GAO Reports for the Week

Here are this week's Government Accountability Office reports, due to the holidays there is only one report this week. To learn more about the GAO, read the library's guide.

Report:

1. Long-Term Care Insurance: Federal Program Has a Unique Profit Structure and Faced a Significant Marketing Challenge. GAO-07-202, December 29.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-202
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07202high.pdf

State Department's Office of Protocol

Question: If both the U.S. national anthem and the national anthem of a foreign country were being played at an event (in the United States), which one would be played first? Find the answer at the Protocol FAQ page.

Since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, there have been government officials in charge of diplomatic conduct. Today, more than 3,000 years later, it is the Office of the Chief of Protocol that advises, assists, and supports the President of the United States, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State on official matters of national and international protocol, ensuring that the accepted rules of conduct in every capital of the world are implemented.

Visit the following pages to learn more:

• Specific duties of the Office of the Chief of Protocol
• Facts and History
• Photo Gallery

Check out books on diplomatic etiquette available through the University Libraries.

Senate History

Want to learn about interesting historic events this week in the Senate? Check out the Senate History page, the right sidebar highlights information on events this week.

The portrait on the left is Senator Henry Dodge of Wisconsin. His son, Caesar Dodge was also a Senator from Iowa, they are the only father-son who served at the same time in Senate history. Caesar Dodge took his oath of office on December 26th in 1848. Interestingly, both Dodge's served as one of the first two Senators for their states. View a list of Senators from Iowa and Wisconsin.

Who Got a Christmas Phone Call from the President?

Did you get a personal phone call from the President on Christmas Eve?

From Camp David, the President made telephone calls to members of the Armed Forces who are stationed overseas, or who have recently returned from overseas locations, to wish them a Merry Christmas, and to thank them for their service.

Find out who the call recipients were this year...

Santa Claus and NORAD

Want to see where at Santa Claus is? NORAD tracks Santa across the globe as he delivers his presents to all the good children across the globe. NORAD has been tracking Santa since 1958. In addition to tracking Santa you can ask him questions and how many cookies has Santa eaten so far. Currently at 8:30 MST Santa is flying into Kabul, Afghanistan.

Tax Forms for 2006

Want to find tax forms online? We have set up a tax forms guide, which links to federal and state tax forms available electronically. We also have paper tax forms available on the third floor in the southwest corner of Norlin Library. The following is a list of the forms, instructions, and publications we have received in paper. While we attempt to keep this list up-to-date, due to high demand, some forms may be temporarily out of stock.

For those of you who get the blog via an RSS feed, we will be updating this page often and you may receive multiple copies in your feed reader.

Forms:

• 1040
• 1040A
• 1040-ES (includes instructions)
  
• <1040ez
• 1040EZ-T
• 1040NR
• 1040NR-EZ
• 1096
• 1098
• 1099-DIV
• 1099-MISC
  
• 1099-S
• 2106
• 2441
• 3903
• 4562
• 4868
• 8283
• 8822
• 8829
• 8843
• 8863
• 8913
• Schedule 1, 1040A
• Schedule 2, 1040A (includes instructions)
• Schedule 3, 1040A (includes instructions)
• Schedule A (on same sheet as B)
• Schedule B (on same sheet as A)
• Schedule C
• Schedule C-EZ
• Schedule D
• Schedule E
• Schedule EIC
• Schedule F
• Schedule R
• Schedule SE
• W-2
• W-3
• W-4

Instructions:

• 1040
• 1040A
• 1040EZ
• 1040NR
• 1040NR-EZ
• 1040X
• 1098
• 1099-DIV
• 1099-MISC
• 1099-S
• 2106
• 2441
• 4562
• 8283
• 8829
• 8913
• Schedule 2, 1040A
• Schedule 3, 1040A (includes form)
• Schedule R
• W-2
• W-3
• W-4

Publications:

• Publication 17
• Publication 334
• Publication 535
• Publication 1796

Colorado:

• Colorado Income Tax Guide (includes all the forms and instructions)
  

GAO reports for the week

Here are this week's Government Accountability Office reports. To learn more about the GAO, read the library's guide.

Reports:

1. Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations: Actions Needed to Clarify Responsibilities and Increase Preparedness for Evacuations. GAO-07-44, December 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-44
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0744high.pdf

2. Workforce Investment Act: Employers Found One-Stop Centers Useful in Hiring Low-Skilled Workers; Performance Information Could Help Gauge Employer Involvement. GAO-07-167, December 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-167
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07167high.pdf

3. Homeland Security First Responder Grants: Cash Management Improvement Act Exemption and Cash Advance Funding Require Additional DHS Oversight. GAO-07-68, December 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-68
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0768high.pdf

4. Defense Health Care: Access to Care for Beneficiaries Who Have Not Enrolled in TRICARE's Managed Care Option. GAO-07-48, December 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-48
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0748high.pdf

5. International Energy: International Forums Contribute to Energy Cooperation within Constraints. GAO-07-170, December 19.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-170
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07170high.pdf

6. Export Controls: Challenges Exist in Enforcement of an Inherently Complex System. GAO-07-265, December 20.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-265
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07265high.pdf

7. Military Operations: High-Level DOD Action Needed to Address Long-standing Problems with Management and Oversight of Contractors Supporting Deployed Forces. GAO-07-145, December 18.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-145
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07145high.pdf

8. New Drug Development: Science, Business, Regulatory, and Intellectual Property Issues Cited as Hampering Drug Development Efforts. GAO-07-49, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-49
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0749high.pdf

9. Veterans' Disability Benefits: VA Can Improve Its Procedures for Obtaining Military Service Records. GAO-07-98, December 12.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-98
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0798high.pdf

10. Federal Law Enforcement: Survey of Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Functions and Authorities. GAO-07-121, December 19.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-121
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07121high.pdf

11. Compacts of Free Association: Micronesia and the Marshall Islands Face Challenges in Planning for Sustainability, Measuring Progress, and Ensuring Accountability. GAO-07-163, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-163
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07163high.pdf

Correspondence:

1. Defense Contracting: Questions for the Record. GAO-07-217R, December 21.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-217R

2. Response to a Posthearing Question Related to GAO's November 16, 2006 Testimony on the Defense Travel System. GAO-07-287R, December 19.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-287R

3. Head Start: Additional Information on Implementation of Transportation Regulations. GAO-07-194R, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-194R

Related Product:

1. Federal Law Enforcement: Results of Surveys of Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Components. GAO-07-223SP, December 19. [online only]
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-223SP

Let it snow?

