Government Challenges, Contests, and Prizes

Visit Challenge.gov to participate in government contests and challenges for the chance to win a variety of prizes (monetary or non-monetary).
You may be challenged to solve a problem, make a suggestion, shoot and upload a video, create a logo, build an online game, invent something, and much more. A new challenge from Kids.gov, for example, calls for posters that answer the question, "How do I become President?" Find more details about this and other challenges.
Even if you don't have a solution for a specific challenge, you can share challenges with friends or sign up to show support for a challenge.

Consumer Reports rates fast food burgers

McDonald's burgers are certainly cheap and fast, but you still might wonder why billions have been consumed when you see the results of our recent survey of 28,000 online subscribers who rated burgers at 18 fast-food restaurants.

Among the standouts were In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The biggest loser: McDonald's. Burger King and Wendy's fared better than McDonald's but far worse than the highest-rated chains.

MORE HERE.

STAT-USA -- links to sources

STAT-USA will cease to exist on September 30, 2010. This guide provides links to data sources which were used by the Department of Commerce to provide information on the STAT-USA website. STAT-USA pulled together information from many different sources, some of which are available from other government websites (e.g. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Federal Reserve).

The Statistical Abstract: Earlier Editions

Looking for that economic data from 1967? Or ethnic breakdowns from 1900? Statistical Abstract data presented here "ranges from the most recent edition to the historical abstracts compiled throughout the decades. Some of the data were scanned as an effort to make historical abstract information available to the public." There are only a handful of editions missing.

Updated Legislative Spending Posted on Internet

Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada (D-Bronx), spent $880,201 on his legislative office operations and staff in the most recent six-month period reported by the Legislature -- nearly $273,000 more than former Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Brunswick) spent during a comparable period in 2008.

Espada's office expenditures and those of other Senators and Assembly members for the six months ending March 31, 2010, was posted today as part of a searchable database on the Empire Center's government transparency website, SeeThroughNY.net.

The full text of this press release is available here.

Contact: Tim Hoefer - 518.434.3100

Taxation -- 2008 Partnership Returns Tables

Eighteen tables are now available containing Tax Year 2008 statistics for partnerships, including statistics that focus on types of partnerships and specific industrial sectors. Also included are data for partnerships that reported foreign transaction data on the Schedule K, Partners’ Distributive Share Items.

The statistics cover balance sheets, trade or business income and deductions, portfolio income, rental income (including rental real estate income), and total net income. The information is classified by industry and size of total assets.

Alcohol and Crime: Data from 2002 to 2008

This webpage includes analyses from four data sources: the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities (SISFCF), and the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ). Each data source examines the involvement of alcohol and violent crime from different perspectives and different sets of criminal behaviors. In NIBRS law enforcement officers are asked to record whether alcohol use by victims, offenders, or both was involved in the incident. In NCVS victims are asked to report whether they believe the offenders had consumed alcohol prior to or during the crime. Finally, in the inmate surveys prison and jail inmates are asked if they were using alcohol at the time of the crime for which they were incarcerated.

Religiosity Highest in World's Poorest Nations

United States is among the rich countries that buck the trend by Steve Crabtree

Gallup surveys in 114 countries in 2009 show that religion continues to play an important role in many people's lives worldwide. The global median proportion of adults who say religion is an important part of their daily lives is 84%, unchanged from what Gallup has found in other years. In 10 countries and areas, at least 98% say religion is important in their daily lives.

the Average College Student Budget

I found this article recently.

College students are notorious for being broke. I cannot count the number of times each week I hear someone say, “Sorry, I can’t go out to eat/go to the movies/go to the clubs. I’m broke.”
However, maybe we college kids aren’t as broke as we think we are. Something that I find pretty interesting is that 66 percent of students receive funds from home each month, and the average amount of money received is $312. Another 49 percent of students have a part-time job and report an average monthly earning of more than $450.

So what do we spend our money on?
***
The article is citing THIS REPORT.

Ozone warning for parts of eastern NYS

Air quality alert in effect from 11 am to 11 PM EDT Thursday...

The New York state department of environmental conservation has issued an air quality health advisory for the following counties...

Dutchess... Ulster... Columbia... Greene... Schoharie... Albany...
Rensselaer... Saratoga... Schenectady... Washington... Fulton... Montgomery.

Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an air quality index value of 100 for the pollutant of ozone. The air quality index... or aqi... was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale.
The higher the aqi value... the greater the health concern.

When pollution levels are elevated... the New York state department of health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. People who may be especially
sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very Young, and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease. Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician.

A toll free air quality hotline has been established so New York residents can stay informed on the air quality situation. The toll free number is: 1 800 5 3 5, 1 3 4 5.

SBA: Plan for Disasters During National Preparedness Month

WASHINGTON – In conjunction with the five-year anniversary of the
devastating Gulf Coast storms of 2005, the U.S. Small Businesses Administration is encouraging business owners, homeowners and others to create their own disaster preparedness plan during National Preparedness Month in September.

"There is a tendency to think that a large-scale disaster is not going to happen ‘where I live,’" SBA Administrator Karen Mills said. "The reality is that storms, floods, earthquakes, fires and man-made disasters can strike anytime and anywhere. Planning ahead for your own post-disaster recovery is a good step toward protecting your family, your business and your community."

SBA, along with many state, local government and private sector coalition partners are participating in this September’s National Preparedness Month.

To prepare for disasters, SBA offers the following tips:

•Develop a solid emergency response plan. Find evacuation routes from the home or business and establish meeting places. Make sure everyone understands the plan beforehand. Keep emergency phone numbers handy.
Business owners should designate a contact person to communicate with other employees, customers and vendors. Homeowners, renters and business owners should ask an out-of-state friend, colleague or family member to be a "post-disaster" point of contact, supporting the flow of information about short-term relocations, recovery, additional sources of assistance, etc.

• Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. Disaster preparedness begins with having adequate insurance coverage—at least enough to rebuild your home or business. Homeowners and business owners should review their policies to see what is or isn’t covered. Companies should consider business interruption insurance, which helps cover operating costs during the post- disaster shutdown period. Flood insurance is essential. To find out more about the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the Web site at www.floodsmart.gov.

• Copy important records. It’s a good idea to back up vital records and
information saved on computer hard drives, and store that information at a distant offsite location in fireproof safe deposit boxes. You should have copies/back ups of important documents ready to take with you if you have to evacuate.

• Create a "Disaster Survival Kit." The kit should include a flashlight, a
portable radio, extra batteries, first-aid supplies, non-perishable food, bottled water, a basic tool kit, plastic sheeting and garbage bags, cash, and a digital camera to take pictures of the property damage after the storm.
More preparedness tips for businesses, homeowners and renters are available on the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov.

The Institute for Business and Home Safety (www.disastersafety.org) also has information on protecting your home or business. Additional information on developing an emergency plan is available at the federal government’s preparedness website www.ready.gov.

When disaster strikes, the SBA makes low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and non-farm businesses of all sizes. Homeowners may borrow up to $200,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Individuals may borrow up to $40,000 to cover losses to personal property.

Non-farm businesses and non-profit organizations of any size may apply for up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged business assets and real property. Small businesses that suffered economic losses as a direct result of the declared disaster may apply for a working capital loan up to $2 million, even if the property was not physically damaged.

To learn more about the SBA’s disaster assistance program, visit the website at www.sba.gov/disasterassistance.

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Contact: Carol Chastang (202) 205-6987 Release Number: 10-49
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

Top 100 cities by population

Click the image to enlarge

Source: Fixr

Proposed Urban Area Criteria for the 2010 Census

The Census Bureau announces publication of the "Proposed Urban Area Criteria for the 2010 Census" in the Federal Register of August 24, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 163), available HERE or HERE (PDF). The Census Bureau is seeking public comment on these proposed criteria. Comments, suggestions, or recommendations regarding the criteria should be submitted in writing, no later than November 22, 2010, to Timothy Trainor, Chief, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-7400.

The Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification is fundamentally a delineation of geographical areas, identifying individual urbanized areas of 50,000 or more people and urban clusters of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 people; “rural” encompasses all population and territory not included in urban areas. The Census Bureau’s urban areas represent densely developed territory, and encompass residential, commercial, and other non-residential urban land uses. Additional information about the Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification, including proposed urban area criteria for the 2010 Census, as well as summaries of the proposed changes is available on the Census Bureau’s website.

Changes proposed for the 2010 Census include:

• Use of census tracts as analysis units in the initial phase of delineation
• Potential return to a maximum jump distance of 1.5 miles (the distance was increased to 2.5 miles in the Census 2000 criteria).
• Use of land use/land cover data to identify territory containing non-residential urban land uses or land cover that restricts urban development, such as marshland and wetlands.
• Lowering the minimum number of enplanements (departing passengers) from 10,000 to 2,500 to qualify airports for inclusion in urban areas.
• Elimination of the central place concept.
• Requirement that, in addition to at least 2,500 total population, an area must contain at least 1,500 persons residing outside institutional group quarters to qualify as urban.
• Splitting urban agglomerations of 1,000,000 or more population based on metropolitan statistical area boundaries, or, in New England, along metropolitan New England city and town area boundaries.

For further information about the Census Bureau urban-rural classification, or the proposed criteria for the 2010 Census, please contact Vincent Osier, Chief, Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, via e-mail at vincent.osier@census.gov or telephone at 301-763-9039.

Home improvement retailers shootout

Click the image to enlarge

Source: Fixr

Historical Population Data

Census of Population and Housing data present here ranges from our most recent census to the historical decennial census conducted throughout the decades. Some of the data were scanned as an effort to make historical census information available to the public. The display of data will continue as historical census records become available

The History of Weather

I've found a selection of weather data (temp, precipitation, hummidity, wind) on a daily basis for most US locations, going back to 1945 from the Weather Underground.

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Data Detectives Ed and Michael have noted the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, which "is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like returns of elections and censuses, and for people working on state and local history projects. The special interests of those potential users range from history to demography, economics, genealogy, geography, law, and politics."

The page features interactive maps of every county, extinct county, and unsuccessful county proposal from the creation of the first county through 31 December 2000; plus an index of counties and equivalents, with individual and statewide county chronologies. See how county boundaries changed over time.

Counting Same-Sex Couples

It has been written that the Census Bureau has no data on same-sex couples; this is incorrect. Go to Families and Living Arrangements and scroll near the bottom. Not only will one find tables, one will discover a couple working papers that describe the political and statistical challenges about gathering such information. Gay marriage is a particularly complicated statistical issue.

Also, on American Factfinder, look for Table B11009. UNMARRIED-PARTNER HOUSEHOLDS BY SEX OF PARTNER in the American Community Survey.

There's a UCLA professor named Gary Gates, who has put together some statistics based on 2000 Census data and other sources, including the Gay and Lesbian Atlas.

National Environmental Scorecard

The 2009 National Environmental Scorecard illustrates the extent to which the Obama administration and the 111th Congress began to move our nation towards a new energy future that will reinvigorate our economy, create jobs, make America more energy independent and protect the planet from global warming pollution. In the most sweeping accomplishment, the U.S. House passed the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act, which marked the first time that comprehensive global warming and clean energy legislation passed either chamber of Congress.

The 2009 Scorecard covers other key issues, such as public lands, water quantity and quality, forest management, offshore drilling, wildlife conservation at home and abroad, chemical security and population.

The New York state delegation as a whole did very well, over 80%. In fact there were only 3 representatives with scores under 86% positive:
Christopher Lee (REP) NY-26 14%
Peter King (REP) NY-3 36%
John McHugh (REP) NY-23 67%

Census Bureau Releases Detailed Information on Nation’s Housing

U.S. Monthly Housing Costs Reach $1,000 for Homeowners

The nation's homeowners paid a median of $1,000 in monthly housing costs in 2009, compared with $808 for renters, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, renters usually paid a higher percentage of their household income on these costs than did owners (31 percent compared with 20 percent).

IRS Publishes List of Nonprofits at Risk of Losing Tax-Exempt Status

I belong to GuideStar, an entity that "gather[s] and publicize[s] information about nonprofit organizations." They have been writing about smaller nonprofits facing automatic revocation of tax-exempt status. They inform the readers that there is a list of nonprofits at risk on the IRS Web site.

You might want to check your favorite charities. The more curious could search the PDFs by location or partial ZIP Code, or perhaps save and manipulate the downloadable Excel files.

2011-2015 Consolidated Plan, AI Public Comment Announcement

NEW YORK STATE DRAFT 2011-2015 CONSOLIDATED PLAN, DRAFT 2011 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN
AND UPDATE TO THE ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ANNOUNCEMENT

To participate in certain federal community development and housing programs, the State of New York must prepare a five-year Consolidated Plan and an annual Action Plan and provide opportunities for citizens to participate in its development. As part of this process, New York State invites interested persons to review and comment on the five-year Consolidated Plan for 2011-2015 and the Annual Action Plan for 2011 during an upcoming public comment period.

The Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan focus principally on four federal programs: the New York State Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG); the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME); the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA); and the Emergency Shelter Grants Program (ESGP).
The Consolidated Plan will be a five-year strategy for addressing the housing and non-housing community development needs of New York communities. The Consolidated Plan will set long-term goals for the development of viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. New York State must submit a completed Consolidated Plan, including the Annual Action Plan, to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development by November 15, 2010.

The Annual Action Plan will describe the State’s planned use of federal Fiscal Year 2011 CDBG, HOME, HOPWA and ESGP funds it administers to address the needs identified by its five-year Consolidated Plan and further the Consolidated Plan’s objectives, and will also describe the State’s methods for distributing these funds.
In addition, New York State is updating its Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing which will identify impediments to fair housing choice in New York State and what actions are being taken to overcome the effects of those impediments. Interested persons are also invited to review and comment on the draft update of the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing during the upcoming public comment period.

The 30-day public comment period will begin on Wednesday, September 8, 2010 and extend through close of business Thursday, October 7, 2010. Beginning on September 8, 2010, New York State’s draft five-year Consolidated Plan for 2011-2015, draft Annual Action Plan for 2011, and draft update of the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing, may be viewed on and downloaded from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) website at www.nysdhcr.gov. In addition, copies can be requested by email (DHCRConPln@nysdhcr) or by calling 1-866-ASK-DHCR (275-3427).

Comments should be mailed to: NYS DHCR, Attention: Brian McCarthy, 38-40 State Street, Albany New York 12207 or emailed to DHCRConPln@nysdhcr.gov. Comments must be received by close of business Thursday, October 7, 2010.

U.S. News ranks top NYS universities, liberal arts colleges

U.S. News & World Report ranks 2011 top New York universities, liberal arts colleges, with full national liberal arts colleges rankings.

The Effect of the Economy on the Nonprofit Sector

The Guidestar June 2010 economic survey, which measured the impact of these difficult economic times on the nonprofit sector. Among respondents, nearly half were CEOs, executive directors, or presidents—our leaders in the nonprofit industry. The results are compelling:
• Some 40 percent of participants reported that contributions to their organizations dropped between January 1 and May 31, 2010, compared to the same period a year earlier.
• Eight percent indicated that their organizations were in imminent danger of closing.
• Sixty-three percent reported a total increase in demand for their organization's services between January 1, 2010 and May 31, 2010, compared to the same period a year prior.

