The Government Information Library at the University of Colorado Boulder

National History Day

2012-01-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Lately we've had a lot of fun working with students on National History Day projects. This year the theme is "Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History". The program emphasizes using both primary and secondary resources. The Society of American Archivists (SAA) has created a toolkit on using archives to locate primary sources. The toolkit offers the following definition, "Primary sources are unique materials that are created at the time of a historical event that can serve as proof of historical facts. Primary sources are unfiltered materials; the information is not interpreted by someone who was not a witness to the event. Primary sources provide a window into the past. How do we know about events that have passed? Through the primary sources that participants left behind." The toolkit also contains tips on research, links to online primary sources and other information.

In addition to archives, government information often contains a rich array of primary sources. Here are some of the projects students have worked on and the tools we have suggested:

Opium Trade--British House of Commons Parliamentary Papers
Cuban Missile Crisis--Foreign Relations of the United States and the Digital National Security Archive
Sand Creek Massacre--US Congressional Serial Set
The Great Depression--American Memory from the Library of Congress

Children waiting to fill pails with soup, 1940. American Memory

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out our page on Historic and Archival Documents. Many of the resources are freely available, but some are only available on campus.

Finding Polling Data

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Those of us here in the Government Information Library tend to be political junkies and I am no exception. In these election years I get to combine that with my love of data and then try infect the rest of you with the same enjoyment. How can I combine data and politics? Oh, there are so many ways, but the easiest is polling.

For example, all politicians love to talk about taxes, so what do we, the electorate, think about this issue?


Pew Report: Tax System Seen as Unfair, in Need of Overhaul

This graph and table give a quick summary of the issues without making us read a whole lot of words. In just a few seconds I go "Yeah, I totally agree" or "Who did they poll in this study?" These reactions are one of the reasons they continue to keep polling all of us and including these polls in newspapers and TV programs.

So, how does one go about finding these polls? Well, depending on if you are lucky enough to be here or at another library there are a number of different options.

Here at the University of Colorado Boulder we have two subscription databases that will meet the majority of your polling needs:

iPoll This database contains over 600,000 questions and answers asked in the US since 1935 by every major polling firm. In other words, lots of good stuff! It lets you download whole datasets, tables, or graphs for these questions. It is updated regularly and is a great place to search.
Polling the Nations This database contains over 4,000 surveys conducted by more than 1000 polling organizations in the United States and more than 100 other countries. In other words, a great place to go when looking for non-US opinion as well.

For those of you not at this fine institution, do not despair! There are a number of freely available resources:

Pew Research Center This is the organization who brought us the tables displaying above and they cover issues from the internet to taxes to the press and all of it is available for you to read and analyze to your hearts content for free.
Gallup While Gallup locks a lot of its research in a database, which we don't have access to here, there is still a lot of the current data available for free on their web site on both the US and the world as a whole.
American National Election Studies This group conducts national surveys of the American electorate in election years. Their datasets consist of the time series studies (conducted since 1948) collected around each national election and pilot studies conducted in "off-years" to test or refine the time series studies.

Not enough? Well, why not check out the library's guide to Polls. Happy number crunching!

2011 Tax Forms in Norlin Library

2012-01-23T15:45:00.002-07:00

Tax Season has come again, and with it the Government Information Library has created new and exciting ways to learn about which tax forms and tax forms instructions are available in hard-copy from the Norlin Library.

Click on the image above to
download the guide.

The Tax Forms and Information page -- our regular home for all things tax-related in Government Information -- has been updated in two significant ways: An update from years past when patrons had to download an Excel spreadsheet to see which forms are available is that now the spreadsheet is embedded in the page itself. This spreadsheet will automatically update online when we update the page, saving all of us -- and you -- time and effort. Plus, it looks very fancy!

A second change is the update of our printable guide: Finding and Printing 2011 Tax Forms. This guide explains how to locate specific tax forms online, and how those forms can be printed here in Norlin Library. It has been updated to include informationon how to use the new Campus Cash card to pay for printing. Pre-printed copies of the guides are available in the Government Information Library, and at the main Research Desk on the 2nd floor of Norlin.

We hope these changes will be useful to our University and Public patrons who have come to rely on the Government Information Library for tax forms. As always, any questions or comments can be directed to us at govpubs@colorado.edu or on the phone at (303) 492-8834.

Disaster at Sea

2012-01-19T10:35:00.002-07:00

After the grounding of an Italian cruise liner near the island of Giglio, the safety of passenger ships is on everyone's mind. By most accounts, the evacuation of the Costa Concordia was chaotic. As of January 18, there were 11 confirmed deaths. Twenty-two people are still missing. Newspapers report that the Italian government is planning to file criminal charges of abandoning ship and manslaughter against the ship's captain.

The dramatic sinking of the Titanic on its inaugural 1912 voyage led to an increased interest in maritime safety. Even before ships with survivors docked in New York, the U. S. Senate began holding hearings while events were fresh in the minds of witnesses and survivors. The hearing, "Titanic" Disaster, makes fascinating reading.

Composite photo of a Marconi operator, lifeboats, the ship, and captain of the
Titanic (center) from the Library of Congress

The sinking of the Titanic lead to the adoption of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), an international treaty administered by the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. The organization is also responsible for limiting pollution from both accidents and routine shipping.

Treaties such as SOLAS are increasingly important in the rapidly globalizing world. For more information, consult the Government Information Library's page on treaties. For more information on the work of Congress, present and past, consult the Congress page.

Sites Go Dark to Protest the Stop Online Piracy Act

2012-01-18T11:21:00.002-07:00

In a unique and unified approach to online political protesting, a number of Web sites with far-reaching audiences and reflecting a wide range of interests -- sites including Internet giants like Wikipedia and Google and smaller but popular locations such as Board Game Geek, The Oatmeal and I Can Haz Cheezburger -- have "gone dark" today in an effort to protest two pieces of legislation currently in Congress.

Today's main page at Wikipedia.

The legislative items coming under criticism are the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) and the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act -- abbreviated as the PROTECT IP ACT of 2011 (S. 968). The video below provides a succinct summary of the original purpose of these bills, as well as their legal consequences if enacted. These consequences, and their potential for unpredictable judicial interpretation in the future, are the concerns that have stirred sites to collaboratively protest continuing support for either piece of legislation.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

The video above also remarks on several existing laws in place to protect intellectual property. You can read the full-text of those acts by following the links below.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1988
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act or PRO-IP Act of 2008
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) - Site and PDF of its text

If you have an opinion to express regarding either of these acts currently before congress, you can contact your state and national level representatives -- including the President -- here: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Since 1990 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tracked the emissions and removals of greenhouse gases, but until this year your options for accessing this data were limited. You could read the report (459 pages this year), look at some fast facts tables (such as this table with the trends from 1990 to 2006), or look at the UN compilations of this data to compare it to other countries. Now if you want to get down to the local level there is a new tool, the EPA's ghgdata.

While the name sounds like something you would make when you had a really bad cold, ghgdata allows you to explore on a local level the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from large facilities. These are facilities that emit more then 25,000 metric tons of GHG and well over half of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are covered by this source.

Now since I work here at the University of Colorado Boulder, I thought I might check out our local energy supply facility here in Boulder and compare it to the one at our rival Colorado State University. To do that I went to the home page and chose Colorado. Then I typed "university" in the search box. I now can see that we here in Boulder are winning with "only" 37,184 metric tons versus CSU's 45,819 metric tons.

This map shows some of the 137 facilities you can learn more about in Colorado from this database:

Still want more resources? Check out the library's guides to climate change and the environment.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

2012-01-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This month brings us reports on the defense, oil pipelines, economics and much more. Although 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. These reports were discovered by Secrecy News:

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out our Congressional database, which has reports dating 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.

Patrolling the Skies for Dangerous Reindeer

2011-12-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

As some of you may be aware late on December 24th the skies of North America will be invaded by a jolly man dressed in a red suit with a few flying reindeer. In case you were worried that this nefarious man might invade our territory without anyone noticing I direct you to NORAD's Santa site.

First, you might want to check out this video on how this worked last year:

Then, you might want to stroll over to the Countdown Village to while away some precious hours until he arrives and the jets come out.

Jets? Who said anything about jets? Well, Santa does not file a flight plan ahead of time, so the following protocol is followed: "Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15, F-16 or the F-22 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph."

Finally, when the time arrives for the big flight, you can use Google Earth to track Santa's movements so you don't have to worry about him catching you unprepared. If you want to learn how or just want to watch Santa's movements on a web page, check out NORAD's tracking page.

Now for those adults who want to know more about NORAD I encourage you to check out their web site. If you want to know the technical details on this project, such as how many tax dollars are used, check out the FAQ. Finally, if you want to learn a bit more about Homeland Security, check out the library's guide.

