___________________________________________________________________
U.S. Information Resource Center
Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Embassy in Australia
March 2008
________________________________________________________________________________
Web Alert is
produced by the Public Affairs Office 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.
__________________________________________________________________________________
International
economic issues, trade and investment
Development,
food security and emergency response
Science,
innovation and research
Transportation
and infrastructure
Population,
immigration and religion
Media, communications
and information technology
The Greening
of U.S. corporations
IIP, U.S. Dept. of State, March 2008
This issue of eJournal USA delves into what those
familiar with the history of the environmental movement in the United States
might see as a surprising trend — the way U.S. corporations in recent years
have embraced environmentally friendly ways of doing business.
http://www.america.gov/media/pdf/ejs/0308.pdf
EAST ASIA and PACIFIC
Moving Forward in 2008: the
U.S.-East Asia Relationship
Briefing
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill at Foreign Press Center,
U.S. Dept of State, March 19, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/102407.htm
Military Power of the
People’s Republic of China: Annual Report to Congress, 2008
U.S.
Dept of Defense, 2008
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/China_Military_Report_08.pdf
How Large Is China’s
Economy? Does It Matter?
Congressional
Research Service report, February 13, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101810.pdf
Status of the Six Party
Talks for the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, February 6, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080206a.html
Statement
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher R. Hill.
The United States and
Vietnam: Examining the Bilateral Relationship
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 12, 2008
http://www.senate.gov/~foreign/hearings/2008/hrg080312p.html
An Overview of Cambodia and
the Need for Debt Recycling: How Can the U.S. Be of Assistance?
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, February
14, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=942
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
The
statement by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel is at http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2008/02/100891.htm
The New Middle East
Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, February 2008
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/new_middle_east_final.pdf
There
is a news release and summary at http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=19928&prog=zgp&proj=zme
Measuring Stability and
Security in Iraq: March 2008 Report to Congress
U.S.
Dept of Defense, March 2008
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/Master%20%20Mar08%20-%20final%20signed.pdf
Declaration and Principles:
Future U.S. Commitments to Iraq
Hearing
before subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, March 4,
2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=952
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Operation Iraqi Freedom:
Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress
Congressional
Research Service report, February 22, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101771.pdf
Lebanon’s Sunni
Islamists: A Growing Force
Omayma
Abdel-Latif, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 2008
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/CMEC6_abdellatif_lebanon_final.pdf
The Egypt-Gaza Border and
its Effects on Israeli-Egyptian Relations
Congressional
Research Service report, February 1, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101806.pdf
Reading Khamenei: The World
View of Iran’s Most Powerful Leader
Karim
Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2008
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/sadjadpour_iran_final2.pdf
There
is a summary at http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=19975&prog=zgp&proj=zme
The Persian Gulf
Region
A
bibliography with hyperlinks, by the Muir S. Fairchild Research Information
Center (formerly the Air University Library), February 2008
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/persiangulf.htm
Visit of President
Bush and Mrs Bush to Africa, February
15-21, 2008
White
House web page
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/africa/trip2008/
There
is also a backgrounder by Stephanie Hanson of the Council on Foreign Relations
at http://www.cfr.org/publication/15489/president_bush_travels_to_africa.html
Evaluating U.S. Policy
Options on the Horn of Africa
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 11, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080311a.html
Eastern Africa
A
partly annotated bibliography with hyperlinks, Muir S. Fairchild Research
Information Center, March 2008
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/eastafrica08.htm
Somalia: Several Challenges
Limit U.S. and International Stabilization, Humanitarian and Development Efforts
Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report, February 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08351.pdf
Kenya: The December 2007
Elections and the Challenges Ahead
Congressional
Research Service report, February 15, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101803.pdf
Ghana: Background and U.S.
Relations
Congressional
Research Service report, February 14, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101808.pdf
NATO: Enlargement and
Effectiveness
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 11, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080311p.html
A Preview of the Bucharest
NATO Summit: Afghanistan, Enlargement, and the Future of the Alliance
Address
by U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Volker, February 29,
2008
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/101852.htm
Kosovo: The Balkans’ Moment
of Truth?