Summertime Child Care Arrangements Vary

Children are less likely to have regular child care arrangements during the school break in the summer — about 55 percent of preschoolers and 58 percent of grade-schoolers were not in a regular child care placement during the summer of 2006. According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, those children who do have regular arrangements typically spend more hours in child care during the summer than the rest of the year.

It's soda. No, it's pop.

I was at a wedding recently and the discussion evolved to what one calls carbonated beverages. It turns out that there is a website called Pop Vs Soda that addresses this very important issue. There is even a county-by-county map delineating the data. Western New York is pop territory while the rest of the state is soda country.

Women's Earnings in 2009

Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2009, U.S. Department of Labor/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2010, Report 1025 is part of the Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey.

Census Bureau to Update Employment Numbers

During the week of Aug. 15, 2010, nearly 2,000 Census Bureau field representatives will interview about 72,000 households across the nation for the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS).

The CPS is co-sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau

Before the survey is conducted, households selected in the nationwide sample will receive an informational letter from the Census Bureau director. Some participants are interviewed by telephone and others are interviewed in person by field representatives who carry official identification.

Every month, Census Bureau field representatives ask selected households questions relevant to the U.S. labor force, such as their employment status, hours worked, earnings, age, sex, race, marital status, educational attainment, occupation and industry. From these answers come estimates of the unemployment rate released monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State government employment drops below level at start of recession

Total employment by state governments has dipped below its level at the start of the recent recession for the first time, a new “Data Alert” from the Rockefeller Institute of Government shows. After rising for eight consecutive months after the recession began in December 2007, state and local government employment has declined for 17 of the last 23 months as states have experienced record declines in revenue. An extension of extraordinary federal aid to states, expected to be approved by Congress, “would likely dampen but not eliminate pressure for additional cuts in state and local government employment,” Institute researchers Donald J. Boyd and Lucy Dadayan write.
Click here for the Data Alert.

Green Power Partnership Top 50

The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities. The following Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power purchases of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors.

These green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three different product options (1) Renewable Energy Certificates, (2) On-site generation, and (3) Utility green power products.

Will the 2010 Census Surprise Us?

In contrast to censuses past, the results of the 2010 census are not likely to surprise us. In fact, the overwhelming response could be a collective yawn. What was all the fuss about? Didn't we already know that?
At the national level, yes we did know. The Census Bureau's estimates and surveys do a good job of keeping us up to date on the size and characteristics of the U.S. population. But the census does much more, providing population counts and demographic profiles for the entire country down to the neighborhood level. Nothing but a census can do that. So when census results begin to emerge, stifle the yawn and appreciate the depth of the information.
The 2010 census asked only 10 questions, and three of them were administrative... The most interesting socioeconomic questions (such as where our money comes from) have been siphoned off by the annual American Community Survey...

Which answer will surprise us the most? The biggest surprise may be household size. For decades, household size has been declining as smaller families became the norm and more people lived alone. In 2009, however, the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey recorded a tiny blip upwards (from 2.56 to 2.57 people in the average household) as the Great Recession forced Americans to double up. The 2010 census may show that the doubling up has been even greater than suspected. Other data sources hint that this may the case: housing vacancies are at a record high and many middle-aged parents are reporting that their adult children have moved back home.

By Cheryl Russell, editorial director, New Strategist Publications. If you have any questions or comments about the above Q & A, e-mail New Strategist at demographics@newstrategist.com.

Holiday

So, you want to know, for business or cultural reasons, what holidays are celebrated in various countries? Here are some suggestions:

Time and Date lets you choose a date until 2015 and choose the country.

CountryReports is also useful. Though you need to scroll through the months to see the holidays, you can choose a country or region.

My favorite may be Earth Calendar, a "daybook of holidays and celebrations around the world. For the purpose of this web site a 'holiday' is any day that recognizes a cultural event, and not necessarily a day when businesses are closed.
***
Madonna - Holiday
The Bee Gees- Holiday

The Nonprofit Sector May Shrink 25%

On May 17, 2010, the IRS began revoking tax-exempt status from nonprofits that failed to file three consecutive annual returns (Form 990-N, 990-EZ, 990, or 990-PF). As a result, as many as 300,000 nonprofits may lose their tax-exempt status, effectively shrinking the nonprofit sector by 25%.
What do YOU need to know?
• Which nonprofits are at risk?
• What happens to a nonprofit that loses its exemption?
• What happens if a donor gives to a charity that has lost its exemption?


GuideStar's new report, Automatic Revocation of Nonprofits' Tax-Exempt Status: What Nonprofits, Grantmakers, and Donors Need to Know, answers all of these questions, and more. Written by Linda M. Lampkin of ERI Economic Research Institute, it is a no-nonsense overview of the impact of this earthshaking development in the nonprofit world.

HHS Poverty Guidelines 2010

Recent legislation prohibited publication of 2010 poverty guidelines before May 31, 2010, and required that the 2009 poverty guidelines remain in effect until publication of updated guidelines. Legislation to further delay publication of the 2010 guidelines did not pass. The procedure for updating the 2010 guidelines was modified to take into account the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) for the period for which their publication was delayed. As a result, the poverty guideline figures for the remainder of 2010 showed no change from the 2009 poverty guideline figures.

Wellness

All consumers participate in the World of Wellness. In fact, 19% of all monthly spending is reserved for products with a wellness halo.

This infographic...explores what wellness spending means to consumers as they redefine healthy living.

The WorkingPoint blog

I've been checking out the blog put out by WorkingPoint, an "online, small business solution." They have been putting out some interesting articles such as Essential Ingredients for Small Business Success and 19 Ways to Drive a Steady Stream of Traffic to Your Website. It's fun site - periodically, you'll come across the Botpreneur, who is ready for (business) action.

WorkingPoint offers free invoicing, bill & expense management and bookkeeping, with additional services for $10 per month. This article explains that the founders of WorkingPoint "worked for Intuit and were behind the creation of QuickBooks and Quicken. They believed Quickbooks had become too complicated and that the small business software segment was ripe for SaaS-based innovation."

Largest Companies Operating in Canada

The Globe and Mail ranks the top 1000 public companies in Canada, as well as the top 350 private companies.

STAT-USA is going away

After more than 25 years of operation, STAT-USA is closing its doors.

USA Trade Online will continue, provided by the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau—a key source of STAT-USA data. All USA Trade Online subscription accounts will be handled directly by that agency, with no interruption to the customer.

STAT-USA/Internet (which includes all State of the Nation and GLOBUS & NTDB databases) and our syndication services will cease September 30, 2010.

CBP

CB10-114 --Census Bureau Reports Number of U.S. Businesses Declines by Nearly 104,000 in 2008, based on County Business Patterns: 2008.

Asian, Black Population in the U.S.

The Asian Population in the United States: 2007 and 2008

The Black Population in the United States: 2007 and 2008

A series of detailed tables with data on a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the specified population. Topics covered include marital status, educational attainment, nativity and citizenship status, labor force and employment status, occupation, earnings, poverty and housing tenure.

America's Laziest States 2010

Businessweek.com ranked the country's laziest states based on five years (2004-08) of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey, which averages the time spent each day on various activities across the population ages 15 and older, including people who did not do the activity at all. We evaluated the amount of leisure time spent on physically inactive pursuits, such as sleeping, watching television, relaxing, thinking, socializing, playing board games, and surfing the Internet (the U.S. average is 12 hours, 58 minutes). We considered these metrics against factors such as time spent exercising and playing sports in each state (the national average is 17 minutes), time spent working, and the state's median age. The final ranking only includes states where residents spend more free time doing sedentary activities than the U.S. average.

New York made the list.

Is work overrated?