Whether we like it or not, a little snow has fallen out here in Colorado. Although as I look out the window this morning I can see a bit of blue sky peaking out from behind the mountains here. Two to three feet of snow fell since yesterday morning around the Denver metro area. For those of you in the Boulder area, the library is open, although there is no reference service, it is more of a big warm building to study in today.

So for those of you stuck in your house here, like me, here are some things to check out on the snow.

Denver International Airport (DIA): http://flydenver.com/ The airport is currently closed until Friday at noon. (I and a lot of other people are hoping that they won't extend that closure any farther!)

Governor Owen's Disaster Declaration: http://www.colorado.gov/governor/press/december06/snow.html Governor Bill declared a state of emergency yesterday to help with the storm. The National Guard has been mobilized and has already helped people get out of their stuck cars and delivered supplies to the over 1000 people stuck at DIA.

National Weather Service: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/ The current weather state here in the Denver/Boulder area. The snow is currently really light and hopefully coming to an end.

Colorado Travel Information: http://www.cotrip.org/ This site links to information on road closures and estimated travel times. And for those of your out of state who wonder about all the craziness over a few feet of snow, some live video cams of how the roads look (due to a high volume of web traffic this page may time out and require a few tries to load).

Finally, on a non-governmental front, the web site DenverChannel has videos and pictures of the snow around the state.

Monarchies in Nepal and Bhutan

According to articles in The New York Times from last Sunday, the monarchies in Nepal and Bhutan are both poised to lose power completely as the countries continue to move towards self-rule.

• From the first piece, "As Nepal Shakes Up Ancient Order, All Is Up in the Air":
  
  "The very ground rules of nationhood are being rewritten here. In a sense, the Nepalese are making themselves into citizens of a nation rather than subjects of a king. In fact, the monarcy itself is an open question: a special assembly is to be elected next year to decide whether Nepal needs a king at all."
  
  Read the full story.
  
  Check out the Government Publications Library country guide on Nepal.
  
  
• From the second, "King of Tiny Bhutan Steps Down Early to Make Way for Son":
  
  "In recent years, King Wangchuck has been slowly pushing his isolated mountain state toward modernity and has opted to relinquish much of the monarchy's power."
  
  Read the full story.
  
  See set of discussion papers on the Gross National Happiness (GNH) concept in Bhutan.
  
  Learn more about Bhutan from the official Bhutan web portal.
  
  
  

The National Weather Service

There's a major snowstorm raging as we speak... The Denver Post's website reads:

"Blizzard Paralyzes State
A dangerous blizzard blew into Colorado early this morning, shutting down cities, schools, Denver International Airport and the state's three Interstate highways from Denver east to Kansas and Nebraska and south to New Mexico. Even the U.S. Postal Service shut down early in the afternoon. Gov. Bill Owens declared the storm a disaster emergency and activated the National Guard to assist emergency workers."

Read the full article online...

According to the National Weather Service, we should expect 10 inches in low-lying parts of the metro area and as much as 20 inches in the foothills.

So what is the National Weather Service?

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of the Department of Commerce.

According to its website the National Weather Service "provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national information database and infrastructure which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public, and the global community."

Read more about the NWS.

Check out the Organization page to look at maps of weather forecast centers, river forecast centers, and aviation center weather centers as well as a list of NWS offices and centers by region and state.

Visit the Weather Education page for links to classroom teaching materials, photos and images, a weather glossary and bibliography, and to learn about weather-related careers.

Also, check out the Government Publications Library Weather and Climate subject guide.

206th Congress 2nd Session - A "Do Nothing" Congress?

The 2nd session of the 109th House of Representatives (calendar year 2006) adjourned sine die on Friday, December 8th. Ending the year with only 101 legislative days (104 calendar days) in session, this House met fewer times than the "Do Nothing" Congress of 1948.

Since the 95th Congress, which convened 30 years ago in 1977, the House has had an annual average of 139 legislative days in session. The 95th House, 2nd session (1977) met for a total of 174 legislative days, followed by the 1st session of the 96th House, which met for 173. In contrast, the 2nd sessions of the 108th and 109th Houses, which met in 2004 and 2006 respectively, were in session for only 110 and 101 legislative days.

For more detail, check out the Days in Session Calendars for the House (back to 1975) and Senate (back to 1978) from the Library of Congress' Thomas site.

New Look and Feel

As many of you may have noticed the blog looks a lot different today! You may have also noticed the little labels at the bottom of the posts that started showing up last week. We decided after a year that perhaps it was time to play around a little with the template, so we redesigned the page to make it fit in with our new home page in the library.

As you can see from the "Tags" category on the right you can now click on and read the post on a particular topic. It will only display a few of the results on the first page, but if you want to scroll through, just click the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of the list. We have tagged all of the posts going back to the first one on the National Flu Pandemic.

If you have any comments on our design or the new layout, please post a comment or send us an email.

New Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

President Bush made a statement today at Robert Gates swearing in ceremony as the new Secretary of Defense.

After his confirmation Gates stated (available on the same page as Bush's statement):
"All of us want to find a way to bring America's sons and daughters home again. But, as the President has made clear, we simply cannot afford to fail in the Middle East. Failure in Iraq at this juncture would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our credibility, and endanger Americans for decades to come."

Want to read the media's reaction? Check out the Washington Post's "Gates Sworn in as Defense Secretary" or the New York Times article "Replacing Rumsfield, Gates Issues warning on Iraq."

Want to know more about Gates? Check out the blog posting "Who is Robert M. Gates?"

New regulations of Oil and Gas Industry in Colorado

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission adopted new rules this weekend regulating the oil and gas industry. You can read the rules and the discussions leading up to this decision on Revisions to Regulation No. 7. These changes will still have to be approved by the state legislature, when it reconvenes next year.

The Denver Post wrote about this decision today in the article "Strong rules for gas and oil."

Interested in learning more about government and the environment? Check out the library's subject guide.