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 4, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080304a.html
Summary of the
Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement
Fact
sheet, U.S. Dept of State, February 6, 2008
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/fs/100058.htm
Poland’s New Government:
Background and Issues for the United States
Congressional Research Service report,
February 15, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101795.pdf
Russia’s 2008 Presidential
Succession
Congressional
Research Service report, February 26, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101794.pdf
Towards a New Russia Policy
Stephen
J. Blank, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, February 2008
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB833.pdf
President Bush signs H.R.
5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008
The
White House, February 13, 2008
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/02/20080213-3.html
There
is a fact sheet at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/02/20080213-5.html
Monetary Policy and the
State of the Economy
Hearing
before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, February 26-27,
2008
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/ht022608.shtml
and http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/press022708.shtml
The State of the U.S.
Economy and Financial Markets
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs,
February 14, 2008
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=291
The Current Financial
Challenges: Policy and Regulatory Implications
Speech
by Timothy Geithner, president and chief executive officer, Federal Reserve
Bank of New York, March 6, 2008
http://www.newyorkfed.org/newsevents/speeches/2008/gei080306.html
The Mortgage Meltdown:
Implications for Credit Availability
Remarks
by Eric S. Rosengren, president and chief executive officer, Federal Reserve
Bank of Boston, February 29, 2008
http://www.bos.frb.org/news/speeches/rosengren/2008/022908.htm
Reducing Preventable
Mortgage Foreclosures
Speech
by Ben S. Bernanke, chairman, Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve,
March 4, 2008
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20080304a.htm
The State of the Banking
Industry
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, March
4, 2008
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=295
Banks and Thrifts Earned
$105.5 Billion in 2007
News
release, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), February 26, 2008
http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2008/pr08015.html
The
FDIC’s Quarterly Banking Profile is
at http://www2.fdic.gov/qbp/index.asp
Rethinking the Gross
Domestic Product as a Measure of National Strength
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, March 12, 2008
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1939
Getting Ahead or Losing
Ground: Economic Mobility in America
Brookings
Institution and Pew Charitable Trusts, February 2008
There
is a news release at http://www.pewtrusts.org/news_room_ektid35524.aspx
The Implications of
Globalization for the Conduct of Monetary Policy
Speech
by Donald L. Kohn, vice chairman, Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal
Reserve, in Paris, March 7, 2008
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/kohn20080307a.htm
Comments on Stylized Facts
of Globalization and World Inflation
Remarks
by Richard W. Fisher, president and chief executive officer, Federal Reserve
Bank of Dallas, in Paris, March 7, 2008
http://dallasfed.org/news/speeches/fisher/2008/fs080307.cfm
Do Sovereign Wealth Funds
Make the U.S. Economy Stronger or Pose National Security Risks?
Hearing
before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, February 13, 2008
http://www.jec.senate.gov/Hearings/02.13.08SovereignWealthHearing.htm
Foreign Government
Investment in the U.S. Economy and Financial Sector
Hearing
before subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, March
5, 2008
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hr030508.shtml
State Inc.
Joshua
Kurlantzick, The Boston Globe, March
16, 2008
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/03/16/state_inc/
An
article on the recent rise to prominence of some national governments as major
players on the global business scene.
Nothing to Fear but
Fearmongers Themselves: A Look at the Sovereign Wealth Fund Debate
Daniel
J. Ikenson, Center for Trade Policy Studies, The Cato Institute, March 14,
2008
http://www.freetrade.org/pubs/FTBs/FTB-033.html
Foreign Investment: Laws
and Policies Regulating Foreign Investment in 10 Countries
Government
Accountability Office (GAO), February 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08320.pdf
This
report looks at the foreign investment regulatory policies of Canada, China,
France, Germany, India, Japan, The Netherlands, Russia, the United Arab
Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
2008 Trade Policy Agenda
and 2007 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program
Office
of the U.S. Trade Representative, March 2008
The
press release is at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2008/March/Bush_Administration_Delivers_Annual_Trade_Report_To_Congress.html
Free Trade, Free Markets:
Rating Congress
http://www.freetrade.org/congress
A
web-based feature from the Cato Institute, showing the voting records of
members of Congress on trade-related issues from the 105th Congress
(1997-1998) onward.