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Reports and Releases

2011-12-20T13:42:00.001-07:00

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This set of publications from GAO investigates the housing, fire, health care, and many other issues. If you would like to know more about GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

Pediatric Medical Devices: Provisions Support Development, but Better Data Needed for Required Reporting. GAO-12-225, December 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-225
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587163.pdf
DOD Financial Management: Ongoing Challenges with Reconciling Navy and Marine Corps Fund Balance with Treasury. GAO-12-132, December 20
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-132
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587214.pdf
International Climate Change Assessments: Federal Agencies Should Improve Reporting and Oversight of U.S. Funding. GAO-12-43, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-43
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587131.pdf
Coast Guard: Security Risk Model Meets DHS Criteria, but More Training Could Enhance its Use for Managing Programs and Operations. GAO-12-14, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-14
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587145.pdf
Port Security Grant Program: Risk Model, Grant Management, and Effectiveness Measures Could Be Strengthened. GAO-12-47, November 17.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-47
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587143.pdf
Station Fire: Forest Service's Response Offers Potential Lessons for Future Wildland Fire Management. GAO-12-155, December 16.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-155
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587074.pdf
Recovery Act: Progress and Challenges in Spending Weatherization Funds. GAO-12-195, December 16.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-195
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587063.pdf
Podcast - http://www.gao.gov/multimedia/podcasts/587106
Medicaid: Health Opportunity Accounts Demonstration Program. GAO-12-221R, December 16.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-221R
Arlington National Cemetery: Management Improvements Made, but a Strategy Is Needed to Address Remaining Challenges. GAO-12-105, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-105
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587016.pdf
Arlington National Cemetery: Additional Actions Needed to Continue Improvements in Contract Management. GAO-12-99, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-99
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586983.pdf
Drug Shortages: FDA's Ability to Respond Should Be Strengthened. GAO-12-116, November 21.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-116
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586999.pdf
Delphi Pension Plans: GM Agreements with Unions Give Rise to Unique Differences in Participant Benefits. GAO-12-168, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-168
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587046.pdf
Coast Guard: Communication of Post-Government Employment Restrictions Can Be Strengthened. GAO-12-174, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-174
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587041.pdf
DOD Health Care: Actions Needed to Help Ensure Full Compliance and Complete Documentation for Physician Credentialing and Privileging. GAO-12-31, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-31
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586995.pdf
Medicare: Many Factors, Including Administrative Challenges, Affect Access to Part D Vaccinations. GAO-12-61, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-61
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587010.pdf
National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Acquisition Approach for Commercial Crew Transportation Includes Good Practices, but Faces Significant Challenges. GAO-12-282, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-282
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587023.pdf
International Space Station: Approaches for Ensuring Utilization through 2020 Are Reasonable but Should Be Revisited as NASA Gains More Knowledge of On-Orbit Performance. GAO-12-162,December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-162
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587030.pdf
Health Care Coverage: Job Lock and the Potential Impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. GAO-12-166R, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-166R
Foster Children: HHS Guidance Could Help States Improve Oversight of Psychotropic Prescriptions. GAO-12-201, December 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-201
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586907.pdf
Small Business Lending Fund: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Accountability. GAO-12-183, December 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-183
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586883.pdf
Nuclear Nonproliferation: Action Needed to Address NNSA's Program Management and Coordination Challenges. GAO-12-71, December 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-71
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586893.pdf
Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan: Comparison of Implementation and Early Enrollment with the Children's Health Insurance Program. GAO-12-62R, November 10.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-62R
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen Grants Management. GAO-12-158, December 13.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-158
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12158high.pdf
Broadcasting Board of Governors Should Provide Additional Information to Congress Regarding Broadcasting to Cuba. GAO-12-243R, December 13.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-243R
Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance: Retirement Benefit and Retained Asset Account Disclosures Could Be Improved. GAO-12-94, November 10.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-94
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1294high.pdf
National Institutes of Health: Employment and Other Impacts Reported by NIH Recovery Act Grantees. GAO-12-32, November 10.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-32
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1232high.pdf
Mississippi River: Actions Are Needed to Help Resolve Environmental and Flooding Concerns about the Use of River Training Structures. GAO-12-41, December 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-41
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1241high.pdf
Managing for Results: Opportunities for Congress to Address Government Performance Issues. GAO-12-215R, December 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-215R
Adult Drug Courts: Studies Show Courts Reduce Recidivism, but DOJ Could Enhance Future Performance Measure Revision Efforts. GAO-12-53, December 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-53
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1253high.pdf
Highway Emergency Relief: Strengthened Oversight of Project Eligibility Decisions Needed. GAO-12-45, November 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-45
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1245high.pdf
Defense Contract Audits: Actions Needed to Improve DCAA's Access to and Use of Defense Company Internal Audit Reports. GAO-12-88, December 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-88
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1288high.pdf
Transportation Security: Actions Needed to Address Limitations in TSA's Transportation Worker Security Threat Assessments and Growing Workload. GAO-12-60, December 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-60
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1260high.pdf
Transportation Security Infrastructure Modernization May Enhance DHS Screening Capabilities, but It Is Too Early to Assess Results. GAO-12-192R, December 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-192R
IT Dashboard: Accuracy Has Improved, and Additional Efforts Are Under Way to Better Inform Decision Making. GAO-12-210, November 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-210
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12210high.pdf
Homeland Defense and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Additional Steps Could Enhance the Effectiveness of the National Guard's Life-Saving Response Forces. GAO-12-114, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-114
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12114high.pdf
State Small Business Credit Initiative: Opportunities Exist to Improve Program Oversight. GAO-12-173, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-173
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12173high.pdf
Postsecondary Education: Student Outcomes Vary at For-Profit, Nonprofit, and Public Schools. GAO-12-143, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-143
Vacant Properties: Growing Number Increases Communities' Costs and Challenges. GAO-12-34, November 4.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-34
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1234high.pdf
Green Building: Federal Initiatives for the Nonfederal Sector Could Benefit from More Interagency Collaboration. GAO-12-79, November 2.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-79
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1279high.pdf
Tennessee Valley Authority: Full Consideration of Energy Efficiency and Better Capital Expenditures Planning Are Needed. GAO-12-107, October 31.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-107
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12107high.pdf
Ginnie Mae: Risk Management and Cost Modeling Require Continuing Attention. GAO-12-49, November 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-49
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1249high.pdf

Testimonies

Drug Shortages: FDA's Ability to Respond Should Be Strengthened, by Marcia Crosse, Director of Health Care Issues, before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. GAO-12-315T, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-315T
Homelessness: To Improve Data and Programs, Agencies Have Taken Steps to Develop a Common Vocabulary, by Alicia Puente Cackley, Director of Financial Markets and Community Investment, before the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing, and Community Opportunity, House Committee on Financial Services. GAO-12-302T, December 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-302T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586997.pdf
Medicaid Program Integrity: Expanded Federal Role Presents Challenges to and Opportunities for Assisting States, by Carolyn L. Yocom, director, health care, before the Subcommittees on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management and Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. GAO-12-288T, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-288T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12288thigh.pdf
Fraud Detection Systems: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Needs to Expand Efforts to Support Program Integrity Initiatives, by Valerie C. Melvin, director, information management and technology resources issues, before the Subcommittees on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management; and Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives; House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. GAO-12-292T, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-292T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12292thigh.pdf
Visa Waiver Program: Additional Actions Needed to Address Risks and Strengthen Overstay Enforcement, by Richard M. Stana, director, homeland security and justice, before the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-12-287T, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-287T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12287thigh.pdf
National Capital Region: 2010 Strategic Plan is Generally Consistent with Characteristics of Effective Strategies, by William O. Jenkins, Jr., director, homeland security and justice, before the Subcommittees on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs and Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia; Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Oversight Committee. GAO-12-276T, December 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-276T
Foster Children: HHS Guidance Could Help States Improve Oversight of Psychotropic Prescriptions, by Greg Kutz, FAIS, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security. GAO-12-270T, December 1.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-270T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12270thigh.pdf
Podcast available - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_84.html
Federal Housing Administration: Risks to the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund and the Agency's Operations, by Mathew Scire, FMCI, before the House Committee on Financial Services. GAO-12-277T, December 1.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-277T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12277thigh.pdf
Coast Guard: Observations on Arctic Requirements, Icebreakers, and Coordination with Stakeholders, by Stephen Caldwell, HSJ, before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. GAO-12-254T, December 1.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-254T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12254thigh.pdf

No Texting While Driving??? Why Not???

2011-12-14T08:57:00.001-07:00

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause of transportation accidents, promoting transportation safety, and assisting victims, has voted unanimously to recommend a ban on non-emergency use of portable electronic devices (aka cell phones) while driving. The decision followed on heels of the discussion into the causes of an accident involving two school buses, a GMC pickup, and a Volvo tractor. The board concluded that the most likely cause of the accident, which killed two and injured many others, was probably inattentiveness on by the pickup driver who was text messaging at or near the time of the accident.

It's a big problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "in 2009, more than 5,400 people were killed and an additional 448,000 were injured in crashes that were reported to involve driving while distracted. Among those killed or injured in these crashes, nearly 1,000 deaths and 24,000 injuries included cell phone use as the major distraction (Distracted Driving in the United States and Europe) It's considered such a serious problem that the U.S. Department of Transportation has a website (www.distraction.gov) devoted to the issue. The site includes fact sheets, summaries of state laws, and links to research reports.

Chart from Distracted Driving in the
United States and Europe

Take a look at this chart. Only about 1/3 of us "never" use a cell phone while driving. We sincerely hope that you are not reading this blog post while driving.

Drive safely

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

2011-12-12T09:26:00.002-07:00

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This month brings us reports on the federal laws, secrecy and tracking. Although 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. These reports were discovered by Secrecy News:

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the Congressional database, which has reports dating 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.

