Senate Report on Global Warming

Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called “consensus” on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.

The new report issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s office of the GOP Ranking Member details the views of the scientists, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke out in 2007.
+ Full Report

Annual Energy Outlook 2008

The Annual Energy Outlook 2008 (Early Release)-(AEO2008), from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), includes several important changes from earlier AEOs to better reflect trends in the economy and energy markets that are expected to persist. Energy markets are changing in response to the higher energy prices experienced since 2000; the greater influence of developing countries on worldwide energy requirements; recently enacted legislation and regulations in the United States; and changing public views related to the use of alternative fuels, emissions, and the acceptability of various energy technologies, among other factors.





Source: Energy Information Administration

Fiscal Survey of States

Fiscal Survey of States
In a report released today, Fiscal Survey of States , the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers found that while most states experienced healthy revenue growth during fiscal 2007, some states already have seen significant deterioration of their fiscal conditions and expect revenue and expenditure growth to slow significantly in fiscal 2008. States expect continued expenditure pressures from a variety of sources, including increased funding demands related to health care and Medicaid and to long-term challenges such as demographic shifts, employee pensions and infrastructure. In addition, most states will feel the pinch of the nation’s weakening housing market, both directly from lower sales tax revenues and indirectly as local governments struggle with declining property values and decreasing property tax revenues. Source: National Governors Association/National Association of State Budget Officers

Medicare Part D

From 2007 to 2008, the average premium for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans rose by 24.5 percent from 2007 to 2008. This rise will result in an average premium price of $293 per year, or $57.70 more than last year.

A new issue brief from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, “Changes in the Costs of Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, 2007-2008 ”, examines prescription drug plan costs nationally and on a state-by-state basis and finds a surprisingly large increase in average cost going into 2008. Even though this increase is somewhat lower than originally projected, costs will exceed projections as early as 2010 if this trend continues. The brief looks at each of the 50 states and analyzes the number of plans offered in 2008, the number plans of offering coverage ‘in the gap’ between initial coverage and the catastrophic level, the number of plans dropping ‘in the gap’ coverage, and the average dollar and percentage increase in premium cost.

Global Warming

Climate Change and Violent Conflict:


The impact of climate change will make the poorest communities across the world poorer. Many of them are already affected by conflict and instability and thus face a dual risk. International Alert’s new research, A Climate of Conflict: The Links Between Climate Change, Peace and War and The Double-Headed Risk (world map of “countries at risk), finds that the consequences of climate change will fuel violent conflict, which itself hinders the ability of governments and local communities to adapt to the pressures of climate change

Source: Internation Alert

Global Warning

The Center for American Progress (CA) today issued "Global Warning - The Security Challenges of Climate Change", a chapter in a new report entitled “The Age of Consequences.” During the course of the past year, a high-level working group of foreign policy experts, climate scientists, historians, and other specialists has met regularly to investigate the national security and foreign policy implications of climate change. Many of the key findings of this task force, which was directed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Center for a New American Security, are presented in the new report.

“The Age of Consequences” is organized around three possible climate change scenarios that were developed by Pew Center Senior Climate Scientist Dr. Jay Gulledge, in consultation with other leading experts in the field. CAP’s chapter, “Global Warning - The Security Challenges of Climate Change,” analyzes the foreign policy and national security implications of the most moderate of these scenarios over a 30-year timeframe.

Foreign Drug Manufacturers

New GAO Report: 1 November 2007:


Preliminary findings suggest weaknesses in the FDA’s program for inspecting foreign drug manufacturers . This report, which includes testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, discusses preliminary information on (1) the extent to which the FDA has accurate data to manage the foreign drug inspection program, (2) the frequency of foreign inspections and factors influencing the selection of establishments to inspect, and (3) issues unique to conducting foreign inspections.


Source: Government Accountability Office

Housing Nonprofit Organization

NeighborWorks America is the "national nonprofit organization created by Congress to provide financial support, technical assistance, and training for community-based revitalization efforts." The website features news, case studies, and reports on subjects such as aging in place, disaster preparedness, foreclosure solutions, home equity protection, manufactured housing, predatory lending, and refinancing. It includes materials about campaigns, such as its free telephone consultation service on foreclosure solutions, and listings of local NeighborWorks member organizations.

