___________________________________________________________________
U.S. Reference Service
Public Affairs Section
U.S. Embassy in Australia
February 2009
________________________________________________________________________________
Web Alert is
produced by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission to Australia as a
free service to our subscribers. The
views expressed in these documents are those of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the views of the U.S. federal government.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Defense and international
security
Terrorism and homeland security
Development and international assistance
International economic
relations and trade
Environment
and climate change
Marine environment and
fisheries
Communications and information technology
Multicultural Literature in
the United States Today
eJournal USA, February 2009
http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa/0209lit.html
The
United States is enriched culturally by immigrants from many nations. This issue
of eJournal USA focuses on
distinguished American writers from various ethnic backgrounds who add
immeasurably to mutual understanding and appreciation through tales of their
native lands and their experiences as Americans. eJournal USA is an online journal of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.
The 2009 U.S. Presidential
Inauguration
eJournal USA, January 2009
http://www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa/inaug09.html
This
is a special issue of eJournal USA, an online journal of the U.S. Dept
of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs.
A Guide to the Presidential
Inauguration: Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
Washington
Foreign Press Center, U.S. Dept of State, January 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/113868.pdf
President Barack Obama’s
Inaugural Address
January
20, 2009
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/
This
page includes video coverage of the 2009 Inaugural Address, as well as the
text.
Obama in His Own Words
U.S.
Dept of State, Bureau of International Information Programs, January 2009
http://www.america.gov/publications/books/obama_speech.html
This
book includes the complete text of the 44th president’s inaugural address,
and carries extended excerpts from eight other significant campaign and
pre-presidential speeches.
The
full text appears at
http://www.america.gov/media/pdf/books/obama_speech.pdf
February
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, president
of the United States from 1861 to 1865. Here are some key links to online
information about the man, his presidency, and his legacy.
Abraham Lincoln:
Bicentennial of Lincoln’s Birthday
Web
page of U.S. Embassy Canberra
http://canberra.usembassy.gov/irc/lincoln.html
Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial, 1809-2009
Foreign
Press Center, U.S. Department of State
http://fpc.state.gov/c28365.htm
Lincoln Bicentennial 1809-2009
Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/
Abraham Lincoln Historical
Digitization Project
U.S.
Policy in Africa in the 21st Century
Address by U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State
Phil Carter, February 9, 2009
http://www.state.gov/p/af/rls/rm/2009/117326.htm
U.S.
Relations with Sudan
Hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations, February 12, 2009
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090212p.html
Sudan’s
Fractured Internal Politics
Backgrounder by Stephanie Hanson, Council on
Foreign Relations, February 13, 2009
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18519/
Radical
Islam in East Africa
Angel Rabasa, RAND, 2009
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG782.pdf
There is a summary of this 111-page publication at
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG782/
U.S.-Asia
Relations: Indispensable to Our Future
Address by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton to the Asia Society, in New York, February 13, 2009
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/02/117333.htm
The
U.S. and Japan: Helping to Chart New Courses
Participation by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton in a town hall meeting at the University of Tokyo, February 1,7
2009
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/02/117615.htm
Smart
Power: Remaking U.S. Foreign Policy in North Korea
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, February 12, 2009
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1045
U.S.-Vietnam
Relations in 2009: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy
Congressional Research Service, February 5,
2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/117781.pdf
The
Republic of the Philippines: Background and U.S. Relations
Congressional Research Service, January 15,
2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33233_20090115.pdf
Appointment of Special
Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke
Remarks
by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden,
Senator Mitchell and Ambassador Holbrooke, January 22, 2009
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/01/115297.htm
Assessing U.S. Strategy in
Iraq and Afghanistan: Balancing Interests and Resources
Opening
statement by Representative Ike Skelton, chairman, U.S. House Committee on
Armed Services, at a hearing of the Committee on February 12, 2009
http://armedservices.house.gov/apps/list/speech/armedsvc_dem/skeltonos021209.shtml
Audiocast,
video webcast, and text of witnesses’ statements at this hearing are at
http://armedservices.house.gov/hearing_information.shtml
A Preview: Challenges in
the Middle East
Briefing
with James Zogby, president, the Arab American Institute, at the Foreign Press
Center, U.S. Dept of State, February 4, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/116145.htm
Europe, the United States,
and Middle Eastern Democracy: Repairing the Breach
Tamara
Cofman Wittes and Richard Youngs, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the
Brookings Institution, January 2009
Gaza after the War: What
Can Be Built on the Wreckage?