Shootings at Virginia Tech

2011-12-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Students at Virginia Tech were stunned to find themselves in the midst of another shooting on campus. In 2007 Virginia Tech was the site of the worst shooting in U.S. history when a student named Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 and wounded 25 others before committing suicide. Initial reports on this shooting indicate that the campus alert system functioned well. The campus has reopened and final exams will begin on Saturday. Sadly a campus police office lost his life in the shooting. The Virginia Tech website includes information about the memorial fund established in the name of Officer Crouse.

Stories like this are appalling. Just how safe are college campuses? Campus crime statistics are available from the U.S. Department of Education at the Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool. Despite its somewhat unfortunate name, the site provides information on alleged criminal offenses reported to campus security authorities and/or local law enforcement agencies at over 6000 postsecondary institutions. The report on Virginia Tech indicates that there was one murder between 2008 and 2010.

Report Says Teenagers Are Having Less Sex. Unless They Aren't.

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

According to the Centers for Disease Control's new, catchy titled report -- "Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth" -- Teenagers -- those between the ages of 15 and 18 -- are having less sex. Or at least they say they are having less sex when asked about it by the Centers for Disease Control, which isn't quite the same as telling your Dad, is it? Teens wouldn't hide the truth from figures of authority would they? Parents? Relatives? Scientists in white lab coats holding clipboards and waiting impatiently for answers to their questions? Of course they would.

18.7% of Teenagers say they are waiting to have sex because they "haven't found the right person yet."
Unless their boyfriend is a vampire. Then they do it, because what could go wrong?

Or at least that is what one recent editorial about the CDC report discusses. In her piece at the New York Times' blog Motherlode (a coincidental title, that, but nonetheless here unfortunate) -- "Are Teenagers Really Having Less Sex?" -- author KJ DellAntonia (who only sounds like she's a character from Twilight) worries that a survey "administered by a C.D.C. interviewer but conducted largely on a laptop with headphones" is bound to be flawed.

(Click on the image above to see the excerpt writ large.)

She makes a valid point: self-reporting activity provided via an interview allows for a greater chance for mis-representation or omission of sexual activity than data collected anonymously over an electronic medium. Because talking about sex isn't always something Americans do, or do well.

What teen would be intimidated by a friendly-sounding report like this one?
Click on that title for the full CDC report. For the trailer to Breaking Dawn, click here.

The report itself provides all sorts of interesting data, some of which is perhaps too detailed for a family-friendly blog like this one. For example, did you know that since 2002, the number of African American females who reported using birth control during their last sexual encounter stayed at 71%? For Hispanic and Anglo populations of teenage women, those numbers increased by 8% and 4% respectively.

Click to embiggen.

Putting aside teenagers, the CDC also provides extensive data on Sexual Health and Activity for adults and for the LGBT community, though there is not yet a site speaking to the sexual issues of vampires or werewolves. Or, for that matter, those impregnated by midichlorians.

In terms of more data, why not peruse this page-turner: "Sexual Behavior and Selected Health Measures: Men and Women 15-44 Years of Age, United States." Trust me, it only sounds boring. Within its pages we learn this: that 22% of Anglo males and 34% of African American males have had 15 or more opposite-sex sexual partners in their lifetimes. We can only guess how many of those were in college. Hispanic and African American women with more than 15 partners were fewer: 5% and 9% respectively.

If the CDC says so, it must be true.

According to another CDC Report, we learn that the majority of married persons (40%) first had sex between the ages of 15-17 -- and that majority holds for those widowed, separated, divorced, never married, or currently cohabitating. Apparently, John Hughes was right. That report, by the way, is "Drug Use and Sexual Behaviors reported by Adults: United States, 1999-2002." Who knows why the two are linked, but this same document states that 13.1% of married individuals have at one time or another used cocaine or other "street drugs." This might prove a useful statistic to toss out the next time the parents (or Centers for Disease Control) ask why the car was brought home late after Senior Prom.

FRUS turns 150--you say what???

2011-12-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

Foreign Relations of the United States, a title often abbreviated to "FRUS", turned 150 on December 3. You know that you are a government publications afficianado when that gets you excited. Here at CU Boulder it's one of our favorite tools when a student needs "primary sources" on on a topic related to U.S. foreign policy.

FRUS volumes contain documents from Presidential libraries, Departments of State and Defense, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies as well as the private papers of individuals involved in formulating U.S. foreign policy. The series is edited by a group of historians at the Department of State. The editors "choose documentation that illuminates policy formulation and major aspects and repercussions of its execution."

The volumes are arranged by the name of the president in office and the world region or issue. Rather than being lumped in with other content, serious national and international issues are sometimes covered in separate volumes. The Cuban Missile Crisis (Kennedy) gets a volume of its very own. So does the Arab-Israeli War that occured during Nixon's presidency.

You can find links to freely-available versions of FRUS on our page on the department's page on Foreign Relations and International Aid. A subscription-based version is available on campus through HeinOnline.

Enjoy!

What Did that Turkey Do to Need a Pardon, Anyway?

2011-11-28T10:07:00.001-07:00

Last week, on November 23rd, President Obama participated in the National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, a traditional White House event dating back to at least 1873 with President Ulysses S. Grant, wherein the Commander-In-Chief is presented with a bird for the White House Thanksgiving Dinner. A newer tradition -- and seemingly now an annual event -- is the Annual Pardoning of the Thanksgiving Turkey, in which the gifted turkeys are released by the President to live the remainder of theirs lives free from the threat of being eaten by the leader of the free world.

President Gerald Ford, in 1975, pardons another turkey.

The affair is light-hearted (and gravy-free), and often provides the President an opportunity to get in a few digs at the media, as President Obama did in his presentation last week. A video of the 2011 Pardoning is embedded below.

This year the White House Blog also provided its own brief on the history of Presidential Turkey Pardons.

But crafty readers may wonder what these innocent-looking turkeys may have done to need a pardon in the first place. For the answer to this question, they may wish to turn to Crime in the United States, an annual publication from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program that organizes crime statistics into several (un)appetizing categories such as Property Crimes, Homicides, and even by number of persons arrested. There is sadly no compilation of statistics specifically for crimes committed during a Walmart Black Friday sale. But perhaps soon.
More hard-hitting statistics are available through the Department of Agriculture, such as this year 2000 report, ominously titled "Structural Change in U.S. Chicken and Turkey Slaughter," in which we learn of America's insatiable appetite for bird meat.

Chilling. Like unheated cranberry-sauce chilling. But still no definitive numbers exist for crimes committed by turkeys, or how the crimes of pardoned turkeys might break down by category. Nevertheless, the archives of the Annual Pardoning ceremonies and the FBI's Crime in the United States publication are just two of the many kinds of Government Documents available on the issues that matter to YOU.

Also, the government prints cookbooks. An anti-bird conspiracy if there ever was one.

Appeals Court Upholds Roadless Areas

2011-11-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

On October 21 a federal appeals court upheld a rule barring construction of roads in designated areas in national forests and grasslands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The rule, which was enacted near the end of Clinton's presidency, has been tied up in the courts ever since. Environmentalists are elated. The mining industry is not. To qualify as roadless areas, the lands should have: high quality or undisturbed soil, water, or air; sources of public drinking water; diversity of plant and animal communities; habitat for threatened, endangered, proposed, candidate, and sensitive species, and for those species dependent on large, undisturbed areas of land; primitive, semi-primitive motorized, and semi-primitive non-motorized classes of dispersed recreation; reference landscapes; natural-appearing landscapes with high scenic quality; traditional cultural properties and sacred sites; and, other locally identified unique characteristics.

Pole Creek near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River in Rio Grande National Forest

Because of concerns expressed by the mining, timber, and ski industries, the State of Colorado would like to have a specific rule that applies to Colorado only. To learn more about the proposed Colorado Roadless Areas (CRAs) visit the Colorado Rule area of the Roadless Area Conservation website hosted by the Forest Service.

The Government Information website also has pages on Parks, Forests, Grasslands, Wildlife Refuges, and Historic Places

U.S. Supreme Court to Review Legality of Obama Heath Care Overhaul

2011-11-14T12:22:00.001-07:00

As is being reported widely across news services today, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments regarding the constiutionality of provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PDF), the 2010 overhaul of U.S. health insurance and one of the major accomplishments of Barack Obama's presidential administration.

A White House photo from 2009, as then President-elect Obama visits with members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Predonimantly at question is the Act's provision requiring that citizens of the country purchase some form of health care or be penalized with a fee. Interestingly, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear five-and-one-half hours of arguments for and against the Act -- a length of time not devoted to a case before SCOTUS since 2003's arguments on the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act in the case of McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (Click here for transcripts of that case's Arguments and the Court's Decsion).

Online at the Supreme Court's Web site now are several publications from the case docket, or the materials filed with the court, including several "Petitions for Writ of Certiorari" -- which are petitions for the Supreme Court to evaulate the ruling of a lower court in cases "of such imperative public importance as to justify deviation from normal appellate practice and to require immediate determination" -- and "Briefs in Opposition," which point out "any perceived misstatement of fact or law in the petition" that bears on the issues before the Court, should the certiorari be granted. (See The Rules of the Supreme Court for more details on these terms.)