Just 3 Days Left to Ensure You Are Included in 2010 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau reminds the nation that on Friday, July 30, it will shut down its toll-free telephone assistance line. More than 130,000 interviews have been completed via the toll free line. Friday is the last day for callers who feel they may have been overlooked in the census to complete their 2010 questionnaire quickly over the phone.

ACS and Federal funding

Brookings' analysis of the federal funding programs that use data from the American Community Survey in their allocation formulas or eligibility requirements.

2007 SAHIE Release

The 2007 Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) is scheduled to be released today (Tuesday, July 27). The 2007 estimates show the demographic characteristics of people with and without health insurance coverage for every state and county in the nation.

The Census Tip Sheet link

Don't Fear the Blog

Easy steps to get you blogging like a pro

In recent years, blogs have become a popular online lead generation and brand-building tool for thousands of companies. But many growing business owners have three big fears about blogging: they won't have time to blog regularly; their blog won't get enough exposure; and their blog won't be interesting enough. Well, take a deep breath because it isn't all that scary! Here are some steps to get you confidently striding down the path to big-time blogging.

Heath brothers

The authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Other Die and Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard have made some related resources available on their website heathbrothers.com.


Free with registration, the tools available here are probably most useful if you have read the corresponding book(s), but are helpful even without that additional context.

There is a framework and first chapter available for each title, plus a podcast series, a guide for creating successful (“sticky”) presentations, and more.

(Tip o the hat to hillsearch.org)

ADA Turns 20

The US Department is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act this week. I find this to be exciting; at the same time, it seems as though some people seem to find ADA difficult and punitive. While I'm sure that one can find bad outcomes of good intentions in any bureaucracy, the core message of the Act is to make goods and services more accessible to a population that is nearly one in five Americans, and growing.


As the Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities section indicates that "The ADA asks public accommodations to take steps that are 'readily achievable' or are 'reasonable' or that do not constitute an 'undue burden' to enable people with disabilities to be their customers and clients."

I was at a business conference a few years ago, and a representative laid out some examples about how a business could become more customer friendly. A dry cleaner had a three-step walk up to the entrance. Not only would a ramp been expensive, it would not have been practical, because the angle would have been too steep. The solution: setting up a buzzer at the bottom of the stairs for an employee to come out to the customer and pick up or deliver the dry cleaning.

I was struck by the conversation I had with someone at my former church. There was a debate before I had gotten there as to whether they should build a ramp. Some folks indicated that there were no current parishioners who needed a ramp. The response: "Yes, and if we don't build the ramp, we never will." Subsequently, folks with walkers and wheelchairs and others for whom the few steps were a burden have made good use of that ramp.

Accessibility is not just a matter of "fairness" or "justice"; it's good business sense.
***
Info about the Disability website and blog; the latter features some great stories.

Countdown to the 20th Anniversary of the ADA

While Disability.gov is useful in connecting "the Disability Community to Information and Opportunities", it has been its Disability Blog, about the "latest disability news, information and trends", that has been most intriguing.

In anticipation of the countdown to the anniversary of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act this week, several guest bloggers have written personal essays about how the ADA has literally changed their lives for the better.

Give My Regards to Broadway

I went to see CATS this past weekend. It was the second-longest musical in Broadway history, surpasered only by another Andrew Lloyd Webber piece, Phantom of the Opera. Whoever maintainds the Wikipedia site for the longest-running Broadway shows is doing a stellar job, updating every week. And where are they getting their numbers? Why the Internet Broadway Database.

The Geography of Bliss

Do democracies promote happiness or are happy places are more likely to be democratic? Molly Mayfield Barbee explores this and more in her review of Eric Weiner’s 2008 account of his travels and research on subjective well-being, or “SWB,” the scientific term for the field of happiness studies. The Geography of Bliss is an expansive, humorous, and slightly dark account of the influence government policies and mechanisms can have on happiness.

What Would You Do With an Extra Hour?

Americans Are Spending More Time Watching TV and Sleeping as Unemployment Rises, Survey Finds

The average American aged 15 or older spent three hours, 11 minutes a day working in 2009, according to the American Time Use Survey released by the Labor Department... That's 17 minutes less time a day engaged in work than in 2007, before the recession hit. While 17 minutes might not seem a lot, when it's averaged over the entire population, including employed people, those who have lost a job and retirees, it represents a significant amount.

What did people do with that extra time? Mainly they slept and watched TV. Time spent in front of the television rose by 12 minutes, to two hours, 49 minutes a day in the two years through 2009. Sleep was the next big gainer, increasing by six minutes to eight hours, 40 minutes a day.

The data also show what Americans aren't doing with their extra time: There was virtually no change between 2007 and 2009 in the time devoted to volunteering, religious activities, exercise or education. In sum, time people might have used productively is instead being squandered...

A Taste for Hotter, Mintier, Fruitier

The Increased Craving for Intense Flavors Suggests That the American Palate is Changing from WSJ, May 26, 2010

The buttery taste found in packaged foods isn't just butter flavor anymore. Increasingly, it is browned-butter flavor, formulated to taste deeper and more savory than plain butter, says International Flavors and Fragrances, one of the leading laboratories for developing flavors used by food companies.
...
Food companies describe some of their efforts as adding "umami," a Japanese word that, roughly translated, means "good flavor." What it describes, however, is the pleasant savory flavor found in protein-heavy foods and increasingly viewed as one of the five basic tastes (in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter). It isn't exactly a flavor, food executives say, but an experience—an explosion of flavor.
...
As people crave intensity in flavor, some traditionalists are wondering if diners will become desensitized to natural flavors. Regular mangoes may taste bland when eaten next to mango-flavored gum or a mango energy drink, they say.
...
New flavors used to originate in fine dining kitchens and work their way down, but now they come just as often from the Food Network or from ethnic or international sources.

Newspaper circulation

Looking for newspaper circulation?

You can find data about the collective industry or the top newspapers by circulation or the top markets.

But for the most comprehensive list, I'd go with the Audit Bureau of Circulation; you can search by daily, weekly or total circulation, in descending order.

RestoreTheGulf.gov -- Federal Response and Recovery Portal

RestoreTheGulf.gov is the new, official federal portal for the Deepwater BP oil spill response and recovery. The site provides information on current operations, how to file a claim and obtain other assistance, and links to federal, state, and local partners.
RestoreTheGulf.gov will replace Deepwater Horizon Response, the old response site about the BP oil spill.

NEW: Transportation and finance

Data for the state(s) and Economic Census Sector(s) listed below have recently been released on the Census Bureau's American FactFinder web site.
• NAICS sector 48-49, Transportation and warehousing Get Data
o New York (Released 07/09/2010)
• NAICS sector 52, Finance and insurance Get Data
o New York (Released 07/09/2010)
To access selected key data for these states/sectors in the Economy-Wide Key Statistics data file, click here.

A Graphical, Inside View of Government Spending.

The Center for Governmental Research has launched a new website, Govistics™, that can be used to access, in an interestingly visual way, information about spending by state and local governments. CGR is using the 2007 Census of Government data and will be adding data mash ups. There is free info, and also more extensive data available for a fee.

The Rochester Business Journal wrote an article about the service: Web tool enables access to government spending info.

Census Bureau Launches New Tool for Hurricane Planning

The U.S. Census Bureau, in cooperation with the National Weather Service, announces the launch of OnTheMap for Emergency Management: Hurricanes, a Web-based tool that provides real-time workforce information when a hurricane strikes land in the United States.

http://lehdmap4.did.census.gov/themap4/em/index.html OnTheMap for Emergency Management: Hurricanes is an easy-to-use tool that provides a live feed from the National Hurricane Center. When a storm’s leading winds make landfall, the application will allow users to view the characteristics of the local workforce, such as the affected industries, the ages of workers and workers’ earnings with a simple click of the link.