House and Senate Vacancies...

With all the news about Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota, I got to wondering...

Check out this Congressional Research Service report: House and Senate Vacancies: How are they filled?

GAO Reports for the week

This is this weeks Government Accountability Office reports. To learn more about the GAO, read the library's guide.

Reports:

1. National Flood Insurance Program: New Processes Aided Hurricane Katrina Claims Handling, but FEMA's Oversight Should Be Improved. GAO-07-169, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-169
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07169high.pdf

2. Defense Infrastructure: Continuing Challenges in Managing DOD Lodging Programs as Army Moves to Privatize Its Program. GAO-07-164, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-164
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07164high.pdf

3. Smithsonian Institution: Additional Information Should Be Developed and Provided to Filmmakers on the Impact of the Showtime Contract. GAO-07-275, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-275
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07275high.pdf

4. Federal Information Collection: A Reexamination of the Portfolio of Major Federal Household Surveys Is Needed. GAO-07-62, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-62
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0762high.pdf

5. Bank Secrecy Act: FinCEN and IRS Need to Improve and Better Coordinate Compliance and Data Management Efforts. GAO-07-212, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-212
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07212high.pdf

6. Information Technology: Status and Challenges of Employee Exchange Program. GAO-07-216, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-216
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07216high.pdf

7. Prescription Drugs: Improvements Needed in FDA's Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising. GAO-07-54, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-54
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0754high.pdf

8. Border Security: US-VISIT Program Faces Strategic, Operational, and Technological Challenges at Land Ports of Entry. GAO-07-248, December 6.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-248
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07248high.pdf

9. Intercity Passenger Rail: National Policy and Strategies Needed to Maximize Public Benefits from Federal Expenditures. GAO-07-15, November 13.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-15
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0715high.pdf

10. Next Generation Air Transportation System: Progress and Challenges Associated with the Transformation of the National Airspace System. GAO-07-25, November 13.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-25
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0725high.pdf

11. USDA Conservation Programs: Stakeholder Views on Participation and Coordination to Benefit Threatened and Endangered Species and Their Habitats. GAO-07-35, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-35
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0735high.pdf

12. U.S. Insular Areas: Economic, Fiscal, and Financial Accountability Challenges. GAO-07-119, December 12.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-119
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07119high.pdf

13. Darfur Crisis: Progress in Aid and Peace Monitoring Threatened by Ongoing Violence and Operational Challenges. GAO-07-9, November 9.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-9
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d079high.pdf

14. Darfur Crisis: Death Estimates Demonstrate Severity of Crisis, but Their Accuracy and Credibility Could Be Enhanced. GAO-07-24, November 9.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-24
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0724high.pdf

Correspondence:

1. Rebuilding Iraq: Status of DOD's Reconstruction Program. GAO-07-30R, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-30R

2. Homeland Security: Agriculture Specialists' Views of Their Work Experiences After Transfer to DHS. GAO-07-209R, November 14.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-209R

3. NASA's System for Tracking Foreign Contracts and Subcontracts. GAO-07-142R, November 9.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-142R

Special Publication:

1. 2006 Report on GAO's Use of Provisions in the GAO Personnel Flexibilities Act of 2000 and the GAO Human Capital Reform Act of 2004. [Appendix 2 of GAO's 2006 Performance and Accountability Report] GAO-07-289SP, December 2006.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-289SP

2. Understanding Similarities and Differences Between Accrual and Cash Deficits. GAO-07-117SP, December 2006
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-117SP

Presentations by the Comptroller General:

1. "21st Century Challenges--Key Areas for Oversight: Retirement, Pension, and Health Care Insecurity" by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement, in Washington, D.C. GAO-07-270CG, December 7, 2006.
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07270cg.pdf

2. "Increasing Financial Literacy in America" by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission, in Washington, D.C. GAO-07-284CG, December 11, 2006.
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07284cg.pdf

3. "America's Fiscal Future: Implications for Higher Education and Global Competitiveness" by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Council of Graduate Schools annual meeting, in Washington, D.C. GAO-07-261CG, December 7, 2006
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07261cg.pdf

State of the World's Children

UNICEF has released the 2007 edition of the State of the World's Children. There are a number of ways to access this report: PDF, HTML and if you want to read the summary it is also available in PDF.

This report provides statistics on education, literacy, disease, economic indicators, pregnancy, and other factors affecting children. It also discusses in detail issues in equality. The key message of this year's report is on gender equality. The report states "Gender equality produces a double dividend: It benefits both women and children. Healthy, educated and empowered women have healthy, educated and confident daughters and sons. Gender equality will not only empower women to overcome poverty and live full and productive lives, but will better the lives of children, families and countries as well."

Some of the features of the report from the html version are:

• Customizable Statistical Tables these tables allow you to compare countries or regions side by side using economic and social data.
• Regional Reports UNICEF has also released regional reports on Latin America and South Asia, a report on the Middle East and South Africa is forthcoming.
• Profiles There are individual profiles of women on a variety of issues from household equality to political equality.
• Youth Centre This section links to photos of women and children, a gender equality quiz, an interactive web site for youth, and a profile of Kiriam a girl who was taken by a child collector.

Want to check out the older copies of this book? Some are available online and additional copies are available in print in the library, view the library record. Browse through Chinook, the library catalog, for publications from UNICEF.

Want additional resources on children? Check out the library's subject guide.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

NPR ran a story last night on "All Things Considered" about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's proposed plan to make experimental drugs more widely accessible to patients with serious illnesses like cancer and AIDS.

What is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and what does it do?

The FDA is a consumer protection agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. It consists of a team of about 9,000 public health employees that includes physicians, nurses, consumer safety officers, lawyers, and scientists, with specialties ranging from biomaterials engineering to pharmacology.

The FDA dates its origin to June 1906, when President Teddy Roosevelt signed the Food and Drugs Act and entrusted implementation of this law to the Bureau of Chemistry of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Bureau, the oldest U.S. consumer protection office, eventually became the FDA, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The agency is responsible to the American public to ensure that:

• Foods are safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled.
• Drugs for both humans and animals, and vaccines for humans are safe and effective.
• Blood used for transfusions is safe and in adequate supply.
• Medical devices, from scalpels to CT scanners, are safe and effective.
• Transplanted tissues are safe and effective.
• Equipment that uses radiant energy, such as X-ray machines and microwave ovens, is safe.
• Cosmetics are safe and properly labeled.

