Latest State Data Show Rates of Obesity Remain High
"Obesity has become a problem in every state, according to data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No state reported that less than 20 percent of adults were obese in 2010, which means that no state met the national Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent within the past decade, CDC researchers say..."

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau
"The central mission of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans—whether they are applying for a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other consumer financial products..."

Via AOL's DailyFinance:
A User's Guide to the New Consumer Finance Protection Bureau

Unauthorized Fees: What's Hiding in Your Phone Bill?
"If you're a savvy consumer, you know how small charges can add up over time. You may regularly scrutinize your bank statement for overdraft fees, scan your credit card bill for hidden charges, and pay careful attention to shipping and handling every time you order something online. But you may not realize that unauthorized mystery fees can also hide in your phone bill. Without realizing it, you may be a victim of "cramming," a fraudulent, illegal practice that the FCC is taking action to fight..."

Kuwait: Country Analysis Brief, 2011.
"
Kuwait is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), exporting the
fourth largest volume of oil among the group in 2010. At the same time, Kuwait's economy is one
heavily dependent on petroleum export revenues, which account for half of its overall gross
domestic product (GDP), 95 percent of total export earnings, and 95 percent of government
revenues. Kuwait has an active sovereign-wealth fund, the Kuwait Investment Authority, which
oversees all state expenditures and international investments. Kuwait also allocates 10 percent of
its state revenues into the Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG), for the day when oil
income starts to decline."

Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, 2011
"Cyberspace is a defining feature of modern life. Individuals and communities worldwide
connect, socialize, and organize themselves in and through cyberspace. From 2000 to 2010,
global Internet usage increased from 360 million to over 2 billion people. As Internet usage
continues to expand, cyberspace will become increasingly woven into the fabric of everyday life
across the globe...

DoD, working with its interagency and international partners, seeks to mitigate the risks posed to
U.S. and allied cyberspace capabilities, while protecting and respecting the principles of privacy
and civil liberties, free expression, and innovation that have made cyberspace an integral part of
U.S. prosperity and security. How the Department leverages the opportunities of cyberspace,
while managing inherent uncertainties and reducing vulnerabilities, will significantly impact
U.S. defensive readiness and national security for years to come..."

10 Most Unusual Presidential Candidates.
Whereas were are in the middle of another presidential campaign, here is a look
at some unusual candidates from the past.
courtesy of CheapService.com

Colorectal Cancer
"Colorectal cancer is the #2 cancer killer in the US among cancers that affect both men and women. But it doesn't have to be. Screening can find precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. Screening can also find colorectal cancer early when it is easiest to treat. A new CDC report says that rates of new cases and deaths of colorectal cancer are decreasing and more adults are being screened. Between 2003 and 2007, approximately 66,000 colorectal cancer cases were prevented and 32,000 lives were saved compared to 2002. Half of these prevented cases and deaths were due to screening..."

Reducing the Budget Deficit: The President’s Fiscal Commission and Other Initiative
"President Obama created a bipartisan fiscal commission tasked with putting the nation on a
sustainable fiscal path. The commission had two main goals: balancing the budget excluding net
interest payments by FY2015 and examining ways to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long
run. The Fiscal Commission’s final report contained recommendations that would 1) reduce the
deficit by a combined $4 trillion by FY2020; 2) lower the budget deficit to 2.3% of GDP by
FY2015; 3) reduce tax rates and tax expenditures; 4) cap revenue collection at 21% of GDP; 5)
ensure the solvency of Social Security; and 6) reduce the federal debt to 60% of GDP by FY2023
and 40% by FY2035. In order to achieve these savings, the plan includes cuts to both security and
non-security discretionary programs, health care cost containment, additional mandatory savings
through cutting agriculture subsidies and the civil service retirement system, Social Security
reforms, comprehensive tax reform, and budget process changes.

This report discusses why the federal government’s fiscal path is unsustainable and provides an
overview of proposals of selected groups that have published detailed recommendations on how
to return the federal budget to a sustainable course..."

The 5 Most Common Mistakes People Make When Applying for Citizenship.

Long-Term Implications of the 2012 Future Years Defense Program
Testimony of David E. Moser, Asst. Sec. for National Security, of the Congressional Budget Office before the Committee of the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives, July 7, 2011.

AMERICA'S CHILDREN: KEY NATIONAL INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING, 2011
"The adolescent birth rate declined for the second consecutive year, preterm births declined for the third consecutive year, adolescent injury deaths declined, and fewer 12th graders binge drank, according to the federal government's annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation's children and youth.

However, a higher proportion of 8th graders used illicit drugs, more children were likely to live in poverty, and fewer children were likely to live with at least one parent working year round, full time, according to the report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011..."
View full report.

Civil War Maps
"Civil War Maps brings together materials from three premier collections: the Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, the Virginia Historical Society, and the Library of Virginia. Among the reconnaissance, sketch, and theater-of-war maps are the detailed battle maps made by Major Jedediah Hotchkiss for Generals Lee and Jackson, General Sherman’s Southern military campaigns, and maps taken from diaries, scrapbooks, and manuscripts—all available for the first time in one place.

Most of the items presented here are documented in Civil War Maps: An Annotated List of Maps and Atlases in the Library of Congress, compiled by Richard W. Stephenson in 1989. New selections from 2,240 maps and 76 atlases held by the Library will be added monthly."

2011 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff
"Since 1995, the White House has been required to deliver a report to Congress listing the title and salary of every White House Office employee. Consistent with President Obama's commitment to transparency, this report is being publicly disclosed on our website as it is transmitted to Congress. In addition, this report also contains the title and salary details of administration officials who work at the Office of Policy Development, including the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council -- along with White House Office employees"

LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS OF THE 2012 FUTURE YEARS DEFENSE PROGRAM
"In most years, the Department of Defense (DoD) provides a five- or six-year plan, called the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), associated with the budget that it submits to the Congress. Because decisions made in the near term can have consequences for the defense budget well beyond that period, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has examined the programs and plans contained in DoD’s FYDP and projected their budgetary impact in subsequent years. For this analysis, CBO used the FYDP provided to the Congress in April 2011, which covers fiscal years 2012 through 2016—the most recent plan available when this analysis was conducted. CBO’s projections span 2012 through 2030..."

2011 Wisconsin Act 32 (Wisconsin State Budget)
Access to the recently enacted Wisconsin Executive Budget for the fiscal year 2001-2013.