Embedded above are President Obama's remarks as he signs the Affordable Care Act into

law (Transcript). The moment was also notable for Vice President's on-mic comments that

occur about 7:15 into the video.

Whether related to the Court's announcement, or part of an ongoing push by the White House to remove congressional barriers from the passage of additional economic stimuli, a new program was announced today by the adminsitration and the Department of Health and Human Services that ties funding from Affordable Care Act to a "Health Care Innovation Challenge," which grants at least one million dollars to programs designed to "deliver better health, improved care and lower costs to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program."

At the very least, the inititive ties to existing efforts by the Obama administration to better publicize the Affordable Care Act, including the White House's own Web site on the issue and the HHS' HealthCare.gov Web site. The Obama White House has always been savvy with its ability to use technology to promote its agenda, such as in this video pointing out heath care statistics just before the Act's passage.

With a Supreme Court ruling likely appearing in June of 2012, its decision and the results of the White House's efforts in promoting the Act could have a major impact on the court of public opinion going in to the 2012 Presidential election.

Nixon Grand Jury Records

2011-11-10T15:09:00.001-07:00

The image (all images are from the Nixon Presidential Photo Gallery) below is just one of the steps in the Watergate crisis that ultimately ended in the resignation of President Richard Nixon on August 9th 1974. The resignation was not the end of the story, today at noon the National Archives released the grand jury testimony taken in 1975 after the resignation.

President Nixon delivers an Address to the Nation from the Oval Office responding to subpoenas for the White House Tapes with edited transcripts.
Date: April 29, 1974
Roll-Frame number: WHPO E2679c-09A

In May 1975, the Watergate Special Prosecution Force (WSPF) decided that it was necessary to question former President Richard M. Nixon in connection with various investigations being conducted by the WSPF. Mr. Nixon was questioned over the period of two days, June 23 and June 24, 1975, and the testimony was taken as part of various investigations being conducted by the January 7, 1974, Grand Jury for the District of Columbia (the third Watergate Grand Jury). Chief Judge George Hart signed an order authorizing that the sworn deposition of Mr. Nixon be taken at the Coast Guard Station in San Mateo, California with two members of the grand jury present. For more details on what was released check out the press release.

These records are available from three sources:

The Government Printing Office's FDsys database
Scribd
National Archives wiki

In addition the Nixon Presidential Library is releasing:

Four new Dictabelts (Dictaphone transcripts): DB075, DB076, DB079, and DB080
45,000 pages from the files of Kenneth Cole, who succeeded John Ehrlichman as the President’s chief domestic policy coordinator in 1973 and about 3,000 pages of formerly classified national security materials, of which a representative sample can be seen online
Six oral histories, including those with Senator Alan Simpson, Laurence Silberman, Governor William Weld, and Watergate burglar Eugenio Rolando Martinez.
Released online the previously released Fourth Chronological Conversations from the Nixon White House Tapes, containing audio recorded July 1972-October 1972, listen online to these conversations

These documents supplement the documents already available from the Nixon library, many digitally, and provide illumination on a previously sealed portion of the history of this scandal.

President Nixon leaving the White House
Date: August 9, 1974
Roll-Frame number: WHPO E3386c-35

Still want more? Why not get find some more presidential documents using the library's Presidents guide.

Mining the Mountain of Presidential Elections Publications

2011-11-07T15:50:00.003-07:00

With television and online news coverage of the 2012 Election only increasing as next year's election day draws near -- but hopefully before Americans become oversaturated with election events -- now seems an opportune time to (re)introduce users to sources and publications about American Presidental Elections.

Clinton and Obama during the 2008 debates. From AP Iamges.

Our patrons may already be aware that the Government Information Library offers a general guide to resources and useful government links on the issues of Elections and Voting, and they may even know that the GIL has presented pages in the past regarding specific election years, such as 2004 and 2006.

At the same time, standard "go-to" government web sites like the Federal Election Commission help to illuminate the process of campaign financing, providing useful historical data, as well as information on donations put toward yet-to-be-decided events like the Presidential Elections of 2012. The Stasitical Abstract of the United States (a publication some may remember is operating under the threat of extinction) offers data on campaign financing, too, but additionally provides overviews of voter participation, the apportionment of membership to the House of Representatives, and demographic characteristics of office holders in its section on Elections.

The Presidents Bush (43rd and 41st) in 2008. From AP Images.

From elesewhere around the Web, the University of California Santa barbara's American Presidency Project presents election data more visually at its Elections site, which extends as far back as the first election of a president in 1789 (one of only two U.S. presdiential elections decided by unanimous electoral vote -- though Thomas Jefferson's election to the office in 1804 came awfully close). They also have a section on 2000's contested election to the office, with transcripts of key events and newscasts featuring both parties.

C-SPAN's Video Library site features over 18,000 programs in the Campaignan & Elections portion of its cataloge, including the now infamous concession of the 200 election by Vice President Al Gore to President-elect, George H. W. Bush.

With all this raw data available, some may surmise that there is no election in the world as well scrutinized as those deciding the President of the Unites States. And that assumption would have to include more narrative contributions from media journalists over the years, many of whom offer well researched and well documented accounts of the behind-the-scenes events that often decide the canidates Americans are later asked to choose between. Below are just a few of the literally hundreds of titles offered in the CU Boulder system on some of our country's more recent presidential elections. Check them out! And for more data or publications about a particular election, stop in to the Government Information Library or the Norlin Library Rsearch Desk.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the race of a lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (Click here for more titles on the 2008 Election).

Bush versus Kerry : a functional analysis of campaign 2004 by William L. Benoit (More about the 2004 Election).

The Race to 270 : the Electoral College and the campaign strategies of 2000 and 2004 by Daron R. Shaw (and more on the 2000 Election).

What it Takes: the way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer (More on the 1988 election).

Reagan's victory : the presidential election of 1980 and the rise of the right by Andrew E. Busch (More on the 1980 election).

Finally, Theodore H. White wrote the series "The Making of the President" for elections in the years 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972.

GAO Reports and Releases

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This set of publications from GAO investigates the post office, agriculture, banking, and many other issues. If you would like to know more about GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

