2010 Center of Population

The U.S. mean center of population, as of April 1, 2010, is near Plato, Mo., an incorporated village in Texas County. The U.S. Census Bureau calculated this point as the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all 308,745,538 residents counted in the 2010 Census were of identical weight.

Ever since Chestertown, Md., was determined to be the center of population after the first census was conducted in 1790, the center of population has told the story of America, illustrating how we've grown as a nation. It follows a trail across the country ─ across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri ─ that reflects our history of settling the frontier, manifest destiny, waves of immigration and regional migration.

The Census Bureau will install a commemorative "geodetic control mark" at a site near the official coordinates during a dedication ceremony in April 2011. This survey disc will be used by satellites and land surveyors to conduct scientific surveys to generate precise position data that serve as the foundation for accurate mapping and charting in America.

The Mean Center of Population

37.517534 N, 92.173096 W
Coordinates (latitude, longitude) in decimal degrees of the 2010 mean center of population and the most western and southern point in our nation's history, as well as the most southerly movement from the previous decade.

2.7
Distance in miles from the center of population coordinates to Plato, Mo., the nearest incorporated municipality and nearest place for which the Census Bureau provides data.

109
The 2010 Census population of Plato, Mo.

26,008
The 2010 Census population of Texas County, Mo., where the village of Plato is located.

Historical Path of the Mean Center of Population

4
Number of times the mean center of population has been placed in Missouri:
1980-2010.

23.4
Distance in miles from Edgar Springs, Mo., the 2000 mean center of population, to Plato, Mo., the 2010 center of population.

872.9
Distance in miles from Chestertown, Md., the 1790 mean center of population, to Plato, Mo., the 2010 mean center of population.

1870
The U.S. census with the most northerly movement of the center of population from the previous decade ─ 44 miles from Beaver, Ohio, to Hillsboro, Ohio.

1860
The U.S. census with the largest increase in distance of the mean center of population from the previous decade ─ the 80.4 miles from Elizabeth, W.Va., to Beaver, Ohio, as well as the most westerly movement from the prior census.

1920
The U.S. census with the smallest increase in distance of the mean center of population from the previous decade ─ from downtown Bloomington, Ind., to a spot 9.7 miles to the northwest.

More Census 2010 data!

Census data from Program on Applied Demographics (PAD) at Cornell University, which "brings skills in demographics, economics, statistics, data gathering and data analysis together to provide a variety of organizations with data, information and advice. PAD works closely with the New York State Department of Economic Development, the U.S. Census Bureau and other organizations to assist them in their activities. "

The New York Times interactive map: Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census.

2010 Redistricting Data for ALL 50 States plus DC, PR now available in NEW American FactFinder

Each table will provide summaries of population totals, as well as data on race, Hispanic origin and voting age for multiple geographies within the state, such as census blocks, tracts, voting districts, cities, counties and school districts. Click here to watch a tutorial on how to access the Redistricting Data or to learn more about the features and functions of the NEW American FactFinder.
The following States/State Equivalents were released yesterday:
• District of Columbia
• Maine
• New York
• Puerto Rico
State and local data can also be viewed through the 2010 Census State and Local Data Interactive Map Tool.

Hispanic Population in US at 50.4 Million

From Hispanic Business:

The states with the largest Hispanic populations were California, with 14 million; Texas, with 9.5 million; Florida, with 4.2 million; New York, with 3.4 million; and Illinois, with 2 million.

Thirty-five states had Hispanic population gains of more than 50 percent. Eight of those states saw their Hispanic population more than double: Alabama, 144.8 percent; Kentucky, 121.6 percent; Maryland, 106.5 percent; Mississippi, 105.9 percent; North Carolina, 111.1 percent; South Carolina, 147.9 percent; South Dakota, 102.9 percent; and Tennessee, 134.2 percent.

Small Business Profiles for the States & Territories

Check out the latest stats coming out of the Office of Advocacy's state small business profiles. These profiles show details about each state's small business makeup as well as the entire country. Each state profile will show you stats on; business ownership, demographics, industry breakout of firms and employment, employment turnover and lending.

ACS Federal Register Notice Requests Comments

The U.S Census Bureau has published a notice in the Federal Register that invites the public to comment through May 9, 2011 on the continuation of the American Community Survey information collection.

If you would like to comment, a copy of the Federal Register notice can be accessed via the Internet.

State Government Tax Collections Decrease $14 Billion in 2010

Census Bureau Reports State Government Tax Collections Decrease $14 Billion in 2010; Income Tax Revenue Down 4 Percent, Corporate Tax Revenue Down 7 Percent

State government tax collections decreased $14.3 billion to $704.6 billion in fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. There was a $65.8 billion decrease in 2009.

These new data come from the 2010 Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections, which contains annual statistics on the fiscal year tax collections of all 50 state governments, including receipts from licenses and compulsory fees. Tax revenues also include related penalty and interest receipts of the governments.

“The first response of researchers and analysts, when confronted with a new tax policy question, is to see what the Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections data tell them about the question,” said John Mikesell, a Chancellor’s Professor at Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. “These data make the public finance world easier to understand and to analyze.”

According to the survey, corporate net income tax revenue was $38.2 billion, down
6.6 percent, while tax revenue on individual income was $236.4 billion, down 4.4 percent. General sales tax revenue was $224.5 billion, down 1.8 percent. These taxes comprised 70.8 percent of all state government tax collections nationally.

This survey provides an annual summary of taxes collected by state for up to 25 tax categories. Eleven states saw increases in total tax revenue in fiscal year 2010, led by North Dakota (9.6 percent), North Carolina (4.8 percent), Nevada (4.0 percent), and California (3.8 percent). The states with the largest total tax revenue decreases were Wyoming (23.4 percent), Louisiana (14.2 percent), Oklahoma (13.5 percent), and Montana (11.0 percent). States with the largest percent decrease in revenue from individual income taxes were Louisiana (22.2 percent), Tennessee (22.2 percent), North Dakota (18.0 percent) and New Hampshire (16.2 percent).

Severance taxes — collected for removal or harvesting of natural resources (e.g., oil, gas, coal, timber, fish, etc.) — were down $2.3 billion, a 17.4 percent decrease. This followed a 24.8 percent decrease in fiscal year 2009. The largest decreases in severance tax revenue were seen in the West and South. The Midwest saw an increase in severance tax revenue this year.