“OnTheMap technology has been providing useful data for emergency preparedness for some time, but this new tool doesn’t require any specialized training,” said Jeremy Wu, chief of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Local Employment Dynamics Partnership. “It puts valuable information directly into the hands of emergency planners and local officials.”

OnTheMap for Emergency Management: Hurricanes provides users with:

• Access to the most recent workforce data for the area impacted by a hurricane.
• An easy-to-use, Web-based interface for visualizing hurricanes and jobs data, including historical results and downloadable reports.
• The most recent storm location information as provided by a direct link to the National Hurricane Center.

OnTheMap for Emergency Management: Hurricanes, is a product of OnTheMap, an online mapping and reporting application that shows the relationship between where people work and where they live, as well as the characteristics of the workforce. It allows users to create, print and download workforce related maps, profiles and underlying data down to the block level.

OnTheMap comes from the Census Bureau’s Local Employment Dynamics Partnership.

Recent Governments Division Data Releases

Quarterly Tax - 1st Quarter 2010. Tax revenue grows for the 2nd quarter in a row.

Public Education Finances - 2008. Sources of funding and expenditures.

State Tax Collection - 2009. Tax collections decline from 2008.

State and Local Government Employee Retirement - 2008. Public Employee Retirement System assets drop nearly $180 Billion in 2008.

Quarterly Retirement - 4th Quarter 2009. Public Employee Retirement Systems show first year over year increase in two years.

Newseum - Today's Front Pages

From JJ Hill


The Newseum is a bricks-and-mortar museum in Washington, DC, devoted to journalism and the media. Each day, the Newseum displays the front page of over 750 newspapers from 80 countries on its website.

This allows you to get a feel for what’s first and foremost on the minds of a community’s members right now, whether you’re travelling on business, about to make a conference call, or have other business dealings with a community outside your own – or simply curious to see what’s going on around the world!

In the Gallery, papers are sorted alphabetically by state and city. Alternatively, you can “Sort by Region,” which allows you to quickly jump to newspapers on a specific continent. But check out the Map view, which lets you more easily focus in on a certain geographic area.

You can print each front page or download in PDF. Once the page full view opens in a new window, you can also link out to that newspaper’s website.

Census aims to (finally) move into the future

From USA Today:
...
As hundreds of thousands of workers knock on doors this summer to collect information for the 2010 Census, momentum is mounting to drag future Censuses into the 21st century.
This year's Census may be the last to be filled out completely by hand and conducted primarily through mailings and home visits.
Almost certain for 2020: many people logging onto a secured Census website and filling out the form with a few keystrokes instead of pen, paper and a pre-addressed envelope.
...
Every change and every dollar spent on the Census requires approval from Congress — a reality that creates political tussling every 10 years.

The Census Bureau answers to the Commerce Department, which is headed by presidential appointees who can change after elections every four years — often in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle, when new strategies are being studied.

Census 2010 Quality Assurance PSA

This link provides a PSA for the 2010 Census Quality Assurance
operation. This operation involves a census enumerator phoning or visiting a
small sample of households to double-check on the accuracy of the data they
provided and make sure that the Census Bureau is getting a complete picture of everyone living in the household.

I Go Swimming

Heat wave on the East Coast this week. Even as you listen to I Go Swimming by Peter Gabriel, you might want to consider this graphic:

Click the image to enlarge

Source: Swimming Pool Costs at Fixr

FindtheBest.com

Here's some data compiled on New York through a new website called FindtheBest.com. The website organizes data from nyc.gov, New York City Data Mine, and elsewhere and makes it easy to sort through and filter to get what you are looking for. Here are some examples that you can check out:
**NYC Hiking Trails.
** NYC Dog Runs.
** NYC Restaurant Inspections.

The New USA.gov

In honor of its 10th anniversary, announcing the new and improved USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov.
The new look is based on best practices, usability testing, and suggestions received through the online public dialog, "Your Voice Matters."
Among the new features are:
• Look and Feel: a new, clean look that reduces the feeling of clutter and creates an open, focused interface.
• Enhanced Search: With a new search that is up to 9 times faster and more accurate, search is featured prominently on the pages and the 5 most popular search terms are now displayed daily.
• Government Apps Gallery: Some of the most innovative apps and mobile-friendly websites from across the federal government are showcased.
• Popular Content in English and Spanish: All of the most popular content like Online Services, Contact Your Government, and the A-Z index of government agencies have been kept. Now accessible through mega-dropdown menus that appear on every page, this content is easier to find through search engines or entry points other than the homepage.
This new design should make it easier for you to access the government information and services you need.
Have a safe and fun 4th of July weekend!

FDR, TR Top Siena Presidential Poll

Siena Research Institute’s 2010 Presidential Expert Poll ranked Franklin Delano Roosevelt No. 1, followed by his cousin and fellow New Yorker Theodore Roosevelt. The poll has generated a healthy debate on the online pages of the Times Union.

Lincoln, my #1 pick, ranked third.

It's County Fair Season in New York!

New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker has announced that the county fair season kicks off on July 1. Fifty-four county and youth fairs are held during the summer months and through October 3. In addition, the Great New York State Fair is held in Syracuse from August 26 - September 6.

Information about county and youth fairs in New York, including locations and dates, can be found online HERE. Information about the Great New York State Fair can be found online HERE.

Data, interrupted

One of my colleagues was looking for disability info for a county in New York State. She went to the 2006-2008 data in the American Community Survey, but found absolutely nothing. Curious, I peaked at the 2008 data and found table B18001 and successive information that was totally skipped in the 3-year data. Why WAS that?

The Census Bureau changed the questions on disability. As the state Department of Health notes: "These changes were significant enough that 2008 disability estimates are NOT comparable with previous [ones]. To ensure that there are no comparisons, the Bureau has elected to delete the old table numbers and add new table numbers. The new tables will also contain a footnote that states that the data should not be compared to previous years’ data."

Three-year data on disability will once again be available from the 2008-2010 ACS, when Census has gathered three years of data with the new questions. The five-year data on these questions will cover 2008-2012.

I guess data users just need to be very aware of breaks in various data series.

How to Use the Data: Comparing 2006-2008 ACS 3-Year Data.

Teen Assessment Program

At the last Affiliate meeting, Dale presented a fascinating program about a Teen Assessment Project. The link to the actual pdf for the Herkimer County version from 2009 is HERE.

If you wanted to see the older versions you could visit HERE.

National Resource Directory for Military, Veteran Communities

The U.S. Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs, as part of their continued commitment to our Nation’s Service Members, Veterans, and their families, launched a new and improved National Resource Directory.

This free online tool provides access to thousands of services, programs and resources at the national, state and community level. The Web site has a fresh look with many key features that include an improved search engine, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) news feeds, subscriptions to e-mail updates, and new subject areas such as “Homeless Assistance.”

The National Resource Directory is designed to serve a broad base of users including transitioning Service Members, Veterans, Wounded Warriors, and their families and caregivers. In addition, it is a useful tool for service providers who support Veterans and Service Members, such as Department of Defense Recovery Care Coordinators and AW2 Advocates, Veterans Affairs Federal Recovery Coordinators, health care providers and case managers at Veterans Service Organizations.

The new features allow the Military and Veteran community to identify and stay informed about the thousands of resources that are available to them as well as browse for information they may not have known about it the past. Additionally, a faster, more accurate search engine provides the tools to sort results by subject area, audience and government or non-government resources to ensure users locate exactly what they want, without having to sort through thousands of links themselves.