Candidate Issue Index:
Trade
Brookings
Institution, 2008
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/0117_trade_brainard_Opp08.aspx
European Union-U.S. Trade
and Investment Relations: Key Issues
Congressional
Research Service report, February 14, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101802.pdf
DEVELOPMENT, FOOD SECURITY and EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
Child Survival: The
Unfinished Agenda to Reduce Global Child Mortality
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S.
House Committee on Foreign Affairs, March 13, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=960
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down.
Women and
Nation-Building
RAND
Center for Middle East Public Policy, 2008
http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG579.pdf
Convergence in Global Food
Demand and Delivery
U.S.
Dept of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, March 2008
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR56/ERR56.pdf
The
report can also be downloaded by chapter at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR56/#2008-3-17
where there is a brief summary.
The Effectiveness of
Foreign Military Assets in Natural Disaster Response
Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), March 2008
http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=358
Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007
U.S. Dept of State, March 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/
Trafficking
in Persons Interim Assessment
U.S. Dept of State, February 28, 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rpt/101438.htm
This report covers the evaluation period spanning
the six months since the release of the Department’s June 2007 report on this
topic.
Fighting
Demand for Sex Trafficking
Remarks by Mark P. Lagon, Director, Office to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Dept of State, February 5,
2008
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rm/2008/100169.htm
A
Struggle for Survival: Trafficking of North Korean Women
Remarks by Mark P. Lagon, Director, Office to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Dept of State, at the Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars, March 3, 2008
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rm/2008/101674.htm
Contemporary
Global Anti-Semitism: A Report Provided to the United States Congress
U.S. Dept of State, March 2008
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/102301.pdf
FY2009 Defense Budget:
Issues for Congress
Congressional
Research Service report, February 11, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101790.pdf
Strengthening National
Security Through Smart Power – a Military Perspective
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, March 5, 2008
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080305a.html
Missile Defense
Briefing
by U.S. Acting Under Secretary of State John Rood, at the Foreign Press Center,
U.S. Dept of State, March 11, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/102098.htm
Evaluating Novel Threats to
the Homeland: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Cruise Missiles
RAND,
2008
http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG626.pdf
There
is a brief summary at http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG626/
and a longer summary at http://rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG626.sum.pdf
Technologies to Combat
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, March 12,
2008
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=3145
Nuclear, Biological, and
Chemical Weapons and Missiles: Status and Trends
Congressional
Research Service report, updated February 20, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101793.pdf
Statement to the
Fifty-Second Session of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
Statement
by Eric M. Javits, Head of the U.S. Delegation, in The Hague, March 4,
2008
http://www.state.gov/t/isn/rls/rm/101902.htm
Military Space
Programs
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, March 4,
2008
http://armed-services.senate.gov/e_witnesslist.cfm?id=3178
Is an Outer Space Arms
Control Treaty Verifiable?
Remarks
by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Paula A. DeSutter, March 4, 2008
http://www.state.gov/t/vci/rls/rm/101711.htm
The Evolution of Cyber
Warfare
Backgrounder by Greg Bruno, Council on Foreign Relations, February 27,
2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15577/evolution_of_cyber_warfare.html
Cyberspace and National
Security
A
partly annotated bibliography with hyperlinks, by Muir S. Fairchild Research
Information Center, March 2008
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/cyberspace.htm
More Fight – Less Fuel:
Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on DoD Energy Strategy
U.S.
Dept of Defense, February 2008
http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2008-02-ESTF.pdf
Status of Forces Agreements
and UN Mandates: What Authorities and Protections Do They Provide to U.S. Personnel?
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, February
28, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=950
SCIENCE, INNOVATION and RESEARCH
NIST’s FY 2009 Budget
Request: What Are the Right Technology Investments to Promote U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness?