Alliance for Climate Protection

The mission of The Alliance for Climate Protection, founded by former U.S. vice president Al Gore, "is to persuade the American people -- and people elsewhere in the world -- of the importance and urgency of adopting and implementing effective and comprehensive solutions for the climate crisis." Its site features articles with suggestions for reducing climate change at home and at work, stories about people who are working to help solve the crisis, and video clips.

The people involved in the Alliance bring with them substantial cross-sectoral experience covering government (both public service and political), business (including energy, technology, finance and media), and civil society (within and beyond the environmental communities).

Sustainable Biofuels

Destination Iowa: Getting to a Sustainable Biofuels Future:

Iowa has made a huge investment in corn-based ethanol and reaped some benefits from the biofuels boom--but not without costs to the environment and the economy. Now it’s time for Iowa to make the investments needed to transition to the next generation of biofuels and boost renewable energy production. Destination Iowa, the first report in an exciting new partnership between the Sierra Club and the Worldwatch Institute, explains where Iowa’s bioeconomy is today, where it can go in the future, and charts a course for getting there.


Source: Sierra Club

GAO Reports and Testimonies

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released the following reports and testimonies:

--Global Health: U.S. Agencies Support Programs to Build Overseas Capacity for Infectious Disease Surveillance. GAO-07-1186 (September 28).
--Energy Efficiency: Opportunities Exist for Federal Agencies to Better Inform Household Consumers. GAO-07-1162 (September 26).
--Maritime Security: The SAFE Port Act and Efforts to Secure Our Nation's Seaports, by Stephen L. Caldwell, director, homeland security and justice issues, before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. GAO-08-86T (October 4).
--Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq: Serious Challenges Confront U.S. Efforts to Build the Capacity of Iraqi Ministries, by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. GAO-08-124T (October 4). --Combating Terrorism: Law Enforcement Agencies Lack Directives to Assist Foreign Nations, statement for the record by Jess T. Ford, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism, House Committee on Homeland Security. GAO-08-144T (October 4).

Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office

Truth in Politics

FactCheck.org, from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, monitors news releases, debates, web sites, speeches, etc. for the accuracy of what political candidates are saying. A mobile version of their service has just been released.


PolitiFact, a joint project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly, analyzes the candidates’ speeches, TV ads and interviews and determines whether the claims are accurate.


Source: Annenberg Public Policy Center, the St. Petersburg Times, and CQ

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security

The United States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security was created by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. It was first formed as a Select, non-permanent Committee, to provide Congressional oversight on the development of the Department of Homeland Security. The Committee was made permanent when it was designated as a Standing Committee of the House on January 4, 2005, the first day of the 109th Congress and is made up of 19 Democratic and 15 Republican Members of Congress.


Source: U.S. House of Representatives

Arctic Environmental Conditions

The NOAA State of the Arctic report is a review of environmental conditions during the past five years relative to those in the latter part of the 20th century. The review was conducted by an international group of twenty scientists who developed a consensus on information content and reliability. The report updates some of the records from the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
Taken collectively, the observations presented in the report show convincing evidence of a sustained period of warm temperature anomalies in the Arctic, supported by continued reduction in sea ice extent, observed at both the winter maximum and summer minimum, and widespread changes in arctic vegetation. The warming trend is tempered somewhat by shifts in the spatial patterns of land temperatures and ocean salinity and temperature. While there are still large region to region and multiyear shifts in the arctic climate, the large spatial extent of recent changes in air temperature, sea ice, and vegetation is greater than observed in the 20th Century.

Source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/soa2006/

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

NCLB Reauthorization Database


The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has launched its No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Reauthorization database — a single source for “who’s saying what” about renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The database captures the recommendations of 15 national organizations for revising specific NCLB requirements and provisions, as well as how recent education reform priorities should be part of the NCLB discussion. According to the ECS synthesis and analysis of 15 key education policy stakeholders across 16 issues, the greatest collective agreement emerged in the following areas:
*Allow growth models for calculating Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
*Provide more flexibility for students with disabilities and English Language Learners (ELL)
*Provide adequate funding to support NCLB requirements
*Build state and local capacity to assist low-performing schools
*Offer high-quality professional development
*Target assistance and interventions

Source: Education Commission of the States (ECS)