Visit the FDA's website to learn more about its structure and organization, locations, components, mission, and more. Take an online tour or watch a slide show.

Browse through Chinook, the Libraries Catalog, for titles about the FDA or published by the FDA.

Congress in Recess

Congress is in recess until next year, but rather then give up our weekly reports on Congress I thought I would highlight a variety of online resources.

This week I want to look at Thomas. Thomas is a database from the Library of Congress that gathers resources on legislation in Congress. This web site is a good free resource for searching for information on what Congress is doing. They actually have good coverage of going back as well. For a complete list, check out the About Thomas page, but here are a few of the resources you can find there:

• Bill Summary and Status (1973 to present): The summary and status information includes: sponsor(s); cosponsor(s); official, short and popular titles; floor/executive actions; detailed legislative history; Congressional Record page references; bill summary; committees of referral; reporting and origin; subcommittees of referral; links to other committee information provided by the House of Representatives; amendment descriptions; subjects; a link to the full text versions and if the bill has been enacted into law, and a link to the full text of the law on the Government Printing Office Web site.
• House Roll Call Votes (1990 to present) and Senate Roll Call Votes (1989 to present): These are the recorded votes of members of Congress.
• Congressional Record (1989 to present): This is a record of what happens on the floor of both the House and Senate.
• and much more....

If you are interested in additional legislative resources, check out the library's subject guide.

Online schooling in Colorado

Many of you may have caught today's Denver Post article, "Auditor Blasts Online Schools." Want to read the auditor's report that caused all the concern? It is available online from the Office of the State Auditor's web site, as "Online Education Department of Education Performance Audit."

You can also read more accountability reports on schools in Colorado, check out last week's post on Colorado School Accountability Reports.

Finally, if you want additional educational resources from the government, check out the library's subject guide.

Holidays at the White House

It is Monday morning and while I am sure you still have quite a pile of email to get through, why not take a break and check out the White House's Holiday web site. There are links to pictures of the White House, the Holiday Program, and videos of the First Lady receiving the tree and showing off the decorations.

All this is interesting, but my favorite tradition at the White House is the fifth annual Barney holiday video. Barney is President Bush's Scottish Terrier. This year Barney is putting on a big holiday show, but he has to deal with the Treasury telling him he has no budget and audition dancers like Karl Rove (who makes the cut) and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings (who despite advice from Emmit Smith doesn't make the cut). Check out the transcript and video online, it is available in Windows Media, Quicktime, Real Media or you can download the podcast from iTunes.

Unrest and Potential Disaster in the Central African Republic

I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a town southwest of the capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR) back in 1991-1993, so I obviously take personal interest in some of the current news coming out of central Africa. Sandwiched between Chad, the Darfur region of Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, CAR is now being dragged into the chaos plaguing the area.

Read more about what's happening in CAR from:

• The New York Times
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• UN World Food Programme

Learn more about the Central African Republic by visiting the Government Publications Library's subject guide.

GAO reports for the week

This is this weeks Government Accountability Office reports. To learn more about the GAO, read the library's guide. You may have actually heard about GAO's testimony before Congress this week on Katrina, check out the testimony further down this entry, or read the highlights online.

Reports:

1. Intellectual Property: Strategy for Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP) Requires Changes for Long-Term Success. GAO-07-74, November 8.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-74
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0774high.pdf

2. Information Technology: DOD Needs to Ensure That Navy Marine Corps Intranet Program Is Meeting Goals and Satisfying Customers. GAO-07-51, December 8.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-51
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0751high.pdf

3. GSA Fleet: Information on the Effect of Donating Cars to YouthBuild USA and Potential Benefits to Rural YouthBuild Participants. GAO-07-153, December 8.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-153
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07153high.pdf

4. No Child Left Behind Act: Education's Data Improvement Efforts Could Strengthen the Basis for Distributing Title III Funds. GAO-07-140, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-140
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07140high.pdf

5. End-Stage Renal Disease: Bundling Medicare's Payment for Drugs with Payment for All ESRD Services Would Promote Efficiency and Clinical Flexibility. GAO-07-77, November 13.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-77
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0777high.pdf

6. Export Controls: Agencies Should Assess Vulnerabilities and Improve Guidance for Protecting Export-Controlled Information at Universities. GAO-07-70, December 5.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-70
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0770high.pdf

7. Export Controls: Agencies Should Assess Vulnerabilities and Improve Guidance for Protecting Export-Controlled Information at Companies. GAO-07-69, December 5.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-69
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0769high.pdf

8. Financial Literacy and Education Commission: Further Progress Needed to Ensure an Effective National Strategy. GAO-07-100, December 4.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-100
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07100high.pdf

2. VA Health Care: Spending for Mental Health Strategic Plan Initiatives Was Substantially Less Than Planned. GAO-07-66, November 21.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-66
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0766high.pdf

Testimonies:

1. End-Stage Renal Disease: Medicare Payments for All ESRD Services, Including Injectable Drugs, Should Be Bundled, by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the House Committee on Ways and Means. GAO-07-266T, December 6.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-266T

2. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief: Continued Findings of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, by Gregory D. Kutz, managing director, forensic audits and special investigations, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-07-252T, December 6.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-252T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07252thigh.pdf

3. Energy Employees Compensation: GAO's Prior Work Has Identified Needed Improvements in Various Aspects of the Program, by Daniel Bertoni, acting director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-07-233T, December 5.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-233T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07233thigh.pdf

4. Improper Payments: Incomplete Reporting under the Improper Payments Information Act Masks the Extent of the Problem, by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information,
and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-07-254T, December 5.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-254T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07254thigh.pdf

5. Postsecondary Education: Multiple Tax Preferences and Title IV Student Aid Programs Create a Complex Education Financing Environment, by Michael Brostek, director, strategic issues, before the Senate Committee on Finance. GAO-07-262T, December 5.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-262T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07262thigh.pdf

Presentation by Comptroller General:

"Modernizing Accountability Organizations in Times of Fiscal Constraint" by David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States, before the National Intergovernmental Audit Forum, in Silver Spring, Maryland. GAO-07-251CG, December 1, 2006.
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07251cg.pdf

IAEA's Incident & Emergency Centre (IEC)

I recently read an online news article about a construction worker who found a small, shiny, metallic object at a building site in Chile. He put it in his pocket, showed it to a colleague, his boss, and six other coworkers. By evening, the worker was in the hospital, vomiting from radiation poisoning. What he´d found was a powerful, unshielded iridium-192 source. By accident, it had dislodged from equipment where it was used to check for welding flaws in the building under construction. Within days, Chile´s radiation and health authorities placed an urgent call for help to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Incident & Emergency Centre hotline.

