Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Press conference of President Bush

President Bush had a press conference today on economy and energy issues. You can read, watch, listen, or look at pictures of the conference online. If you want to read more about the President's energy policy you can check out their guide to energy.

Want to read the media analysis? For some different perspectives check out the Washington Post's "President Repeats First-Term Answers to Rising Gas Prices" and Fox News's "Bush Calls for More Measures to Aid Americans' Pocketbooks."

Want more? Check out the energy and business and economy guides.

Monday, April 28, 2008

World Food Issues

Now anyone who has gone to the grocery store recently knows that food prices are on the rise. The Washington Post has started a new series on the "Global Food Crisis." So I thought I would highlight a few international sources of information on this topic:
  • UN World Food Programme This is the United Nations organization that steps in and helps feed people who are faced with starvation. They also work to enable development in these countries. If you are interested in playing a game to donate rice the World Food Programme, check out the Free Rice web site.
  • World Food Situation This site from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provides the latest news, numbers and reports on the materials that make up the world food supply.
  • Crop Prospects and Food Situation This site from the FAO provides a quick report on the prospects of both the harvest and prices of the crops worldwide.
Want some more resources? Check out the library's guide.

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 abstinence education, nanotechnolgy, homeland security, and drug safety. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
CorrespondenceTestimonies

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Galaxies Explode!

Friday has arrived and I thought rather then end the week with something on the edifying side I would instead provide you all with some pretty pictures. NASA released (yesterday) some pictures of galaxies colliding to celebrate the 18th birthday of the Hubble telescope. The picture to the left is of "Arp 148 is nicknamed Mayall's object and is located in the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, approximately 500 million light-years away" (from the Hubblesite).

Want to look at some resources with those pictures? Why not check out the Astronomy and Space library guide.

Congressional Research Service 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 the China, Navy, social security, 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.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day, which was started on April 22, 1970 in protest over the smog and dirty rivers in the United States (according to the EPA's history page). In addition to any other fun activities you might be enjoying (like riding the bus to work or planting a tree), why not check out a few Earth Day resources from the government:
  • Earth Day 2008 This page from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides links to events and actions you can take at home, work, school and more.
  • 2008 Photo Contest This contest from the EPA let citizens send in pictures of the environment and the creatures in it and all I have to say is wow! If you want to see a picture that looks like it is out of a fairytale, check this one out!
  • EarthDay.gov Okay, this site doesn't have the fancy pictures or quite as an in-depth set of resources, but I thought it should at least be mentioned.
Finally, if you still want more environmental resources, why not check out the library guide.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

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 terrorism, health care, homeland defense, and the 2010 Census. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
CorrespondenceTestimonies
Presentation By The Acting Comptroller General
  • "Working to Improve Accountability in an Evolving Environment," by Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general of the United States, before the 2008 Maryland Association of CPAs' Government and Not-for-Profit Conference, in College Park, Maryland. GAO-08-720CG, April 18. [slides]
    http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d08720cg.pdf

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Maps, data, oh what more do you need?

If you have read this blog with any sort of regularity I am sure you have noticed that I am a big fan of new and interesting ways of accessing data. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided me with a new resource to play with and share with all of you. The IMF Data Miner has maps and data from the world and on country level.

So why should ya care? Well, you can map and chart a variety of economic statistics from GDP to information on government statistics such as taxes collected. While the information comes in maps and charts, when you export you have the option to take it as an excel table. Have fun and feel free to share comments on the site.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Taxes are due by 12 tonight!!!!!

Now I know (because I worked the reference desk here in the library last night) that many of you have not finished your taxes yet. Well, unfortunately the procrastination needs to end today. Your tax returns must be postmarked (or submitted online) by 12 tonight. But, do not despair, here are a few resources to help you get through the day:
  • In Boulder? Don't want to print out a 60 page instruction booklet? We have the paper tax forms here in the Government Publications Library, check out this list.
  • Need more time? Check out the IRS's helpful page on filing an extension.
  • All done, but it is after 5? Many post offices are open late, but not all. Check out 9News handy guide to who is open.
  • If you make less then $54,000 you are eligible to file online for free! So if you want to save the stamp, check out this site.
  • Where does that check you just wrote go? Well, quite a bit of it goes out in contracts, grants, and federal assistance. Check out how much and where at USAspending.gov.
Good luck!