Revenue on taxes imposed distinctively on insurance companies and measured by gross or adjusted gross premiums (insurance premium sales tax) increased $754.0 million, up
5.0 percent. This followed a 4.6 percent decrease in fiscal year 2009. The largest increases in insurance premium sales tax revenue were seen in the Northeast and South.

These data do not include employer and employee assessments for retirement and social insurance purposes. Also excluded are collections for the unemployment compensation taxes imposed by each of the state governments. In addition, these data include tax collections for state governments only; they do not include tax collections from local governments.

Although the data are not subject to sampling error, the statistics are subject to possible inaccuracies in classification, response and processing. Every effort is made to keep such errors to a minimum through care in examining, editing and tabulating the data.

The tax revenue data pertain to state fiscal years that ended June 30, 2010, in all but four states. Amounts shown for these four states reflect the different timing of their respective fiscal years, which were the 12-month periods ending on March 31, 2010, for New York; Aug. 31, 2010, for Texas; and Sept. 30, 2010, for Alabama and Michigan.

Top 10 Web Hosting Services

Consumer-Rankings.com "performed in depth research on the leading web hosting service providers." It "compared their pricing, features, bandwidth and storage space, ease of use, customer support and more to help you determine which hosting provider is right for your personal or small business website. According to our 2010 logs and stats, 59% of our visitors preferred iPage.For a quick overview of the most popular web hosting services click here."

The World's Women and Girls 2011 Data Sheet

Source: Population Reference Bureau

In developing countries, 35 percent of women ages 20 to 24 report having been married by age 18. And, in the poorest regions of the world, according to The World's Women and Girls 2011 Data Sheet, the proportion is even higher, with levels ranging from 45 percent in South Central Asia to nearly 40 percent in sub-Saharan Africa. Nine countries have prevalence rates above 50 percent.

Despite legal means, early marriage (before the age of 18) persists, along with the associated risks of adolescent childbearing. Early marriage can also curtail the opportunities girls may have for education. In countries and regions with the highest proportions of early marriage, girls' educational attainment is adversely affected. Literacy rates, primary school completion, and secondary school enrollment are all lower than that of boys.

Products Born To Fail

Click the image to enlarge

Via: Fixr

Tax Data from the Tax Foundation

State Sales, Gasoline, Cigarette, and Alcohol Tax Rates by State, 2000-2010. Plus links to other interesting info.

State of the News Media 2010

From Pew Research:

The future of news ultimately rests on...long-term concerns: What are the prospects for alternative journalism organizations that are forming around the country? Will traditional media adapt and innovate amid continuing pressures to thin their ranks?

And with growing evidence that conventional advertising online will never sustain the industry, what progress is being made to find new revenue for financing the gathering and reporting of news?

Census Bureau Survey Shows Poverty is Primarily a Temporary Condition

Poverty is not necessarily a permanent condition, according to a report released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. While 29 percent of the nation’s population was in poverty for at least two months between the start of 2004 and the end of 2006, only 3 percent were poor during the entire period.

The report, Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Poverty, 2004-2006, traces a sample of U.S. residents over the aforementioned 36-month period and examines how many of them were poor during at least some portion of that time and how long their poverty spells lasted. It also looks at how many fell into poverty, how many climbed out of it and how many stayed poor during the period. The data are presented by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

The data were collected by the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) between February 2004 and May 2007 from a representative sample of U.S. households who were interviewed every four months during the period. These estimates should not be confused with the official poverty estimates, which are based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The CPS captures a snapshot of well-being at a single point in time. See HERE. Limited data from more recent SIPP interviews are available. Tables on the Census Bureau website and in the appendix of the report provide some estimates for 2007 and 2009.

According to the report, poverty can be a persistent condition: among the 33 million people who were poor at the start of the period — January and February 2004 — 23 percent remained poor throughout the next 34 months.

However, many people did escape poverty: 12 million, or 42 percent, who were poor in the 2004 calendar year were not in poverty in 2006.

As some moved out of poverty, others moved into it. About 10 million who were not in poverty (4 percent) in 2004 slipped into poverty by 2006.

Other highlights include:

-- For those who were in poverty for two or more consecutive months from 2004 to 2006, the median length of a poverty spell was 4.5 months. Almost half of such spells ended within four months while about 12 percent lasted more than 24 months.

-- More than half of those who did exit poverty continued to have income that was not significantly above the poverty level (less than 150 percent of the poverty threshold).

-- Children younger than 18 tended to stay poor longer than working-age adults (ages 18-64): the median length of their poverty spells was 5.2 months, while for those 18 to 64, the median was 4.2 months. Older adults (65 and older) had the longest stays in poverty of any age group: a median spell of 6.7 months.

-- People in female-led families had longer median poverty spells than those in married-couple families.

Breakdown of Birth

Via: Ultrasound Technician

Government Employment & Payroll

Census Bureau collects federal, state and local government payroll data. It is NOT considered confidential under Title 13. The most recent data on employment and payroll is for 2009.

St. Patrick’s Day

Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17): 2011

Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into a celebration for all things Irish. The world's first St. Patrick's Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City, featuring Irish soldiers serving in the English military. This parade became an annual event, with President Truman attending in 1948. Congress proclaimed March as Irish-American Heritage Month in 1995, and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year.

Population Distribution

36.9 million
Number of U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2009. This number was more than eight times the population of Ireland itself (4.5 million).
Irish was the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, trailing only German.
Sources: 2009 American Community Survey and Ireland Central Statistics Office

122,000
Number of Irish-born U.S. residents in 2009. Those from Ireland are much older (a median of 60 years old) and have a higher median household income
($56,158) than U.S. residents as a whole (37 years and $50,221, respectively).
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

24%
Percent of Massachusetts residents who were of Irish ancestry in 2009. This compares with a rate of 12 percent for the nation as a whole.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

Irish-Americans Today

32% Percentage of people of Irish ancestry, 25 or older, who had a bachelor's degree or higher. In addition, 92 percent of Irish-Americans in this age group had at least a high school diploma. For the nation as a whole, the corresponding rates were 28 percent and 85 percent respectively.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

$56,383
Median income for households headed by an Irish-American, higher than the $50,221 for all households. In addition, 10 percent of people of Irish ancestry were in poverty, lower than the rate of 14 percent for all Americans.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

40%
Percentage of employed civilian Irish-Americans 16 or older who worked in management, professional and related occupations. Additionally, 27 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 16 percent in service occupations; 9 percent in production, transportation and material moving occupations; and 8 percent in construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey

70%
Percentage of householders of Irish ancestry who owned the home in which they live, with the remainder renting. For the nation as a whole, the homeownership rate was 66 percent.
Source: 2009 American Community Survey


Places to Spend the Day

4
Number of places in the United States named Shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland. Mount Gay-Shamrock, W.Va., and Shamrock, Texas, were the most populous, with 2,623 and 1,828 residents, respectively. Shamrock Lakes, Ind., had 152 residents and Shamrock, Okla., 122. (Statistic for Mount Gay-Shamrock is from the 2000 Census; the other statistics are 2009 estimates.)
Sources: American FactFinder and population estimates

9
Number of places in the United States that share the name of Ireland's capital, Dublin. Since the 2000 Census, Dublin, Calif., has surpassed Dublin, Ohio, as the most populous of these places (44,541 compared with 39,310, respectively, as of July 1, 2009).