The Incident & Emergency Centre (IEC) serves as the IAEA's focal point for responding to nuclear or radiological incidents and emergencies and for promoting improvement in Member States’ emergency response and preparedness.

The IEC provides for an integrated system through which States, their competent authorities, international organizations, technical experts and the Secretariat can effectively share information and experience, and coordinate the provision of assistance for response to or preparedness for incidents or emergencies.

The Incident and Emergency Centre was established 1 February 2005. It supersedes the former Emergency Response Centre (ERC) and its functions have been extended to include: incident reporting (INES/NEWS), coordinating prompt assistance to requesting States in the case of a nuclear security incident, and to providing coordinated technical support to the Agency’s Division of Public Information in the case of an event of safety or security concern to the media.

Colorado Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology

Today I thought I would reward all those Colorado readers with a brief discussion on the Colorado Disease Control and Environmental Epidemiology division, which is part of the Department of Public Health and the Environment. According to their web site this group "tracks, controls and prevents communicable diseases and other conditions in Colorado to reduce illness and premature deaths. Staff members also assess risks from toxic exposures in the environment to prevent adverse health effects."

What can you find there?

• Information on specific diseases effecting residents of Colorado, such as Flu, STDs/HIV and Tuberculosis.
• Surveillance Reports showing information on the spread of antibiotic resistance, flu and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Information on birth defects, developmental disabilities, and factors in developmental delays in Colorado children.
• and much more...

This division has 180 employees and provides additional support on issues such as emergency preparedness and response, refugee health screening, and immunizations. For more information, check out their FAQ.

Interested in additional health information from the government? Check out the library's subject guide. The library also receives many publications from this agency, which you can find by searching our online catalog, Chinook.

Colorado School Accountability Reports

The Colorado Department of Education released the School Accountability Reports yesterday. These reports provide a quick overview of how the school compares to other schools in the area as well as some statistics on factors such as funding, school safety, and number of students. These reports will be mailed to all parents in the next few weeks, but if you would like to view them online they are available in two places:

Department of Education site: You can search by keyword or map and also read a review of student progress in the past five years.

Denver Post site: This site links to both the reports and the CSAP and ACT scores.

Want to view additional education resources? Check out the library's subject guide.

Iraq Study Group Report

The Iraq Study Group Report will be released this morning at 9:00 a.m. (Mountain) on the following four sites:

• United States Institute of Peace
• James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
• Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Center for the Study of the Presidency

The Executive Summary is available now from The Washington Post's website.

Read President Bush's remarks after receiving the report.

Read more about the Iraq Study Group from an earlier blog posting.

Robert Gates before the Senate

The Senate Armed Services Committee met with Secretary of Defense nominee Robert Gates. The committee then approved his nomination and it now moves to the full Senate for a vote. Want to see the hearing? The Washington Post has opening remarks from Gates, Senator John McCain, and Senator Ted Kennedy. You can also read Gates written response to Committee questions, a 65-page document on the committee website.

Want to hear more from the hearing? Check out the Washington Post article "Senate Committee Unanimously Approves Gates."

Want to know more about Gates? Check out the blog posting "Who is Robert M. Gates?"

Rep. Tom Tancredo discusses Miami

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) was on MSNBC's Tucker Carlson last week discussing Miami, which he called a "Third World Country." Want to watch the video? Checkout the video on his web site where you can also read his letter in response to Governor Bush's complaints about his comments.

Rep. Tancredo is the Chairman to the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus a group dedicated to "highlight the continuing growth in illegal immigration through an aggressive press and member education operation."

The Denver Post wrote an article on Rep. Tancredo's comments and Gov. Bush's response entitled "Jeb Bush, Tancredo go mano a mano."

Want to learn more about immigration? Check out the library's subject guide.

Rumsfeld Iraq Memo

From the BBC:

"Former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld proposed major changes to the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq just two days before he resigned.

He made the call in a classified memo to the White House, which has been obtained by the New York Times."

Read the full news story.

Read the full text of the memo.

GAO Reports for the week

This is this weeks Government Accountability Office reports. To learn more about the GAO, read the library's guide.

Reports:

1. Immigration Benefits: Additional Efforts Needed to Help Ensure Alien Files Are Located when Needed. GAO-07-85, October 27.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-85
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0785high.pdf

2. Telecommunications: FCC Needs to Improve Its Ability to Monitor and Determine the Extent of Competition in Dedicated Access Services. GAO-07-80, November 29.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-80
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0780high.pdf

3. Private Pensions: Changes Needed to Provide 401(k) Plan Participants and the Department of Labor Better Information on Fees. GAO-07-21, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-21
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0721high.pdf

4. Medicare: Payment for Ambulatory Surgical Centers Should Be Based on the Hospital Outpatient Payment System. GAO-07-86, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-86
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0786high.pdf

5. Foreign Physicians: Data on Use of J-1 Visa Waivers Needed to Better Address Physician Shortages. GAO-07-52, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-52
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0752high.pdf

6. National Transportation Safety Board: Progress Made, Yet Management Practices, Investigation Priorities, and Training Center Use Should Be Improved. GAO-07-118, November 22.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-118
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07118high.pdf

7. Eminent Domain: Information about Its Uses and Effect on PropertyOwners and Communities Is Limited. GAO-07-28, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-28
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0728high.pdf

8. Defense Acquisitions: Challenges Remain in Developing Capabilities for Naval Surface Fire Support. GAO-07-115, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-115
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07115high.pdf

9. Depot Maintenance: Actions Needed to Provide More Consistent Funding Allocation Data to Congress. GAO-07-126, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-126
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07126high.pdf

