costs was similar across businesses, increases were highest for low-wage businesses. This may be due in part to the fact that compensation for high-wage businesses has increased substantially, while for low-wage businesses it has been stagnant.
Employer Health Insurance Costs in the United States
Key findings include:
• While wages and salaries increased by 39 percent between 1996 and 2005, health insurance costs to employers rose 97 percent.
• At offering businesses, the share of total compensation paid as health insurance rose from 6 to 8 percent from 1996 to 2005. As health insurance costs increased, the share of compensation paid as wages fell.
• Of those businesses that offered insurance, costs relative to payroll increased 34 percent between 1996 and 2005.
• Premium contributions as a share of payroll were highest for unionized businesses, businesses with a high share of full-time workers, and low-wage businesses.
• Although the increase in health insurance costs was similar across businesses, increases were highest for low-wage businesses. This may be due in part to the fact that compensation for high-wage businesses has increased substantially, while for low-wage businesses it has been stagnant.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Farm Bill Blog
From Environmental Defense:
The Ruminant: A Daily Update on the Debates Shaping the 2007 Farm Bill
This blog provides news and analysis about "the farm and food policy debates shaping the 2007 Farm Bill." Topics include environmental and conservation issues, subsidies and small farmers, and the actions of freshman legislators.
URL:
http://www.environmentaldefenseblogs.org/healthyfarms/
The Ruminant: A Daily Update on the Debates Shaping the 2007 Farm Bill
This blog provides news and analysis about "the farm and food policy debates shaping the 2007 Farm Bill." Topics include environmental and conservation issues, subsidies and small farmers, and the actions of freshman legislators.
URL:
http://www.environmentaldefenseblogs.org/healthyfarms/
Monday, July 23, 2007
Housing Afforadability
From the National Association of Homebuilders:
Metro Area House Prices and Affordability
A question frequently posed to economists at the NAHB is “What happens to housing affordability in my city when house prices rise?” One way to answer this is to change the price of a representative home by a fixed amount and observe the impact on affordability. Based on national mortgage underwriting standards, it is possible to estimate how many households that qualified for a mortgage before a house price increase no longer qualify for one afterwards. Those are the households that are “priced out” of the market for a home.
Applying this approach to the U.S. as a whole (detailed results for all 357 metro areas are provided in Table 1) shows that in 2007—using typical assumptions about the mortgage, down payment, property taxes and property insurance, a $1,000 increase in a median-priced new home, more than 217,000 households.
The size of the priced out effect is largely a function of the income distribution. The larger the number of households that have the income necessary to buy a given priced house before the price increase, the more households will be priced out after the price rise. Conversely, the more expensive the house, the fewer the households adversely affected by a price increase.
Full Report (PDF; 61 KB)
Determining the Number of Households Priced Out of a Market (PDF; 17 KB)
Building Fee Increases and Reduced Housing Affordability (PDF; 37 KB)
Detailed results for all 357 metro areas
Metro Area House Prices and Affordability
A question frequently posed to economists at the NAHB is “What happens to housing affordability in my city when house prices rise?” One way to answer this is to change the price of a representative home by a fixed amount and observe the impact on affordability. Based on national mortgage underwriting standards, it is possible to estimate how many households that qualified for a mortgage before a house price increase no longer qualify for one afterwards. Those are the households that are “priced out” of the market for a home.
Applying this approach to the U.S. as a whole (detailed results for all 357 metro areas are provided in Table 1) shows that in 2007—using typical assumptions about the mortgage, down payment, property taxes and property insurance, a $1,000 increase in a median-priced new home, more than 217,000 households.
The size of the priced out effect is largely a function of the income distribution. The larger the number of households that have the income necessary to buy a given priced house before the price increase, the more households will be priced out after the price rise. Conversely, the more expensive the house, the fewer the households adversely affected by a price increase.
Full Report (PDF; 61 KB)
Determining the Number of Households Priced Out of a Market (PDF; 17 KB)
Building Fee Increases and Reduced Housing Affordability (PDF; 37 KB)
Detailed results for all 357 metro areas
Friday, July 20, 2007
Disability Information
From the U.S. Department of Labor:
New: DisabilityInfo.Gov Introduces New State and Local Resources Map
The federal government’s one-stop Web site for disability-related information and resources —
DisabilityInfo.gov — introduces a new feature, a state and local resources map, designed to assist visitors in finding disability-related information in their own states and localities.
To use the new state and local resources map, simply select one of the nine subject tabs — benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology or transportation — at the top of any DisabilityInfo.gov page. Then click the map on the right sidebar to find links in that subject area related to your state. You will be directed to easy-to-navigate information and numerous organizations and contacts.