Biosurveillance: Nonfederal Capabilities Should Be Considered in Creating a National Biosurveillance Strategy. GAO-12-55, October 31.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-55
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1255high.pdf
Neutron Detectors: Alternatives To Using Helium-3. GAO-11-753, September 29.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-753
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11753high.pdf
Financial Crisis: Review of Federal Reserve System Financial Assistance to American International Group, Inc. GAO-11-616, September 30.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-616
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11616high.pdf
USDA's Application of Administrative PAYGO to Its Mandatory Spending Programs. GAO-11-921R, September 29.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-921R3
Private Health Insurance: Implementation of the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program. GAO-11-875R, September 30.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-875R
Aviation Security: TSA Has Taken Steps to Enhance Its Foreign Airport Assessments, but Opportunities Exist to Strengthen the Program. GAO-12-163, October 21.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-163
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12163high.pdf
National Export Initiative: U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Should Improve Performance and Resource Allocation Management. GAO-11-909, September 29.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-909
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11909high.pdf
Language and Culture Training: Opportunities Exist to Improve Visibility and Sustainment of Knowledge and Skills in Army and Marine Corps General Purpose Forces. GAO-12-50, October 31.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-50
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1250high.pdf
VA Health Care: VA Uses Medical Injury Tort Claims Data to Assess Veterans' Care, but Should Take Action to Ensure That These Data Are Complete. GAO-12-6R, October 28.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-6R
Maritime Security: Coast Guard Should Conduct Required Inspections of Offshore Energy Infrastructure. GAO-12-37, October 28.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-37
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1237high.pdf
Federal Courthouses: Improved Collaboration Needed to Meet Demands of a Complex Security Environment. GAO-11-857, September 28.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-857
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11857high.pdf
Freight Railroad Safety: Hours of Service Changes Have Increased Rest Time, but More Can Be Done to Address Fatigue Risks. GAO-11-853, September 28.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-853
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11853high.pdf
International Military Education and Training: Agencies Should Emphasize Human Rights Training and Improve Evaluations. GAO-12-123, October 27.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-123
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12123high.pdf
VA Philippines Office: Maintain Operations, but More Information Needed to Determine Future Presence. GAO-12-20R, October 27.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-20R
Indian Health Service: Continued Efforts Needed to Help Strengthen Response to Sexual Assaults and Domestic Violence. GAO-12-29, October 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-29
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1229high.pdf
Information Technology: OMB Needs to Improve Its Guidance on IT Investments. GAO-11-826, September 29.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-826
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11826high.pdf
National Preparedness: Improvements Needed for Acquiring Medical Countermeasures to Threats from Terrorism and Other Sources. GAO-12-121, October 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-121
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12121high.pdf
Low Income Countries: International Financial Institutions Met Many Goals in Response to Financial, Food, and Fuel Crises, but Impact on Spending Difficult to Establish. GAO-11-832, September 28.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-832
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11832high.pdf
Preventing Sexual Harassment: DOD Needs Greater Leadership Commitment and an Oversight Framework. GAO-11-809, September 21.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-809
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11809high.pdf
Podcast available - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_77.html
The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: Fall 2011 Update. GAO-12-28SP, October 24.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-28SP
Podcast available - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_79.html
Health Care Price Transparency: Meaningful Price Information is Difficult for Consumers to Obtain Prior to Receiving Care. GAO-11-791, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-791
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11791high.pdf
Podcast available - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_78.html
Department of Defense: Use of Neurocognitive Assessment Tools in Post-Deployment Identification of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. GAO-12-27R, October 24.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-27R
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Actions Needed to Reduce Evolving but Uncertain Federal Financial Risks. GAO-12-86, October 24.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-86
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1286high.pdf
U.S. Postal Service: Mail Trends Highlight Need to Fundamentally Change Business Model. GAO-12-159SP, October 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-159SP
Financial Derivatives: Disparate Tax Treatment and Information Gaps Create Uncertainty and Potential Abuse. GAO-11-750, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-750
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11750high.pdf
UN Internal Oversight: Progress Made on Independence and Staffing Issues, but Further Actions Are Needed. GAO-11-871, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-871
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11871high.pdf
Aviation Safety: Status of FAA's Actions to Oversee the Safety of Composite Airplanes. GAO-11-849, September 21.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-849
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11849high.pdf
Asbestos Injury Compensation: The Role and Administration of Asbestos Trusts. GAO-11-819, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-819
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11819high.pdf
TANF and Child Welfare Programs: Increased Data Sharing Could Improve Access to Benefits and Services. GAO-12-2, October 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-2
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d122high.pdf
Federal Reserve Bank Governance: Opportunities Exist to Broaden Director Recruitment Efforts and Increase Transparency. GAO-12-18, October 19.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-18
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1218high.pdf
Prior Experience and Past Performance as Evaluation Criteria in the Award of Federal Construction Contracts. GAO-12-102R, October 18.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-102R
Income Security: Older Adults and the 2007-2009 Recession. GAO-12-76, October 18.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-76
Federal Chief Information Officers: Opportunities Exist to Improve Role in Information Technology Management. GAO-11-634, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-634
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11634high.pdf
Long-Term Care Hospitals: CMS Oversight Is Limited and Should Be Strengthened. GAO-11-810, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-810
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11810high.pdf
Temporary Assistance For Needy Families: HHS Needs to Improve Guidance and Monitoring of Tribal Programs. GAO-11-758, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-758
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11758high.pdf
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle: DOD Needs to Ensure New Acquisition Strategy Is Based on Sufficient Information. GAO-11-641, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-641
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11641high.pdf
Yucca Mountain: Information on Alternative Uses of the Site and Related Challenges. GAO-11-847, September 16.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-847
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11847high.pdf
Capitol Preservation Fund: Audit of Fiscal Years 2008 through 2010 Transactions. GAO-12-85R, October 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-85R
VA Mental Health: Number of Veterans Receiving Care, Barriers Faced, and Efforts to Increase Access. GAO-12-12, October 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-12
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1212high.pdf
Aviation Safety: Enhanced Oversight and Improved Availability of Risk-Based Data Could Further Improve Safety. GAO-12-24, October 5.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-24
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1224high.pdf
U.S. Postal Service: Allocation of Responsibility for Pension Benefits between the Postal Service and the Federal Government. GAO-12-146, October 13.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-146
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12146high.pdf
Highway Trust Fund: All States Received More Funding Than They Contributed in Highway Taxes from 2005 to 2009. GAO-11-918, September 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-918
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11918high.pdf
Consumer Product Safety Commission: Action Needed to Strengthen Identification of Potentially Unsafe Products. GAO-12-30, October 12.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-30
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1230high.pdf
Food Safety: FDA Needs to Reassess Its Approach to Reducing an Illness Caused by Eating Raw Oysters. GAO-11-607, September 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-607
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11607high.pdf
Warfighter Support: DOD Has Made Progress, but Supply and Distribution Challenges Remain in Afghanistan. GAO-12-138, October 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-138
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12138high.pdf
National Cord Blood Inventory: Practices for Increasing Availability for Transplants and Related Challenges. GAO-12-23, October 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-23
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d1223high.pdf
Data Mining: DHS Needs to Improve Executive Oversight of Systems Supporting Counterterrorism. GAO-11-742, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-742
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11742high.pdf
On-the-Job Training: Federal Highway Administration Needs to Strengthen Program Assessment. GAO-11-703, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-703
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11703high.pdf
Tax Administration: IRS's Information Exchanges with Other Countries Could Be Improved through Better Performance Information. GAO-11-730, September 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-730
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11730high.pdf

Correspondence

Military Training: DOD's Report on the Sustainability of Training Ranges Meets Annual Reporting Requirements but Could Be Improved. GAO-12-13R, October 19.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-13R
Potential Financial Effect on the U.S. Postal Service of Increased Voting By Mail. GAO-12-72R, October 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-72R

Testimonies

DOD Financial Management: Challenges in the Implementation of Business Systems Could Impact Audit Readiness Efforts, Asif A. Khan, FMA, before House Committee on Armed Services: Defense Financial Management and Auditability Reform Panel. GAO-12-177T, October 27.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-177T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12177thigh.pdf
Supplemental Security Income: Preliminary Observations on Children with Mental Impairments, by Daniel Bertoni, EWIS, before House Committee on Ways and Means: Human Resources Subcommittee. GAO-12-196T, October 27.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-196T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12196thigh.pdf
Defense Acquisitions: Future Ground-Based Vehicles and Network Initiatives Face Development and Funding Challenges, by Belva M. Martin, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, House Committee on Armed Services. GAO-12-181T, October 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-181T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12181thigh.pdf
Income Security: The Effect of the 2007-2009 Recession on Older Adults, by Barbara D. Bovbjerg, managing director, education, workforce, and income security issues before the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. GAO-12-172T, October 18.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-172T
Environmental Protection Agency: Management Challenges and Budget Observations, by David Trimble, NRE, before the House Energy And Commerce Committee: Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. GAO-12-149T, October 12.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-149T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12149thigh.pdf
Information Sharing: Progress Made and Challenges Remaining in Sharing Terrorism-Related Information, by Eileen Larence, HSJ, before the Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs. GAO-12-144T, October 12.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-144T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d12144thigh.pdf

Comptroller General Presentation

Meeting Accountability Challenges in a Dynamic Environment, by Gene L. Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States, before the annual meeting of the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts, in Montgomery, Alabama. GAO-12-167CG, October 17, 2011
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-167CG

New Federal Sentencing Guidelines Take Effect November 1

2011-11-01T12:50:00.001-06:00

Today, November 1, the new federal sentencing guidelines take effect. One of the most significant changes involves bringing the penalty for possession of crack cocaine in line with the penalties for possession of cocaine in other forms. In general terms this means lowering the mandatory sentence for possession of crack cocaine. Although this portion of the new guidelines will take effect retroactively it is not an automatic "get out of jail" card. Each case must be considered individually by a federal court. National Public Radio did an interesting story on the changes to crack sentencing that could lead to early releases. The story notes that the "disparity in sentences for crack versus powder had long been criticized as racially discriminatory because it disproportionately affected black defendants. The Fair Sentencing Act passed by Congress in 2010 and signed by President Barack Obama reduced the disparity for future cases."

For official information, go to the United States Sentencing Commission's website which has an FAQ with information about the changes for crack cocaine. For more indepth information, consult the commission's report to Congress about the effects of mandatory sentences on the federal prison system. The commission is charged with making "recommendations to Congress concerning modification or enactment of statutes relating to sentencing, penal, and correctional matters that the Commission finds to be necessary and advisable to carry out an effective, humane, and rational sentencing policy." Aligning the sentences for crack cocaine with those for other forms of cocaine seems like a good step towards a more rational sentencing policy.

For additional information on federal drug policy, the The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) website is a good place to start. In addition to information about drug enforcement, the site includes pictures of drugs, fact sheets on legal and illegal drugs, and other useful information.

Pictures of cocaine from the DEA website.

You can also find more information about drugs and crime using the links on the Government Information's Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use page and on the Crime and Justice page.

Redistricting: Making the Maps That Make Your Vote Matter Less

2011-10-24T16:04:00.001-06:00

The New York Times reported on Saturday that efforts currently underway to draw new boundaries for Congressional districts across the country, a process called Redistricting that takes place in America after each Decennial Census, the most recent of which occurred, of course, in 2010.

IFRAMES not supported

Above, an interactive map of the current population of Colorado from the Census Bureau.

The Times points out that 28 states -- including Colorado -- have already had or are in the process having their new district maps challenged in court due to a process called gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is a process named for Elbridge Gerry, former Governor of Massachusetts, whose "Democratic-Republican partisans," according to the blog Big Think...

...had stitched together the district in such a way as to assure the electoral victory of their candidate and therefore the defeat of the candidate for the other main party, the Federalists. The year was 1812, and the first of many recorded uses of the term occurred that spring.

From Big Think, an 1812 Editorial cartoon by famed American artist Gilbert Stuart that
gave birth to the term "Gerrymander."

Essentially, gerrymandering is the process by which the party currently holding a majority at the time of redistricting oversees and approves the process of creating new district maps. The downside is that this is done in a manner that makes it highly unlikely, if not statistically impossible, that the party in party will lose an upcoming election. In some cases, the dominant party make gain seats through redistricting.
To understand the effects redistricting can have on future elections, it helps to note how congressional seats are initially assigned -- or apportioned, to use the official term. The U.S. Census Bureau has, to that end, released a video summarizing the process of apportionment.