10. Credit Unions: Greater Transparency Needed on Who Credit Unions Serve and on Senior Executive Compensation Arrangements. GAO-07-29, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-29
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0729high.pdf

Correspondence:

1. Corporate Governance: NCUA's Controls and Related Procedures for Board Independence and Objectivity Are Similar to Other Financial Regulators, but Opportunities Exist to Enhance Its Governance Structure. GAO-07-72R, November 30.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-72R

Presentation by the Comptroller General:

1. "Saving Our Future Requires Tough Choices Today" by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, on the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour at Denver City College, Denver, Colorado. GAO-07-269CG, November 28.
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07269cg.pdf

Post-election discussions

So voting is completed and the votes are counted (except for a few recounts across the US). Now it is time to evaluate how everything worked. For those of you who had problems voting in Denver, Mayor John Hickenlooper and City Council President Michael Hancock are holding a series of meetings to discuss the elections.

On the subject of voting machines the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission is looking for comments on it's draft Procedural Manual for Voting System Testing and Certification Program.
The Washington Post reported on these guidelines in the article "Security of Electronic Voting Condemned."

Finally, the Colorado Secretary of State will be releasing the official election results today. As of this morning they are still not up, but they should be up this afternoon on the Elections Center web site.

Want to learn more? Check out the library's elections and voting subject guide.

World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day. To mark the event, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was joined by UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot and leaders of different faiths to commemorate World AIDS Day at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York. The Secretary-General delivered a poignant message calling AIDS ‘the greatest challenge of our generation’. The gathering in New York was one of a host of events taking place around the world to mark World AIDS Day 2006.

UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organizations to the global AIDS response.

Cosponsors include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Based in Geneva, the UNAIDS secretariat works on the ground in more than 75 countries world wide.

Read the 2006 UNAIDS/WHO AIDS Epidemic Update, which reports on the latest developments in the global AIDS epidemic. With maps and regional summaries, the 2006 edition provides the most recent estimates of the epidemic’s scope and human toll, explores new trends in the epidemic’s evolution.

Browse AIDS related government documents available through Chinook (the Libraries Catalog).

To research health and medical topics, check out our subject guide.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

This week I thought I would talk about the International Organization the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO's mission is to defeat hunger. As such, they work with both developed and developing countries on issues related to food. For those of you that think that this means they deal with farming, that is correct, but they do a lot more. For example, just this week the FAO issued a press release on the effect of farming on greenhouse gas. This is in response to a report entitled "Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental issues and options" which reports that the livestock sector releases more greenhouse gases then the transport sector.

The FAO also issues country profiles on UN member states. These profiles provide links to publications from the FAO as well as maps of the countries with information on population, farming types, precipitation, etc.

Finally, the FAO collects a variety of statistics, including statistics on water, food supply, and fisheries. For example, according to the database FAOSTAT, Sri Lanka is the biggest exporter of tea and mate, followed by Kenya and China.

Want to see additional links to FAO web sites? Check out the library's guide to the FAO. If you are interested in seeing some of their print publications, we have many of them here at CU-Boulder and you can find them by searching the online catalog, Chinook.

African Union meets on Crisis in Darfur (Sudan)

From BBC News:

"United Nation's aid chief Jan Egeland has warned that conflicts in Sudan's Darfur, Chad and Central African Republic are now 'intimately linked'. He said fighters are crossing borders to launch attacks and risking a 'really dangerous regional crisis'.

His comments in Geneva come as the African Union meets in Nigeria, to discuss help for the overwhelmed and ill-equipped African force in Darfur.

Sudan has said no to the United Nations putting troops into the region

A hybrid mission was proposed earlier this month after a meeting of the UN, the AU and Sudanese delegates, but Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir again rejected this on Monday in a televised address.

He says he will only accept African troops under AU leadership."

Read the full news story.

For more on Sudan, check out the Government Publications Library country guide.

Keep up with current issues at the UN News Focus page on Sudan.

November Beige Book Released

From MSNBC:

"The US economy grew at a rate of 2.2 per cent in the third quarter, faster than previously thought, while wage growth earlier this year was revised down on Wednesday, adding to evidence that the economy is on track for a soft landing.

This picture was reinforced by the latest Fed Beige Book survey of economic conditions, which offered little sign of a deterioration in the US economy during October and early November."

Read the full news story.

Search the Fed Beige Book online back to 1970.

Iran's President Writes Letter to the American People

From MSNBC:

UNITED NATIONS - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a letter to the American people on Wednesday, accused their government of “coercion, force and injustice” and urged the United States to pull out of Iraq.

Ahmadinejad’s five-page letter also called on Washington to recognize a Palestinian state and cautioned the Democratic Party that, after gaining control of the U.S. Congress, they would be “held to account by the people and by history.”

The letter was given to the press by Iran’s Mission to the United Nations.

Read the full news report.

To learn more about Iran, check out the Government Publications Library subject guide.

A New U.S. Citizenship Test

According to news from MSNBC, federal officials will unveil new test questions designed, they say, to make the U.S. citizenship exam more meaningful.

"Our idea is to make this a test which is more relevant, which instills a greater sense of civic pride," says Emilio Gonzalez, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Some of the new questions:

• Why do we have three branches of government? (It's not enough just to name them.)
• Name two ways Americans can participate in our democracy.
• Name three of the Cabinet posts and what they do.
• Name one idea in the Declaration of Independence.

The new exam questions will be tried out in 10 cities beginning next year. A better test that some say will also help make better citizens.

What is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services?

On March 1, 2003, service and benefit functions of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) transitioned into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The President nominated Eduardo Aguirre to lead the USCIS; he was confirmed by the Senate on June 19, 2003. The USCIS is responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization adjudication functions and establishing immigration services policies and priorities. See the USCIC organizational chart.

What is The Office of Citizenship?

The Office of Citizenship, within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is responsible for promoting instruction and training on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and providing immigrants with information and tools necessary to successfully integrate into American civic culture.

NBC News investigation finds sensitive documents in libraries

From NBC News:

WASHINGTON - What if an airplane were to crash into a nuclear plant? How long would it take terrorists to penetrate security barriers outside nuclear facilities? What are the most vulnerable parts of a nuclear plant to attack in order to inflict maximum damage?

