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)