From the Census Department:
The Effect of Taxes and Transfers on Income and Poverty in the United
States: 2005
Examines how income distributions change when the definition of income is varied to reflect the inclusion or exclusion of different components, such as Social Security, food stamps and income taxes.
Internet address:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/effect2005/effect2005.html.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
State Health Facts Online
Health Facts by State
"State-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation...." for all states and U.S. territories.
Additionally, there are state comparisons in eleven categories that include demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage and uninsured, health costs and budgets, managed care and health insurance, women's health, minority health, HIV/AIDS, and more.
Related resources includes a glossary.
From the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
URL: http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/
"State-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation...." for all states and U.S. territories.
Additionally, there are state comparisons in eleven categories that include demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage and uninsured, health costs and budgets, managed care and health insurance, women's health, minority health, HIV/AIDS, and more.
Related resources includes a glossary.
From the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
URL: http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
National Survey of Youth
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997
From the summary and tables:
Nineteen-year-old men were more likely to have dropped out of high school and less likely to be enrolled in college than 19-year-old women, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Women who were high school graduates and not enrolled in college during the October when they were age 18 were more likely than their male counterparts to be attending college the following October. Moreover, women enrolled in college during October when they were age 18 were less likely than men to have dropped out by the following October.
These findings are from the first eight annual rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which is a nationally representative survey of about 9,000 young men and women who were born during the years 1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in 1997, and ages 19 to 25 when interviewed for the eighth time in 2004-05.
The survey provides information on the employment experiences, schooling, family background, social behavior, and other characteristics of these youths.
PDF Version of Announcement and Stats
11 pages.
Source: BLS (via Stuart Basefsky’s IWS Documented News Service)
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997
From the summary and tables:
Nineteen-year-old men were more likely to have dropped out of high school and less likely to be enrolled in college than 19-year-old women, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Women who were high school graduates and not enrolled in college during the October when they were age 18 were more likely than their male counterparts to be attending college the following October. Moreover, women enrolled in college during October when they were age 18 were less likely than men to have dropped out by the following October.
These findings are from the first eight annual rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which is a nationally representative survey of about 9,000 young men and women who were born during the years 1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in 1997, and ages 19 to 25 when interviewed for the eighth time in 2004-05.
The survey provides information on the employment experiences, schooling, family background, social behavior, and other characteristics of these youths.
PDF Version of Announcement and Stats
11 pages.
Source: BLS (via Stuart Basefsky’s IWS Documented News Service)
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Political Trivia
Daily Dose of U.S. Political Trivia from CQ
Questions from Greg Giroux via the CQ Politics Blog (free). Interesting and fun.
Source: CQ Politics Daily
Questions from Greg Giroux via the CQ Politics Blog (free). Interesting and fun.
Source: CQ Politics Daily
Monday, March 26, 2007
Biofuels
Biofuels - An Energy, Environmental or Agricultural Policy?
Biofuels are produced from renewable resources (plants, organic waste, etc.) and can be used as an alternative to fossil fuels (oil, gas). Ethanol and biodiesel are the two main biofuels widely used today, but there are others, such as biobutanol, at the research and development phase. Global production of biofuels is booming, as higher oil prices and technological breakthroughs have made it a more profitable business. Other key factors are the political will in most industrialized countries to find a reliable source of energy, and the implementation of new incentive programs; these have stimulated the industry’s growth and helped develop a level of infrastructure that can take advantage of favourable economic conditions.
Source: Library of Parliament (Canada)
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Health Care Quality
Guide to Health Care Quality
This booklet offers information for consumers on evaluating health care services to find quality care and make good health care decisions.
It provides tips on finding and communicating with a physician, asking questions, and taking an active role in health care. From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
URL: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/guidetoq/
This booklet offers information for consumers on evaluating health care services to find quality care and make good health care decisions.