The answers to all those questions, and many more, are available to the public, as NBC News discovered in a recent hidden-camera investigation. Accessing that very information — along with thousands of other sensitive documents from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) — is as easy as walking into a public library, finding the right files, printing them out and walking out with the documents in hand, no questions asked.

Read the full story from MSNBC.

Read a November 24 statement from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

See the October 27 letter to the NRC from House Committee on Science.

United States Senate Catalogue of Graphic Art

A wonderfully illustrated new publication, The United States Catalogue of Graphic Art, offers a variety of perspectives on the Senate of the 19th and 20th centuries and provides insight into a time quite different than the media-saturated world of today.

The Catalogue marks the first comprehensive publication of the approximately 1,000 prints that constitute the Senate’s collection. It is organized into eight thematic chapters: Senate Chamber, Capitol Interior, Capitol Exterior & Grounds, Senate Art, Portraits, Group Portraits, Beyond Capitol Hill, and Political Cartoons & Caricatures. Detailed information is given for each print, including title, creator, date of publication, printing technique, and dimensions. In addition, accompanying approximately 30 prints are short essays giving background and context for the scene, people, or events depicted in the illustration.

The Catalogue is available in the Government Publications Library.

AIDS Epidemic Update

The UNAIDS and World Health Organization released their Annual AIDS Epidemic Update. This report estimates that 39.5 million people are living with HIV and 2.9 million people died from AIDS in 2006. This is an increase of 2.6 million people since 2004. In addition to the larger picture, there is also brief essays on programs and problems in the various regions of the world.

Want to learn more about global health? Check out the international section of our Health subject guide.

White House to Host Summit on Malaria

The President and Mrs. Bush will host a White House Summit on Malaria in December of 2006. The Office of the First Lady--in cooperation with the Office of the Malaria Coordinator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, other federal agencies, the Millennium Promise Alliance and other private partners--will bring together international experts, NGOs and faith-based and service organizations to discuss and highlight measures for controlling malaria, a completely preventable disease from which one child dies in Africa every 30 seconds.

On June 30, 2005, President Bush announced the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). The $1.2 billion, five-year initiative aims to cut malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 target countries in Africa.

The Summit will call on the private sector, foundations, voluntary organizations and school groups to complement the PMI by matching the U.S. Government's financial commitment and educating the public about malaria.

For more information on malaria, visit:

• World Health Organization (WHO) - Global Malaria Programme
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Malaria
• The World Bank - Malaria
• Roll Back Malaria Partnership

See items available through Chinook, the Library Catalog.

GAO reports for the week

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there aren't many Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports this week. If you like to learn more about the GAO, check out the library's subject guide.

Reports

1. Managing Sensitive Information: DOJ Needs a More Complete Staffing Strategy for Managing Classified Information and a Set of Internal Controls for Other Sensitive Information. GAO-07-83, October 20.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-83
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0783high.pdf

2. Information Security: Agencies Need to Develop and Implement Adequate Policies for Periodic Testing. GAO-07-65, October 20.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-65
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0765high.pdf

3. Small Business Innovation Research: Agencies Need to Strengthen Efforts to Improve the Completeness, Consistency, and Accuracy of Awards Data. GAO-07-38, October 19.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-38
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0738high.pdf

Correspondence

1. Suggested Areas for Oversight for the 110th Congress. GAO-07-235R, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-235R

Presentation by the Comptroller General

1. "Saving Our Future Requires Tough Choices Today" by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, on the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. GAO-07-222CG,November 8, 2006.
http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07222cg.pdf

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and in honor of the holiday and the fact that most people aren't looking for a deep discussion of governmental groups, today we are looking at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. This division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is in charge of protecting America's food supply. They are the group that inspects meat before it gets to the stores. They also put out fact sheets on safe food handling and meat preparation.

But what about Thanksgiving? Let's say tomorrow you are far from home and have decided to make a turkey on your own and Mom isn't answering her phone. Why not call the USDA Meat and Poultry hotline (1-888-MPHotline). They will answer questions on "safe storage, handling, and preparation of meat, poultry, and egg products." In other words, if you want to know how long to cook the turkey or what temperature to cook it at, they can help.

If you would like to learn more, check out our subject guides on Food Supply and Agriculture.

Lebanese Industry Minister Assassinated

Lebanon began three days of mourning on Wednesday for an anti-Syrian cabinet minister whose assassination, blamed by his allies on Damascus, revived fears that factional violence could spiral.

Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, a Christian, was gunned down as he drove through a Christian suburb of Beirut on Tuesday. He was the sixth anti-Syrian politician to be killed in nearly two years.

The assassination turned Lebanon’s Independence Day on Wednesday into a somber occasion. All festivities, including a military parade, were cancelled.

Read more from Reuters and MSNBC.

Find out more about Lebanon from the Government Publications Library subject guide.

Browse items in Chinook, our library catalog.

Congressional change in leadership

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate will be seeing a change in the leadership in January and this past week saw the elections for all the major posts in the House and Senate. Want to know who the Democrats chose to lead Congress? There is a press release for the Senate leadership. The House has a slightly more interactive page on the Democratic caucus web site.

Want to know about the Republican side? Unfortunately they are not as forthcoming on their web sites. You can see a photograph (no names) of the new House leadership team and on the Senate side the Republican web site still only lists Senator Frist, who retired this term.

School Bus Safety

According to news reports, three children were killed and dozens more injured as a school bus, taking students to classes at a downtown tech center in Huntsville Alabama, swerved on an overpass, plowed through a concrete barrier and plunged to the street below.

The Associated Press reports that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which was to investigate the wreck, has said that school buses are designed to protect occupants without the use of seat belts. A new design uses strong, well-padded, high-backed seats, closely spaced together.

However, the board last week added school bus safety to its list of most wanted transportation safety improvements, recommending that new standards be devised to improve safety when buses are involved in rollover crashes.

Read more on school bus passenger safety from the NTSB.

To learn more about the NTSB, read a previous blog posting about it.

