Friday, December 28, 2007

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such natural disasters and defense acquisitions. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Correspondence
Presentation By The Comptroller General
  • "Partnering for Progress--Working Together to Strengthen Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs)," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States and vice-chairman, INTOSAI Finance and Administration Committee; and Dr. Ahmed El-Midaoui, premier president of the Court of Accounts of Morocco and chairman, INTOSAI Capacity Building Committee, before the Joint Venture on Public Financial Management Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, in Paris, France. GAO-08-381CG, December 19.
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08381cg.pdf

CRS reports

Despite the holidays a few Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS) managed to make it out. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on Tanzania, intellectual property, space programs, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Friday, December 21, 2007

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as economic sanctions against Cuba, veteran's affairs, higher education tuition, and tax administration and compliance. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Testimony
Correspondence
Presentation By The Comptroller General
  • "A Call for Stewardship," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the National Press Club "Newsmaker" luncheon, in Washington, D.C. GAO-08-371CG, December 17. [text]
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08371cg.pdf

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

President Signs Energy Bill

Today President Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (H.R. 6), which is designed to improve vehicle fuel economy and help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The energy bill calls for tougher fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles (new cars must average 35 miles a gallon by 2020), an increase in biofuels, and the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Read the White House press release "President Bush Signs H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007."

Want more government energy information? Check out the following sites:

Read "President Bush Signs Energy Bill" from the Washington Post, "Bush signs bill raising auto fuel efficiency standards" from CNNPolitics.com, and "President Bush Signs Bill Boosting Auto Fuel-Efficiency Standards 40 Percent by 2020" by FOX News.

Still need more information on energy and alternative fuels? Check out the library's guide.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

This week from the CRS

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on Israel, mortgages, salaries, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Galatic Violence: "Death Star" Galaxy Destruction

About 1.4 billion light years away in the constellation of Serpens, the "death star" galaxy is pummelling its neighboring galaxy. The 3C321 system contains two galaxies. The larger of the two systems is emanating a powerful jet of radiation from a super massive black hole that is blasting the smaller galaxy. For the full story read "'Death Star' Galaxy Black Hole Fires at Neighboring Galaxy" and "3C321: Black Hole Fires at Neighboring Galaxy" from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. You might also want to check out "Caught on Tape: Death Star Galaxy" from the Washington Post.

Want more information on space and astronomy? Check out the library's guide.

Chinook (the catalog and the wind)

When waiting for my bus, as my fellow Boulderites may have noticed, I realized today's wind seems almost warm. Okay, not take off my jacket and run around in short sleeves warm, but despite the snow on the ground I actually didn't need to breath through my scarf.

What brings about this warm wind you ask? Well, today's wind is called the Chinook (if you live in the Rocky Mountains) or the foehn elsewhere. The Chinook, as you can read about in this definition, actually warms the air. So despite the fact that the wind is high (with gusts in the 20 to 30 mph range), the weather today will be moderate and we may even hit the 50s! These pleasant winds are also the namesake of the library's catalog.

Want to learn more? Check out these resources on Boulder's wind events:
Still want more climate and weather information? Check out the library's guide.

Friday, December 14, 2007

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as military base closures, digital television, and toxic chemical releases. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Testimony
Correspondence
Presentation By The Comptroller General
  • "Saving Our Future Requires Tough Choices Today," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, on the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour at Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Michigan. GAO-08-353CG, December 6. [slides] http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08353cg.pdf

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Extended Hours in Norlin

Need more study time in the library? Norlin begins extended hours tomorrow -- just in time for finals.
  • Friday, Dec. 14: 7:30 am - 2:00 am (Last day of classes)
  • Saturday, Dec. 15: 7:30 am - 2:00 am (Final exams)
  • Sunday, Dec. 16: 7:30 am - 2:00 am (Final exams)
  • Monday, Dec. 17: 7:30 am - 2:00 am (Final exams)
  • Tuesday, Dec. 18: 7:30 am - 2:00 am (Final exams)
  • Wednesday, Dec. 19: 7:30 am - 2:00 am (Final exams)
  • Thursday, Dec. 20: 7:30 am - 5:00 pm (Last day of exams)
  • Friday, Dec. 20: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Commencement)
Check out the library's website to find the hours for other libraries on campus and the hours Norlin Library will be open during the Holiday Break.

Where's the money go?

The Office of Management and Budget has launched a new web site, USAspending.gov. This site let you view contracts and grants given out by the federal government. You can view information by state, district, recipient, and agency. For those of us here in Boulder, in Rep. Mark Udall's district check out this page (we are 123 out of 435) for information on contracts and this one for grant data for all the districts. The government's spending on loans is not going to be included in this database.

Thanks to Free Government Information for catching this new web site.

Want some media reaction to the new database? Check out the Washington Post's "OMB Offers an Easy Way to Follow the Money."

Interested in more information on federal funding? Check out the library's debt and budget guide.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Barney Cam IV: Holiday in the National Parks

Barney Cam started in 2001 as a way for people to view White House holiday decorations after tours were suspended because of the September 11th attacks. Barney Cam 2007 stars Barney and Miss Beazley, the first family's Scottish Terriers. It also features the President, First Lady Laura Bush, Jenna and Barbara Bush, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, National Park Service Director Mary Bomar, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and country singer Alan Jackson.

Barney Cam 2007 highlights America's national parks. Did you know that the White House grounds are a national park? They are one of almost 400 national parks all across the U.S. Find a national park in your state from the National Park Service.

Check out Holiday in the National Parks to the see the 2007 Holiday Program, photo essays and videos of Christmas at the White House. You might also want to view our previous blogs on Barney Cam and the White House's holiday celebrations:
Want more information on national parks? Check out the library's guide.

