Monday, June 15, 2009

2010 Census

To lay the groundwork for the 2010 Census, census workers are already canvassing addresses in 151 local census offices. They plan to finish by mid July. Census workers will carry an official Census Bureau badge and will never ask for bank or social security information. Workers also take an oath not to reveal respondents' answer even to official government agencies such as the FBI, the IRS, the CIA, Welfare, or Immigration.

The 2010 Census kicks off in January 2010 in remote Alaskan villages. In late March most Americans will receive their census forms by mail or in person. An advance letter will inform people that the census is about to begin. Census forms will be available by request in five languages other than English: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian.

It is important for everyone to complete census forms since data collected from the census are used to decide how many Congressional seats a state gets as well as what community services and how much federal funding local, state, and tribal governments will receive.

For those interested in a job with the census, peak recruitment begins in the fall of 2009 with most hiring occurring in the spring of 2010. For more information and for a link to a practice test for potential census workers, access the 2010 Census Job site.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Cyberspace Policy Review

According to a May 29, 2009 White House press release, President Obama's requested report on cybersecurity is now available. Entitled Cyberspace Policy Review: Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information and Communications Infrastructure, the report contains the following five main chapters:
  1. Leading from the Top
  2. Building Capacity for a Digital Nation
  3. Sharing Responsibility for Cybersecurity
  4. Creating Effective Information Sharing and Incident Response
  5. Encouraging Innovation

Intelligence Community Overview

In an introduction to Consumer's Guide to Intelligence released May 28, 2009, David Shedd, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Policy, Plans, and Requirements, states that "... it is important for consumers to understand the mission, background, opportunities, and challenges facing the IC (Intelligence Community)." The report begins by explaining what the Intelligence Community is and what it can and cannot do. It discusses sources and levels of intelligence; planning and direction; collection; processing; analysis and production; and dissemination. The report also details what role consumers can play in the intelligence process.

To read other publications by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, access their Reports and Publications page.