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, February
12, 2009
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=1046
Israel and Hamas: Conflict
in Gaza (2008-2009)
Congressional
Research Service, January 15, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/116003.pdf
Iraq: Politics, Elections,
and Benchmarks
Congressional
Research Service, February 3, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/116684.pdf
Iraq’s Political
Landscape
Backgrounder
by Greg Bruno, Council on Foreign Relations, updated February 5, 2009
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18411/
Hard Lessons: The Iraq
Reconstruction Experience
Report
by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, February 2, 2009
http://www.sigir.mil/hardlessons/default.aspx
Iraq, its Neighbors, and
the Obama Administration: Syrian and Saudi Perspectives
A
joint report by the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Stimson Center, February 9,
2009
http://www.usip.org/pubs/working_papers/wp8_syria_saudiarabia.pdf
Iran’s Economic Conditions:
U.S. Policy Issues
Congressional
Research Service, January 15, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/117794.pdf
Securing Afghanistan:
Getting on Track
Working
paper by C. Christine Fair and Seth G. Jones, U.S. Institute of Peace, January
23, 2009
http://library.usip.org/articles/1012068.1022/1.PDF
Afghanistan: Current Issues
An
annotated bibliography with hyperlinks by Muir S. Fairchild Research
Information Center, February 2009
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/afghancurrent.htm
DEFENSE and INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Annual Threat Assessment of
the Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Statement
to the Committee by Dennis C. Blair, U.S. director of National Intelligence,
February 12, 2009
http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20090212_testimony.pdf
There
is a news release at
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/20090212_release.pdf
U.S. National Security
Strategy Update
Briefing
with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Foreign
Press Center, U.S. Dept of State, January 27, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/115471.htm
Long-Term Sustainability of
Current Defense Plans
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on the Budget, February 4, 2009
http://budget.house.gov/hearings.aspx#090204
Domestic Trends in the
United States, China, and Iran: Implications for U.S. Navy Strategic Planning
RAND,
2008
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG729.pdf
There
is a summary of this 234-page publication at
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG729/?ref=homepage&key=t_MG729
Unfolding the Future of the
Long War: Motivations, Prospects, and Implications for the U.S. Army
RAND,
2008
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG738.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG738/?ref=homepage&key=t_MG738_cover
Nuclear Security Spending:
Assessing Costs, Examining Priorities
Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, January 2009
http://carnegieendowment.org/files/nuclear_security_spending.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=22601&prog=zgp&proj=znpp
TERRORISM and HOMELAND SECURITY
Closing the Guantanamo
Detention Center: Legal Issues
Congressional
Research Service, January 22, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/115860.pdf
Lessons from the Mumbai
Terrorist Attacks
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
January 8, 2009
Lessons from the Mumbai
Terrorist Attacks: Part II
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
January 28, 2009
The Lessons of Mumbai
RAND,
January 2009
http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2009/RAND_OP249.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP249/
International Piracy on the
High Seas
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, February 4, 2009
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=801
Combating Maritime
Piracy
Backgrounder
by Stephanie Hanson, Council on Foreign Relations, January 27, 2009
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18376/
Information Resources on
Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea
International
Maritime Organization, updated January 21, 2009
http://www.imo.org/includes/blastDataOnly.asp/data_id%3D24423/Piracy_21January2009_.pdf
DEVELOPMENT and INTERNATIONAL
ASSISTANCE
Foreign Aid: An
Introduction to U.S. Programs and Policy
Congressional
Research Service, February 10, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40213_20090210.pdf
Mexico City Policy and
Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning
Memorandum
from President Obama to the U.S. Secretary of State and to the administrator of
USAID, January 23, 2009
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/MexicoCityPolicy-VoluntaryPopulationPlanning/
International Population
Assistance and Family Planning Programs: Issues for Congress
Congressional
Research Service, January 26, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/116698.pdf
Double Jeopardy: What the
Climate Crisis Means for the Poor
Brookings-Blum
Roundtable 2008, Brookings Institution, web-posted February 2009
The Impact of Food
Insecurity and Hunger on Global Health: Issues for Congress
Congressional
Research Service, January 12, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40127_20090112.pdf
Signing of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Remarks
by President Obama and Vice President Biden at the signing of this economic
stimulus initiative, February 17, 2009
More
information about the economic stimulus program is at
Secretary Geithner
Introduces Financial Stability Plan
Remarks
by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, February 10, 2009
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg18.htm
There
is a fact sheet at
http://www.financialstability.gov/docs/fact-sheet.pdf
and
a joint statement by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, the chairman of the
U.S. Federal Reserve, the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, the comptroller of the Currency, and the director of the Office of
Thrift Supervision is at
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg21.htm.
