Personal Income for Metropolitan Areas, 2007
"Personal income growth slowed in 2007 in most of the nation’s metropolitan
statistical areas (MSAs), according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. On average, MSA personal income grew 6.2% in 2007, down from 6.8% in 2006. Personal income growth slowed in 208 MSAs, increased in 144, and remained unchanged in 11 MSAs."
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Waterfowl Population Status Report for 2008
"In North America the process of establishing hunting regulations for waterfowl is conducted annually. In the United States the process involves a number of scheduled meetings in which information regarding the status of waterfowl is presented to individuals within the agencies responsible for setting hunting regulations. In addition the proposed regulations are published in the Federal Register to allow public comment. This report includes the most current breeding population and production information available for waterfowl in North America and is a result of cooperative e orts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), various state and provincial conservation agencies, and private conservation organizations. This report is intended to aid the development of waterfowl harvest regulations in the United States for the 2008-2009 hunting season."
"In North America the process of establishing hunting regulations for waterfowl is conducted annually. In the United States the process involves a number of scheduled meetings in which information regarding the status of waterfowl is presented to individuals within the agencies responsible for setting hunting regulations. In addition the proposed regulations are published in the Federal Register to allow public comment. This report includes the most current breeding population and production information available for waterfowl in North America and is a result of cooperative e orts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), various state and provincial conservation agencies, and private conservation organizations. This report is intended to aid the development of waterfowl harvest regulations in the United States for the 2008-2009 hunting season."
Thursday, August 7, 2008
DOJ Releases Documents on the Anthrax Investigation
[Prepared for Delivery by U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor at Amerithrax Investigation Press Conference]
"As the Department indicated last week and has been widely reported, substantial progress has been made in the Amerithrax investigation in recent years. As you know, this investigation into the worst act of bioterrorism in U.S. history has been one of the largest and most complex ever conducted by the FBI. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has also made an extraordinary contribution to this investigation. Over the past seven years, hundreds of thousands of agent-hours have been dedicated to solving this crime.
Ordinarily, we do not publicly disclose evidence against a suspect who has not been charged, in part because of the presumption of innocence. But because of the extraordinary and justified public interest in this investigation, as well as the significant public attention resulting from the death of Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins last week, today we are compelled to take the extraordinary step of providing first, the victims and their families, as well as Congress, and the American public with an overview of some recent developments as well as some of our conclusions.
Earlier today, several search warrant affidavits were unsealed in federal court in the District of Columbia. Among other things, these search warrants confirm that the government was investigating Dr. Ivins in connection with the attacks, which killed five individuals and injured 17 others in 2001. Dr. Ivins was a resident of Frederick, Maryland, and a long-time anthrax researcher who worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, known as USAMRIID."
Amerithrax Court Documents
[Prepared for Delivery by U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor at Amerithrax Investigation Press Conference]
"As the Department indicated last week and has been widely reported, substantial progress has been made in the Amerithrax investigation in recent years. As you know, this investigation into the worst act of bioterrorism in U.S. history has been one of the largest and most complex ever conducted by the FBI. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has also made an extraordinary contribution to this investigation. Over the past seven years, hundreds of thousands of agent-hours have been dedicated to solving this crime.
Ordinarily, we do not publicly disclose evidence against a suspect who has not been charged, in part because of the presumption of innocence. But because of the extraordinary and justified public interest in this investigation, as well as the significant public attention resulting from the death of Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins last week, today we are compelled to take the extraordinary step of providing first, the victims and their families, as well as Congress, and the American public with an overview of some recent developments as well as some of our conclusions.
Earlier today, several search warrant affidavits were unsealed in federal court in the District of Columbia. Among other things, these search warrants confirm that the government was investigating Dr. Ivins in connection with the attacks, which killed five individuals and injured 17 others in 2001. Dr. Ivins was a resident of Frederick, Maryland, and a long-time anthrax researcher who worked at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, known as USAMRIID."
Amerithrax Court Documents
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
NIDDK Resource Helps Guide Women with Diabetes through Healthy Pregnancies
"Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and anticipation. It also can be a time of anxiety, especially for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy in women who have diabetes is automatically considered high-risk. But a new, easy-to-read booklet has information to help women with diabetes experience safe, healthy pregnancies.