It provides tips on finding and communicating with a physician, asking questions, and taking an active role in health care. From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
URL: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/guidetoq/
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Historic Newspapers
New Product from the Library of Congress
From the Library of Congress and National Endowment for the Humanities - a new project named:
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
Newspapers in the public domain from California, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Utah, Virginia and the District of Columbia published between 1900 and 1910 are part of the database. More content to come. You can also find information about specific newspapers back to 1690.
From the Library of Congress and National Endowment for the Humanities - a new project named:
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.
Newspapers in the public domain from California, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Utah, Virginia and the District of Columbia published between 1900 and 1910 are part of the database. More content to come. You can also find information about specific newspapers back to 1690.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Consumer Rights
Consumers International
Website for this "global federation of consumer organisations dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer's rights worldwide through empowering national consumer groups and campaigning at the international level."
Features industry and regional reports, policy recommendations, and other material about consumer topics such as corporate social responsibility, food safety, World Consumer Rights Day (in March), and international standards.
URL: http://www.consumersinternational.org/
Website for this "global federation of consumer organisations dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer's rights worldwide through empowering national consumer groups and campaigning at the international level."
Features industry and regional reports, policy recommendations, and other material about consumer topics such as corporate social responsibility, food safety, World Consumer Rights Day (in March), and international standards.
URL: http://www.consumersinternational.org/
Monday, March 19, 2007
International Earth Day
International Earth Day
Website for this version of Earth Day, as celebrated on the spring equinox in March. (Earth Day is generally observed in April.)
Features background of this day that was initiated "on March 21, 1970. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology."
Includes an Earth Day charter and guide for earth trustees by Earth Day founder John McConnell, and related material.
URL: http://www.earthsite.org
Website for this version of Earth Day, as celebrated on the spring equinox in March. (Earth Day is generally observed in April.)
Features background of this day that was initiated "on March 21, 1970. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology."
Includes an Earth Day charter and guide for earth trustees by Earth Day founder John McConnell, and related material.
URL: http://www.earthsite.org
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Internet Crime
Just Released: 2006 Internet Crime Report
Among the highlights from the report, which is now posted on the web:
Overall totals:
During 2006, consumers filed 207,492 complaints. Complainants said they lost $198.4 million, the highest total ever.
Types of fraud:
Nearly 45 percent of the complaints involved online auction fraud—such as getting a different product than you expected—making it the largest category; more than 19 percent concerned undelivered merchandise or payments.
Another pervasive scheme last year involved an e-mail threat of murder. Get more details on all nine fraud categories in Appendix I of the report, including identity theft, investment fraud, cyberstalking, phishing, spoofing, spamming, and others.
The perpetrators: Three-quarters were men. Nearly 61 percent lived in the U.S., with half in one of seven states. Other top countries included the U.K., Nigeria, Canada, Romania, and Italy.
Victims: All over the map. But the report shows that the “average” complainant was a man between 30 and 40 living inCalifornia, Texas, Florida, or New York.
Individuals who reported losing money lost an average of $724; the highest losses involved Nigerian letter fraud, with a median loss of $5,100. Nearly 74 percent of the complaints said they were contacted through e-mail, and 36 percent complained of fraud through websites, highlighting the anonymous nature of the web.
Direct to Full Text
Among the highlights from the report, which is now posted on the web:
Overall totals:
During 2006, consumers filed 207,492 complaints. Complainants said they lost $198.4 million, the highest total ever.
Types of fraud:
Nearly 45 percent of the complaints involved online auction fraud—such as getting a different product than you expected—making it the largest category; more than 19 percent concerned undelivered merchandise or payments.
Another pervasive scheme last year involved an e-mail threat of murder. Get more details on all nine fraud categories in Appendix I of the report, including identity theft, investment fraud, cyberstalking, phishing, spoofing, spamming, and others.
The perpetrators: Three-quarters were men. Nearly 61 percent lived in the U.S., with half in one of seven states. Other top countries included the U.K., Nigeria, Canada, Romania, and Italy.