If you're still not into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day, then you might consider paying a visit to Emerald Isle, N.C., with 3,695 residents.
Other appropriate places in which to spend the day: the township of Irishtown, Ill., several places or townships named ''Clover" (in South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) and the township of Cloverleaf, Minn.
Sources: American FactFinder and population estimates

The Celebration

26.1 billion and 2.3 billion
U.S. beef and cabbage production, respectively, in pounds, in 2009. Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service - beef, and cabbage.

$25 million
Value of potted florist chrysanthemum sales at wholesale in 2009 for operations with
$100,000 or more sales. Lime green chrysanthemums are often requested for St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures

The Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures report (PDF) details the growing prevalence and escalating impact of Alzheimer’s and dementia on individuals, caregivers, families, government and the nation’s healthcare system.

Unpaid caregivers and stress
There are nearly 15 million Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers providing 17 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $202 billion. Facts and Figures finds that caregivers not only suffer emotionally but also physically. Because of the toll of caregiving on their own health, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $7.9 billion in additional health care costs in 2010. More than 60 percent of family caregivers report high levels of stress because of the prolonged duration of caregiving and 33 percent report symptoms of depression.


Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. Based on mortality data from 2000-2008, death rates have declined for most major diseases while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen 66 percent during the same period.

Updated Legislative Spending Posted Online

New York's State Legislature spent $114 million during the six-month period ending last September, according to the latest legislative expenditure data posted at SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center's transparency website. SeeThroughNY now includes four full years of legislative expenditures, in what has become the most extensive searchable database of its kind available to New Yorkers on the Internet.
The expenditure information can be sorted by reporting period, expenditure type, and member name. Users can also isolate spending for individual units of the legislature's central staff...

For the full text of the Press Release, click here.
To go right to the database, click here.

No more Statistical Abstract?

A librarian posted this on the BUSLIB (Business Librarian) listserv this afternoon:

I couldn't take the uncertainty anymore so I called the Census Bureau and spoke to Ian O'Brien who's the Chief of the Statistical Compendia Branch. He said that the 2012 budget doesn't include funding for his branch, which would mean the elimination of not only the Statistical Abstract, but all titles produced by that branch (State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, etc.). No new editions would be produced in print or online.

I asked if there was any hope of changing this and he said that there's always a chance that Congress could be convinced to continue funding for the program. He said those who would like to save the Statistical Compendia Branch could write to their Senators and Representatives. I'm guessing this would go for the Federal Financial
Statistics Program as well.

So, start writing your letters and encourage others to do the same.

Global Commercial Property

For commercial real estate, you may want to look for sqm or m2 (meters) instead of sq ft.

RICS Global Commercial Property Surveys (quarterly)

Page Rank checker -My new favorite waste of time

Check PAGE RANK of Web site pages Instantly. "In order to check pagerank of a single web site, web page or domain name, please submit the URL of that web site, web page or domain name."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ 10
http://www.sba.gov/ 9 (Small Business Administration)
http://www.state.ny.us/ 9 (state of New York)
http://www.ibm.com 8
http://www.nyssbdc.org 6 (New York State Small Business Development Center)
http://www.timesunion.com 6 (Times Union newspaper, Albany, NY)
http://nysdca.blogspot.com 6 (Data Detectives - the blog of the NYS Data Center affiliates)
http://sbdcrn.blogspot.com 5 (blog of the New York State Small Business Development Center)
http://www.whitehouse.com 5 (spoof of White House site)
http://www.rogerogreen.com 4 (my primary blog)

Demographic Data Workshop: Uses, Sources and Tools

"Demographic Data Workshop: Uses, Sources and Tools"
Date & Time: March 15, 2011 from 9:30 am-12:00 pm
On-campus: Room 300 Rice Hall, Cornell University
Via webinar: See below to register to participate in the workshop online.

Description: Demographic and economic data is invaluable when creating community master plans, planning and evaluating programs, applying for grants, assessing need and demand for products or services, and many other activities. This workshop will provide participants with an overview of how to access and use the latest American Community Survey and other census data via the U.S. Census Bureau's new American FactFinder tool, and highlight on-line data and tools from Cornell University's own Program on Applied Demographics, including population estimates, projections, school district and local government data.

Presenters: Arthur Bakis, U.S. Census Bureau – Boston Regional Office, Joe Francis and Jan Vink, Cornell University Program on Applied Demographics (PAD), and Robin Blakely-Armitage, Community & Regional Development Institute (CaRDI).

To register to participate by webinar, click here.

General questions: Contact Robin Blakely-Armitage at rmb18@cornell.edu.
Webinar-related questions: Contact Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman at hmm1@cornell.edu

Analysis of County Boundary Differences Between 2000 and 2010 Census Geographies

by Joe Francis, Cornell Program on Applied Demographics

Background

Without doubt, data from the 2010 Decennial Census will show changes in the size, composition and distribution of the population in New York State compared to those same indicators from the 2000 Census. These changes will occur at all levels—county, towns, cities and places, tracts, block groups and blocks. In addition to changes in counts of population and housing units, as well as age, sex and racial groupings, there will be changes to the geographies associated with those levels.


While it is common practice to examine the population and housing changes amongst the administrative units under our respective purviews, we are less familiar with examining the changes in the spatial extent and composition of those same administrative units and component geographies (i.e. tracts, block groups, blocks). Consequently, census geographies have been of less concern. Yet we all know that changes in counts may be a function of both population dynamics and changes in redrawn boundaries that enlarge, shrink or reshape the county, town, city, and so forth. Failure to consider that geographies have changed means that when we compare population and housing changes across time, we are assuming that the spatial units have remained constant. Frequently this is an erroneous assumption which can lead to bad analysis and interpretation.