For Women with Diabetes: Your Guide to Pregnancy is an illustrated, 44-page booklet that includes information about checking and controlling blood glucose — also called blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthy diet, staying physically active and taking tests and diabetes medications during pregnancy. The importance of planning for pregnancy and getting blood glucose levels under control before pregnancy to decrease the risk of birth defects associated with diabetes is emphasized. Logs for recording daily blood glucose and ketone levels, food intake and physical activity are included."
"Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and anticipation. It also can be a time of anxiety, especially for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy in women who have diabetes is automatically considered high-risk. But a new, easy-to-read booklet has information to help women with diabetes experience safe, healthy pregnancies.
For Women with Diabetes: Your Guide to Pregnancy is an illustrated, 44-page booklet that includes information about checking and controlling blood glucose — also called blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthy diet, staying physically active and taking tests and diabetes medications during pregnancy. The importance of planning for pregnancy and getting blood glucose levels under control before pregnancy to decrease the risk of birth defects associated with diabetes is emphasized. Logs for recording daily blood glucose and ketone levels, food intake and physical activity are included."
The Year in Trade 2007
"The ITC's The Year in Trade is one of the government's most comprehensive reports of U.S. trade-related activities, covering major multilateral, regional, and bilateral developments.
The publication provides a practical review of U.S. international trade laws and actions in 2007, a summary of the operation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and an overview of U.S. free trade agreements and negotiations and of U.S. bilateral trade relations with major trading partners..."
"The ITC's The Year in Trade is one of the government's most comprehensive reports of U.S. trade-related activities, covering major multilateral, regional, and bilateral developments.
The publication provides a practical review of U.S. international trade laws and actions in 2007, a summary of the operation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and an overview of U.S. free trade agreements and negotiations and of U.S. bilateral trade relations with major trading partners..."
EPA Provides Analyses of Greenhouse Gas Reductions from Transportation
"In response to Chairman Waxman’s inquiry, EPA provided analyses EPA had conducted of reductions that would be necessary from the transportation sector to meet a range of global warming goals."
Documents and Link: EPA Response
"In response to Chairman Waxman’s inquiry, EPA provided analyses EPA had conducted of reductions that would be necessary from the transportation sector to meet a range of global warming goals."
Documents and Link: EPA Response
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
State Digital Resources: Memory Projects, Online Encyclopedias, Historical & Cultural Materials Collections
"The Library of Congress American Memory project and other digital initiatives provide free access through the Internet to the treasures of the Library’s collections that document America’s history, culture, and creativity. Across the country, the archives, cultural institutions, museums, and libraries of many states are collaborating to create similar projects. They provide unprecedented access to materials that document local and regional growth and development as well as a look at the cultures and traditions that have made individual states and communities unique. The following is a compilation of state and regional digital projects and collaborations identified thus far. For each project, the primary institution or institutions overseeing the project are noted. The list will expand as new projects become available."
"The Library of Congress American Memory project and other digital initiatives provide free access through the Internet to the treasures of the Library’s collections that document America’s history, culture, and creativity. Across the country, the archives, cultural institutions, museums, and libraries of many states are collaborating to create similar projects. They provide unprecedented access to materials that document local and regional growth and development as well as a look at the cultures and traditions that have made individual states and communities unique. The following is a compilation of state and regional digital projects and collaborations identified thus far. For each project, the primary institution or institutions overseeing the project are noted. The list will expand as new projects become available."
A Look at Terrorist Behavior: How They Prepare, Where They Strike
"...Although we know a great deal about the behavior of traditional criminals, little information has been available about terrorists. Are they much different from conventional criminals, who tend to commit their crimes close to home?[1] Research has shown that traditional criminals are spontaneous, but terrorists seem to go to great lengths preparing for their attacks — and may commit other crimes while doing so. How long does this planning take? And do different types of terrorist groups vary in preparation time?
To help answer these questions, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) launched a series of projects to explore patterns of terrorist behavior.[2] In the first of these projects, a panel of experts[3] was assembled to examine 60 case studies involving terrorist incidents in the U.S. during the past 25 years.[4] These cases involved the four major types of U.S. terrorist groups: left wing, right wing, single issue and international.[5],[6],[7] The panel — including this author — looked at the homes of the terrorists, the locations of planning and preparation, and the sites of the terrorist incidents to discover whether any patterns emerged."