Victims: All over the map. But the report shows that the “average” complainant was a man between 30 and 40 living inCalifornia, Texas, Florida, or New York.
Individuals who reported losing money lost an average of $724; the highest losses involved Nigerian letter fraud, with a median loss of $5,100. Nearly 74 percent of the complaints said they were contacted through e-mail, and 36 percent complained of fraud through websites, highlighting the anonymous nature of the web.
Direct to Full Text
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Water for Life
Water for Life - United Nations
"The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2003, proclaimed the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life.'"
This website provides background and news about activities related to this proclamation (including World Water Day, occurring annually on March 22) and reference material on water-related issues such as scarcity, sanitation, and pollution. From the United Nations (UN).
URL: http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/
"The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2003, proclaimed the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life.'"
This website provides background and news about activities related to this proclamation (including World Water Day, occurring annually on March 22) and reference material on water-related issues such as scarcity, sanitation, and pollution. From the United Nations (UN).
URL: http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Social Explorer
Social Explorer
provides easy access to historical census data for the United States through the use of interactive maps .
http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/home/home.aspx
It also provides:
Seventy years of census data: 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 at the neighborhood (census tract), county, state and national levels, easily accessible in the form of interactive data maps and reports.
<http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/maps/home.aspx> <http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/help/home.aspx>
A Reports section, similar in operation to the Census Bureau'sAmerican Fact Finder, allows users to directly generate reports about areasof their choice. <http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/reports/home.aspx>
A Find tool, allowing users to instantly locate cities, zip codes,addresses, counties, towns, townships and other census geographies on themap.
provides easy access to historical census data for the United States through the use of interactive maps .
http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/home/home.aspx
It also provides:
Seventy years of census data: 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000 at the neighborhood (census tract), county, state and national levels, easily accessible in the form of interactive data maps and reports.
<http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/maps/home.aspx> <http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/help/home.aspx>
A Reports section, similar in operation to the Census Bureau'sAmerican Fact Finder, allows users to directly generate reports about areasof their choice. <http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/reports/home.aspx>
A Find tool, allowing users to instantly locate cities, zip codes,addresses, counties, towns, townships and other census geographies on themap.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
PlanetHazard
PlanetHazard uses information from the EPA to map over 86,000 companies throughout the United States that emit hazardous air pollutants.
http://www.planethazard.com/
http://www.planethazard.com/
Monday, March 12, 2007
Congressional Committee Meetings Index
From the library at the North Carolina State University at Raleigh:
Congressional Committees Meetings Index
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/congbibs/
The U.S. Congressional Bibliographies enumerate and describe meetings held by Congressional committees since 1985, those for which printed transcripts are issued, and those that remain unprinted.
Its sources are the Congressional Record's "Daily Digest" and bibliographic information supplied by the U.S. Senate Library. Its primary goal is to be an authoritative, exhaustive reference source of meetings held and documents released by House and Senate committees.
Congressional Committees Meetings Index
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/congbibs/
The U.S. Congressional Bibliographies enumerate and describe meetings held by Congressional committees since 1985, those for which printed transcripts are issued, and those that remain unprinted.
Its sources are the Congressional Record's "Daily Digest" and bibliographic information supplied by the U.S. Senate Library. Its primary goal is to be an authoritative, exhaustive reference source of meetings held and documents released by House and Senate committees.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
U.S. Congress Votes Database
From the Washington Post:
U.S. Congress Votes Database
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/about/
This site, washingtonpost.com's U.S. Congress Votes Database, is a database of every vote in the United States Congress since the 102nd Congress (1991). It lets you browse votes in a variety of ways -- both in aggregate and for individual members of Congress.
Browse the database by drilling down to a particular Congress (e.g. 109th Congress) or particular member (e.g. 109th Congress senators).