Hurricane Katrina Second Anniversary: Rebuilding the Gulf Coast

From: The White House and PBS


On the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal government continues to provide assistance and guidance so that the people of the Gulf Coast and their elected leaders may drive the effort to rebuild their lives and their communities. So far, the Federal government has spent $127 billion (including tax relief) on post-Katrina New Orleans, although the entire gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Louisiana is only $141 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Track the latest developments in the Gulf Coast region's long struggle to rebuild its cities and citizens' lives in a series of broadcast and Web original reports from PBS on the lasting economic impact and environmental effects, as well as efforts in reconstructing the region's infrastructure.(http://www.pbs.org/newshour/local/gulfcoast/)

From: Vanderbilt University Library:

This is a directory of links to popular Federal government documents on the Internet. The links are organized by topics including major government indexes, business, crime, census, Congress, consumer information, copyright, education, foreign countries, health, impeachment, natural resources, law, scientific reports, transportation, and tax forms. Information on the situation in Iraq is highlighted. http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/romans/fdtf/index.shtml

From: University of California at Santa Cruz

MetaVid (http://metavid@ucsc.edu) is an open source project from the University of California at Santa Cruz that allows users to keyword search EVERY word spoken (aka transcript search) on the floors of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate and then listen to the audio and/or watch the video. The text transcript comes from the closed captioning associated with each file, and the index dates back to January, 2006. Files can be viewed online and downloaded if desired. Search terms can be set-up on an RSS feed, and an advanced search interface is also available

Minnesota Bridge Collapse

From: Minnesota Department of Transportation

The State of Minnesota has posted on the Internet its government documents concerning the August 2007 collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis. They provide news and updates, inspection expenditures (2004-2007), recent inspection reports (including fatigue evaluation), an inventory of deficient trunk highway bridges in Minneapolis (released August 2007), and related material.
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge/
http://fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbis.htm (National Bridge Inspection Standards)

SCHIP

From: National Center for Policy Analysis



The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which covers 6.7 million children and adults, will expire in September. SCHIP consists of 50 different federal-state health plans for children (and in some states adults) in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Typically, families with incomes above the poverty level, but no more than 200 percent of poverty, are eligible.
The Senate Finance Committee recently voted to reauthorize the program. The Senate bill would expand eligibility to children in families with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $62,000 for a family of four. House Democrats would raise income limits even higher — to 400 percent of the poverty level ($83,000 for a family of four) — well above the median income.…SCHIP expansion would be costly. The Senate bill would increase spending by $35 billion over five years and the House Democrats would increase spending by more than $50 billion. However, the additional money would mainly buy insurance for children who are already insured. In fact, the families of millions of children currently in SCHIP would have otherwise had private coverage, and most of the children that would be newly eligible already have private coverage. Furthermore, the cost of expansion would be borne by poor families and seniors.

http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba589

Alternative Farming

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...

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.

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.

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/

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

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.

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...

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/

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.

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

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/

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.’

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.

Fastest Growing Small Companies

From Fortune Small Business:

Lists & Rankings: FSB 100: America’s fastest-growing small companies, 2007

America’s 100 fastest-growing small public companies. See the full results, plus top 25 companies by revenue growth, stock performance, and more

Lists for 2005 and 2006 are also available.

Slide Show about Top 25

Alternative Medicine

From the University of Maryland Medical Center:

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Index (CAM)

Collection of material about different types of CAM, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, herbal medicine, hypnotherapy, massage, and yoga.
Includes discussions of conditions (by organ and symptoms), and drug, herb, and supplement interactions and uses.

URL: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/

The Big Read - NEA

From the National Endowment for the Arts:

The Big Read Becomes The Largest Federal Literature Program Since The W.P.A.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today more than doubled the number of communities taking part in its nationwide reading program, the Big Read. One hundred seventeen cities were awarded grants to produce celebrations of American literature from September through December 2007.

The Big Read, launched nationally in October 2006 by the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Arts Midwest, encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss one book.
Big Read website

Participating Big Read Cities - 2007 Cycle 2

Philanthropy

From Giving USA:

U.S. charitable giving reaches $295.02 billion in 2006
(PDF; 101 KB)

U.S. charitable giving reached a new record in 2006, an estimated $295.02 billion, according to Giving USA 2007, the yearbook of philanthropy published by Giving USA FoundationTM and researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Donors gave an estimated $11.97 billion more than in 2005, a 4.2 percent increase (1.0 percent adjusted for inflation) over a revised estimate for 2005 of $283.05 billion. The 2005 estimate includes nearly $7.4 billion in extraordinary disaster relief giving. If disaster gifts are excluded from the 2005 total, giving in 2006 rose 6.6 percent (3.2 percent after adjusting for inflation).
Full publication available for purchase

Congressional Pictorial Directory

From GPO Access:

Congressional Pictorial Directory: 110th Congress (PDFs)

The 110th Congressional Pictorial Directory provides a color photograph of each member of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the 110th Congress. It also includes information about a Member of Congress’ length of service, political party affiliations, and Congressional district.
Also contains pictures of the President, Vice President, and House and Senate officers and officials.