"...Although we know a great deal about the behavior of traditional criminals, little information has been available about terrorists. Are they much different from conventional criminals, who tend to commit their crimes close to home?[1] Research has shown that traditional criminals are spontaneous, but terrorists seem to go to great lengths preparing for their attacks — and may commit other crimes while doing so. How long does this planning take? And do different types of terrorist groups vary in preparation time?
To help answer these questions, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) launched a series of projects to explore patterns of terrorist behavior.[2] In the first of these projects, a panel of experts[3] was assembled to examine 60 case studies involving terrorist incidents in the U.S. during the past 25 years.[4] These cases involved the four major types of U.S. terrorist groups: left wing, right wing, single issue and international.[5],[6],[7] The panel — including this author — looked at the homes of the terrorists, the locations of planning and preparation, and the sites of the terrorist incidents to discover whether any patterns emerged."
State Transportation Statistics 2007
"State Transportation Statistics (STS) are a series of reports highlighting major federal databases and other national sources related to each state's infrastructure, safety, freight movement and passenger travel, vehicles, economy and finance, and energy and the environment. Along with tables generated for each state, the reports describe databases and give information on access, formats, and contact points."
"State Transportation Statistics (STS) are a series of reports highlighting major federal databases and other national sources related to each state's infrastructure, safety, freight movement and passenger travel, vehicles, economy and finance, and energy and the environment. Along with tables generated for each state, the reports describe databases and give information on access, formats, and contact points."
Report: Offshore Aquaculture Would Benefit U.S. Economy
"Aquaculture shows significant economic potential and good prospects for success in the United States, according to a new report commissioned by NOAA. The report’s authors call for clear rules to be enacted to guide the development of an offshore aquaculture industry.
“We must make a commitment to the health of our citizens and our economy through safe, sustainable aquaculture,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
The report by leading fisheries and resource economists and business experts, Offshore Aquaculture in the United States: Economic Considerations, Implications & Opportunities, examined a range of topics on the industry’s potential and found that a significant domestic offshore aquaculture industry could develop and be successful over the next 20 years with a clear regulatory framework."
"Aquaculture shows significant economic potential and good prospects for success in the United States, according to a new report commissioned by NOAA. The report’s authors call for clear rules to be enacted to guide the development of an offshore aquaculture industry.
“We must make a commitment to the health of our citizens and our economy through safe, sustainable aquaculture,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
The report by leading fisheries and resource economists and business experts, Offshore Aquaculture in the United States: Economic Considerations, Implications & Opportunities, examined a range of topics on the industry’s potential and found that a significant domestic offshore aquaculture industry could develop and be successful over the next 20 years with a clear regulatory framework."
National Emergency Communications Plan
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released today the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) to address gaps and determine solutions so that emergency response personnel at all levels of government and across all disciplines can communicate as needed, on demand, and as authorized. The NECP is the nation's first strategic plan to improve emergency response communications, and complements overarching homeland security and emergency communications legislation, strategies and initiatives."
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released today the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) to address gaps and determine solutions so that emergency response personnel at all levels of government and across all disciplines can communicate as needed, on demand, and as authorized. The NECP is the nation's first strategic plan to improve emergency response communications, and complements overarching homeland security and emergency communications legislation, strategies and initiatives."
2008 National Defense Strategy
"The Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy is the latest in a series of Defense Department messages highlighting the need to develop a U.S. foreign policy with greater emphasis on so-called “soft powers” such as diplomacy and international aid.
The broad-brush document released yesterday includes a section that strikes at the need for greater cooperation, or “jointness,” between the department and its interagency partners if American operations abroad are to succeed.
“Iraq and Afghanistan remind us that military success alone is insufficient to achieve victory,” the strategy reads. “We must not forget our hard-learned lessons or allow the important soft power capabilities developed because of them to atrophy or even disappear.”
Beyond security, the “essential ingredients” of long-term success include economic development, institution building and enforcing the rule of law, the document states..."
"The Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy is the latest in a series of Defense Department messages highlighting the need to develop a U.S. foreign policy with greater emphasis on so-called “soft powers” such as diplomacy and international aid.
The broad-brush document released yesterday includes a section that strikes at the need for greater cooperation, or “jointness,” between the department and its interagency partners if American operations abroad are to succeed.
“Iraq and Afghanistan remind us that military success alone is insufficient to achieve victory,” the strategy reads. “We must not forget our hard-learned lessons or allow the important soft power capabilities developed because of them to atrophy or even disappear.”