U.S. Congress Votes Database
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/about/
This site, washingtonpost.com's U.S. Congress Votes Database, is a database of every vote in the United States Congress since the 102nd Congress (1991). It lets you browse votes in a variety of ways -- both in aggregate and for individual members of Congress.
Browse the database by drilling down to a particular Congress (e.g. 109th Congress) or particular member (e.g. 109th Congress senators).
Friday, March 9, 2007
Online Learning
K-12 Online Learning: A Survey of U.S. School District Administrators
The Sloan Consortium’s first ever survey of online learning in elementary and secondary education, K-12 Online Learning: A Survey of U.S. School District Administrators, predicts rapid growth in online education. The nationwide survey, conducted during the 2005-2006 academic year, finds that almost two out of three (63 %) school districts had one or more students enrolled in either a fully online or a blended course, which combines online learning with traditional face-to-face instruction.
The new study estimates that 700,000 K-12 students were engaged in online courses in the 2005-2006 academic year…Survey results show online learning is meeting the specific needs of a range of students including those who need extra help, those who want to take more advanced courses and those whose districts do not have enough teachers to offer certain subjects.
+ Almost two-thirds of the responding public school districts are offering online courses:* 63.1% had one or more students enrolled in a fully online or blended course.* 57.9% had one or more students enrolled in a fully online course.* 32.4% had one or more students enrolled in a blended course.
Direct to Highlights Direct to Full Text (30 pages; PDF)
Source: The Sloan Consortium
The Sloan Consortium’s first ever survey of online learning in elementary and secondary education, K-12 Online Learning: A Survey of U.S. School District Administrators, predicts rapid growth in online education. The nationwide survey, conducted during the 2005-2006 academic year, finds that almost two out of three (63 %) school districts had one or more students enrolled in either a fully online or a blended course, which combines online learning with traditional face-to-face instruction.
The new study estimates that 700,000 K-12 students were engaged in online courses in the 2005-2006 academic year…Survey results show online learning is meeting the specific needs of a range of students including those who need extra help, those who want to take more advanced courses and those whose districts do not have enough teachers to offer certain subjects.
+ Almost two-thirds of the responding public school districts are offering online courses:* 63.1% had one or more students enrolled in a fully online or blended course.* 57.9% had one or more students enrolled in a fully online course.* 32.4% had one or more students enrolled in a blended course.
Direct to Highlights Direct to Full Text (30 pages; PDF)
Source: The Sloan Consortium
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Congressional Pig Book
From Citizens Against Government Waste:
The 2007 Government Pig Book
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2007
The Congressional Pig Book is CAGW's annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget.
The 2007 Pig Book identified 2,658 projects at a cost of $13.2 billion in the Defense and Homeland Security Appropriations Acts for fiscal 2007. Only two of the 11 appropriations bills were enacted by Congress and the remaining nine were subject to a moratorium on earmarks.
A "pork" project is a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures. To qualify as pork, a project must meet one of seven criteria that were developed in 1991 by CAGW and the Congressional Porkbusters Coalition.
The 2007 Government Pig Book
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2007
The Congressional Pig Book is CAGW's annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget.
The 2007 Pig Book identified 2,658 projects at a cost of $13.2 billion in the Defense and Homeland Security Appropriations Acts for fiscal 2007. Only two of the 11 appropriations bills were enacted by Congress and the remaining nine were subject to a moratorium on earmarks.
A "pork" project is a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures. To qualify as pork, a project must meet one of seven criteria that were developed in 1991 by CAGW and the Congressional Porkbusters Coalition.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Congresspedia
Congresspedia
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Congresspedia
Congresspedia is the "citizen's encyclopedia on Congress" that anyone can edit.
Congresspedia is part of SourceWatch, a wiki-based website documenting the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Congresspedia
Congresspedia is the "citizen's encyclopedia on Congress" that anyone can edit.