Once seats are apportioned, the creation of districts are up to the state. The State of Colorado has a detailed Redistricting Web site to make the process as transparent an open as possible. This site includes definitions of terms, access to the data files used to draw the maps, as well as GIS files and even Google Earth friendly KMZ files to view existing and proposed changes to congressional boundaries.

If after viewing these files a person doesn't quite understand how the mix of population and political representation can affect the creation of congressional voting districts, then they do have the opportunity to try their hand at redistricting via The Redistricting Game.

As its title implies, The Redistricting Game allows players to work to balance congressional districts in favor of their party. It also serves, according to its creators at the University of Southern California, "to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting."

By exploring how the system works, as well as how open it is to abuse, The Redistricting Game allows players to experience the realities of one of the most important (yet least understood) aspects of our political system. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides info about reform initiatives - including a playable version of the Tanner Reform bill to demonstrate the ways that the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. Beyond playing the game, the web site for The Redistricting Game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every state as well as providing hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.

Players can try their hand at congressional redistricting via The Redistricting Game.

Were you able to draw up boundaries that approtions voters fairly into districts? Did the game affect your perceptions of bias and gerrymandering for future elections? Let us know your thoughts on the process as a whole in the comments below.

Listeria Outbreak Update

2011-10-19T12:52:00.001-06:00

Today the Food and Drug Administration released a report providing an overview of a variety of factors that may have contributed to the listeria outbreak at Jensen Farms in Colorado. If you want you can find a timeline with all the pertinent documents on the FDA's web site. Want more alphabet soup? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has a page on the outbreak.

Want some help on food safety? Why not check out this video:

If you are all set on fresh produce prep, but the the start of the Walking Dead season has you running scared, the CDC also has Zombie Preparedness 101 kit.

Still want more information? Why not check out the library's guide to the food supply.

Video: How to Use FDsys

2011-10-17T06:22:00.003-06:00

Continuing from the "What is FDsys?" video made earlier this year, the latest video from the Government Information Library, "How to Use FDsys," is a short introduction to the three main ways to find content in the GPO database. The video has been embedded below, but can also be found on the CU Boulder Libraries YouTube Channel.

We hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please feel free to share and embed the video elsewhere. Thanks for watching!

What's Up with Iran?

2011-10-15T11:00:00.000-06:00

Iran has been in the news quite a bit recently. First it was the detained hikers. Then on the 11th of October, 2011, the FBI announced that "Two men were charged today in New York for their alleged participation in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States". Allegedly, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) were involved in the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador. According to a non-classifed Defense report, IRGC-QF's "global activities include: gathering tactical intelligence; conducting covert diplomacy; providing training, arms, and financial support to surrogate groups and terrorist organizations; and facilitating some of Iran's provision of humanitarian and economic support to Islamic causes."

Photo taken at a press conference announcing the arrest.

For additional information on Iran and to follow this emerging story, we suggest exploring the Government Information country page on Iran, the State Department page on Iran, and the Homeland Security Digital Library. You can also explore the links on the department's Foreign Relations and International Aid page.

Justice Clarence Thomas Can't Catch a Break

2011-10-11T11:47:00.002-06:00

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas returned to the news recently for two very different reasons.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Earlier this month, Democratic lawmakers asked that Justice Thomas be investigated by the government for failing to report -- for 13 years -- an accurate reflection of his wife's income. Judicial watchdogs and some left-leaning media outlets feel that the sources of her income may indirectly influence cases where their interests come to judgment within the Supreme Court. An opinion piece from the USC Annenberg School of Journalism collects several reports on Thomas' behavior, including an item pointing out that the Justice received a $15,000 gift from The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and decided favorably toward AEI in three cases before the Court. The New York Times had written earlier this year on the increased scrutiny facing Supreme Court Justices.

Now, as reported today by National Public Radio, October 11 is the 20th anniversary of Justice Thomas' infamous confirmation hearings, when the nominee -- then a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit -- was accused of sexually harassing an employee who had worked for him at both the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (The events of Thomas' confirmation hearings were a point mentioned by this blog recently when looking at the widely polarizing, and ultimately unsuccessful, Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Robert Bork.)

Transcripts of the Thomas nomination hearings -- as well as transcripts for all successful nominations to the Supreme Court since 1971 -- are available for download at the Web site for the U.S. Senate.

Rather than rehash the Thomas hearings, however, NPR approaches the Justice by taking a long view of his influence on the Court. NPR reports of Thomas:

"Thomas is not a traditional conservative, not the kind of justice who believes that law should be built up incrementally over time and that adhering to workable precedent means the law is predictable and can be relied on. Instead, he, more than any other justice, believes that the court over the past century has gotten large swaths of the law wrong, and that those rulings should be reversed.

Though his defenders shy from calling his views radical, they trumpet Thomas for being the only justice to so consistently return to what they see as the original meaning of the Constitution when it was adopted in 1789. UCLA law professor and academic blogger Eugene Volokh compares Thomas to the Supreme Court's most famous justices — Louis Brandeis, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Marshall — in the sense that he has a clear vision of where he thinks the court should go."

What is striking -- and to some, similarly controversial, is that for as non-centrist as his judicial opinions place him, Justice Thomas is far from the most outspoken of the Supreme Court justices. Indeed, Justice Thomas has not spoken -- at all -- during an argument before the Supreme Court for was is going on five-and-a-half years.

The last time Justice Thomas spoke was on February 22, 2006 -- when most CU Freshmen were about 13 years old -- in the case of Bobby Lee Holmes v. South Carolina. Transcripts taken from the Supreme Court Web site, show this to be his last remark:

There is no question that aspects of Thomas' tenure on the Court have their place in the American judiciary. Reticence, however extreme, can be as much a virtue as a flaw, and hard-leaning political beliefs -- whether Left or Right -- are essential to challenging and even overturning commonly held assumptions of legal interpretations. American political and judicial history has similarly been rife with individualists, radically independent thinkers, and those with an agenda to promote an internal systems of political belief that they see promoting the intentions of those who penned the country's legal boundaries.
So what, if anything, makes Justice Thomas different? Did Thomas enter until a light of scrutiny unfairly applied to his later behavior? Or are his actions so extreme that they deserve federal review?

To look at Thomas' legal opinions, other judicial decisions, and for sources that will help you explore the world of the American legal system, take a look at the Government Information Library's page on The Supreme and Federal Courts. And feel free to express your own thoughts in comments below.

Is the Post Office a Public Good?

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

Forever stamp. What if the Post Office
goes under? What then?

Dictionary.com defines "public good" as a good or service that is provided without profit for society collectively. That definition puts the U.S. Post Office, which many regard as a public good, in a bind. While it provides a public service to society as a whole, it must also be self-supporting. In other words it needs to make a profit or at least break even. But is it really a business? While the Post Office theoretically operates as a business, it has plenty of oversight in the form of the Postal Regulartory Commission, Congress, and the President. Don't forget the lobbyists. If it were able to operate completely as a business, the Post Office could introduce new products and services in order to compete in the marketplace. Hamstringed by politics, however, the Post Office has proposed closing approximately 3700 post offices and the elimination of mail delivery on Saturday to help balance its books. There is also discussion of cutting the benefits of postal workers--the folks who are out there through snow, rain, and dark of night delivering the mail.

The effects of closures on rural communities may be particularly hard. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet (Colorado) have urged the Post Office to consider the possible negative impacts of closure on rural communities when making decisions. A press release is available on Sen. Udall's website.

To read more about the history of the Post Office and the politics that limit its ability to be self-supporting, see David Morris's posts The Case for the Post Office and More on the Case for the Post Office in the Huffington Post. To learn more about congress and politics, check out the Government Information Library's page on Politics. There you will find a link to Center For Responsive Politics. According to the center's Lobbying database, FedEx spent $25,582,074 lobbying Congress in 2010. UPS spent $5,587,349 in that same period.

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports

2011-10-06T10:36:00.001-06:00

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress' request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week brings us reports on the secrecy, foreign relations, military issues, and much more. Although 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. These reports were discovered by Secrecy News:

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the Proquest Congressional database, which has reports dating 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.

The State of the Statistical Abstract

2011-10-03T17:20:00.001-06:00

No one questions that Americans' tastes and interests are changing rapidly. In 2009 American newspaper publishers received $13 billion less in total revenue from what they earned in 2005, a 26% decline (Tbl. 1134). In 2011, 78% of American adults had access to the Internet, compared to only 53% in the year 2000 (Tbl. 1158 from 2012), and 59% of these users browsed the Internet to gather their news (Tbl. 1158 from 2011). In another interesting shift, the year 2008 was the first year in American history when consumers spent more time playing video games -- 107 hours per person per year -- than they did reading books -- 104 hours per person per year. That transition became even more pronounced in 2009, when it was 121 hours spent with video games and only 98 with books (Tbl 1130).

Harry Potter, meet Marcus Fenix.
Americans spend more time now with video games than with books.

These figures help make it clear that the country is looking more to the computer screen for news and entertainment, and less toward what are considered "traditional" media: books, printed items, and radio, to name a few. This suggests too, especially in a time of massive deficits and a record-setting financial crisis, that the burden is on the content creator when justifying publishing costs for media that may have less of an impact (or audience) than in years past.