For more than a year, the National Resource Directory has provided Wounded Warriors, transitioning Service Members and Veterans, and those who support them with quick and easy access to resources they need. Resources on the National Resource Directory are vetted and must meet the participation policy standards before being added. This ensures that all the posted resources are relevant and from reputable sources.

The new National Resource Directory is simple, easy-to-navigate and even more relevant to the needs of the Wounded Warrior, Veteran and caregiver communities. It also contains “In the News” and “Spotlight” features to highlight important news and updates. To tell friends and family about the new National Resource Directory, use the “Bookmark and Share” function to post updates on more than 200 social media networks such as Facebook or Twitter.

ACS release schedule

Here is the rough time schedule for the release of the 2009-based American Community Survey products. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A CHANGE IN ORDER OF THE PRODUCTS FOR THIS YEAR – THE 5-YEAR DATA WILL BE RELEASED BEFORE THE 3-YEAR DATA.

• Late September 2010 – 1-year (2009) ACS data
• November or December 2010 – 5-year (2005-2009) ACS data
• Early 2011 – 3-year (2007-2009) ACS data

The 5-year PUMS and Summary Files will be released after the data are on AFF.

Personal Income Tax: Analysis of 2007 Personal Income Tax Returns

This report describes the prominent features of New York's personal income tax, with particular emphasis on the 2007 tax year. It also includes taxpayer profiles consisting of number of taxable returns, sources of income, federal adjustments, New York modifications, deductions, dependent exemptions, tax liability and credits by NYAGI class, filing status and=20 return type. In addition, it includes separate sections on income, itemized deduction amounts, exemptions, available credits and information on refundable credits. Finally, it compares statistics for 2007 with those from the prior year for most of these items.

Accompanying this report are statistical tables that cover resident, part-year resident, and nonresident returns. The report also includes a description and statistical information from returns filed by fiduciaries of estates and trusts.

Directory of Social Enterprises

"Social enterprise" is the new buzzword within both the nonprofit and for-profit world, encompassing an organization or individual who wish to do well while doing good – that is, achieving the "triple bottom line" of people, planet, profit (that is, having social, environmental, and economic goals).

Presented in partnership with Community Wealth Ventures and the Social Enterprise Alliance, this is a free, searchable directory of nonprofit social enterprises.

Search by keyword, type of organization (think interest/activity area), budget, type of venture, legal status, and/or state. Your search results typically include basic contact information, stated mission, and any specific enterprise or partner venture(s).

New Employment Firm Size Data

U.S. Census Bureau employment size of firm data (partially funded by the Office of Advocacy) has been updated for 2007. The data list the number of firms, establishments, employment, annual payroll and receipts by firm size for regions by industry. The data is now available for a twenty-year period covering a few business cycles, making time series analysis a possibility.
Additions to the data for this year include county figures and more industry detail for states (going back to 1998.) Historic county figures are a future priority.

In 2007, similar to 2001, small firm (fewer than 500 employees) employment fell below large firm employment. If employment patterns after the 2001 downturn hold, small firm employment will pass large firm employment when the economy expands. With 2007 being an Economic Census year, receipts are available. Small firm receipts for 2007 were $11.4 trillion, representing 38 percent of private-sector receipts (similar to 2002's 39 percent.)

Data on firm turnover (starts and stops) and job churn by firm size will be available for 2006 to 2007 at a later date.

Should you need further information, please feel free to contact the Office of Advocacy at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

Census Bureau Releases 2009 City Population Estimates

The U.S. Census Bureau released July 1, 2009, population estimates for each of the nation's incorporated places, including cities, boroughs and villages and minor civil divisions, such as towns and townships. The new estimates are not 2010 Census population counts. They are, however, the last estimates to use 2000 Census results as a base.

The city estimates are based on 2000 Census data updated to reflect legal boundary changes, housing unit estimates updated to reflect inputs such as building permits, and county population estimates. The county population estimates are produced by using administrative records — namely births, deaths, and domestic and international migration. The resulting county population estimates are then distributed to the areas within each county by using the updated housing unit estimates.

For more info, go here.

Data.gov

Data.gov is leading the way in democratizing public sector data and driving innovation. The data is being surfaced from many locations making the Government data stores available to researchers to perform their own analysis. Developers are finding good uses for the datasets, providing interesting and useful applications that allow for new views and public analysis. This is a work in progress, but this movement is spreading to cities, states, and other countries.

For instance, type in the word migration, and you'll get 2007-2008 State-to-State AND County-to-county Migration Inflow AND Outflow, along with the source of that data, which is the IRS.

Enter the term business and find Business Employment Dynamics, Licenses and Permits Search, and Loans Search.

The Shocking Disparities of Labor Cost

Have you ever wondered how long does it take overseas to make the equivalent of US minimum wage?

See for yourself:Click the image to enlarge

Source: FixR

EWG's 2010 Sunscreen Guide

The Environmental Working Group's 4th annual analysis of sunscreens includes safety and effectiveness ratings for 1,400 SPF products, including sunscreens and SPF-labeled lip balm, makeup, and moisturizer. Our ratings are based on an in-house compilation of standard industry, government and academic data sources and models that we have constructed over the past six years, and on a thorough review of the technical literature for sunscreen. We have incorporated sunscreen ratings from this investigation into our Skin Deep cosmetic safety database, an online consumer tool available at www.cosmeticdatabase.com.

You'll have to register, but it asks only for your e-mail and your ZIP Code.

Map: Where Americans Are Moving

From Forbes:

More than 10 million Americans moved from one county to another during 2008. The MAP visualizes those moves. Click on any county to see comings and goings: black lines indicate net inward movement, red lines net outward movement.

Pensions of State and Local Retirees Posted Online

A searchable database of pension allowances for 342,543 retired New York state and local government employees was posted this week on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center's government transparency web site.

The database includes the names, retirement dates and, in most cases, the most recent employer for all individuals collecting pension benefits as of April 13 from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), which includes the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) and Employee Retirement System (ERS). Among employees who retired in 2009, the average annual pension allowance was $62,208 for PFRS members and $25,947 for ERS members, according to data from NYSLRS.

The full text of this press release is available here.

Contact: Lise Bang-Jensen
518.434.3100

A Child Born in 2009 Will Cost $222,360

A Child Born in 2009 Will Cost $222,360 to Raise According to USDA Report
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released USDA’s new annual report, Expenditures on Children by Families, which finds that a middle-income family with a child born in 2009 can expect to spend about $222,360 ($286,050 if inflation is factored in) for food, shelter, and other necessities to raise that child over the next 17 years. This represents less than a 1 percent increase from 2008, the smallest increase this decade, which likely reflects the state of the economy. Expenses for child care, education, and health care saw the largest percentage increases related to child rearing from 2008, whereas expenses on transportation actually declined. This decline in transportation expenses on a child mitigated the increases in the other expenses.

This report, issued annually since 1960, is a valuable resource to courts and state governments in determining child support guidelines and foster care payments. For 2009, per child annual child-rearing expenses for a middle-income, two-parent family ranges from $11,650 to $13,530, depending on the age of the child.

The report by USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion notes that family income affects child rearing costs. A family earning less than $56,670 per year can expect to spend a total of $160,410 (in 2009 dollars) on a child from birth through high school. Parents with an income between $56,670 and $98,120 can expect to spend $222,360 and a family earning more than $98,120 can expect to spend $369,360. In 1960, a middle-income family could have expected to spend $25,230 ($182,860 in 2009 dollars) to raise a child through age 17.

Housing costs are the single largest expenditure on a child, averaging $70,020 or 31 percent of the total cost over 17 years. Child care and education (for those with the expense) and food were the next two largest expenses, accounting for 17 and 16 percent of the total expenditure. The estimates do not include the costs associated with pregnancy or the cost of a college education. In addition, some current-day costs, such as child care, were negligible in 1960.