Agricultural Requirements from the EPA

New from the EPA:

From the news release:

EPA has created a regulatory matrix titled, “Major Existing EPA Laws and Programs That Could Affect Agricultural Producers” that provides a succinct, general description of EPA’s requirements for both regulatory and voluntary programs.
This compliance assistance tool should be used by agricultural producers, federal and state regulators, and third party information providers who provide information and services to agricultural producers.

Direct to Matrix Web Site

Sustainable Development

The SustainLane Government Knowledge Base was open only to government officials until just recently, which it became accessible to the general public. According to Warren Karlenzig, SustainLane director:
Now you can read full documents submitted by urban planners and sustainability managers from across the country. Find out what cities, counties, and states are doing to improve their carbon footprints, quality of life and resource efficiency. Find the latest programs in urban ecology.
We anticipate that several different audiences will find this database valuable, including journalists and citizen activist groups. It’s easy to use. Halfway down the front page is a listing of topics, each of which links to relevant materials in the database:
Climate Change Policy
Economic Development
Energy/ Energy Efficiency
Food/ Agriculture
Forestry/ Street Greening
Green Building/ Development
Land Use/ Planning
Parks/ Open Space/ Habitat
Purchasing/ Investing
Sustainability Management
Transportation/ Fleets
Waste Management
Water/ Wastewater
Just below this listing are links to the most recent materials added to the database, including things like the Philadelphia Local Action Plan for Climate Change, a document about Heat Island Effect Mitigation (from the City of Houston), a Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance from San Francisco, and more. New materials via user submission are added on a continuing basis. A search form allows keyword and fielded searching — e.g., by author, city, county, state, category, city size, document type.

Federal Government Information

From the Sunlight Foundation:

Databases: Library Of Unified Information Sources (LOUIS) (Beta)

The Library Of Unified Information Sources is a project of the Sunlight Foundation, and an effort, to paraphrase Justice Louis Brandeis, to illuminate the workings of the federal government. The ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive, completely indexed and cross-referenced depository of federal documents from the executive and legislative branches of government. These documents are organized in a user-friendly interface, with a powerful search engine.

You can search broadly for keywords or limit searches to a single document set or range of dates. LOUIS, which daily updates its document depository, even allows you to set up a “standing query” as an RSS feed. LOUIS can alert you every time there is a new document that references your query. For example, if you want to follow “lobbying reform,” and Senators debate the lobbying reform measures of an ethics bill, the LOUIS notifier feed will send an update with a link to the relevant transcript from the Congressional Record.

Sources Currently in LOUIS Database:

Seven sets of federal documents:
Congressional Reports
Congressional Record
Congressional Hearings
Federal Register
Presidential Documents
GAO Reports
Congressional Bills & Resolutions

Information Technology Jobs

From Computerworld:

Lists & Rankings: 100 Best Places to Work in IT 2007
Direct to Complete List

Top 5:
1) Quicken Loans Inc.
2) University of Miami
3) Sharp HealthCare
4) The Capital Group Cos.
5) The Mitre Corp.

Methodology

Lists in various categories:
Total employees
Total IT employees
IT employee turnover in 2006
IT employee promotions in 2006
Training days offered per IT employee in 2006
Training budget per IT employee in 2006
Percentage of IT managers who are women
Percentage of IT managers who are minorities
View by Company Size and by Region

Public Transportation

From the Census Department:

Public transportation users concentrated in a handdful of large cities -

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2004/NewsMediaKit.html>
2005 Data User’s Guide

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2007/Pub_Trans_Tables.xls>
Graphic

Despite rising fuel costs, commuters continued to drive their cars in 2005, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau analysis of data from the American Community Survey. The survey, gathered over the course of the year, found that driving to work was the favored means of commute of nearly nine out of 10 workers (87.7 percent), with most people (77 percent) driving alone.