On the budgetary chopping block this year is the very publication that provided all the numbers cited above, and whose latest edition for 2012 has just been released online (print copies are forthcoming): The Statistical Abstract of the United States. Published every year since 1878 (back when Rutherford Hayes was president), the Statistical Abstract is a compendium of statistics "on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States... designed to serve as a convenient volume for statistical reference and a as a guide to other statistical publications and sources" (Preface).

Will this be the last year ever for the Statistical Abstract?

What threatens the Statistical Abstract is a budget proposed by the U.S. Census Bureau this year which asks, due to a hostile climate for government expenditures and a justifiable fear of a more prolonged economic recession, for the elimination of the publication, as well as for the elimination of Current Industrial Reports, Federal Financial Statistics, and all but effectively ending the Economic Census of the United States.

Clip from the proposed budget for the U.S. Census Bureau, 2012.

Census Director Robert Groves explained the cuts in a blog post.

"The President presented a Census Bureau budget to Congress that was a real 11% cut from our funding the previous year. The Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives has taken the first official action on that proposal, and cut that proposed budget further by 16.5 percent; our periodic programs request was cut 21 percent. The next steps for our funding bill are to be considered and then passed by the full House, then sent to the Senate.

A cut of this magnitude in our periodic programs account means we cannot do all the work the Congress has asked us to do."

Since that post, Groves has gone on to write how similar data might be produced in the future, blogging here and here on the issue.

The public response to the notion to killing off the Statistical Abstract has been intense. The most cited response has come from Robert Samuelson at The Washington Post, whose editorial has been linked or reprinted in full by newspapers across the country, from The New York Times to The Deseret News of Utah, to Ohio's Akron Beacon Journal, but articles and opinion pieces can be found in publications centered in the sciences, economics, government librarianship, and in business trades.

"The Stat Abstract has two great virtues," wrote Samuelson.

"First, it conveniently presents in one place a huge amount of information from a vast array of government and private sources. For example, the National Fire Protection Association tells us that 30,170 fire departments fought 1.45 million fires in 2008. Second, the footnotes show where to get more information."

From the position of Government Information Librarians, the Abstract is probably the single best publication released by the government to encapsulate the need for, and usefulness of the kinds of data the the United States collects. For example, according to the 1878 Abstract, the national debt in 1860 was $7,065,990.56. Total. The 1995 Abstract tells us that the debt that year was estimated at $4,961,529,000,000. What will our debt be in 2088? On what will that money be spent? These questions will be remarkably more difficult to answer without the data found in the the Statistical Abstract.

Or think of it this way: If Americans are now spending their time reading online and playing video games, what will they be doing in 2020? Or 2048? How will they get their information? Where will they work, and what will their jobs be? What will they be doing for fun?

Without the Statistical Abstract, without the Census Bureau pursuing and compiling that information, there is no clear answer as to who Americans will turn to for not only gathering that information, but for releasing the information to the public, freely, without any restriction to access. A person might be tempted to suggest that a wealthy and powerful company like Google take on the responsibility, but Google's practices for releasing data are murkier than their practices for collecting it. And which do we believe will outlive the other: An entity like Google, Inc., the railroad company of its era, or the government of the United States? And which can be more easily held responsible for the publication and dissemination of data about the interests, habits, changes, and efforts of the American people?

While pondering these questions, you may wish to take a look through the Statistical Abstract to get a sense of its scope, and to contemplate what the loss of this data might do to your next research paper, or your next market anaysis, or your next home buying experience, and so on. It is a singular and unique statistical publication in the history of nations.

And next year it's gone.

Capital Punishment in the U.S.

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

On September 21, 2011, there were two executions, one in Texas and the other in Georgia. Widespread doubts about the guilt of Troy Davis, the man executed in Georgia, led to international protests. The case against Lawrence Brewer, convicted in the murder of James Byrd, was more clear cut. Politics This Week | The Economist published a chart which shows that both the death penalty and resulting executions are on the decline in the United States. The story, which relies on statistics from the NAACP and the U. S. Department of Justice, reports that while there are "virtually identical numbers of black and white victims of homicide ...capital crimes against whites lead to three-quarters of all death sentences." With death sentences on the decline and exonerations on the rise, it is ironic that Brewer, convicted of killing a black man, and Davis, convicted of killing a white man, were executed on the same day.

Gurney used for lethal injections in
Georgia.

The question of capital punishment is a polarizing one. CQ Researcher, a subscription-based source, is a good place to look for pro and con on this issue and other topics of national interest. Recent reports include "Death Penalty Debates" and "Wrongful Convictions". CQ Researcher can be found on the General and Interdisciplinary--Most Useful menu in Chinook's Find Articles & More pages. You can take a look at the data Capital Punishment from the Bureau of Justics Statistics. Additional information is available on the Government Information page on Crime and Justice: Reports and Statistics page.

American Factfinder

2011-09-26T16:16:00.003-06:00

Want to know the average income of a community? Or maybe how they get to work? For current data you will want to use the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), which can be found in American FactFinder. This year the Census Bureau has launched a new version of FactFinder and this past week the 1-year estimates for ACS were loaded in. Therefore, it is time for us to unveil some new videos demonstrating how to use this database.

If you just want a basic demographic profile, then check out this introductory video:

For more advanced searching, with a information on mapping, check out this video:

The new American FactFinder can be intimidating to use the first time, but I follow these basic steps.

First, what is the community or community I want information on?
Second, what is the time period I want data for and what level of granularity am I looking for? Summary File 1 (population numbers) versus ACS/Summary File 3 or 4 (in-depth population information).
Finally, what do I want data on? Use the search or browse features to find the table I need.

Still want more demographic information? Check out the library's guide to Demographics and Statistics.

GAO Reports and Releases

2011-09-26T04:30:00.000-06:00

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This set of publications from GAO investigates the agriculture, health care, child care, and many other issues. If you would like to know more about GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

Child Welfare: More Information and Collaboration Could Promote Ties Between Foster Care Children and Their Incarcerated Parents. GAO-11-863, September 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-863
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11863high.pdf
Prescription Drug Control: DEA Has Enhanced Efforts to Combat Diversion, but Could Better Assess and Report Program Results. GAO-11-744, August 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-744
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11744high.pdf
Organizational Transformation: Military Departments Can Improve Their Enterprise Architecture Programs. GAO-11-902, September 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-902
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11902high.pdf
Excess Uranium Inventories: Clarifying DOE's Disposition Options Could Help Avoid Further Legal Violations. GAO-11-846, September 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-846
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11846high.pdf
Defense Health Care: Cost Impact of Health Care Reform and the Extension of Dependent Coverage. GAO-11-837R, September 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-837R
DOD Met Statutory Reporting Requirements on Public-Private Competitions. GAO-11-923R, September 26.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-923R
Drug Pricing: Manufacturer Discounts in the 340B Program Offer Benefits, but Federal Oversight Needs Improvement. GAO-11-836, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-836
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11836high.pdf
Indian Health Service: Increased Oversight Needed to Ensure Accuracy of Data Used for Estimating Contract Health Service Need. GAO-11-767, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-767
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11767high.pdf
Electronic Government: Performance Measures for Projects Aimed at Promoting Innovation and Transparency Can Be Improved. GAO-11-775, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-775
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11775high.pdf
Recovery Act Education Programs: Funding Retained Teachers, but Education Could More Consistently Communicate Stabilization Monitoring Issues. GAO-11-804, September 22.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-804
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11804high.pdf
Inspectors General: Reporting on Independence, Effectiveness, and Expertise. GAO-11-770, September 21.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-770
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11770high.pdf
Afghanistan Governance: Performance-Data Gaps Hinder Overall Assessment of U.S. Efforts to Build Financial Management Capacity. GAO-11-907, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-907
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11907high.pdf
Podcast - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_73.html
Afghanistan's Donor Dependence. GAO-11-948R, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-948R
Military Training: Actions Needed to Assess Workforce Requirements and Appropriate Mix of Army Training Personnel. GAO-11-845, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-845
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11845high.pdf
Modernizing the Nuclear Security Enterprise: The National Nuclear Security Administration's Proposed Acquisition Strategy Needs Further Clarification and Assessment. GAO-11-848, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-848
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11848high.pdf
Personal ID Verification: Agencies Should Set a Higher Priority on Using the Capabilities of Standardized Identification Cards. GAO-11-751, September 20.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-751
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11751high.pdf
Weapons Acquisition Reform: Actions Needed to Address Systems Engineering and Developmental Testing Challenges. GAO-11-806, September 19.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-806Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11806high.pdf
Telecommunications: Competition, Capacity, and Costs in the Fixed Satellite Services Industry. GAO-11-777, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-777
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11777high.pdf
Excess Facilities: DOD Needs More Complete Information and a Strategy to Guide Its Future Disposal Efforts. GAO-11-814, September 19.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-814
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11814high.pdf
Joint Strike Fighter: Implications of Program Restructuring and Other Recent Developments on Key Aspects of DOD's Prior Alternate Engine Analyses. GAO-11-903R, September 14
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-903R
Iraq Drawdown: Opportunities Exist to Improve Equipment Visibility, Contractor Demobilization, and Clarity of Post-2011 DOD Role. GAO-11-774, September 16.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-774
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11774high.pdf
Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of GAO Recommendations to Treasury. GAO-11-906R, September 16.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-906R
DOD Financial Management: Marine Corps Statement of Budgetary Resources Audit Results and Lessons Learned. GAO-11-830, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-830
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11830high.pdf
DOD Financial Management: Improvement Needed in DOD Components' Implementation of Audit Readiness Effort. GAO-11-851, September 13.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-851
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11851high.pdf
Chesapeake Bay: Restoration Effort Needs Common Federal and State Goals and Assessment Approach. GAO-11-802, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-802
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11802high.pdf
Iraq and Afghanistan: DOD, State, and USAID Cannot Fully Account for Contracts, Assistance Instruments, and Associated Personnel. GAO-11-886, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-886
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11886high.pdf
Airline Passenger Protections: More Data and Analysis Needed to Understand Effects of Flight Delays. GAO-11-733, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-733
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11733high.pdf
Small Business Innovation Research: SBA Should Work with Agencies to Improve the Data Available for Program Evaluation. GAO-11-698, August 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-698
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11698high.pdf
Antibiotic Resistance: Agencies Have Made Limited Progress Addressing Antibiotic Use in Animals. GAO-11-801, September 7
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-801
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11801high.pdf
Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Improve Response to Potential Terrorist Attacks and Natural Disasters Affecting Food and Agriculture. GAO-11-652, August 19.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-652
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11652high.pdf
Podcast - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_72.html
Child Care: Overview of Relevant Employment Laws and Cases of Sex Offenders at Child-Care Facilities. GAO-11-757, August 19.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-757
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11757high.pdf
Interagency Contracting: Improvements Needed in Setting Fee Rates for Selected Programs. GAO-11-784, September 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-784
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11784high.pdf
Tax Whistleblowers: Incomplete Data Hinders IRS's Ability to Manage Claim Processing Time and Enhance External Communication. GAO-11-683, August 10.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-683
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11683high.pdf
Nuclear Nonproliferation: U.S. Agencies Have Limited Ability to Account for, Monitor, and Evaluate the Security of U.S. Nuclear Material Overseas. GAO-11-920, September 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-920
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11920high.pdf
Environmental Health: Action Needed to Sustain Agencies' Collaboration on Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water. GAO-11-346, August 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-346
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11346high.pdf
Department of Homeland Security: Progress Made and Work Remaining in Implementing Homeland Security Missions 10 Years after 9/11. GAO-11-881, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-881
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11881high.pdf
Podcast available - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_71.html
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Temporary Emergency Impact Aid Provided Education Support for Displaced Students. GAO-11-839, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-839
Telecommunications: Enhanced Data Collection and Analysis Could Inform FCC's Efforts to Complete the Digital Transition of Low-Power Television Stations and Reallocate Spectrum. GAO-11-790, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-790
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11790high.pdf
Information Technology: HUD's Expenditure Plan Satisfies Statutory Conditions, and Implementation of Management Controls Is Under Way. GAO-11-762, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-762
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11762high.pdf
Bureau of Prisons: Improved Evaluations and Increased Coordination Could Improve Cell Phone Detection. GAO-11-893, September 6.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-893
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11893high.pdf
Podcast - http://www.gao.gov/podcast/watchdog_episode_70.html

