2010 Secrecy Report Card

On September 7, 2010, OpenTheGovernment.org, a coalition of groups committed to open government, released the 2010 Secrecy Report Card. In the corresponding press release, Patrice McDermott, Director of OpenTheGovernment.org, states, "In general, after hitting high water marks during the Bush Administration, statistics indicate the creation of new national security secrets is slowing ebbing." However, the report also highlights "looming secrecy problems the Obama Administration should address."

Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China

On August 16, 2010 the Department of Defense released a report entitled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China." According to the report, despite making some progress, Chinese military transparency is still lacking. For more information, see the full report or the news article describing it.

Country Reports on Terrorism 2009

The State Department has released its 2009 Country Reports on Terrorism. Starting in 2004, this annual report replaced Patterns of Global Terrorism. The report "serves as a reference tool to inform policymakers, the general public, and our foreign partners about our efforts, progress, and challenges in the campaign against international terrorism."

Country Reports on Terrorism (2004-2008) and Patterns of Global Terroism (1995-2003) are also available at http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/index.htm.

Constitution Day Quizzes, Puzzles, and Kids Contest

In preparation for Constitution Day, Sept. 17, 2010, ConstitutionFacts.com is sponsoring a poster contest for students in grades K-12. Posters should show how the students benefited from the freedoms embodied in the U.S. Constitution.

How much do you know about the U.S. Constitution? The site also offers crossword puzzles, treasure hunts, word finds, and the following four interactive quizzes:

• What's Your Constitution I.Q.?
• "Real or Fake?" Quiz
• Which Founding Father are You?
• Which Founding Father Would You Vote For?

The Nuclear Weapons Effects National Enterprise

"The Nuclear Weapons Effects National Enterprise," the latest report from the Joint Defense Science Board (DSB)/Threat Reduction Advisory Committee Task Force is now available at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/NWE-National-Enterprise.pdf.

According to Paul G. Kaminiski's introductory memorandum in the report:

Nuclear weapons remain a serious threat to our nation's security. The nation's capability to deter against this threat and provide assurance to our allies requires that US nuclear and conventional forces are able to operate in a nuclear environment. Unfortunately, the nation's expertise and capability to operate in a nuclear environment have decayed. As a result the Department of Defense and the nation are not as well prepared as it should be to deter, defend, and mitigate an attack.

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Additonal reports from the Defense Science Board are available at http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports2000s.htm

Changes in Canadian Census

Until recently one of every five Canadian households received a long-form census with 53 extra questions about such things as ethnicity, disabilities, religion, education, and income. In response to complaints that this long form was an invasion of privacy, starting next year the Canadian government will send out a voluntary form with more detailed questions than the short form to one of every three households. Many think tanks, academic experts, statisticians, genealogists and public policy developers fear this move since they think it might impact policy and funding decisions because of skewed and incomplete information.

More information about the impacts of this decision is available on the July 14, 2010 CBC Radio One Show, "The Current". Included on the show is Ivan Fellegi who was Statistics Canada's Chief Statistician for 23 years before retiring in 2008, Richard Shearmur who is a professor of urban and regional economics at the Universite du Quebec, and Dean del Mastro, the Conservative MP for Peterborough and a Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.  Industry Minister Tony Clement who currently oversees Statistics Canada was unable to participate in the radio interview but did include a written statement.

New Tool for Assessing Effects of Hurricanes on the Workforce

According to a July 12, 2010 news release, the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Weather Service have released a new Web-based tool to provide workforce data for areas impacted by hurricanes. OnTheMap for Emergency Management: Hurricanes allows users to see characteristics of the local workforce including affected industries, ages of workers, and workers' earnings. The site also includes historical data.