Purpose of Analysis

The purpose of this analysis of boundary differences is to examine the extent to which the changes we observe when comparing data from the 2000 Decennial Census to the 2010 Decennial could be a function of changes in geographies as well as a function of natural increase/decrease and net migration. By examining these boundary changes we establish a firmer basis for asserting that the changes (1) are due entirely to the demographic forces of natural increase/decrease and net migration or (2) are partly due entirely to boundary changes as well, or (3) are due to both.

There are two main reasons for raising the importance of boundary changes at this time. One is that these changes affect not only the Decennial Census but the American Community Survey data products as well. The second reason is that recent advances in GIS technology easily permit such an examination and thereby remove the anxiety of not knowing whether the assumption of common geographies from time one to time two to time three are constant.


True enough that boundary changes only immediately impact comparisons between decennial censuses, but in the not too distant future, that same issue will arise for the American Community Survey (ACS) data as well. As you know, the already reported ACS data are mainly based on 2000 census geography but within two years we face the additional complication of the ACS being tagged to the 2010 census geography (i.e. changes in geographies). Even now some ACS data are based on the 2010 geographies while other ACS data are not. (For additional details, see this Census page.)

Procedure

To increase our understanding of the size and structure of these boundary changes between 2000 and 2010 Census geography, the Cornell Program on Applied Demographics decided to examine the changes starting with changes in county boundaries. With the hope that this investigation will prove of some use to the Affiliates, we share our findings. This report is restricted to county boundary changes. A later report will be about sub-county boundary changes. All analyses were conducted using ArcGIS 10. Details of procedures used can be provided to interested users by writing to Joe Francis (jdf2@cornell.edu) .

Overall Results

Because county boundaries in New York have been relatively stable for over 70 years, we decided to begin the examination here, expecting few changes and a belief that this would be a good testing ground for working out a boundary examination and reporting procedure. To our surprise, there were 79 boundary changes detected in total at the county level. Not all 62 counties had a boundary change but several had more than one boundary difference involved. Montgomery County had the most with 11 differences. Fulton was next with 9. Orleans and Otsego each had 6. Sullivan had 5. Orange, Wyoming and Yates each had 4. Delaware and Schenectady both had 3. Albany, Chautauqua, Schuyler and Tompkins had 2. On the other hand, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Columbia, Hamilton, Herkimer, Oneida, Saratoga, Schoharie, Seneca and St. Lawrence each had 1 boundary change. Three of the observed changes involved counties along the Pennsylvania state line.


Upon examining these 2000-2010 discrepancies about half of them were long narrow slivers involving no housing units and were boundary adjustments we felt weren’t worth reporting. (If there is interest in these, we are happy to provide the details.) For this report, a decision was made to restrict our mapping and reporting to those differences involving at least an acre (4069 sq. meters) or more of land mass. This reduced the number to 42. Counties with 5 boundary differences of an acre or more included Fulton, Montgomery and Otsego. Delaware and Sullivan had 3, while Albany, Orleans and Wyoming had 2. Allegany, Cattaraugus, Hamilton, Herkimer, Oneida, Orange, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Washington, Wayne, and Yates had one each. Of course every boundary involves at least two counties, so more counties were involved than the above list indicates.


Not all of the 42 mapped boundary differences contain significant number of housing units (and therefore people), but a quick look at the jpeg files POSTED HERE will enable you to see what these boundary changes look like. Then you can decide whether or not the change is worth taking a closer look. Like any choice of a threshold cut-point, the choice of one acre or more was arbitrary but based on the idea that land area of that size could accommodate a significant housing worth looking into. In retrospect, we should have moved the threshold higher for the county boundary examination.

Next Steps

Because we are trying to document discrepancies that are of concern to you and report them to the Census Bureau, please let us know your concerns.


For our part at the Program on Applied Demographics, we plan to begin analysis of sub-county geographies next. We expect to see more and more significant changes at that level. Compared to counties, MCD are the next most stable administrative units. If analysis of MCS all works out, we will then move to tracts which involve more fluid dynamics.

Women in National Parliaments

The data in the table has been compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the basis of information provided by National Parliaments by 31 January 2011. 188 countries are classified by descending order of the percentage of women in the lower or single House.

In the United States of America, of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 73 or 16.8%, are women, making it tied with Turkmenistan for 72nd place. Incidentally, 17 of the 100 U.S. Senators (17.0%) are female.

Bankruptcy stats

You can get all the bankruptcy stats you need from the US Bankruptcy Court site.

7 Billion: Are You Typical?

Are you a 28-year old man from China?
From National Geographic Magazine

Patents databases

A nifty wiki of patent databases.

A home purchased in 1890 is NOW worth…

...pretty much what you bought it for 120 years ago...taking inflation into account. As DD Dale said, "Great investment, huh?"

State of Sentencing 2010

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia adopted new criminal justice policies—ranging from scaling back mandatory sentencing laws to reforming crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparities to improving parole supervision -- all aimed at reducing prison populations and facilitating successful reentry of ex-offenders, while at the same time, ensuring public safety.

Today, 7.2 million men and women are under correctional supervision. Of this total, five million are monitored in the community on probation or parole and 2.3 million are incarcerated in prisons or jails. As a result the nation maintains the highest rate of incarceration in the world at 743 per 100,000 population.

Breastfeeding works!

From Moms Rising:

A mountain of medical research demonstrates that breastfeeding improves the health of mothers and children. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers breastfeed exclusively for six months. It also makes financial sense. A recent study in the medical journal Pediatrics estimates the country could save up to $13 billion per year in health care and other costs if 90 percent of U.S. babies were exclusively breastfed for six months.

Medical research shows that breastfeeding prevents children from developing life-threatening health conditions including SIDS, type 1 and 2 diabetes, asthma, childhood leukemia, and obesity.

The IRS [has decided] to make the cost of breast pumps and supplies tax deductible.

The New York State School Report Card

The New York State Report Cards consist of three parts:

The Accountability and Overview Report, which shows district/school profile data, accountability statuses, and data on accountability measures like English language arts, mathematics, science, and graduation rate;
The Comprehensive Information Report, which shows non-accountability data; and
The Fiscal Accountability Supplement, which shows expenditures per pupil and some information about students with disabilities.