In contrast, 4.7 percent of commuters used public transportation to travel to work in 2005, an increase of about 0.1 percent over 2000 levels.
About half of the nation’s public transportation commuters can be found in 10 of the nation’s 50 cities with the most workers age 16 or over:

Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. These cities account for 2.9 million of the nation’s 6.2 million users of public transportation (see detailed tables).

Beyond the total number of public transportation users, these cities also had relatively high rates of public transportation use. However, Los Angeles and Houston, with rates of 10.3 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively, had lower rates than many other smaller cities, including Minneapolis (12.5 percent); Oakland, Calif. (16.5 percent); Portland, Ore.
(13.3 percent) and Seattle (17 percent).

"This is a prime example of the value of an ongoing survey such as the American Community Survey," said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon.
"With each succeeding year, we’ll be able to see how people respond to changing circumstances, such as rising gas prices."

Hot Growth Companies

From Business Week:

Lists & Rankings: Hot Growth Companies 2007

The companies on this list are among the most innovative and nimble players around. Our interactive table lets you dive into the numbers to explore the financial performance of the Hot Growth 100.

Want to compare the growth of the No. 1 ranked Hot Growth company to that of No. 100? Or sort the list to find out which company has the absolute highest three-year return on invested capital?
You can sort the list using numerous criteria including:
Location
Name
2006 Rank
12-Month Profits
3-Year Profits

Additional materials located here.

Stem Cell Research - State Laws

From NCSL:

Comparison of state laws relating to embryonic stem cell and fetal research, with charts showing whether each state specifically permits research on a fetus or embryo, restricts research on the aborted fetus or fetus/embryo resulting from sources other than abortion, has consent provisions, and restricts the purchase or sale of human tissue for research.

Includes an overview of the issue and links to laws and to related resources.

URL: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/genetics/embfet.htm

Educational Statistics

The National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis

Provides comparative data for states regarding postsecondary education.

Includes maps, graphs, and data about preparation, participation, affordability, student learning, completion, benefits, employment, and finance.

Also includes special analyses, race/ethnicity data for selected states, answers to policy questions, and interactive data and map generation features.

From the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

URL: http://www.higheredinfo.org

StateList

The Electronic Source for State Publication Lists

"This site provides links to state publication checklists and shipping lists that are currently available on the Internet from 37 states." Can be browsed by state. A joint project of the Documents and Law Libraries at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

URL: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/doc/statelist/check/check.htm

Climate Change

Nature Reports Climate Change

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) announces the launch of a new website-Nature Reports Climate Change

The Nature Reports sites highlight topical science issues by providing thorough investigative reporting based on peer-reviewed, primary research. The sites will report “the science behind the news, the news behind the science” and explore the social, political and economic implications of the highlighted topic.

Content is accessible for users of all levels of expertise, from scientists, journalists and students, to members of the general public interested in getting the facts behind the headlines, with a vast majority of it freely accessible.

Crime in the United States

From the FBI:

Documents in the News: Preliminary Uniform Crime Report 2006: Crime in the United States

The stats, which we collected from more than 11,700 law enforcement agencies nationwide, show a rise in violent crime for the second straight year. The increase, however, is less than the 2.3 percent figure reported for 2005 and the 3.7 percent increase reflected in the preliminary six-month report for 2006 released in December.

A snapshot of the other key numbers for the full year:

Violent Crime

Murder: Is up 0.3 percent overall. The number of offenses increased the most—6.7 percent—in cities with a million or more residents and decreased the most—11.9 percent—in non-metropolitan counties.
Forcible rape: Decreased nearly 2 percent overall. Only two population categories experienced increases, both with populations less than 100,000.
Robbery: Rose 6 percent, the highest increase in any violent or property crime category. Each population group except non-metropolitan counties saw an increase.
Aggravated assault: Experienced a slight overall drop of 0.7 percent. The largest cities experienced the greatest declines.
Regional breakdown: Three of four geographic regions (except the Northeast) showed violent crime increases. The largest increase was in the West, with 2.8 percent.

Property Crime
Burglary: Increased slightly, 0.2 percent. The greatest increase—3.3 percent—came in cities with 500,000 to 999,999 residents.
Larceny-theft (down 3.5 percent overall) and motor
Arson: Is up 1.8 percent in all but one population group. Arsons are tracked separately from other property crime offenses.

The stats also include:
A breakdown by major cities;
The overall percent change compared to the prior year since 2003;
National totals for each category by geographic region.