2010 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA

Source: National Association for Sport and Physical Education

The 2010 Shape of the Nation Report: Status of Physical Education in the USA provides a current picture of physical education (PE) in the American education system. Incremental improvements have been made in the last few years in the number of states that now require PE (17% increase) and student assessment in PE (26% increase). However, the Report shows that more states now allow waivers and exemptions from PE classes (77% increase) and no progress has been made in providing daily physical education in all grades K-12.

Chatting with Kids about Being Online

The Federal Trade Commission is offering a FREE publication, "Net Cetera," to help parents talk to their kids about safely navigating the online world.

Net Cetera covers what you need to know, where to go for more information, and issues to raise with kids about living their lives online.

OnGuardOnline.gov encourages you to use this guide with your kids, in your school, at your PTA meeting, or anywhere else parents might gather. Feel free to order as many free copies as you'd like, put your own sticker on it, reprint sections in a newsletter or on a website, download a button or link to it, or even reprint it with your own logo. These materials are in the public domain.

Tallest Mountain to Deepest Ocean Trench

Here's an infographic from Our Amazing Planet delineating the "highest heights and lowest lows of our planet, from the outer reaches of the atmosphere all the way to the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench in the world."

(Thanks, Jaquandor.)

Opportunity Knocks

Here's a link that opens up the newest Census PSA, Opportunity is Knocking at Your Door. This PSA relates to the Non-Response Follow Up campaign that is currently being conducted thorughout the country by US Census Enumerators. These census takers are visiting the households that have yet to return their census questionnaires to make sure every community is counted accurately in the 2010 Census.

5,639 Searchable Corporate Donation Records of $1,000,000+

The NonProfit Times and NOZASEARCH are pleased to provide access to a searchable database of more than 5,000 $1 million + corporate donations. This is a free service, and no registration is required. Simply search by business name, or create an instant list by location or cause. Your results can be exported directly into a spreadsheet with the click of a button.

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation

The latest Employer Costs for Employee Compensation news release was issued June 9, 2010 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Highlights are below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employers spent an average of $29.71 per hour worked for civilian compensation in March 2010. Wages and salaries averaged $20.67, and benefits averaged $9.04. Health insurance was the largest individual employer benefit cost at $2.48 per hour, which accounted for 8.3 percent of total compensation costs.

Mixed Race Marriage More Common

The Pew Research Center analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and found that in 2008, 14.6 percent of all marriages were between spouses of different races. Whites had the lowest rate of intermarriage at 9 percent, followed by blacks at 16 percent, Hispanics, 26 percent, and Asians, 31 percent.

More HERE.

Free Credit Scores?

In answer to a question about websites or other resources that offer free credit score information, as opposed to just free credit reports, a colleague pointed out a Wall Street Journal article, Credit Scores: Can You Get Them Free?

If you are curious about your credit scores, you may have tried one of the plethora of Web sites and services that offer some free credit information, then lure you into paying for your scores, usually as part of a credit-monitoring package.

Consumers are entitled by law to a free credit report— which is simply a record of your borrowing and repayment history — but the numerical scores derived from these reports will cost you, in part because credit-reporting agencies aren't required by law to provide them for free to consumers along with the reports.

Now, a handful of companies are launching services that give consumers at least a glimpse at their credit scores free of charge. The sites— Credit.com Inc., Credit Karma Inc.'s CreditKarma.com and Quizzle.com— also offer a window into the key factors that go into calculating your score, what you can do to improve them and how your credit stacks up against others. Last week, for example, Credit.com launched a free Credit Report Card that shows consumers how they're likely to rate across five credit-scoring models.

So I tried them all out this morning.

My experience with Credit.com was similar to the article writer's. I got A+ in four categories, and a C- in Account Mix, but that's only 10% of my score, so I received an A overall. It doesn't give absolute numbers but it does give ranges, and based on a report I had paid for, the FICO range of 750 to 850 appears correct. I waas mildly annoyed that to get my actual score I was requested to "upgrade" my account for "just $14.95 per month."

CreditKarma.com gave me a slightly lower score, in large part because, of the seven criteria, I got 3 A's 2 B's (for 99.00% on-time payments, and 2 hard credit inquiries), and 2 N/A. Since they apparently have no information on my monthly income, they can't calculate my debt-to-income ratio. This site had some interesting statistics about credit here. I "have a score better than 167 million people," FWIW.

It took me a while to get to the end of Quizzle.com, and it wasn't for lack of effort. Earlier, I'd get to a certain point and it'd claim I was leaving out some unstated information. So I tried it later, and I got tripped up by one of the verification questions - "How much is our monthly mortgage?" - and I must have picked the wrong range (hey, it comes out automatically out of the bank account; it's not as though I write a check.) BUT, you can then call the 800 number, give them additional information, and then get into the system. These results I also found accurate, AND, as the story reports, "One thing Quizzle.com offers that the others don't is a free credit report — and the ability to dispute errors on your Experian credit report on the site."

As the credit.com page made clear:
Payment History is 35% of your score
Debt Usage 30% of your score - keep your debt under control!
Credit Age 15% of your score - "A long credit history shows that you are established."
Account Mix 10% of your score - Balance of credit and loan accounts on your credit report.
Inquiries 10% of your score - "Applying for new credit conservatively is helping to boost your score."

More interesting info:

If your revolving utilization stays under 10% you'll continue to earn almost all of the credit score points available in this category. As that percentage goes higher, your score will go lower. It's a common myth that you only need to keep your revolving utilization 50%. That's absolutely incorrect. 50% is better than 60% but not as good as 40%.

There's another common myth that could hurt you in this category: some people recommend that you should close your credit card accounts if you are not using them. However, closing accounts can cause your utilization rate to go up and your credit score to go down. If you have an old account you don't want, you may want to cut up the card but not close the account. Cutting up the card will prevent it from being used fraudulently but will leave you with the unused credit limit for your credit score.

This is the best description I've read on this. Closing old-line credit cards of long tenure could LOWER your score.

There are a few different ways you can maintain a low revolving utilization rate. Keeping credit card balances low, increasing your credit limits or opening new credit card accounts for extra borrowing power could all work. However, the safest option is to maintain low balances on the credit cards that you are currently using. Opening new accounts or requesting credit limit increases could have a negative impact on your credit score.

100 Great Ways to Spend Your Gap Year

Taking a time off for financial or personal reasons has become increasingly common amongst college students. But many worry that these gap years in between semesters or degrees may lead to lessened productivity and a compromised professional and academic future. This obviously doesn’t have to be the case! Free of scholastic shackles, students taking a year or 2 away from school have plenty of amazing opportunities to learn more about themselves and the world, make a difference in society, network, channel their creativity and intellect, and even earn a bit of extra money without making a commitment to a full-time position. Time away from school does not equate to time away from personal growth and opportunities to gain valuable experience to bolster their future careers.

Planning for College Financially

Data Detective Dale pointed this out to me. He thinks this is important to share, and I quite concur. Moreover, this being the graduation season, it’s timely !

He has discovered that many parents are quite surprised about how much they are expected to contribute to their kids’ college costs. Dale writes, "This is referred to as their Expected Family Contribution (EFC). What typically happens is that parents bumble along (I know we did) until their child is a junior in HS and then they go through the process of applying to colleges and for financial aid at the FAFSA.gov website when WHAM >>>> - they get a reality check upside the head when it comes to how much the federal government thinks THEY can contribute toward attending school." I can imagine there are MANY parents sitting in financial aid offices with tears in their eyes over this.

What can the schools or government do to reduce this sticker shock when it comes to EFCs? Dale notes, "Figuring out financial aid has always been a bit of a 'black box'. You put a bunch of numbers in and out comes your EFC with no understanding of what it is or how it comes about.