New: DisabilityInfo.Gov Introduces New State and Local Resources Map
The federal government’s one-stop Web site for disability-related information and resources —
DisabilityInfo.gov — introduces a new feature, a state and local resources map, designed to assist visitors in finding disability-related information in their own states and localities.
To use the new state and local resources map, simply select one of the nine subject tabs — benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology or transportation — at the top of any DisabilityInfo.gov page. Then click the map on the right sidebar to find links in that subject area related to your state. You will be directed to easy-to-navigate information and numerous organizations and contacts.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Farm Bill Reauthorization
From the USDA:
America's Farm Bill 2007
Material from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about the 2007 reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which provides subsidies to U.S. farmers. The 2007 bill includes "more than 65 proposals [that] correspond to the 2002 farm bill titles with additional special focus areas, including specialty crops, beginning farmers and ranchers, and socially disadvantaged producers." Includes news, fact sheets, and related material on topics such as conservation, energy, forestry, nutrition, and rural development.
URL: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdafarmbill?navtype=SU&navid=FARM_BILL...
America's Farm Bill 2007
Material from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) about the 2007 reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which provides subsidies to U.S. farmers. The 2007 bill includes "more than 65 proposals [that] correspond to the 2002 farm bill titles with additional special focus areas, including specialty crops, beginning farmers and ranchers, and socially disadvantaged producers." Includes news, fact sheets, and related material on topics such as conservation, energy, forestry, nutrition, and rural development.
URL: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdafarmbill?navtype=SU&navid=FARM_BILL...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Health Care Snapshots
From the Kaiser Family Foundation:
This is "a series of online publications ... that use charts, data and analysis to provide insight into the political and policy debates about the cost of health care in the United States." Some of the topics include out-of-pocket spending for health care, insurance premium cost-sharing and coverage take-up, health care spending in the U.S. compared with other countries, and effect of changes in medical technology on health care costs.
URL:
http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/
This is "a series of online publications ... that use charts, data and analysis to provide insight into the political and policy debates about the cost of health care in the United States." Some of the topics include out-of-pocket spending for health care, insurance premium cost-sharing and coverage take-up, health care spending in the U.S. compared with other countries, and effect of changes in medical technology on health care costs.
URL:
http://www.kff.org/insurance/snapshot/
Monday, July 16, 2007
America's Children
From the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics:
America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007
press release:
Compared to national statistics for the previous year, there has been an increase in the percentage of children living with at least one working parent and the percentage of children living in households classified as food insecure has declined. High school students were more likely to have taken advanced academic courses and the percentage of young adults who completed high school has increased. The adolescent birth rate has dropped to a record low.
Increasing were: the percentage of children served by community water systems that did not meet all applicable standards for healthy drinking water, and the percentage of children living in physically inadequate or crowded housing or housing that cost more than 30 percent of household income. The percentage of low birthweight infants also increased, as did the percentage of births to unmarried women. The rate at which youth were perpetrators of serious violent crime increased slightly.
These findings are described in detail in America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007, the U.S. government’s annual report that monitors the well-being of the Nation’s children and youth. The report is a compendium of the most recently released federal statistics on the nation’s children, issued by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. It presents a comprehensive look at critical areas of child well-being. These encompass family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.
America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007
press release:
Compared to national statistics for the previous year, there has been an increase in the percentage of children living with at least one working parent and the percentage of children living in households classified as food insecure has declined. High school students were more likely to have taken advanced academic courses and the percentage of young adults who completed high school has increased. The adolescent birth rate has dropped to a record low.
Increasing were: the percentage of children served by community water systems that did not meet all applicable standards for healthy drinking water, and the percentage of children living in physically inadequate or crowded housing or housing that cost more than 30 percent of household income. The percentage of low birthweight infants also increased, as did the percentage of births to unmarried women. The rate at which youth were perpetrators of serious violent crime increased slightly.
These findings are described in detail in America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007, the U.S. government’s annual report that monitors the well-being of the Nation’s children and youth. The report is a compendium of the most recently released federal statistics on the nation’s children, issued by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. It presents a comprehensive look at critical areas of child well-being. These encompass family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Congressional Earmarks Database
From the Office of Management and Budget:
U.S. Congress: New Features Added to Earmarks Database (PDF)
From the announcement:
The first change is that the database will now show earmarks as they move through the FY08 appropriations process. The number of earmarks and the dollar value of those earmarks can be viewed as a bill moves through the legislative process.