The
website for further information on the financial stability plan is
http://financialstability.gov/
Federal Reserve Policies to
Ease Credit and their Implications for the Fed’s Balance Sheet
Speech
by Ben S. Bernanke, chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve, February 18, 2009
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20090218a.htm
Special Report on
Regulatory Reform: Modernizing the American Financial Regulatory System: Recommendations for Improving Oversight, Protecting Consumers, and
Ensuring Stability
Congressional
Oversight Panel, January 2009
http://cop.senate.gov/documents/cop-012909-report-regulatoryreform.pdf
Modernizing the U.S.
Financial Regulatory System
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs,
February 4, 2009
Where Were the Watchdogs?
The Financial Crisis and the Breakdown of Financial Governance
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs,
January 21, 2009
Causes of the Financial
Crisis
Congressional
Research Service, January 29, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40173_20090129.pdf
Economic Slowdown: Issues
and Policies
Congressional
Research Service, January 2, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/115873.pdf
Economic Stimulus: Issues
and Policies
Congressional
Research Service, January 23, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/115874.pdf
The Role of Public Works
Infrastructure in Economic Stimulus
Congressional
Research Service, January 6, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40107_20090106.pdf
States and Proposed
Economic Recovery Plans
Congressional
Research Service, January 5, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/115878.pdf
Dating a Recession and
Predicting its Demise
Paul
Bauer and Michael Shenk, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, February 2,
2009
http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/trends/2009/0209/03ecoact.cfm
The Small Business Economy:
2008
Small
Business Administration, February 2009
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/sb_econ2008.pdf
There
is a news release about this 373-page report (noting U.S. exports as a bright
spot in the economy) at
http://www.sba.gov/advo/press/09-05.html
Economic Issues: Merger
Efficiencies at the Federal Trade Commission, 1997-2007
Malcolm
B. Coate and Andrew J. Heimert, Federal Trade Commission, February 2009
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/02/0902mergerefficiencies.pdf
There
is a news release about this paper on the treatment of efficiencies in merger
matters at
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/02/bemergers.shtm
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC
RELATIONS and TRADE
The Future of the Global
Financial System: A Near-Term Outlook and Long-Term Scenarios
World
Economic Forum, January 2009
http://www.weforum.org/pdf/scenarios/TheFutureoftheGlobalFinancialSystem.pdf
There
is a news release, January 29, 2009, at
http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest%20Press%20Releases/FinancialSystems
Performance 2009:
Productivity, Employment, and Growth in the World’s Economies
The Conference Board, January 22, 2009
http://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/Productivity2009.pdf
There
is a news release at
http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=3563
China and the Global
Financial Crisis: Implications for the United States
Congressional
Research Service, February 9, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RS22984_20090209.pdf
Ties that Bind: Bilateral
Trade’s Role in Synchronizing Business Cycles
Ananth
Ramanarayanan, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Economic Letter, January 2009
http://dallasfed.org/research/eclett/2009/el0901.html
Census of Agriculture
2007
U.S.