Cats vs. Dogs

Cats vs. Dogs

High Cholesterol, Hypertension May Harm Memory in Middle Age

Study finds link between cardiovascular disease and lower scores on mental skills tests
By Jenifer Goodwin
HealthDay Reporter

Though the people in the study did not have Alzheimer's, other research suggests that hypertension, diabetes and poor cardiovascular health are a risk factor for both Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.

Microsoft vs Ikea

Click the image to enlarge

Via: Fixr

2009 American Housing Survey for Certain Metro Areas

From one of my favorite gurus: "The few Metropolitan Areas covered by these reports are done on a rotating cycle. The reports included here are based on the 2009 survey. The American Housing Survey contains data found nowhere else. This includes data on the neighborhood’s characteristics and a number of other topics."

Census Bureau Releases Detailed Data on Metro Area Housing:

Chicago

Detroit

New York

Northern New Jersey

Philadelphia

Seattle

It's the Inequality, Stupid

Eight charts that explain everything that's wrong with America.
— By Dave Gilson and Carolyn Perot in Mother Jones

An Analysis of U.S. Household Dairy Demand

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

This report examines retail purchase data for 12 dairy products and margarine from the Nielsen 2007 Homescan retail data. Selected demographic and socioeconomic variables included in the Nielsen data are analyzed for their effects on aggregate demand and expenditure elasticities for the selected products

Generations and their gadgets

Many devices have become popular across generations, with a majority now owning cell phones, laptops and desktop computers. Younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions, including internet, email, music, games, and video.

Cell phones are by far the most popular device among American adults. Some 85% of adults own cell phones, and 90% of all adults—including 62% of those age 75 and older—live in a household with at least one working cell phone.
Desktop computers are most popular with adults ages 35-65, and Millennials are the only generation that is more likely to own a laptop computer or netbook than a desktop: 70% own a laptop, compared with 57% who own a desktop.
Almost half of all adults own an iPod or other mp3 player, but these are still most popular with Millennials—74% of adults ages 18-34 own an mp3 player, compared with only 56% of the next oldest generation, Gen X (ages 35-46).
Overall, 5% of adults own an e-book reader, and 4% own an iPad or other tablet computer.

More from Pew Internet HERE.

Industry Expects 800 Million More Travelers by 2014

The industry consensus forecast released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicates that by 2014 there will be 3.3 billion air travelers, up by 800 million from the 2.5 billion in 2009. By 2014 international aviation will handle 38 million tonnes of air cargo, up 12.5 million tonnes from the 26 million tonnes carried in 2009.

China will be the biggest contributor of new travelers...


By 2014, the top five countries for international travel measured by number of passengers will be the United States (at 215 million, an increase of 45 million), the United Kingdom (at 198 million with an increase of 33 million), Germany (at 163 million with an increase of 29 million), Spain (123 million with an increase of 21 million), and France (111 million with an increase of 21 million)...

By 2014 the five largest markets for domestic passengers will be the United States (671 million), China (379 million), Japan (102 million), Brazil (90 million) and India (69 million)...

More HERE.

CCC Copyright Video

Here is Copyright Clearance Center’s new animated video concerning academic copyright. The video educates people, specifically faculty, about copyright laws when distributing materials to students, via course packs or readings uploaded online.

A Breakdown of Birth in the USA

From Ultrasound Technician, via SamuraiFrog.

How Do You Define Reading?

From Cheryl Russell, editorial director, New Strategist Publications.

The American Time Use survey, which is taken annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, asks Americans what they did minute by minute during the previous 24 hours. Their activities are classified into categories such as "reading for personal interest" and "computer use for leisure." Here's the question: How does the Time Use Survey classify reading a book on an iPad? Is it computer use or reading?

Not a problem, according to the time use experts at the BLS. Computers, they say, are tools for accomplishing other tasks. When respondents report using a computer, the interviewer then asks what they were doing on the computer. If they were reading a newspaper or book on their iPad, the activity is classified as reading, not computer use. Similarly, if they were using their computer to manage their money, the activity is classified as financial management rather than computer use. In fact, the category "computer use for leisure" is nothing more than a residual--what little remains after assigning all possible computer use to other activities...

This is good news because it means the time use survey category "reading for personal interest" is positioned to capture any changes in time spent reading due to e-readers. An increase in reading might be on the way, according to an analysis posted by Read It Later, an app that allows users to save articles on their computers and phones for later reading. The company's data show a spike in iPad reading between 8 and 10 pm--typically television time. Could e-reading compete with television as a prime-time activity? Maybe, but it is not happening yet. Between 2005 and 2009, the average person spent a lot more time watching TV and slightly less time reading. There is one exception, however. Teenagers aged 15 to 19 spent a bit more time reading and a bit less time watching TV. Is this a blip or a sign of things to come?

For more about American time use see New Strategist's American Time Use or visit the ATUS web site.

NYC Council Pork is Latest Addition to SeeThroughNY

The New York City Council's pork-barrel member-item spending for fiscal 2011 has been posted on www.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy. The $54.4 million in discretionary member items represent projects City Council members sponsored for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

For the full text of the Press Release, click here.
To go right to the database, click here.

Sorry for my absence

...but my mom died last week. Funeral today, burial tomorrow.

Empire Center Offers New Blog

A new blog dedicated to analysis and commentary on public policy in New York was unveiled today by the Empire Center for New York State Policy.

The Torch, available at www.NYTorch.com, will feature commentary on the most important public policy issues affecting the Empire State. It will combine topics and content previously posted to www.NYFiscalWatch.com and www.NYPublicPayrollWatch.com.

E.J. McMahon, senior fellow at the Empire Center and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, will be editor and principal contributor to The Torch. Other regular contributors will include Tim Hoefer, director of the Empire Center, and various expert guest commentators.

Subscribers to NY Fiscal Watch and NY Public Payroll Watch will receive updates to The Torch without interruption. To subscribe, visit the blog at www.NYTorch.com, and enter an email address.

Adults With College Degrees in the US by County

This Interactive Map Was Recently Published on Chronicle.com
(The Chronicle of Higher Education)

+ Data back to 1940
+ Views (by Gender & Racial/Ethnic)
+ Maps (All Counties, High-Population Counties, Wealthy Counties, Poor Counties, Heavily Black Counties, Heavily Hispanic Counties
+ Click on a County (Each County is Outlined on All Maps) For Detailed Data

State of Homelessness in America 2011

Since the release of Homelessness Counts: Changes in Homelessness from 2005 to 2007, the National Alliance to End Homelessness has chronicled changes in the levels of homelessness in the nation and in individual states and communities to chart our progress toward the goal of ending homelessness. This comprehensive examination not only reveals national and state level homeless counts, but also delves into economic indicators and demographic drivers – taking an in-depth look at risk factors for homelessness. Built upon the most recent nationally available data from the federal Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Justice, and other public information sources, this report analyzes the effect the recession has had on homelessness and how it has contributed to an increased risk of homelessness for many Americans.