Direct to Full Text Report

News Release

Global Warming

The Discovery of Global Warming

Expansion of a 2003 book that "tells the history of climate change research as a single connected narrative."
Topics include influences on climate (such as the greenhouse effect and aerosols), models of climate change, climate modification schemes (such as rainmaking), and social relationships and climate changes.
Also includes a timeline through the 1970s and bibliography.

URL: http://www.aip.org/history/climate/

Nanotechnlogy

From the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable Trusts

Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies

Publications and other materials from this project "dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology," the "ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture things usually between 1 and 100 nanometers."

Includes an inventory of consumer products that use nanotechnology, event webcasts, and topical collections.

URL: http://www.nanotechproject.org/

Presidential Elections

From the Center for Responsive Politics


New Database: Presidential Election (2008 Cycle) Expenditures

The latest database added to the collection of resources at OpenSecrets.

Includes a pie chart and a direct link to access expenditure data for specific candidates.

Hunger Awareness Day

From America's Second Harvest:

June 5, 2007 "serves as a platform for domestic hunger-relief organizations to raise awareness about hunger in America and the work ... [they] do."

The site features a listing of local events throughout the country, and suggestions for individual, group, and corporate actions for helping to end hunger in America. Also includes links to publications on hunger and poverty in the U.S.

URL: http://www.hungerday.org

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

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.

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)

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).

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/

Agriculture and Ethanol

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service:

Ethanol Expansion in the United States: How Will the Agricultural Sector Adjust?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Taxes

From the Citizens for Tax Justice

United States Remains One of the Least Taxed Industrial Countries
(PDF; 66 KB)

Taxes continue to take up a relatively small part of American economic output, according to data compiled by Citizens for Tax Justice from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Census.

For example, in all but two OECD countries, taxes make up a larger percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) than in the United States.

Agricultural Statistics

From the National Agricultural Library:

National Agricultural Library Releases New Digital Collection:

Fruit and Vegetable Market News Reports

The reports are a collection of statistics on the annual shipment summaries of fresh fruit and vegetable commodities in the United States from 1916 to 1998, and of regional summaries of arrival/unload totals from 1960 to 1980 or 1998, depending on the area.
These historical data were compiled by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and its predecessor agencies.

To access and search, select the collection on this page.

Global Legal Information

From the Law Library of Congress:

Global Legal Information Network (GLIN)

This is "a public database of laws, regulations, judicial decisions, and other complementary legal sources contributed by governmental agencies and international organizations.
Each document is accompanied by a summary in English and subject terms selected from the multilingual index to GLIN. All summaries are available to the public, and public access to full texts is also available in participating jurisdictions."

Searchable, or browsable using the subject term index. From the Law Library of Congress.

URL: http://www.glin.gov

Transportation Statistics

From the Bureau of Transportation Statistics:

Transportation Statistics Annual Report 2006 (Online Version)

This report presents selected transportation data on 13 topics specified in the legislative mandate of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.


Some tables are available in HTML, CSV, and XLS formats.

National Wetlands Research Center Library

A library for research in wetland science:

Fact Sheet: Welcome to the National Wetlands Research Center Library: Not Just Another Library–A Special Library

The NWRC library is the only USGS library dedicated to wetland science. Library personnel offer expert research services to meet the informational needs of NWRC scientists, managers, and support personnel.

Direct PDF, 2 pages.

Direct to NWRC Library Web Site

Performance Pay for Teachers

From The Center for Teaching Quality:

Performance-Pay for Teachers: Designing a System that Students Deserve

From press release
(PDF; 110 KB)

Teachers will support performance-pay plans that advance student achievement and the teaching profession, says a first-of-its-kind report written by a diverse group of expert teachers from across the United States.

The new TeacherSolutions study proposes radical changes in the way teachers have traditionally been compensated, including:

Rewarding small teams of teachers who raise student achievement together;
Rewarding teachers who accept challenging assignments in high-needs schools and strengthen connections between school and community; and
Redesigning pay systems so that teacher success, not seniority or graduate degrees, determines maximum teacher pay.

Executive Summary (PDF; 386 KB)
Full Report (PDF; 844 KB)

American Presidency

The American Presidency Project

This website contains a searchable database of tens of thousands of documents from U.S. presidents from 1789 to the present. Includes inaugural addresses, press briefings, signing statements, and debates.