Dept of Agriculture, released February 4, 2009
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/index.asp
USDA Agricultural
Projections to 2018
U.S.
Dept of Agriculture, February 2008
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/OCE091/OCE091.pdf
Agricultural Markets and
Food Price Inflation
Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago, Chicago Fed
Letter, January 2009
http://www.chicagofed.org/publications/fedletter/cfljanuary2009_258a.pdf
This
is a summary of the proceedings of a conference sponsored by the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago and held in October 2008.
The Environmental Food
Crisis: The Environment’s Role in Averting Future Food Crises
UN
Environment Programme, Rapid Response Assessment report, released February
2009
http://www.grida.no/_res/site/file/publications/FoodCrisis_lores.pdf
There
is a summary of this 104-page report at
http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/food-crisis/
FDA Issues Final Guidance
on Regulating Genetically Engineered Animals
News
release, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), January 15, 2009
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01944.html
More
information is at
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/GEanimals.htm
Biotechnology
A
bibliographic guide by Science Reference Services, Library of Congress,
February 12, 2009
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/biotechnologytb.html
U.S. Energy: Overview and
Selected Facts and Numbers
Congressional
Research Service, February 3, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40187_20090203.pdf
Keeping the Lights on in a
New World
A
Report by the Electricity Advisory Committee, January 2009
http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/adequacy_report_01-09-09.pdf
The
purpose of this 102-page report “is to address current trends with respect to
construction of generation and transmission; use of demand-side resources and
increased efficiency; and plans for meeting future electricity needs that will
result in reliable supplies of energy, at reasonable cost and with due regard
for the environment.”
Assessment of Achievable
Potential from Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Programs in the U.S. (2010-2030)
Electric
Power Research Institute, January 2009
There
is an executive summary at
http://mydocs.epri.com/docs/public/000000000001018363.pdf
Producing Liquid Fuels from
Coal: Prospects and Policy Issues
RAND,
January 2009
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG754.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG754/
Natural Gas: Major
Legislative and Regulatory Actions
Energy
Information Administration, U.S. Dept of Energy, January 30, 2009
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/analysis_publications/ngmajorleg/ngmajorleg.html
Smart Choices for Biofuels
Sierra
Club and Worldwatch Institute, January 2009
http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/biofuels.pdf
There
is a news release titled “Time to Get ‘Smart’ on Biofuels” at
http://www.worldwatch.org/smartchoicesforbiofuels
ENVIRONMENT and CLIMATE CHANGE
The U.S. Climate Action
Partnership
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, January 15, 2009
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1470&Itemid=95
U.S. Global Climate Change Policy:
Evolving Views on Cost, Competitiveness, and Comprehensiveness
Congressional
Research Service, January 29, 2009
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30024.pdf
The Climate Crisis: National
Security, Economic, and Public Health Threats
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce,
February 12, 2009
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1494&Itemid=95
Best Practice Approaches
for Characterizing, Communicating, and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making
U.S.