The second change is that earmarks for selected authorization bills resulting in expenditures in 2005 have been posted to the database. This is an expansion beyond appropriations legislation, recognizing that while most earmarks appear in annual appropriations bill, some appear in authorization legislation. These new authorization bills include the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
Direct to Earmarks Database
U.S. Congress: New Features Added to Earmarks Database (PDF)
From the announcement:
The first change is that the database will now show earmarks as they move through the FY08 appropriations process. The number of earmarks and the dollar value of those earmarks can be viewed as a bill moves through the legislative process.
The second change is that earmarks for selected authorization bills resulting in expenditures in 2005 have been posted to the database. This is an expansion beyond appropriations legislation, recognizing that while most earmarks appear in annual appropriations bill, some appear in authorization legislation. These new authorization bills include the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
Direct to Earmarks Database
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Health Care Costs
From the Council on Foreign Relations:
Backgrounder: Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness
Backgrounder about health care costs in the U.S., where "factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country." Includes links to related websites and other material about economics and health.
URL: http://www.cfr.org/publication/13325/
Backgrounder: Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness
Backgrounder about health care costs in the U.S., where "factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country." Includes links to related websites and other material about economics and health.
URL: http://www.cfr.org/publication/13325/
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Homeland Security Vacancies
From the House Committee on Homeland Security:
Critical Leadership Vacancies Impede Department of Homeland Security
(PDF; 328 KB)
The Department of Homeland Security became operational in the spring of 2003. This ambitious undertaking pulled together 22 existing Federal organizations into a single new Departmental entity. Since that time, contracting abuses, poor leadership, and low employee moral have been endemic.
As pointed out by the National Journal in its June 2 issue, one of the continuing problems appears to be the over politicization of the top ranks of Department management. This is evident in the fact that some 24 percent of all Department top positions are now vacant. This could lead to heightened vulnerability to terrorist attack when the new administration is installed in January of 2009 and the political appointees who now run the Department exit without ensuring continuity of operations. The gaping hole in Department executive resources is a homeland security issue that must be addressed and rectified immediately.
Critical Leadership Vacancies Impede Department of Homeland Security
(PDF; 328 KB)
The Department of Homeland Security became operational in the spring of 2003. This ambitious undertaking pulled together 22 existing Federal organizations into a single new Departmental entity. Since that time, contracting abuses, poor leadership, and low employee moral have been endemic.
As pointed out by the National Journal in its June 2 issue, one of the continuing problems appears to be the over politicization of the top ranks of Department management. This is evident in the fact that some 24 percent of all Department top positions are now vacant. This could lead to heightened vulnerability to terrorist attack when the new administration is installed in January of 2009 and the political appointees who now run the Department exit without ensuring continuity of operations. The gaping hole in Department executive resources is a homeland security issue that must be addressed and rectified immediately.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Natural Disasters
From ReliefWeb
This browsable list of natural disasters lists by year (back to 1980) major disasters throughout the world. Each entry can be selected and contains data including:
Latest Updates
Maps
Appeals and Fund Tracking
Background (Country Profile, Who’s Working, etc.)
This browsable list of natural disasters lists by year (back to 1980) major disasters throughout the world. Each entry can be selected and contains data including:
Latest Updates
Maps
Appeals and Fund Tracking
Background (Country Profile, Who’s Working, etc.)
Monday, July 9, 2007
Volunteerism
From the Corporation for National and Community Service:
Lists & Rankings: Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings
Volunteer rates in America’s largest cities range from a high of 40.5 percent in Minneapolis-St. Paul to a low of 14.4 percent in Las Vegas. After Minneapolis-St. Paul, the cities with the highest volunteer rates are Salt Lake City, Austin, Texas; Omaha, Neb.; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Tulsa, Okla. The cities with the lowest volunteer rate are Las Vegas; Miami; New York; Virginia Beach, Va.; and Riverside, Calif.
News Release and Summary
Executive Summary20 pages; PDF.
Complete Report77 pages; PDF.
Lists & Rankings: Volunteering in America: 2007 City Trends and Rankings
Volunteer rates in America’s largest cities range from a high of 40.5 percent in Minneapolis-St. Paul to a low of 14.4 percent in Las Vegas. After Minneapolis-St. Paul, the cities with the highest volunteer rates are Salt Lake City, Austin, Texas; Omaha, Neb.; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Kansas City, Mo.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Tulsa, Okla. The cities with the lowest volunteer rate are Las Vegas; Miami; New York; Virginia Beach, Va.; and Riverside, Calif.
News Release and Summary
Executive Summary20 pages; PDF.