Also features data on topics such as popularity and number of public appearances, election results back to 1828, and an archive of audio and video clips. A collaboration between John Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

URL: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu

State Taxes

From the Census Department:

Federal, State, and Local Governments: State Government Tax Collections

This report "provides a summary of taxes collected by state for up to 25 tax categories. These tables and data files present the details on tax collections by type of tax imposed and collected by state governments."

Includes data back to 1992 on property taxes, sales taxes, licenses, income taxes, and other taxes. Includes technical documentation.

URL: http://www.census.gov/govs/www/statetax.html

Fortune's Top Companies

From Fortune Magazine: Top Companies

Fortune 500, 2007

Top 10:

1. Wal-Mart Stores
2. Exxon Mobile
3. General Motor
4. Chevron
5. ConocoPhillips
6. General Electric
7. Ford Motor
8. Citigroup
9. Bank of America
10. American International Group

Methodology FAQ
Maps
Source: Fortune

See Also: Forbes 2000 (World’s Largest Public Companies)

Congressional Archives

From the National Archives:

New Web Harvest Online: 109th Congress


What does it contain?

More than four million pages (42 GB) crawled and archived between 11/11/06 and 12/11/06
Browse by Members Name
Browse by Committee Name
Browse by Leadership
Browse by House or Senate Organizations


The crawl was done using The Internet Archive’s open-source Heretix Crawler.
Learn More about the 109th Congress Web Harvest

Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress, recently told a U.S. House Committee, that the average life of a web site is between 44 and 75 days.

Sources: NARA and The Internet Archive

Health Care Costs

The cost of health care:

Snapshot: Health Care Costs 101, 2007 Edition


The fourth edition of Health Care Costs 101, an annual overview of the latest health spending trends in California and the nation, finds reasons for both hope and concern.

While spending on health care continues to moderate, the growth in health spending was twice the rate of inflation in 2005, resulting in constant pressure on government, employers, and consumers to keep up.

Among the key findings:

* Total spending on health reached $2 trillion in 2005 and is projected to reach one-fifth of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2016;* Per person spending on health care increased 77% between 1995 and 2005;* Hospitals and physician services take the largest share of the health care dollar (52%);* The growth rate for prescription drug spending is at its lowest level in 20 years; and* While out-of-pocket costs for consumers continue to rise, their share of all health care spending (15%), has declined.

Direct to Full Text

224 pages; PDF.

National Library Week

National Library Week -April 15-21, 2007

Here's the letter that was sent to all SSO tenants.



MEMORANDUM


TO: Directors of State Offices and Associations of State Officials
FROM: Marianne Reiff
DATE: April 11, 2007
RE: National Library Week: April 15-21, 2007

This month, April 15-21, 2007, the SSO Library celebrates National Library Week. During National Library Week libraries of all types and the people who use them come together with the American Library Association and its Campaign for America’s Libraries to celebrate the contributions of all libraries, librarians and library workers in our nation’s schools, campuses and communities. Libraries today are enjoying a golden age in which public, school, special and university libraries are flourishing not only within the physical confines of bricks and mortar, steel and glass, but also in the continuously expanding Internet universe.

This year’s theme is:"Come together @ your library®". Libraries are the places where everyone – regardless of age, race or income – can come together, whether it’s for entertainment, self-help or to find their place in the community.

The SSO Library plays an important role in the research conducted by Hall of the States offices.
Over the past year:

· SSO's library loaned 8,093 items to Hall of the States offices from its collection.
· SSO’s publication discount program saved Hall of the States offices $293,000.00 on BNA, CQ, National Journal and other publications.
· SSO’s library staff conducted $39,690.00 worth of Dialog, Factiva and Lexis-Nexis database searches for your staff members.
· With the help of 61 libraries from all over the country, SSO provided Hall of the States offices with 150 additional books and periodicals through interlibrary loan.
· The SSO Library has developed a blog – http://ssolibrary.blogspot.com. This daily blog provides up-to-date information on Web sites of interest to SSO tenants.
· The table of contents of 15 daily publications are e-mailed daily to over 50 tenants – providing timely information on important issues.


Please join SSO’s Library Staff in celebrating National Library Week. Our Library Open House will be on Friday April 13, 2007 from 8:30a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Refreshments will be served.

Homeland Security

The cost of homeland security

What Has Homeland Security Cost? An Assessment: 2001-2005

This February 2007 analysis of "public and private expenditures on homeland security shows that overall spending rose by $44 billion between 2001 and 2005 -- a clear increase but one that represents a gain of only 1/4 of 1 percent as a share of U.S. GDP."