Current Situation in Egypt

Due to ongoing demonstrations, the U.S. Department of State recommends avoiding travel to Egypt.

If you are a U.S. citizen in Egypt and require help or need assistance leaving the country, contact the U.S. embassy in Cairo by calling 1-202-501-4444 or e-mailing EgyptEmergencyUSC@state.gov. Please include your name, age, place of birth, U.S. passport number, and any special medical needs.

Family members who are concerned about American citizens in Egypt can e-mail EgyptEmergencyUSC@state.gov or call 1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. or Canada. Family members outside the U.S. or Canada should call 1-202-501-4444. Be sure to provide your name and contact numbers and as much information as possible about your family member in Egypt.

The State of Small Business

The 2010 edition of The Small Business Economy documents the 2008 recession’s effects on small business as well as the changing economy at the end of 2009. In 2009, after weathering a deep recession that began in late 2007, the American economy began to stabilize. For small businesses, one of the biggest remaining challenges was the lack of sales adequate to grow employment. Many economic indicators began to show improvement by year’s end.

For example, in the first three quarters of 2009, small businesses accounted for almost 60 percent of the net job losses, with the greatest losses in the first quarter. By the third quarter, net small firm job losses were one-third what they had been in the first quarter. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other policy actions added between 1.5 percent and 3.5 percent to real gross domestic product in fourth quarter 2009 and projected an employment increase of 1.0 million to 2.1 million more than it would have been without the stimulus. In the first half of 2009, as the economy continued to experience the challenges that began in the last two quarters of 2008, credit markets were constrained by both demand and supply factors. In the midst of a challenging year for small business owners, there was reason for optimism as commercial bank profitability improved and nominal interest rates remained low.

The research summary can be found HERE.

Domain Age Tool

Consider using the Domain Age Tool to research that factor when investigating a website. The tool's quite simple to use. Just plug in a URL (or several at a time), click the "submit" button, and you should get back a page showing the site's exact age in months and years.

sba.gov 13 years 7 months old
nyssbdc.org 11 years 2 months old
whitehouse.gov 14 years 1 months old
microsoft.com 14 years 3 months old
mcdonalds.com 14 years 2 months old
pg.com (Proctor and Gamble) 14 years 3 months old
timesunion.com 12 years 1 months old
nytimes.com 14 years 2 months old

Yet there are some, such as ibm.com, walmart.com, and state.ny.us that it is Unable to Determine.

Which countries match GDP and population of America's states?

IT HAS long been true that California on its own would rank as one of the biggest economies of the world. These days, it would rank eighth, falling between Italy and Brazil on a nominal exchange-rate basis. But how do other American states compare with other countries, in terms of GDP (above) and population?

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report

How did it come to pass that in 2008 our nation was forced to choose between two stark and painful alternatives — either risk the collapse of our financial system and economy, or commit trillions of taxpayer dollars to rescue major corporations and our financial markets, as millions of Americans still lost their jobs, their savings, and their homes?

The Commission concluded that this crisis was avoidable—the result of human actions, inactions, and misjudgments. Warnings were ignored. “The greatest tragedy would be to accept the refrain that no one could have seen this coming and thus nothing could have been done. If we accept this notion, it will happen again.”

Get the Report

Public Debt

This entry, from the CIA Factbook, records the cumulative total of all government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign exchange earnings.

The list is of 131 countries. The number to the right of the country is % of GDP.

1 Zimbabwe 241.60 2010 est.

2 Japan 196.40 2010 est.

3 Saint Kitts and Nevis 185.00 2009 est.

4 Lebanon 150.70 2010 est.

5 Greece 144.00 2010 est.

6 Iceland 123.80 2010 est.

7 Jamaica 123.20 2010 est.

8 Italy 118.10 2010 est.

9 Belgium 102.50 2010 est.

10 Singapore 102.40 2010 est.

36 United States 58.90 2010 est.

112 China 17.50 2010 est.

122 Qatar 10.30 2010 est.

123 Russia 9.50 2010 est.

124 Uzbekistan 9.00 2010 est.

125 Estonia 7.70 2010 est.

126 Chile 6.20 2010 est.

127 Wallis and Futuna 5.60 2004 est.

128 Azerbaijan 4.60 2010 est.

129 Oman 4.40 2010 est.

130 Equatorial Guinea 4.10 2010 est.

131 Libya 3.30 2010 est.

How Does Age Affect Web Use?

From SiteJabber:
Sure e-commerce and social networking are growing at breakneck paces, but have you ever wondered how trends vary between age ranges? According to a recent study by Pew Internet, the differences may not be that dramatic in all cases. In fact, the biggest difference tends to be how the various age groups access the internet, with of course, millennials leading in mobile Internet usage. However, that is not to say that there weren’t number of interesting facts found within this study; in fact, there are.

The Top 20 Most Frugal Cities of 2010

For the second year in a row, Atlanta takes the top spot on the ‘Most Frugal U.S. Cities’ list, according to the 2010 Savings Index released this month by Coupons.com, the premiere Web destination for coupons and savings. On average, regular users of Coupons.com in Atlanta printed more than $1000.00 dollars in coupon savings from the site in 2010. That is almost twice as much as during 2009, when they printed $531 in savings.

Tampa cashed in with coupons and maintained its position as the city with the second most savings. On average, regular users of Coupons.com in Tampa printed $863.00 in savings. Following on the savings heels of Atlanta and Tampa are, in order, Cincinnati, Saint Louis and Minneapolis, according to the Index.

ETA publishes new Guide to State and Local Workforce Data

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has published its Guide to State and Local Workforce Data: For Analysis and Informed Decision Making. The guide provides links to a wealth of State and local employment and economic data from government and private sector sources.

New webpage highlights digitized Census of New York volumes

Here's a recent news release by the New York State Library about its digitized copies of the statistical censuses that where done by New York State in the years in between the federal ones. In many cases if the publication was long we have split it into separate volumes. For example, the 1875 Census was split into 5 volumes. The last one ever done was in 1925.