This week 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 theIraq, violence against women, and virtual reality, 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, April 11, 2008

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 government purchase card fraud and mine safety. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
CorrespondenceTestimonies
Reissued Product

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Hearings on Iraq: The past two days

Unless you avoid all news media you have probably heard something about the two-day hearings on the situation in Iraq. If you want to see what was said there are a few options.

Today's (Wed) hearings:
Yesterday's (Tues) hearings:
  • No video or audio from the Senate, but you can view the prepared statements.
  • Want to watch the presidential candidates debate this? Never fear, C-Span has all the video you could need on their pages.
Want some media reaction? Oh, where to start? How about the Washington Post's "Petraeus Dismisses Talk of Another Buildup" or on the other end try "Day 2 of Petreaus-Crocker Hearings Continue Focus on Iraq, Iran" from FoxNews.

Still not enough? Well, how about a library guide on Iraq or the military operations in Iraq.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

CRS reports from this week

Today brings us another Tuesday and another collection of 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 the North Korea, taxes, income inequality, 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, April 07, 2008

Want some country info?

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed the links to guides to countries that are at the end of many of our posts. Well, due to the tireless work of Darci, CU has managed to create a country guide for all the countries of the world!

Each of these pages contains the following information: Government Information, Country Profiles, Articles & Databases, Diplomatic Relations, Health, Peacekeeping & Military Information, Resources in the Catalog and Related Topics.

While there are a few resources that are databases only accessible to CU users, the majority of the resources are freely available to all. Feel free to check out the guides and let us know what ya think.

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 Yellowstone bison, combating terrorism, and youth education and employment. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports
CorrespondenceTestimonies
  • Defense Acquisitions: Assessment of Progress Made on Block 2006 Missile Defense Capabilities and Oversight, by Paul Francis, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senate Committee on Armed Services. GAO-08-608T, April 1.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-608T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08608thigh.pdf
  • Defense Acquisitions: DOD's Increased Reliance on Service Contractors Exacerbates Long-standing Challenges, by David M. Walker, then comptroller general of the United States, before the Subcommittee on Defense, House Committee on Appropriations. GAO-08-621T, January 23.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-621T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08621thigh.pdf
  • Federal Advisory Committee Act: Issues Related to the Independence and Balance of Advisory Committees, by Robin M. Nazzaro, director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. GAO-08-611T, April 2.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-611T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08611thigh.pdf
  • Federal Compensation Programs: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances, by Anne-Marie F. Lasowski, acting director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-08-628T, April 1.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-628T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08628thigh.pdf
  • Human Capital: Diversity in the Federal SES and Senior Levels of the U.S. Postal Service and Processes for Selecting New Executives, by George H. Stalcup, director, strategic issues, and Katherine Siggerud, director, physical infrastructure issues, before the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-08-609T, April 3.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-609T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08609thigh.pdf
  • Medicaid Financing: Long-standing Concerns about Inappropriate State Arrangements Support Need for Improved Federal Oversight, by James C. Cosgrove, acting director, health care, before the Subcommittee on Health, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. GAO-08-650T, April 3.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-650T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08650thigh.pdf
  • NASA: Ares I and Orion Project Risks and Key Indicators to Measure Progress, by Cristina T. Chaplain, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, House Committee on Science and Technology. GAO-08-186T, April 3.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-186T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08186thigh.pdf
  • Nuclear Material: Several Potential Options for Dealing with DOE's Depleted Uranium Tails Could Benefit the Government, by Robert A. Robinson, managing director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy and Commerce. GAO-08-613T, April 3.
    http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-613T
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08613thigh.pdf

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

CRS reports from this week

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 the subprime mortgages, refugees, child molestation, 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.