Spring Break Travel Tips from the State Dept.

Travelling abroad this spring break? Check out the State Department's spring break safety advice on:

• Spring Break - International Travel Safety Information for Students
• Spring Break in Mexico
• New Requirements for Travelers
• Register Your Trip
• Travel Tips for Students
• Tips for Women Traveling Alone
• Travel Warning on Drugs Abroad
• Emergencies and Crises
• Consular Information Sheets
• Help for American Victims of Crime Overseas

For more travel information check out the Kelley Center for Government Information and Microforms travel information links.

Slate on Google Patent Search

To those that missed it, a few weeks ago Slate ran a fun and interesting article on the newly released Google patents search. While noting his amazement at the sheer amount of information contained in online patents databases (both through google and the USPTO), the author questions both the efficacy of google's search system and the usefulness of the patent system in general.

New Military Command for Africa

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the Pentagon is creating a new unified military command (AFRICOM) for all of Africa (except for Egypt which remains under the Central Command). According to Ryan Henry, Principal Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, “This command will focus on some efforts to reduce conflict, to improve the security environment, to defeat or preclude the development of terrorists or terrorist networks, and support in crisis response.” According to NPR, Navy Rear Admiral Robert Moeller will oversee the command which is due to be in full operation by the end of fiscal year 2008.

Have Passport, Will Travel

According to the U.S. Department of State, as of January 23, 2007, all persons (including U.S. citizens) traveling by air to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Panama, and the Caribbean must now display a valid passport or one of the following substitutes: an Air NEXUS card, a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, a U.S.Permanent Resident Card, or an asylee or refugee document. However, land and sea travelers are exempt until at least January 2008, and passports are not required for air travel to or from U.S. territories including Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For information about obtaining or renewing a passport (U.S. citizens), access the State Department's passport page or call toll free 1-877-4USA-PPT or TDD/TYY: 1-888-874-7793.

National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq

The DNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) has posted an unclassified copy (including key judgments) of the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq entitled "Prospects for Iraq's Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead." The DNI has also made available the unofficial transcript of the nomination hearing for Mike McConnell to be the next Director of National Intelligence.

President's Budget for FY 2008

The President's Budget of the United States for FY 2008 was sent to Congress on Friday. The total budget requested equals approximately $2.9 trillion, including $716.5 billion for defense. Use the Library of Congress Thomas database to view the status of appropriations measures back to 1998.


For information about the budget process see:

Budget of the United States: About
Searching guide from GPO Access
Wikipedia article on the United States budget process
A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process from the GAO (500 pages!)
The Budget Process from the House Committee on Rules

Global Warming

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report on global warming yesterday. This report, the Summary for Policymakers of the first volume of “Climate Change 2007”, addresses the natural and human drivers of climate change and states that:

"Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values determined from ice cores spanning many thousands of years. The global increases in carbon dioxide concentration are due primarily to fossil fuel use and land-use change, while those of methane and nitrous oxide are primarily due to agriculture."