Beyond security, the “essential ingredients” of long-term success include economic development, institution building and enforcing the rule of law, the document states..."
New Technology Reveals Higher Number of New HIV Infections in the United States than Previously Known
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that an estimated 56,300 HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006. That estimate differs from the agency′s previous estimate of 40,000 because CDC is now using a more precise method for estimating annual HIV incidence, which is the number of individuals who become newly infected with HIV in a given year. The new estimate is published today in a special HIV/AIDS issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, released at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City."
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that an estimated 56,300 HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006. That estimate differs from the agency′s previous estimate of 40,000 because CDC is now using a more precise method for estimating annual HIV incidence, which is the number of individuals who become newly infected with HIV in a given year. The new estimate is published today in a special HIV/AIDS issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, released at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City."
Sexual Violence Reported by Juvenile Correctional Authorities, 2005-06
"Presents data from the 2005 and 2006 Survey on Sexual Violence, an administrative records collection of incidents required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-79) of youth-on-youth and staff-on-youth sexual violence reported to juvenile correctional authorities. The report provides counts of sexual violence, by type, for juvenile correctional facilities. The report also provides an in-depth analysis of substantiated incidents, including where the incidents occur, time of day, number and characteristics of victims and perpetrators, nature of the injuries, impact on the victims and sanctions imposed on the perpetrators. The appendix tables include counts of sexual violence, by type, for all state systems, and all sampled locally or privately operated facilities.
Highlights include the following:
* Approximately 1 in 5 of reported allegations of juvenile sexual violence were substantiated.
* Youth-on-youth incidents were more likely to occur in the victim’s room (37%) or in a common area (32%), compared to staff-on-youth incidents (7% and 13%, respectively).
* Victims received physical injuries in 12% of substantiated incidents of youth-on-youth sexual violence; about half received some form of medical follow-up."
"Presents data from the 2005 and 2006 Survey on Sexual Violence, an administrative records collection of incidents required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-79) of youth-on-youth and staff-on-youth sexual violence reported to juvenile correctional authorities. The report provides counts of sexual violence, by type, for juvenile correctional facilities. The report also provides an in-depth analysis of substantiated incidents, including where the incidents occur, time of day, number and characteristics of victims and perpetrators, nature of the injuries, impact on the victims and sanctions imposed on the perpetrators. The appendix tables include counts of sexual violence, by type, for all state systems, and all sampled locally or privately operated facilities.
Highlights include the following:
* Approximately 1 in 5 of reported allegations of juvenile sexual violence were substantiated.
* Youth-on-youth incidents were more likely to occur in the victim’s room (37%) or in a common area (32%), compared to staff-on-youth incidents (7% and 13%, respectively).
* Victims received physical injuries in 12% of substantiated incidents of youth-on-youth sexual violence; about half received some form of medical follow-up."
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2009
"Climate plays an important role in shaping the environment, natural resources,
infrastructure, economy, and other aspects of life in all countries of the world.
Therefore, variations and changes in climate can have substantial environmental and
socioeconomic implications. The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was
established in 2002 to empower the Nation and the global community with the sciencebased knowledge to manage risks and opportunities of change in the climate and
related environmental systems. CCSP incorporates and integrates the U.S. Global
Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the Administration’s U.S. Climate Change
Research Initiative (CCRI). The USGCRP was mandated by Congress in the Global
Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606, 104 Stat. 3096-3104) to improve
understanding of uncertainties in climate science, expand global observing systems,
develop science-based resources to support policymaking and resource management,
and communicate findings broadly among scientific and stakeholder communities."
"Climate plays an important role in shaping the environment, natural resources,
infrastructure, economy, and other aspects of life in all countries of the world.
Therefore, variations and changes in climate can have substantial environmental and
socioeconomic implications. The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was
established in 2002 to empower the Nation and the global community with the sciencebased knowledge to manage risks and opportunities of change in the climate and
related environmental systems. CCSP incorporates and integrates the U.S. Global
Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the Administration’s U.S. Climate Change
Research Initiative (CCRI). The USGCRP was mandated by Congress in the Global
Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606, 104 Stat. 3096-3104) to improve
understanding of uncertainties in climate science, expand global observing systems,
develop science-based resources to support policymaking and resource management,
and communicate findings broadly among scientific and stakeholder communities."
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