Congresspedia is part of SourceWatch, a wiki-based website documenting the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
GovTrack.us
GovTrack.us — a 2006 Webby Award nominee mentioned in both The New York Times and The Washington Post — brings together legislative data from existing government sources and presents it in a user-friendly format, and provides the ability to track legislative events as they happen via email updates and RSS/Atom feeds. GovTrack provides its services for free.
As a nexus of information about the United States Congress, GovTrack brings together information on the status of federal legislation, voting records, and campaign contributions. The site automatically tracks legislative events and categorizes them into thousands of subjects, such as "nuclear energy" and "medicine," so that users can subscribe to follow just the events that interest them. Events, like the passage of bills, are sent to users on a daily or weekly basis by email, or through RSS/Atom feeds.
Information is retrieved from a variety of government websites, primarily THOMAS and also sites listed on this page, on a daily basis.
http://www.govtrack.us/
As a nexus of information about the United States Congress, GovTrack brings together information on the status of federal legislation, voting records, and campaign contributions. The site automatically tracks legislative events and categorizes them into thousands of subjects, such as "nuclear energy" and "medicine," so that users can subscribe to follow just the events that interest them. Events, like the passage of bills, are sent to users on a daily or weekly basis by email, or through RSS/Atom feeds.
Information is retrieved from a variety of government websites, primarily THOMAS and also sites listed on this page, on a daily basis.
http://www.govtrack.us/
Monday, March 5, 2007
Federal Government Spending
This website, created by OMB Watch, is a free, searchable database of federal government spending.
http://fedspending.org/
FedSpending.org relies on the federal government's data for this website. The data is largely from two sources: the Federal Procurement Data System, which contains information about federal contracts; and the Federal Assistance Award Data System, which contains information about federal financial assistance such as grants, loans, insurance, and direct subsidies like Social Security.
From the website:
"With over $14 trillion in federal spending, this more open and accessible tool for citizens to find out where federal money goes and who gets it is long overdue. We believe this website is a good first step toward providing that access."
http://fedspending.org/
FedSpending.org relies on the federal government's data for this website. The data is largely from two sources: the Federal Procurement Data System, which contains information about federal contracts; and the Federal Assistance Award Data System, which contains information about federal financial assistance such as grants, loans, insurance, and direct subsidies like Social Security.
From the website:
"With over $14 trillion in federal spending, this more open and accessible tool for citizens to find out where federal money goes and who gets it is long overdue. We believe this website is a good first step toward providing that access."
Friday, March 2, 2007
Children's Health Information
New Resource for Children’s Health Information
Statehealthfacts.org
Includes a children’s health section that offers customized fact sheets for each state, a directory of all children’s health topics on the site, and the latest children’s health research from KCMU and headlines from kaisernetwork.org.
Source: StateHealthFacts.org (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Some of the latest stats updated on StateHealthFacts.org
Number of Medicare Advantage Contracts
2007+ Total Medicare Advantage Enrollment
2006+ Infant Mortality Rate (Deaths per 1,000 Live Births) by Race/Ethnicity
2001-2003+ State Mandated Benefits
Statehealthfacts.org
Includes a children’s health section that offers customized fact sheets for each state, a directory of all children’s health topics on the site, and the latest children’s health research from KCMU and headlines from kaisernetwork.org.
Source: StateHealthFacts.org (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Some of the latest stats updated on StateHealthFacts.org
Number of Medicare Advantage Contracts
2007+ Total Medicare Advantage Enrollment
2006+ Infant Mortality Rate (Deaths per 1,000 Live Births) by Race/Ethnicity
2001-2003+ State Mandated Benefits
Thursday, March 1, 2007
50 State Bluebook Guide
State Bluebooks
Table with links to "blue books" for most U.S. states.
These books are directories to each state's government, with material on topics such as branches of government, departments, and elections.
URL:
http://wwwapp.bradley.edu/library_reference/index.php/State_Blue_Books
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