The New York State Library has a new web page that highlights and links to digitized materials relating to the Census of the State of New York. The State Census volumes that have been digitized are the published statistical schedules compiled from the original returns under the direction of the Secretary of State which describe the population and economy of counties, cities and towns in New York State. Instructions for the enumerators taking the census have also been digitized, as well as, other related documents. These documents are freely available online as PDF documents on the State Library's website.

Note - Information in the Instructions for enumerators can sometimes be helpful when using the State census schedules that list acutal names.

For example, this paragraph below is from page 19 of the Instructions for Taking the Census of New York in the year 1855 ......

8. Color.1 the person be white, no entry is to be made, but if mulatto, write M. ; or if black, B. opposite to the name. In like manner if the person be an Indian, living apart from any tribe, and not on any reservation, write Ind. The number of Indians of this class is probably extremely small. Special marshals will be appointed for taking the census of Indians residing together in settle ments, and the marshals appointed for taking the census of the election districts of towns will have no duties to per form in relation to such Indian settlements. Special marshals will be appointed to take the Allegany, Cattaraugus, Oneida, Onondaga, St. Regis, Tonawanda, and Tuscarora Indians. All others should be taken by the town marshals.
***
If you're interested instead about the original returns with the names, the New York State Library's holdings on microfilm can be found HERE.

A broader list of some of the items digitized by the New York State Library can be found HERE.

Conservative commentary on the ACS

I was sent this article under the header YOUR PAPERS, PLEASE…
Census 2010 lives on with new mailings - Document demands 'very personal information about my household'.

The Manassa, Va., tea party chairman Dan Arnold, is alarmed because he just got the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. "Apparently being forced to fill out the census was not enough," said Arnold. "I now have to fill out – under threat of legal penalty – a 28-page survey giving the Commerce Department very personal information about the inhabitants of my household! It's nothing but an insidious attempt to gather private information on all citizens."

In 2009, WND senior staff writer Jerome Corsi interviewed Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, about his bill to make most of the survey's answers voluntary, which, of course would make the survey statistically invalid.

It goes on that way, full of misinformation, or perhaps disinformation, along with the truth that the data are confidential. To paraphrase one demographic expert, how does one decide how to spend finite fiscal resources sans adequate data?

5-Year Release Details

The 2005-2009 ACS 5-year estimates are available in multiple ways:

Most tables are available on American FactFinder—Census Bureau’s online data access tool

•Most detailed tables*
•All data and narrative profiles
•All subject tables
•All geographic comparison tables & thematic maps
•Estimates available to the Census Tract level

*The list of detailed tables not available on American FactFinder are listed here

ACS Summary File

USDA Releases 2010 Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Progress Report

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (Agricultural Research Service)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released the 2010 Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) Progress Report highlighting current research on this still mysterious disease affecting the nation's honey bees.

The report, which was mandated by Congress in 2008, summarizes research by federal agencies, state departments of agriculture, universities and private organizations to find the cause of CCD and how to stop or mitigate its impact. The report was produced by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
...
CCD, a syndrome characterized by the sudden disappearance of all adult honey bees in a colony, was first recognized in 2006. Since then, surveys of beekeepers indicate that the industry is suffering losses of more than 30 percent annually. Before the appearance of CCD, losses averaged 15-20 percent annually from a variety of factors such as varroa mites and other pests and pathogens.

During the past three years, numerous causes for CCD have been proposed and investigated. Although the cause or causes of CCD are still unknown, research summarized in the report supports the hypothesis that CCD may be a syndrome caused by many different factors, that work individually or in combination. The sequence and combination may not even be the same in every case, explained Kevin Hackett, ARS national program leader for pollination and co-chair of the USDA CCD Steering Committee.

Simpler Path to 2010 Census Data

The U.S. Census Bureau debuts a reinvented American FactFinder today, making online access to 2010 Census data -- and many more statistics -- easier than ever.

The new American FactFinder offers a fresh look, new tools and easier access to a wide range of Census Bureau statistics. Online today, you will find population estimates for 2008 and earlier years and findings from the 2000 Census. When fully implemented, the new FactFinder is projected to have about 250 billion data cells in more than 40,000 tables.

"Our goal is to give users a simpler path to 2010 Census data," said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves. "With this new and improved incarnation of the American FactFinder, the American people will be able to really understand the value of their participation and learn from it."

The 2010 Census form was one of the shortest in our lifetime, asking just 10 questions and taking about 10 minutes to complete. After conducting a census intended to be so easy for every household, the next step was making the results easy to access.

"By April 1, the American people will have 2010 Census data for more than 9 million census blocks and more than 74,000 census tracts across the country right at their fingertips," Groves said.

The launch of this revamped tool was timed for the release, starting in February, of local-level 2010 Census data on race, Hispanic origin and the voting-age population that state governments use to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and state legislative districts. Eventually, it will also be the primary means of accessing data from other major data sets, such as the American Community Survey, the economic census and population estimates.

Users should note that American Community Survey, 2007 Economic Census and other economic survey data are not in the new version of American FactFinder at the present. These data sets can be accessed from the American FactFinder homepage and will be loaded to the new American FactFinder during the coming year.

The Census Bureau plans to run the new and old versions of American FactFinder in parallel until fall 2011. You can access 2009 American Community Survey and 2007 Economic Census data from the old system until the conversion has been made.

Among the enhanced features and functions of the new version are:

-- A more robust, powerful search engine, making searches for statistics simpler and more topic-driven. Users can select predefined topics, geographies, population groups or industry codes and then quickly obtain search results, including tables to view or download.

-- Enhanced table manipulation features, allowing users to quickly modify a table, permitting them to show or hide rows or columns, collapse or expand groups of data in the table, rearrange the rows and columns, sort rows in ascending and descending order, and filter rows of a table.

-- Advanced mapping capabilities, permitting users to see geographic patterns in the data by viewing the data on a map, manipulating the map with a zoom tool and personalizing the map by changing colors, displaying boundaries and features, and adding points or text to the map.

-- Enhanced address search functions, allowing users to enter a street address and see all the data available for that area.

2010 Airline Rankings

From the Wall Street Journal

Big was bad when it came to airline service last year. Delta, American, United and its merger partner Continental placed last in the annual Middle Seat customer-service rankings of major domestic carriers in 2010.

Best among major airlines: smaller carriers. Alaska Airlines and AirTran Airways had the highest percentages of on-time flights and generally lower rates of lost bags, cancellations, passengers bumped from oversold flights and complaints filed with the Department of Transportation. Those two airlines were the only two majors to decrease their complaint totals in 2010—the rest shot higher.