Climate Change Science Program, January 16, 2009
http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap5-2/sap5-2-final-report-all.pdf
There
is a news release about this 156-page report at
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090116_climate.html
Biochar: Examination of an
Emerging Concept to Mitigate Climate Change
Congressional
Research Service, February 3, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/117780.pdf
Climate Change and Water
Resources Management: A Federal Perspective
Interagency
report by U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of
Reclamation, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
2009
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1331/Circ1331.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1331/
and
a news release, February 2, 2009, at
http://www.usace.army.mil/CEPA/News/Pages/ManagingWater.aspx
Status and Trends of
Wetlands in the Coastal Watersheds of the Eastern United States: 1998-2004
A
report by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, February 2009
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/pdf/wetlands/WetlandsReport_012909.pdf
There
is a news release, noting continuing loss of wetlands in the coastal regions of
the eastern United States, at
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090217_wetlandsloss.html
Birds and Climate Change:
Ecological Disruption in Motion
Audubon
Society, February 2009
http://www.audubon.org/news/pressroom/bacc/pdfs/Birds%20and%20Climate%20Report.pdf
There
is a press release at
http://www.audubon.org/news/pressroom/bacc/releases.html
MARINE ENVIRONMENT and FISHERIES
Healthier Oceans, Healthier
Economies
Oceana
and ICTSD (International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development), January
2009
http://www.oceana.org/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/dirty_fishing/Reports/ICTSD_Oceana_Jan09_FINAL.pdf
There
is a news release, “New Report Stresses Environmental Urgency for Reaching WTO
Agreement”, February 2, 2009, at
http://www.oceana.org/north-america/media-center/press-releases/press_release/0/942/
NOAA Will Work with Six
Identified Nations to Address Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing
News release, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Dept of Commerce, January 13, 2009
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/msa2007/docs/press_release.pdf
The
report (146 pages) is at
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/msa2007/docs/biennial_report011309.pdf.
The
six nations referred to are China, France, Italy, Libya, Panama and
Tunisia.
Nanotechnology: The Social
and Ethical Issues
Ronald
Sandler, Project on Emerging Technologies, January 2009
http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Nanotechnologies/Nano_PEN16_FINAL.pdf
There
is a news release at
http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_detail.aspx?id=48418
Beyond “Fortress America”:
National Security Controls on Science and Technology in a Globalized World
Report
by committees of the National Research Council, 2009
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12567
Chapters
can be read online at
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12567#toc
and
there is a news release at
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12567
Health, United States,
2008: with Special Feature on the Health of Young Adults
National
Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, 2009
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus08.pdf
General
information about this 604-page report and links to other material are at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm
Biennial Report of the
Director, National Institutes of Health, Fiscal Years 2006 & 2007
National
Institutes of Health, January 2009
http://report.nih.gov/biennialreport/
A
news release about this first Biennial
Report of the Director is at
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2009/od-13.htm
Plan to Combat Extensively
Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Recommendations of the Federal Tuberculosis Task Force
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report, February 13, 2009
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5803a1.htm?s_cid=rr5803a1_x
Investing in Health IT: A
Stimulus for a Healthier America
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions,
January 15, 2009
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_01_15/2009_01_15.html
Comorbidity: Addiction and
Other Mental Illnesses
National
Institute on Drug Abuse, December 2008
http://www.nida.nih.gov/PDF/RRComorbidity.pdf
There
is a general introduction at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/comorbidity/index.html
and
a National Institutes of Health news release, January 6, 2009, at
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jan2009/nida-06.htm
The Economic Cost of
Methamphetamine Use in the United States, 2005 (Is 2005 correct?)
RAND
Drug Policy Research Center, 2009
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG829.pdf
There
is a summary of this 171-page study at
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG829/
Proposed Funding for
Workforce Development in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009
Congressional
Research Service, February 2, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/116682.pdf
The Employment Situation:
January 2009
Murat
Tasci and Beth Mowry, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Economic Trends, February 9, 2009
http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/trends/2009/0209/05ecoact.cfm
Recessions and Older
Workers
Center
for Retirement Research at Boston College, January 2009
http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/ib_9-2.pdf
Improving Quality of Life
through Telecommuting
Wendell
Cox, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, January 2009
http://www.itif.org/files/Telecommuting.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=215
Middle Class Task
Force
This
initiative was announced by President Obama and Vice President Biden on January
30, 2009
http://www.whitehouse.gov/strongmiddleclass/
For Nearly Half of America,
Grass is Greener Somewhere Else: Denver Tops List of Favorite Cities
Pew
Research Center, January 29, 2009
http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/Community-Satisfaction.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1096/community-satisfaction-top-cities
Income of the Population 55
or Older, 2006
Social
Security Administration, February 2009
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/income_pop55/2006/index.html
The Disappearing Defined
Benefit Pension and its Potential Impact on the Retirement Incomes of Boomers
Discussion
paper, The Urban Institute, January 2009
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411831_disappearingbenefit.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://www.urban.org/publications/411831.html
9 Million +
Housing
initiative unveiled by President Obama on February 18, 2009
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/02/18/9-million-plus/
Homeowner Affordability and
Stability Plan
Executive
summary, U.S. Dept of the Treasury, February 18, 2009
http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/tg33.htm
There
is a fact sheet at
http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/eesa/homeowner-affordability-plan/FactSheet.pdf
Stabilizing the Housing
Market: Next Steps
Speech
by Elizabeth A. Duke, a governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve, February 11,
2009
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/duke20090211a.htm
Housing and the Economy:
Perspectives and Possibilities
Address
by Eric S. Rosengren, president and chief executive officer, Federal Reserve
Bank of Boston, January 8, 2009
http://www.bos.frb.org/news/speeches/rosengren/2009/010809.htm
Foreign
Press Center, U.S. Dept of State, January 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/c28160.htm
This
site contains links to information on the new Congress which convened in
January 2009, its members, its leadership, and agenda.