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
March 11, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2116
The FY 2009 Budget Proposal
to Support U.S. Basic Research
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, March 11, 2008
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1936
Federal R&D Funding
Down in 2007
National
Science Foundation, February 2008
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08303/
The Transfer of National
Nanotechnology Initiative Research Outcomes for Commercial and Public Benefit
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
March 11, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2115
NASA’s Science
Programs
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
arch 13, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2119
NASA’s Fiscal Year 2009
Budget Request
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology,
February 13, 2008
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2075
Smart Power Through
Space
By
Vincent G. Sabathier and G. Ryan Faith. Center for Strategic and International
Studies (Washington DC), February 2008
http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/080220_smart_power_through_space.pdf
Space
A
partly annotated bibliography with hyperlinks, by Muir S. Fairchild Research
Information Center, February 2008
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/space08.htm
Meeting Emerging Challenges
of Global Energy Security and the Environment
Address
by U.S. Under Secretary of State Reuben Jeffery III to the National Academies
Summit on America’s Energy Future, March 13, 2008
http://www.state.gov/e/rls/rm/2008/102225.htm
U.S. Oil Industry Policies,
Including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Policies
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, February 26,
2008
Renewables 2007: Global
Status Report
Renewable
Energy Network for the 21st Century, 2008
http://www.ren21.net/pdf/RE2007_Global_Status_Report.pdf
There
is a press release by the United Nations Environment Programme at http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=528&ArticleID=5754&l=en
Federal Pollution Control
Laws: How Are They Enforced?
Congressional
Research Service report, February 20, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101800.pdf
The Bali Agreement and
Forests
Congressional
Research Service report, February 13, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101804.pdf
OECD Environmental Outlook
to 2030
Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), March 5, 2008
http://www.oecd.org/document/20/0,3343,en_2649_201185_39676628_1_1_1_1,00.html
The
full text is available for purchase from the OECD, but there is a summary at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/30/10/40202689.pdf
U.S. Ocean Policy Report
Card 2007
Joint
Ocean Commission Initiative, February 2008
There
is a news release at http://www.jointoceancommission.org/news-room/news-releases/2008-02-27_Joint_Initiative_Report_Card_Press_Release.pdf
Protecting Our Shores from
Oil Spills: Operational Procedures and Ship Designs
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, March 4, 2008
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1932
Climate VISION Progress
Report 2007
U.S.
Dept of Energy, February 2007
http://www.doe.gov/media/Climate_Vision_Progress_Report.pdf
This
document “reports on the actions taken by energy-intensive industries to
improve greenhouse gas emissions intensity of their operations from 2002 to
2006.” There is a news release at http://www.doe.gov/news/5982.htm
Policy Options for Reducing
CO2 Emissions
Congressional
Budget Office, February 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/89xx/doc8934/02-12-Carbon.pdf
Cost-Effective Carbon
Restrictions – a Conference Summary
http://www.chicagofed.org/publications/fedletter/cflmarch2008_248a.pdf
Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago, Chicago Fed
Letter, March 2008
International Aspects of a
Carbon Cap and Trade Program
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, February 14, 2008
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing021408.htm
Pricing Carbon: Saving
Green: a Carbon Price to Lower Emissions, Taxes and Barriers to Green Technology
David
Suzuki Foundation, 2008
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/reports/Pricing_Carbon_saving_green_eng.pdf
There
is a summary at http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/Pricing_Carbon_Saving_Green.asp
Candidate Issue Index:
Climate Change
Brookings
Institution, 2008
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/0129_climate_change_antholis_Opp08.aspx
Climate Change:
Competitiveness Concerns and Prospects for Engaging Developing Countries
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, March
5, 2008
http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-eaq-hrg.030508.ClimateWhitePaper.shtml
Climate Change and
Vulnerable Societies: A Post-Bali Overview
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, February
27, 2008
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=951
For
transcripts, please go to http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/testimony.asp
and scroll down. The focus is particularly on the small island nations of the
Pacific.
