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.

Ups and Downs of American Finance, 1861-1938

FRASER, the Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research, has created a graphic presentation of American financial history 1861-1938. Available files include an index by subject and by year, topics of interest, and a slideshow for the years 1861-1935.  Also on the site is a link to the related publication, Business Booms and Depressions since 1775.

Historical Publications of the United States Commission on Civil Rights

The Thurgood Marshall Law Library at the University of Maryland has added forty new titles to its Historical Publications of the United States Commission on Civil Rights project. The  latest additions include hearings and reports from 15 states plus material specific to the area surrounding Baltimore.

In a partnership with the United States Government Printing Office and the United States Commission on Civil Rights, the law library also added reports received directly from the Civil Rights Commission including:

• Briefing: The Effects of the Community Reinvestment Act and its Alleged Effects on the Mortgage Crisis. (2009)
and
• Domestic Wiretapping in the War on Terror (2010).

The site provides access by title, subject, date of publication and Superintendent of Documents number.

Widgets for Accesssing News about Congressional Bills

Votetocracy, a Web site that allows people to vote on bills before Congress, is now providing widgets to enable bloggers and Web site owners to show bills currently in Congress. Widgets are available for the following categories: economy, education, environment, health care, technology, war and military, and latest votes in Congress.
Here's what the latest votes in Congress widget looks like:

IRS Taxpayer Assistance Open House

On Saturday, June 5, 2010 approximately two hundred IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the U.S. will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. to help individual taxpayers with questions about notices and payments, return preparation, and a variety of other tax issues. To find the location nearest you, access the list of Taxpaper Assistant Centers. In Houston the NW, SE, and SW offices will participate. On an email notification the downtown office was not listed as a participant in Saturday's event.

The IRS is also partnering with other organizations to assist taxpayers. In Houston the Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication Office (SPEC) is located at:
Internal Revenue Service
8701 S. Gesner, Stop 6610-Hal
Houston, TX 77074

For Houston, Taxpayer Advocate Service is available at 713-209-3660.

Caution: Many IRS offices are located in Federal Office Buildings which may NOT allow visitors to bring in cell phones with camera capabilities.

Visit http://www.irs.gov for a variety of useful links.