Today's Last Day to Register to Vote

This is the last day to register to vote here in Colorado. If you want to register or make sure you are registered, check these sites out:

• Colorado Voter Registration Application You will need to know the fax, location, etc. to send this in, which is your County Clerk. You county clerk can be found online.
  
• Verify your registration If you aren't 100% sure you are registered, why not check on this site.

Still want more info? Check out the library's elections and voting guide.

GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as pandemic influenza, space acquisitions, climate change, and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Aviation Safety: FAA Has Taken Steps to Determine That It Has Made Correct Medical Certification Decisions. GAO-08-997, September 17.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-997
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08997high.pdf
• Climate Change: Federal Actions Will Greatly Affect the Viability of Carbon Capture and Storage As a Key Mitigation Option. GAO-08-1080, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1080
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081080high.pdf
• Coastal Zone Management: Measuring Program's Effectiveness Continues to Be a Challenge. GAO-08-1045, September 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1045
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081045high.pdf
  
• Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Contracts and Contractor Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. GAO-09-19, October 1.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-19
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0919high.pdf
• Defense Management: DOD Needs to Establish Clear Goals and Objectives, Guidance, and a Designated Budget to Manage Its Biometrics Activities. GAO-08-1065, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1065
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081065high.pdf
• Federal Energy Management: Addressing Challenges through Better Plans and Clarifying the Greenhouse Gas Emission Measure Will Help Meet Long-term Goals for Buildings. GAO-08-977, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-977
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08977high.pdf
• Financial Management: Persistent Financial Management Systems Issues Remain for Many CFO Act Agencies. GAO-08-1018, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1018
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081018high.pdf
  
• Health-Care-Associated Infections in Hospitals: An Overview of State Reporting Programs and Individual Hospital Initiatives to Reduce Certain Infections. GAO-08-808, September 5.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-808
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08808high.pdf
• Influenza Pandemic: HHS Needs to Continue Its Actions and Finalize Guidance for Pharmaceutical Interventions. GAO-08-671, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-671
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08671high.pdf
• Lobbying Disclosure: Observations on Lobbyists' Compliance with New Disclosure Requirements. GAO-08-1099, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1099
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081099high.pdf
• Military Operations: DOD Needs to Address Contract Oversight and Quality Assurance Issues for Contracts Used to Support Contingency Operations. GAO-08-1087, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1087
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081087high.pdf
  
• NASA: Agency Faces Challenges Defining Scope and Costs of Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement. GAO-08-1096, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1096
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081096high.pdf
• Nuclear Waste: Action Needed to Improve Accountability and Management of DOE's Major Cleanup Projects. GAO-08-1081, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1081
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081081high.pdf
• Space Acquisitions: DOD's Goals for Resolving Space Based Infrared System Software Problems Are Ambitious. GAO-08-1073, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1073
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081073high.pdf
• Tax Gap: Actions That Could Improve Rental Real Estate Reporting Compliance. GAO-08-956, August 28.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-956
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08956high.pdf
• USAID Acquisition and Assistance: Actions Needed to Develop and Implement a Strategic Workforce Plan. GAO-08-1059, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1059
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081059high.pdf
  

Reposted Products

• Homeland Security: DHS Risk-Based Grant Methodology Is Reasonable, But Current Version's Measure of Vulnerability is Limited. GAO-08-852, June 27. [File revised to reflect changes in note on page 10 and graphic on page 18.]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-852
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08852high.pdf
• U.S. Asylum System: Agencies Have Taken Actions to Help Ensure Quality in the Asylum Adjudication Process, but Challenges Remain. GAO-08-935, September 25. [File revised to correct several figures that initially had incorrect information or did not correspond to the appropriate figure title.]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-935
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08935high.pdf
  

Correspondences

• EPA's Execution of Its Fiscal Year 2007 New Budget Authority for the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program in the Regional Offices. GAO-08-1109R, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1109R
• Export Promotion: The Export-Import Bank's Financing of Dual-Use Exports. GAO-08-1182R, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1182R
  
• Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan and Iraq. GAO-09-86R, October 1.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-86R

Testimonies

• Defense Acquisitions: Fundamental Changes Are Needed to Improve Weapon Program Outcomes, by Michael J. Sullivan, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-08-1159T, September 25.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1159T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081159thigh.pdf

Wyoming Seeks to Protect Gray Wolves

The Los Angeles Times has reported that although Wyoming spent nearly a decade protesting the federal government's efforts to reintroduce gray wolves to the region, and the animals were eventually removed from the endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now attempting to relist the gray wolf. You can read the article here. See the FWS's press release about the wolf's reinstatement.

The FWS's website contains various documents illustrating the changing status of the gray wolf. In early 2004 the agency described steps necessary for delisting the gray wolf. In 2006 it issued this press release announcing that the wolf would remain on the endangered species list. This year FWS issued this 33-page report about the status, distribution, and management of wolves in Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.

For additional resources on endangered species, see our guide on endangered species.

Senate Passes Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

All major and minor newspapers are reporting that the Senate passed its revision of H.R. 1424, the economic stabilization/bailout/stimulus that failed in the House last Friday. Numerous pundits are writing opinion pieces on the issue while countless citizens are weighing in with their own comments to newspaper articles (1,126 comments on the Washington Post's article alone). But if you're eager to read a copy of the actual bill as it was passed by the Senate, you can find it on GPO Access (along with countless other government documents, all of which are available for free from the U.S. Government Printing Office).

You can also trace the bill's voyage through Congress by searching in THOMAS, another useful website brought to you by the Library of Congress. To offer feedback to your state's senator or advise your House representative on how to vote on the bill Friday, check out the official websites of the Senate and House. On the Senate's website you can also read the roll call votes for and against the bill.

If you're still not finding the congressional information you need, take a look at our subject guide on Congress and Legislation.

Baseball, Author Signings, and much more

I could talk about the possibility of the bill on the economy bailout/stimulus, etc., but it has been a long week of economic news. If you must have more go to the Senate Banking Committee, I am going to have fun at the Library of Congress.

Did you know that Roger Maris hit his 61st homerun on this day in 1961? A feat that held until 1998, when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa passed it within days of each other. You can learn this and more other exciting baseball trivia in the Library of Congress's Today in History. You can also find links to pictures, newspaper articles and much more.

The Library of Congress also hosted the 2008 Book Festival this weekend where authors came and talked about and signed their books. You can view podcasts from this event and others on the web site.

Finally, to close out our tour, why not run over to myLOC? This new site lets us those of us who live far away from DC explore the exhibitions, building and resources from the comfort of our own computers.

If you still need more non-economic news, why not check out the library's Historic Documents and Exhibits page.