Coolest Winter Since 2001
for US, Globe
News
release, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), March 13,
2008
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080313_coolest.html
The
full version of this NOAA analysis of the 2007-2008 northern winter is online
at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/feb/feb08.html
TRANSPORTATION and INFRASTRUCTURE
Potential Impacts of
Climate Change on U.S. Transportation
Report
by a committee of the National Research Council, 2008
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12179
There
is a news release at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12179
Surface Transportation:
Restructured Federal Approach Needed for More Focused, Performance-Based and
Sustainable Programs
Governmental
Accountability Office (GAO) report, March 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08400.pdf
Highway Public-Private
Partnerships: More Rigorous Up-Front Analysis Could Better Secure Potential Benefits and Protect the Public Interest
Government
Accountability Office (GAO) report, February 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0844.pdf
Investment in the Rail
Industry
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, March 5, 2008
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=408
Condition of Our Nation’s
Infrastructure and Proposals for Needed Improvements
Hearing
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, March
11, 2008
http://banking.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=297
Aviation
and the Environment: FAA’s and NASA’s Research and Development Plans for Noise
Reduction Are Aligned but the Prospects
of Achieving Noise Reduction Goals Are Uncertain
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report,
February 2008
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08384.pdf
2007
Sets All Time Tourism Record for US
News release, U.S. Dept of Commerce, March 10,
2008
http://www.commerce.gov/NewsRoom/PressReleases_FactSheets/PROD01_005355
The association fact sheet is at http://www.commerce.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@os/@opa/documents/content/prod01_005356.pdf
National
Drug Control Strategy: 2008 Annual Report
White House, March 2008
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/national_drug_control_strategy_2008.pdf
There is a fact sheet at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080301-1.html
2008
International Narcotics Control Annual Report
U.S. Dept of State, February 2008
http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2008/
This includes Volume II, “Money Laundering and Financial
Crimes”
Methamphetamine,
Cocaine Use Plummet: New Workplace Drug Testing Data Show Effects of
Supply Crunch
News release, White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, March 12, 2008
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press08/031208.html
Generation
Rx: The Abuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate
Committee on the Judiciary, March 12, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3199
Federal
Cocaine Sentencing Laws: Reforming the 100-to-1 Crack/Powder Disparity
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate
Committee on the Judiciary, February 12, 2008
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3089
Drugs
in Sports
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on Energy and Commerce, February 27, 2008
http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ctcp-hrg.022708.DrugsinSports.shtml
The
Science of Addiction: A Guide to Selected Resources
Science Reference Services, Library of Congress,
March 7, 2008
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/addiction.html
The Final Report of the
National Mathematics Advisory Panel
U.S.
Dept of Education, March 2008
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/report/final-report.pdf
What Keeps Good Teachers in
the Classroom? Understanding and Reducing Teacher Turnover
Alliance
for Excellent Education, February 2008
http://www.all4ed.org/files/TeachTurn.pdf
There
is a press release at http://www.all4ed.org/press_room/press_releases/02262008
Education and the Asian
Surge: A Comparison of the Education Systems in India and China
RAND
Center for Asia Pacific Policy, 2008
http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2008/RAND_OP218.pdf
POPULATION,
IMMIGRATION and RELIGION
U.S. Population Projections:
2005-2050
Pew
Research Center, February 2008
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/85.pdf
Immigrants Joining the
Mainstream
U.S.
Dept of State, Office of International Information Programs, eJournal USA, February 2008
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0208/ijse/ijse0208.htm
“Immigrants
made the United States what it is. Being an American depends on acceptance of
certain American ideals, not on the place of birth of a person or of his or her
ancestors. This edition of eJournal USA
tells the story of immigration and diversity as it has played out through the
centuries and continues to play out now.”
Candidate Issue Index:
Immigration
Brookings
Institution, 2008
This
website summaries and/or quotes from the stated views of Hillary Clinton,
Barack Obama and John McCain on immigration issues. At http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/0211_immigration_singer_Opp08.aspx?emc=lm&m=212753&l=47&v=966344
there is some background about the Index.