Bali conference on Climate Change

Did you know that the US and Kazakhstan are the only initial signatories of the Kyoto Protocol that still have not ratified the protocol (see complete, not quite up to date, list online)? At the United Nations Climate Change in Bali this week Australia handed over its instrument of ratification. This conference is an attempt to bring together governments and international organizations for a plan "to launch negotiations on a climate change deal for the post-2012 period, to set the agenda for these negotiations and to reach agreement on when these negotiations will have to be concluded" (from the conference's web site).

Want to read up to the minute blog postings on the conference? Check out the Bali reports. Want live dispatches? Check out the UN Dispatch live from Bali.

Want mainstream media converge? We'll that's a bit harder. I found this article from the New York Times "Deadlock stymies global climate talks." Across the ocean I found this article from the BBC "'Crunch time' for climate change." For the best coverage, check out the Australian media (they just elected a new prime minister in large part on the old ones stance on global warming). The ABC web site has articles such as "US stalling on short-term climate targets," which links to a variety of other stories on this conference.

Want some more information on climate change? Check out the library's guide.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Fed Lowers Interest Rates Again

The Federal Reserve lowered a key short-term interest rate today for the third time this year. The cut is designed to prevent a recession due to ongoing problems related to the U.S. housing and financial markets. The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25% in an effort to stimulate moderate economic growth. The federal funds rate is an overnight bank lending interest rate that affects consumer interest rates on credit cards, home equity lines of credit (HELOC), and car loans. Read the press release from the Federal Reserve.

Check out "Fed cuts rates by a quarter point" from CNNMoney.com, "Fed Cuts Key Interest Rate: Stocks Fall Sharply on Lower Than Expected Cut" from the Washington Post, and "Fed's FOMC Cuts Interest Rates for Third Time Since Labor Day" from FOX Business.

Want more information on banking, banks and credit unions? Check out the library's guide.

From the Congressional Research Service

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on climate change, Iraq, energy policy, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Supreme Court rules on three cases

The US Supreme Court released their opinions on three cases before the court today. The three cases all had to do with sentencing.

The one that has even shown up in discussions in the presidential campaign, is Kimbrough v. United States. This case was about the differing sentencing guidelines for crack versus powder cocaine (higher mandatory sentences for crack cocaine). The court ruled to allow judges to use their own judgment to impose lighter sentences for crack cocaine.

Want to read this and other opinions issued this session? Check out the Supreme Court 2007 Slip Opinions site. To see other cases before the court, you can check their docket.

Want some media analysis of the cases? Check out the Washington Post's Supreme Court page for all their articles.

Want more information on Supreme Court? Check out the library's guide.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

GAO Releases this week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as free trade agreements and rental housing for veterans. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
Testimony
Correspondence
Presentation By The Comptroller General
  • "America's Fiscal Future," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Greater Washington Society of CPAs' Annual Not For Profit Organization Symposium, in Washington, D.C. GAO-08-339CG, December 5.
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08339cg.pdf
  • "Fiscal and Health Care Challenges," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the National Conference on Health Care Consumerism, in Washington, D.C. GAO-08-338CG, December 5.
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08338cg.pdf
  • "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 Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. GAO-08-337CG, December 3.
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08337cg.pdf
  • "U.S. Financial Condition and Fiscal Future Briefing," by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before the Center for Governmental Accounting Education and Research's Annual Conference, at Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. GAO-08-340CG, November 30.
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08340cg.pdf

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Teen Pregnancy Rates on the Rise

The CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reported yesterday that the U.S. teen birth rate for 2006 rose for the first time since 1991. Between 2005 and 2006 the birth rate went up 3% for teenage girls between the ages of 15-19. The 2006 rate showed 41.9 births per 1,000. This follows 14 years of steady decline from the 1991 all-time high (61.8 births per 1,000).

Check out the press release from NCHS or read the entire 18-page report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2006."

Want more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on teen pregnancy and sexual behavior? Check out these sites:
Read "Teen Birth Rate Rises in U.S., Reversing a 14-Year Decline" from the Washington Post and "First Rise in U.S. Teen Births Since '91" from FOX News.

Want more health and medical information? Check out the library's guide.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Cartoons from the Library of Congress

After yesterdays heady day of posting I thought it might be nice to take a break and laugh at some government information. No I am not talking about badly written government reports, but rather an exhibition at the Library of Congress entitled "Cartoon America."

You can view caricatures, animation and comic strips from James Arthur Wood, Jr. collection of cartoon and caricature. Enjoy the end of your Wednesday!

Want more historic documents or exhibitions? Check out the library's guide.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

National Intelligence Report on Iran

I know all of you out there are probably tired of hearing from me today, but I promise this is the last post for today, I just had a few stored up since I didn't post yesterday. This post is on the latest National Intelligence Estimate, NIE for short, on Iran's Nuclear Program. This report is available online in a redacted form. This NIE states "We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program; we also assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons."

President Bush conducted a press conference this morning to discuss this NIE. You can read or watch this conference (click the video icon on the right) from the White House site. He didn't only discuss the NIE report, but you can get not only his statement, but also the questions and answer discussion with the press.

Don't want to read or watch all of that? Check out press reaction from the Washington Post in "Bush: Iran Intelligence Report is Warning Signal" or Fox News in "Bush: Iran Remains Dangerous Despite Halt to Nuke Weapons Program."

Want more information on Iran? Check out the library's guide to Iran.

Discover some CRS reports

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us CRS reports on tax reform, street gangs, Iraq, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by Secrecy News and OpenCRS:
Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.