"Lo and behold, there is now a way to determine your EFC at the FAFSA website. It is called fafsa4caster. Basically you can punch in info for the current year as though your child were applying to a college right now, and get an EFC figured out for you. It takes maybe 15 minutes to do and requires you to answer a TON of questions, including tax and investment questions. (I estimated some just playing around with the website to see how it works, you could do the same if you wanted to get a ballpark EFC for your family.)

"Regardless, it is exactly what I have always maintained people should be able to do. Even better, it allows people to see their EFC right now, even if their kids are young and not even in kindergarten, let alone high school or college. So my challenge to everyone is to try it, and be prepared to hear the collective gasps of parents or perspective parents around the web as they see what their EFC actually is !

"OK, go to http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/F4CApp/index/index.jsf and pick option "B" to get started. Remember, you’ll need some basics like your adjusted gross income and how much you paid in taxes last year. Having other info, like any 529 Education account balances, or 401K contributions is also good to have. But even in the worst case, you can just punch in some estimates to see what ballpark your EFC will fall in."

Dale believes that putting this information on this site "could help people reassess what they are doing to prepare for their kids' futures!"

2009 MTA Payroll Shows Fewer Employees, Higher Spending

A searchable database of the complete Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) payroll for 2009 - including names, titles, base pay rates and total pay received by 77,191 individuals - shows an increase of nearly 3 percent in the average total pay of MTA employees last year.

The updated payroll file is now available at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the government transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.

The full text of this press release is available here.

Tax increases push states' revenues up, Rockefeller Institute reports

States’ overall tax revenues rose in the first quarter of calendar 2010 on a year-over-year basis, marking the first such gain since the third quarter of 2008, according to preliminary data in a new report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government.
Despite the overall growth in revenues, however, a majority of states still saw declines, according to Institute Senior Policy Analyst Lucy Dadayan, the report’s author. The increase in total collections was mostly attributable to revenue growth driven by legislated tax increases in just two states — New York and California. If those two states are removed from the calculations, total collections across the nation show a 2.2 percent decline in the first quarter of 2010. And even with the boost from those two states, overall revenues remain significantly below pre-recession levels.
Further, early indications of revenues in the April-June quarter — marking the end of the fiscal year for 46 states — are not promising, as the important April collections from income taxes showed a 7.6 percent year-over-year decline.
For the full report, visit the Institute’s Web site. The report was covered this morning in The New York Times.

Census Bureau Seeks Comments on Supplemental Poverty Measurement

The Census Bureau has issued a request for comments on the approach to developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) presented in the report “Observations from the Interagency Technical Working Group on Developing a Supplemental Poverty Measure.” The Working Group’s report is available online here. The SPM is an experimental measure that defines income thresholds and resources in a different manner than the official poverty measure; it will not replace the official measure or impact allocations based on that measure. Regarding the SPM, the Census Bureau would like comments on:
• Methods and data sources used to geographically adjust poverty thresholds
• Methods and data sources used to adjust resources to account for child care and other work-related expenses
• Methods and data sources used to adjust resources to account for medical out-of-pocket expenses
• Methods and data sources used to impute dollar values for in-kind benefits and taxes
Written comments should be submitted on or before June 25, 2010 to spm@census.gov or David Johnson, Housing and Household Economics Statistics Division, Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Stop 8500, Washington, DC 20233-8500.

2007 Economic Census Workshops in Albany, Syracuse, NYC

The Census Bureau is conducting a half-day workshop for data users on the 2007 Economic Census.
• New users learn about the range of data about businesses available from the Census Bureau, including both the Economic Census and more frequent data sets.
• Experienced users learn about new features of the data, comparability issues, and qualifications of the data.
• Attendees gain skills in accessing Economic Census data in American FactFinder.
• Attendees have the opportunity to tell others about their own practical applications of the data and learn what others are doing.

Albany, NY
Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Cost: FREE

Location:
College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany
CESTM Auditorium, Building 251
257 Fuller Road
Albany, NY 12203

Register HERE
Directions

Additional Workshops in New York State:
Additional workshops are planned for New York City (June 10 and 11, 2010) and Syracuse (June 24, 2010). For details about these workshops see HERE.

For more information contact:
Melissa Preston, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, (518) 437-8680 or mpreston@uamail.albany.edu

Co-Sponsors
• College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany
• New York State Department of Economic Development
• New York State Small Business Development Center

Librarians!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides some information about the number of librarians in the US. Also, OCLC provides some global library statistics that I find interesting.

Number of Libraries in the United States

Greendex

In their third annual survey to measure and monitor consumer behaviors that have an impact on the environment, the National Geographic Society and the international polling firm GlobeScan have found that environmentally friendly behavior among consumers in 10 out of 17 countries has increased over the past year. The survey results show that environmentally friendly consumer behavior, as measured by the Greendex, has now increased from 2008 levels in all but one of the 14 countries polled in both 2008 and 2010. By environmentally friendly consumer behavior, we mean people’s transportation patterns, household energy and resource use, consumption of food and everyday consumer goods, and what consumers are doing to minimize the impact these activities have on the environment.

Greendex 2010: Consumer Choice and the Environment — A Worldwide Tracking Survey is a comprehensive measure of consumer behavior in 65 areas relating to housing, transportation, food and consumer goods. Greendex 2010 ranks average consumers in 17 countries according to the environmental impact of their consumption patterns and is the only survey of its kind.

As in 2008, the top-scoring consumers of 2010 are in the developing economies of India, Brazil, China, in descending order. American consumers’ behavior still ranks as the least sustainable of all countries surveyed since the inception of the survey three years ago, followed by Canadian, French and British consumers. Consumers in emerging economies continue to round out the top tier of the Greendex ranking, while the six lowest scores were all earned by consumers in industrialized countries.

Cost Guides on Home Improvement

Here is a comprehensive set of cost guides on home improvement.

Click the image to enlarge

Source: Fixr Remodeling Cost Guides

Beloit College Mindset List for the entering college class of 2013

"This is the 12th year that Beloit College has assembled these observations that help to identify the experiences that have shaped the lives—and formed the mindset—of students starting their post-secondary education this fall.

"The Mindset List is not a chronological listing of things that happened in 1991, the year they were born. It is instead an effort to identify the worldview of 18 year-olds in the fall of 2009. Of course, our students come from many backgrounds and different traditions and these generalizations may not apply to all. The list identifies the experiences and event horizons of students and is not meant to reflect on their preparatory education.

"It is also not deliberately designed to make readers feel really old!"
Ah, but it DOES!

Reform for the Next Census

Editorial
New York Times (May 31, 2010)

When a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers introduced a bill this year to improve the census, passage seemed inevitable. With the 2010 count under way, people were paying attention. And the bill, which grants the Census Bureau director more independence, is a smart response to the chronic problems that have plagued census planning: fragmented leadership, political interference and not enough financing.

The Obama administration, which should be supporting the bill, is instead raising objections. It has objected to a provision that would allow the census director to report directly to the commerce secretary. It also has objected to a provision that would require the director to send Congress the bureau's budget request at the same time it goes to the White House.

The commerce secretary, Gary Locke, lodged the objections with one of the bill's co-sponsors, Senator Thomas Carper, a Democrat of Delaware, a day before the committee on the census met in April to consider the legislation. The committee approved it anyway. But if the administration continues to fight, the reform effort could stall.

More HERE.

James O'Keefe: From ACORN to Census

Conservative activist's latest target is the Census Bureau. Interview on Good Morning, America, 06/01/2010 (10:39) Doesn't actually get to the Census until about 7:50, about which he alleges waste via overpayments to Census workers.