Includes a press release and the full text of the article with statistical tables and charts. From the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.


URL: http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/current_issues/ci13-2.html

Joint Center for Housing Studies

From Harvard University:

http://www.jchs.harvard.edu

The JCHS "is Harvard University's center for information and research on housing in the United States.

The Joint Center analyzes the dynamic relationships between housing markets and economic, demographic, and social trends."

The site features publications on topics such as the state of the nation's housing (with information and data about house production, ownership, and prices), home remodeling, rentals, and more.

Also includes an overview of research topics and articles written by JCHS members.

Searchable.

State Information

From State Net


A Selection of Free Resources from State Net


State Legislative Session SummaryUpdated weekly.

2007 State Legislative Sessions 1 page; PDF

2007 State Election Calendar

2007 State Partisanship Chart

State Net Capitol Journal (Free, Registration Required)
Latest political news from all 50 states via e-mail.

Climate Change

From the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change


Climate Change 2007 — Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability: Summary for Policymakers

Scientific Research

Access to scientific information now available:

This site is "a free, publicly available web portal allowing access to numerous scientific journals and public science databases."

Search for materials in the topics of astronomy, biology, chemistry, computers, environmental sciences, engineering, health and medicine, materials science, mathematics, physics, and social sciences.

Also includes links to related sites. From a software company.

URL: http://www.scienceresearch.com

World Health Day

It's World Health Day

World Health Day: 7 April


Collection of links to sites related to World Health Day.

"On this day around the globe, thousands of events mark the importance of health for productive and happy lives."

Also includes links to recent UN documents on the subjects of human health and illness prevention and treatment. Available in several languages.

From the Dag Hammarskjöld Library of the United Nations.

URL: http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/health/

Housing Costs

From the Center for Housing Policy: Paycheck to Paycheck: Wages and the Cost of Housing in America This website "presents wage information for more than 60 occupations and home prices and rents for nearly 200 metropolitan areas." Metropolitan area charts compare the annual income needed to afford median-priced homes and rental units against the annual incomes of selected generally lower-waged professions. Or, select a profession to view comparisons of income needed for housing in different metropolitan areas. URL: http://www.nhc.org/chp/p2p/

Quality of Living Survey

A new survey that ranks cities for quality of living

The 2007 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting has found that four of the world’s five top-scoring cities for health and sanitation are in North America. Calgary ranks top with a score of 131.7, followed by Honolulu, which scores 130.3. Helsinki – the only European city in the top five – follows closely in the rankings with a score of 128.5. Ottawa and Minneapolis take fourth and fifth places with scores of 127.2 and 125.7 respectively.

Scores are based on the quality and availability of hospital and medical supplies and levels of air pollution and infectious diseases. The efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems, water potability and the presence of harmful animals and insects are also taken into account.
Cities are ranked against New York as the base city which has an index score of 100. The analysis is part of Mercer’s Worldwide Quality of Living Survey, covering 215 cities, which is conducted to help governments and major companies to place employees on international assignments.

URL:
http://www.mercerhr.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml;jsessionid=V3EN15IFHQLNICTGOUFCHPQKMZ0QUJLW?idContent=1173105


Source: Mercer Human Resources Consulting

Labor and Employment

From the U.S. Census Department - Local Employment Dynamics Tool

Databases: A Brief Overview of the Local Employment Dynamics Tool from the U.S. Census

The LED tools can help decision-makers understand current workforce conditions and plan economic development. These tools help employers find potential workers and show jobseekers where to locate up-and-coming industries. The program featured data from five states when it launched in 1999, and had expanded to 44 states by early 2007.

“You see where workers live, where they work and how they commute,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “You can use these tools to spot, for example, where to relocate an office or see where you need more public transportation. The possibilities and uses are endless.”

The three LED online tools are: QWI (Quarterly Workforce Indicators) Online, Industry Focus and On the Map. QWI Online contains eight economic indicators: total employment, net job flow, job creation, number of new hires, separations, turnover and average monthly earnings for all workers and new hires.

Each indicator is a measure of a local economy that combines wage information with demographic data, such as age and sex. Together, they provide a complete picture of an area’s workforce, and changes can be tracked over time.

Direct to Summary To Database

Source: U.S. Census