Complete Report77 pages; PDF.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Aging Statistics
From the National Center for Health Statistics:
New Web Database: Learn More about Aging on the New Data and Statistics Web Site
Direct to Data and Statistics on Older Americans (via CDC/National Center for Health Statistics)
Issues related to aging Americans are increasingly important and will continue to be a factor in our nation’s health. CDC’s new Aging Data and Statistics Web page brings together many information sources on the health of the growing population of older adults in the United States with the aim of improving accessibility to information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of all Americans.
Today there are over 37 million people age 65 and over, and that number is expected to rise to more than 70 million by 2030.
Current statistics reveal that Americans are living longer than ever before. In 1900, life expectancy was approximately 47 years. Americans born in 2007 can expect to live, on average, to age 78. Among people who survive to age 65, the average woman lives another 20 years while the average man lives an additional 17 years.
New Web Database: Learn More about Aging on the New Data and Statistics Web Site
Direct to Data and Statistics on Older Americans (via CDC/National Center for Health Statistics)
Issues related to aging Americans are increasingly important and will continue to be a factor in our nation’s health. CDC’s new Aging Data and Statistics Web page brings together many information sources on the health of the growing population of older adults in the United States with the aim of improving accessibility to information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of all Americans.
Today there are over 37 million people age 65 and over, and that number is expected to rise to more than 70 million by 2030.
Current statistics reveal that Americans are living longer than ever before. In 1900, life expectancy was approximately 47 years. Americans born in 2007 can expect to live, on average, to age 78. Among people who survive to age 65, the average woman lives another 20 years while the average man lives an additional 17 years.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Transportation Atlas Database
From the Bureau of Transportation Statistics:
Now Available: National Transportation Atlas Database 2007
This 2-CD set [files can be downloaded online] presents a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure.
These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features.
Now Available: National Transportation Atlas Database 2007
This 2-CD set [files can be downloaded online] presents a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure.
These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Effects of Global Warming
From Occupational and Environmental Medicine:
Temperature, temperature extremes, and mortality: a study of acclimatisation and effect modification in 50 US cities (PDF; 166 KB)
From press release (Newswise):
Global warming will cause more deaths in summer because of higher temperatures but these will not be offset by fewer deaths in milder winters finds an analysis published online ahead of print in Occupational and Environment Medicine.
The Harvard researchers analysed city-specific weather data related to the deaths of more than 6.5 million people in 50 US cities between 1989 and 2000.
They found that during two-day cold snaps there was a 1.59% increase in deaths because of the extreme temperatures. However, during similar periods of extremely hot weather death rates went up by 5.74%. Deaths did not rise as steeply when temperature fluctuations were less extreme.
Deaths from all causes are known to rise when temperatures go up, and heart attacks and cardiac arrests are more likely when it is very cold. It was anticipated that global warming would increase deaths during hot temperatures but that this would be compensated for by fewer deaths in the winter.
But the authors conclude: ‘Our findings suggest that decreases in cold weather as a result of global warming are unlikely to result in decreases in cold-related mortality in the US. Heat-related mortality, in contrast, may increase, particularly if global warming is associated with increased variance of summer temperature.’
Temperature, temperature extremes, and mortality: a study of acclimatisation and effect modification in 50 US cities (PDF; 166 KB)
From press release (Newswise):
Global warming will cause more deaths in summer because of higher temperatures but these will not be offset by fewer deaths in milder winters finds an analysis published online ahead of print in Occupational and Environment Medicine.
The Harvard researchers analysed city-specific weather data related to the deaths of more than 6.5 million people in 50 US cities between 1989 and 2000.
They found that during two-day cold snaps there was a 1.59% increase in deaths because of the extreme temperatures. However, during similar periods of extremely hot weather death rates went up by 5.74%. Deaths did not rise as steeply when temperature fluctuations were less extreme.
Deaths from all causes are known to rise when temperatures go up, and heart attacks and cardiac arrests are more likely when it is very cold. It was anticipated that global warming would increase deaths during hot temperatures but that this would be compensated for by fewer deaths in the winter.
But the authors conclude: ‘Our findings suggest that decreases in cold weather as a result of global warming are unlikely to result in decreases in cold-related mortality in the US. Heat-related mortality, in contrast, may increase, particularly if global warming is associated with increased variance of summer temperature.’
Monday, July 2, 2007
Annual Energy Review
From the Energy Information Administration:
Annual Energy Review 2006
The Annual Energy Review (AER) is the Energy Information Administration’s primary report of historical annual energy statistics. For many series, data begin with the year 1949.
Included are data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, international energy, as well as financial and environmental indicators; and data unit conversion tables.
Annual Energy Review 2006
The Annual Energy Review (AER) is the Energy Information Administration’s primary report of historical annual energy statistics. For many series, data begin with the year 1949.
Included are data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, international energy, as well as financial and environmental indicators; and data unit conversion tables.
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