Children and armed conflict

The latest report from the United Nations on Children and Armed Conflict was released today. The report examines countries where there are wars and children recruited into the armies. This report looks at each country in detail describing how children are involved along with numbers in zones where numbers can be found. If you would like a brief summary of the report, check out the UN's press release.

Want to access additional resources on children? Check out the library's subject guide.

President Bush Met with Protests in Indonesia

President Bush arrived in Indonesia after a two day APEC Summit in Vietnam for talks with Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The two men met in the Javan city of Bogor and discussed security, trade and health issues. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Bogor to complain about US foreign policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, though no violence was reported. Read more about reaction from the Indonesian press.

Read statements made by the two Presidents, including questions and answers from the press.

President Bush has been traveling in Southeast Asia, visiting Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

To learn more about Indonesia, check out the Government Publication Library's subject guide on Indonesia.

APEC in Vietnam

The 14th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held last weekend (November 18th & 19th) in Hanoi, Vietnam. In their annual two-day meeting chaired by Viet Nam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet, leaders of 21 APEC economies discussed the theme “Towards One Dynamic Community for Sustainable Development and Prosperity”.

Joining President Nguyen Minh Triet was U.S. President George Bush. For more on President Bush's visit to Vietnam, visit the White House APEC 2006 site.

Learn more about APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).

To learn more about Vietnan, check out the Government Publication Library's subject guide on Vietnam.

GAO reports for the week

In another new feature on the blog, we will now be providing a list of the new Government Accountability (GAO) reports, correspondence and testimony posted in the past week. The GAO is commonly called the investigative arm of Congress because it writes reports on issues at the request of Congress. Want to learn more? Check out the library's subject guide on the GAO.

Reports:

1. Global War On Terrorism: Fiscal Year 2006 Obligation Rates Are Within Funding Levels and Significant Multiyear Procurement Funds Will Likely Remain Available for Use in Fiscal Year 2007. GAO-07-76, November 13.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-76
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0776high.pdf

2. Financial Audit: IRS's Fiscal Years 2006 and 2005 Financial Statements. GAO-07-136, November 9.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-136
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07136high.pdf

3. Defense Acquisitions: Tailored Approach Needed to Improve Service Acquisition Outcomes. GAO-07-20, November 9.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-20
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0720high.pdf

4. Improper Payments: Agencies' Fiscal Year 2005 Reporting under the Improper Payments Information Act Remains Incomplete. GAO-07-92, November 14.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-92
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0792high.pdf

5.Foreign Assistance: U.S. Democracy Assistance for Cuba Needs Better Management and Oversight. GAO-07-147, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-147
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07147high.pdf

6. Afghanistan Drug Control: Despite Improved Efforts, Deteriorating Security Threatens Success of U.S. Goals. GAO-07-78, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-78
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0778high.pdf

7. International Trade: Customs' Revised Bonding Policy Reduces Risk of Uncollected Duties, but Concerns about Uneven Implementation and Effects Remain. GAO-07-50, October 18.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-50
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0750high.pdf

8. Tax Administration: Most Filing Season Services Continue to Improve, but Opportunities Exist for Additional Savings. GAO-07-27, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-27
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0727high.pdf

9. Internal Revenue Service: Procedural Changes Could Enhance Tax Collections. GAO-07-26, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-26
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0726high.pdf

10. Medicaid: Strategies to Help States Address Increased Expenditures during Economic Downturns. GAO-07-97, October 18.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-97
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0797high.pdf

11. Critical Infrastructure Protection: Progress Coordinating Government and Private Sector Efforts Varies by Sectors' Characteristics. GAO-07-39, October 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-39
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0739high.pdf

12. Abstinence Education: Efforts to Assess the Accuracy and Effectiveness of Federally Funded Programs. GAO-07-87, October 3.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-87
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0787high.pdf

13. United Nations: Renovation Planning Follows Industry Practices, but Procurement and Oversight Could Present Challenges. GAO-07-31, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-31
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0731high.pdf

14. Financial Audit: Securities and Exchange Commission's Financial Statements for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2005. GAO-07-134, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-134
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07134high.pdf

15. Capital Financing: Department Management Improvements Could Enhance Education's Loan Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. GAO-07-64, October 18.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-64
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0764high.pdf

16. Federal Transit Administration: Progress Made in Implementing Changes to the Job Access Program, but Evaluation and Oversight Processes Need Improvement. GAO-07-43, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-43
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0743high.pdf

17. Space Acquisitions: DOD Needs to Take More Action to Address Unrealistic Initial Cost Estimates of Space Systems. GAO-07-96, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-96
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0796high.pdf

18. President's Management Agenda: Review of OMB's Improved Financial Performance Scorecard Process. GAO-07-95, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-95
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0795high.pdf

Special Publications:

1. U.S. Government Accountability Office: Performance and Accountability Report, Fiscal Year 2006. GAO-07-2SP, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-2SP

Testimony:

1. Company Formations: Minimal Ownership Information is Collected and Available, by Yvonne D. Jones, director, financial markets and community investment, before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-07-196T, November 14.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-196T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07196thigh.pdf

2. Defense Business Transformation: A Comprehensive Plan, Integrated Efforts, and Sustained Leadership Are Needed to Assure Success, by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senate Committee on Armed Services.GAO-07-229T, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-229T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07229thigh.pdf

3. Defense Travel System: Estimated Savings Are Questionable and Improvements Are Needed to Ensure Functionality and Increase Utilization, by McCoy Williams, director, financial management and assurance, before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-07-208T, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-208T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07208thigh.pdf

4. Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project's Schedule and Cost As of November 15, 2006, by Bernard L. Ungar and Bradley M. James, physical infrastructure, before the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Senate Committee on Appropriations. GAO-07-129T, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-129T

Correspondence:

1. Prevalence of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, and Stalking. GAO-07-148R, November 13.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-148R

2. Immigration Benefits: Fifteenth Report Required by the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998. GAO-07-168R, November 9.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-168R

3. Social Security Administration: Short Time Frame and Workload Challenges Could Affect Timely Implementation of Income-Based Medicare Part B Premiums. GAO-07-228R, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-228R

4. Analysis of Data for Exports Regulated by the Department of Commerce. GAO-07-197R, November 13.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-197R

5. Capitol Power Plant Utility Tunnels. GAO-07-227R, November 16.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-227R