Correspondences

Observations on the Costs and Benefits of an Increased Department of Defense Role in Helping to Secure the Southwest Land Border. GAO-11-856R, September 12.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-856R
Management Report: Opportunities for Improvements in the Congressional Award Foundation's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures. GAO-11-825R, September 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-825R

Testimonies

DOD Financial Management: Improved Controls, Processes, and Systems Are Needed for Accurate and Reliable Financial Information, by Asif A. Khan, director, financial management and assurance, before the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. GAO-11-933T, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-933T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11933thigh.pdf
Social Security Disability: Participation in the Ticket to Work Program Has Increased, but More Oversight Needed, by Daniel Bertoni, director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before the Subcommittees on Social Security and Human Resources, House Ways and Means Committee. GAO-11-828T, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-828T
American Samoa and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Employment, Earnings, and Status of Key Industries Since Minimum Wage Increases Began, by David Gootnick, director, international affairs and trade, before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs, House Natural Resources Committee. GAO-11-956T, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-956T
Polar Satellites: Agencies Need to Address Potential Gaps in Weather and Climate Data Coverage, by David A. Powner, director, information technology management issues, before the Subcommittees on Investigations and Oversight and Energy and Environment, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. GAO-11-945T, September 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-945T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11945thigh.pdf
DOD Financial Management: Extent of Weaknesses in Controls over the Use of Public Funds and Related Improper Payments, by Asif A. Khan, director, financial management and assurance, before the Panel on Defense Financial Management and Auditability Reform, House Armed Services Committee. GAO-11-950T, September 22.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-950T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11950Thigh.pdf
Homeland Security: DHS and TSA Acquisition and Development of New Technologies, by Stephen Lord, director, homeland security and justice issues, before the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, House Homeland Security Committee. GAO-11-957T, September 22.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-957T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11957thigh.pdf
Incapacitated Adults: Improving Oversight of Federal Fiduciaries and Court-appointed Guardians, by Kay E. Brown, director, education, workforce, and income security, before the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Senate Judiciary Committee. GAO-11-949T, September 22.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-949T
Aviation Security: TSA Has Made Progress, but Additional Efforts Are Needed to Improve Security, by Stephen M. Lord, director, homeland security and justice issues, before the Oversight, Investigations, And Management Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee. GAO-11-938T, September 16. Hearing held at Logan International Airport, Boston.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-938T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11938thigh.pdf
Disaster Recovery: Federal Contracting in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, by William T. Woods, acquisition and sourcing management before the Senate Committee On Small Business and Entrepreneurship. GAO-11-942T, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-942T
Small Business Contracting: Opportunities to Improve the Effectiveness of Agency and SBA Advocates and Mentor-Protege Programs, by William B. Shear, financial markets and community investment before the Contracting And Workforce Subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee. GAO-11-844T, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-844T
DOD Financial Management: Ongoing Challenges in Implementing the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness Plan by Asif Khan, financial management and assurance before the Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs Committee. GAO-11-932T, September 15.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-932T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11932thigh.pdf
Drug Safety: FDA Faces Challenges Overseeing the Foreign Drug Manufacturing Supply Chain, by Marcia Crosse, director, health care, before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. GAO-11-936T, September 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-936T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11936thigh.pdf
Homeownership Counseling: Although Research Suggests Some Benefits, Implementation and Evaluation Challenges Exist, by Alicia Puente Cackley, director, financial markets and community investment, before the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, House Committee on Financial Services. GAO-11-925T, September 14.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-925T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11925thigh.pdf
Visa Security: Additional Actions Needed to Strengthen Overstay Enforcement and Address Risks in the Visa Process, by Richard Stana, director, homeland security and justice before the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, House Committee on Homeland Security. GAO-11-910T, September 13.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-910T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11910thigh.pdf
Homeland Security: Challenges for the Food and Agriculture Sector in Responding to Potential Terrorist Attacks and Natural Disasters, by Lisa Shames, director, natural resources and environment, before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-11-946T, September 13.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-946T
Energy Policy Act of 2005: BLM's Use of Section 390 Categorical Exclusions for Oil and Gas Development. GAO-11-941T, September 9.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-941T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11941thigh.pdf
Department of Homeland Security: Progress Made and Work Remaining in Implementing Homeland Security Missions 10 Years after 9/11, by Gene L. Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States, before the House Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-11-940T, September 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-940T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11940thigh.pdf
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Update on Families Served and Work Participation, by Kay E. Brown, director, education, workforce, and income security, before the Subcommittee on Human Resources, House Committee on Ways and Means. GAO-11-880T, September 8.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-880T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11880thigh.pdf
Department of Homeland Security: Progress Made and Work Remaining in Implementing Homeland Security Missions 10 Years after 9/11, by Gene L. Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-11-919T, September 7.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-919T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11919thigh.pdf
U.S. Postal Service: Actions Needed to Stave Off Financial Insolvency, by Phillip R. Herr, director, physical infrastructure, before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-11-926T, September 6.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-926T
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d11926thigh.pdf

Presentation by Comptroller General

"GAO's Perspectives on Fiscal and Performance Challenges Facing Government," by Gene L. Dodaro before the American Institute of CPA's (AICPA) Governmental Accounting and Auditing Updates Conference, in Washington D.C. GAO-11-1071CG, August 23.
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-1071CG

NTSB Investigation of the Accident in Reno

2011-09-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the recent crash at an air race in Reno, Nevada in which the pilot and 10 bystanders were killed. "The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in the other modes of transportation -- railroad, highway, marine and pipeline -- and issuing safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents."

The NTSB has been uploading press briefings to YouTube. Although this video is a little dry, it provides a good overview of the process followed by the agency.

The final NTSB report is usually released 1-2 years after an accident occurs. Recent reports are available from the agency website. In addition a selection of historic accident reports is available from the Department of Transportation's Online Digital Special Collections. Tracking down the reports issued in between can be something of a challenge. Many of them were distributed by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Use the NTIS database or the National Technical Reports Library (NTRL) to identify report numbers. Newer ones are generally available online. The "in-between" years should be in the microfiche collections of the Government Information Library.
Additional links on issues relating to transportation are available on our aptly-named Transportation page.