What Happened in the 2008
Election and What is Ahead
Briefing
with Charlie Cook, publisher of The Cook
Political Report, at the Foreign Press Center, U.S. Dept of State, February
2, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/115859.htm
Ethics in the Obama
Administration: Are the Rules Changing?
Briefing
with Fred Wertheimer, president and chief executive officer, Democracy 21, at
the Foreign Press Center, U.S. Dept of State, February 17, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/117473.htm
The New Washington Press
Corps: As Mainstream Media Decline, Niche and Foreign Outlets Grow
Project
for Excellence in Journalism, February 2009
http://journalism.org/files/The%20New%20Washington%20Press%20Corps%20Report.pdf
There
is a summary at
http://journalism.org/analysis_report/new_washington_press_corps?sid=ST2009021004250
and
a Washington Post article about this
report at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/10/AR2009021003935.html
The Fairness Doctrine
Remarks
by Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Robert M. McDowell to the
Media Institute, January 28, 2009
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288134A1.pdf
In
this address, Commissioner McDowell discusses proposals to revive the “Fairness
Doctrine,” a regulation which was discontinued in 1987.
COMMUNICATIONS and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Infrastructure Programs:
What’s So Different about Broadband?
Congressional
Research Service, January 22, 2009
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/116695.pdf
Spending on Cell Phone
Services Has Exceeded Spending on Residential Phone Services
Bureau
of Labor Statistics, U.S. Dept of Labor, January 14, 2009
http://www.bls.gov/cex/cellphones2007.htm
Global Semiconductor Sales
Fell by 2.8 Percent in 2008
News
release, Semiconductor Industry Association, February 2, 2009
http://www.sia-online.org/cs/papers_publications/press_release_detail?pressrelease.id=1534
A
data chart is at
http://www.sia-online.org/galleries/gsrfiles/GSR_0812.pdf
Electronic Waste: Investing
in Research and Innovation to Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology, February 11,
2009
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2348
Generations Online in
2009
Pew
Internet & American Life Project, January 28, 2009
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Generations_2009.pdf
This
study compares internet use by Generation Y and other cohorts.
There
is a short summary at
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/275/report_display.asp
Adults and Social Network
Websites
Pew
Internet & American Life Project, January 14, 2009
http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2009/nr09-38.html
This
study notes increasing use of social networking websites by older adults, not
just by young people.
There
is a summary at
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1079/social-networks-grow
Privacy Law and Online
Advertising: Legal Analysis of Data Gathering by Online Advertisers Such as Double Click and NebuAd
Congressional
Research Service, January 16, 2009
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34693_20090116.pdf
Health IT: Protecting
Americans’ Privacy in the Digital Age
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, January 27, 2009
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=3632
____________________________________________________________________________________
U.S. Reference Service
Canberra: Alexis Yeadon
[ACT, NT, SA, TAS, VIC, WA]
Sydney: Peter Gilbert
[NSW, QLD]