Managing Migration: The
Global Challenge
Population
Reference Bureau, Population Bulletin,
March 2008
http://www.prb.org/bulletins/63.1migration.pdf
This
24-page publication looks at features of modern-day international migration of
persons.
U.S. Religious Landscape
Survey
Pew
Forum on Religion & Public Life, February 2008
http://religions.pewforum.org/
There
is an analysis by Alan Wolfe of this survey in Chronicle of Higher Education, March 21, 2008, http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=BpqY55RWmGXRCxs36hbv4vpqNdNkmHfM
Highlights of Foundation
Giving Trends 2008
The
Foundation Center, 2008
http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/fgt08highlights.pdf
There
is a press release at http://foundationcenter.org/media/news/pr_0802b.html
Volunteering in the United
States, 2007
U.S.
Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, revised February 8, 2008
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf
Improving the Child Welfare
System
Hearing
before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, February
27, 2008
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=612
Current-Generation Youth
Programs: What Works, What Doesn’t, and at What Cost?
Megan
K. Beckett. RAND, 2008
http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2008/RAND_OP215.pdf
There
is a brief summary at http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP215/
and a longer summary at http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2008/RAND_OP215.sum.pdf
The Caucus System in the
U.S. Presidential Nominating Process
Backgrounder
by Joanna Klonsky, Council on Foreign Relations, March 3, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15640/caucus_system_in_the_us_presidential_nominating_process.html
Women in Politics: Making a
Difference in the U.S.A.
U.S.
Dept of State, Office of International Information Programs, 2008
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/womenpolitics/index.html
Youth Radio – Election
2008
http://www.youthradio.org/election2008/
“following
Election 2008 around the country, through the perspectives of young people who
are getting a close-up view of the process”
Presidential Fundraising in
2007 Doubles 2003
Campaign
Finance Institute, February 11, 2008
http://www.cfinst.org/pr/prRelease.aspx?ReleaseID=179
This
is an analysis by the Campaign Finance Institute of U.S. Federal Election
Commission (FEC) reports through December 31, 2007.
Automated Political
Telephone Calls (“Robo Calls”) in Federal Campaigns: Overview and Policy Options
Congressional
Research Service report, February 7, 2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101799.pdf
MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS and
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Competition
in the Sports Programming Marketplace
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on Energy and Commerce, March 5, 2008
http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.030508.SportsProgams.shtml
The
Role of Private Equity in the Communications Marketplace
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on Energy and Commerce, March 11, 2008
http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.031108.privateequity.shtml
Mobile
Access to Data and Information
Pew Internet & American Life Project, March 5,
2008
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/244/report_display.asp
This report looks at the increasing importance of
cell phones and other wireless technologies to Americans, especially younger
people.
Business
Spending on Technology Infrastructure $250 Billion in 2006
U.S. Bureau of the Census, March 6, 2008
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/economic_surveys/011614.html
The full report, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Survey, is online at
http://www.census.gov/csd/ict/
Net
Neutrality and Free Speech on the Internet
Hearing before the Judiciary Committee Antitrust
Task Force, U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, March 11, 2008
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=426
InterConnections:
The IMLS National Study on the Use of Libraries, Museums and the Internet
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS),
March 2008
http://interconnectionsreport.org/
This is a major study of the internet’s impact on
museums and libraries. There is a news release at http://www.imls.gov/news/2008/030608.shtm
General
Overview of U.S. Copyright Law
Congressional Research Service report, February 5,
2008
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/101797.pdf
Promoting
the Use of Orphan Works: Balancing the Interests of Copyright Owners and
Users
Hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House
Committee on the Judiciary, March 13, 2008
http://judiciary.house.gov/Oversight.aspx?ID=427
____________________________________________________________________________________
U.S. Information Resource
Center (IRC)
Canberra: Alexis Yeadon
[ACT, NT, SA, TAS, VIC, WA]
Sydney: Peter Gilbert
[NSW, QLD]