Airline Scorecard: Which Carriers Were Best in 2010?

One source of the data was Flight Stats, which is a useful site for tracking flight status and airport delays on a regular basis.

Webinar-Jan 20, 2011: Using 2005-2009 ACS 5-year Data

Invitation to a Webinar - January 20, 2011: Using the 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-year Data to Study Small Areas and Change Over Time

In December 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau released the first-ever 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). Totaling more than 11 billion individual estimates, the new release includes the first full set of small-area estimates provided since Census 2000. The 2005-2009 ACS 5-year estimates make it possible for researchers to characterize and compare small areas, and—in some cases—to investigate how characteristics have changed since Census 2000. This webinar will provide background on the American Community Survey, a brief demonstration of how to get the different data products, and a discussion of best practices in using the data to study small areas and change over time. The webinar will consist of a 40-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute question and answer period.

Register Now

2008 ACS, Census Data on the Foreign Born by State

From the Migration Policy Institute, "an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide."

While the immigrant population of the United States increased by 6.9 million between 2000 and 2008, the impact of this growth varied considerably from state to state in terms of population size and characteristics.

A sampling of the types of data included in each of the four fact sheets for each state-
Demographic and Social: top countries of birth, geographic mobility, children in immigrant families;
Language and Education: rates of limited English proficiency and levels of educational attainment, rates of linguistic isolation, and adult English literacy;
Workforce: immigrants’ share among all, low-wage, and high-wage workers, top occupations and industries, skill underutilization of college-educated immigrants;
Income and Poverty: average incomes, income distributions, poverty rates.

USFA Releases Provisional 2010 Firefighter Fatality Statistics

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced this week there were 85 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2010, a 6 percent decrease from the 90 fatalities reported for 2009. The 85 fatalities were spread across 31 states. Illinois experienced the highest number of fatalities (9). In addition to Illinois, only New York (8), Ohio (8), Pennsylvania (7), and Kansas (5) had 5 or more firefighter fatalities.

IRS Kicks Off 2011 Tax Season with Deadline Extended to April 18

Who Must Wait to File

For most taxpayers, the 2011 tax filing season starts on schedule. However, tax law changes enacted by Congress and signed by President Obama in December mean some people need to wait until mid- to late February to file their tax returns in order to give the IRS time to reprogram its processing systems.

Some taxpayers – including those who itemize deductions on Form 1040 Schedule A – will need to wait to file. This includes taxpayers impacted by any of three tax provisions that expired at the end of 2009 and were renewed by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act Of 2010 enacted Dec. 17

. Those who need to wait to file include:

Taxpayers Claiming Itemized Deductions on Schedule A. Itemized deductions include mortgage interest, charitable deductions, medical and dental expenses as well as state and local taxes. In addition, itemized deductions include the state and local general sales tax deduction that was also extended and which primarily benefits people living in areas without state and local income taxes. Because of late Congressional action to enact tax law changes, anyone who itemizes and files a Schedule A will need to wait to file until mid- to late February.

Taxpayers Claiming the Higher Education Tuition and Fees Deduction. This deduction for parents and students – covering up to $4,000 of tuition and fees paid to a post-secondary institution – is claimed on Form 8917. However, the IRS emphasized that there will be no delays for millions of parents and students who claim other education credits, including the American Opportunity Tax Credit extended last month and the Lifetime Learning Credit.

Taxpayers Claiming the Educator Expense Deduction. This deduction is for kindergarten through grade 12 educators with out-of-pocket classroom expenses of up to $250. The educator expense deduction is claimed on Form 1040, Line 23 and Form 1040A, Line 16.

In addition to extending those tax deductions for 2010, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act also extended those deductions for 2011 and a number of other tax deductions and credits for 2011 and 2012 such as the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the modified Child Tax Credit, which help families pay for college and other child-related expenses. The Act also provides various job creation and investment incentives including 100 percent expensing and a two-percent payroll tax reduction for 2011. Those changes have no effect on the 2011 filing season.

The IRS will announce a specific date in the near future when it can start processing tax returns impacted by the recent tax law changes. In the interim, taxpayers affected by these tax law changes can start working on their tax returns, but they should not submit their returns until IRS systems are ready to process the new tax law changes. Additional information will be available at www.IRS.gov.

For taxpayers who must wait before filing, the delay affects both paper filers and electronic filers. The IRS urges taxpayers to use e-file instead of paper tax forms to minimize confusion over the recent tax law changes and ensure accurate tax returns.

Top Banks in Europe

Ranked by total assets, as of June 30, 2010

Some familiar names to US consumers.

America’s Most Literate Cities

Drawing from a variety of available data resources, the America’s Most Literate Cities study ranks the largest cities (population 250,000 and above) in the United States. This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.

Top 10, 2010

Washington, DC 1
Seattle, WA 2
Minneapolis, MN 3
Atlanta, GA 4
Pittsburgh, PA 5
San Francisco, CA 6
St. Paul, MN 7
Denver, CO 8
Portland, OR 9.5
St. Louis, MO 9.5

Finding an Organic Farm

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service through the National Organic Program (NOP) accredits private businesses, organizations, and state agencies to certify producers and handlers of agricultural products according to the NOP regulations. One can narrow the search by geography and the farm's primary scope.

Information contained in this database reflects operations that were certified to the National Organic Program regulations, during the 2009 certification year. Some of the data related to the operations listed could be out of date. For more up-to-date information concerning certified organic operations that are listed in this database, the certifying agent associated with the operation may be contacted.

Currency Forecast

I don't know how one forecasts the value of currencies - but the Bank of New York has done so. It comes with this caveat: "The following currency forecasts are provided on a quarter-end basis and are updated monthly. Forecasts are for informational purposes only and should not be viewed as investment advice. Major currency pairs are forecast based upon economic and capital flow fundamentals, while cross-rates are synthetically derived from the majors. Forecasts for emerging markets currencies incorporate currency regime parameters including purchase power parity and linked nominal depreciation."


BTW, if you're looking for current or historical currency trends, try XE.com or OANDA, although Google and Yahoo do much the same.

NARI Remodelers

Remodelers from National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

A Visual Effects, Computer Graphics, Computer Animation Timeline

This timeline is being compiled by Barbara Flueckiger, a professor of film studies at the University of Zurich (suggestions welcome).

Entries contain:
+ Year
+ Technology
+ Persons
+ Company/Institution
+ Film
+ Publication/Award

A PDF version (15 pages) is also available.

States Gaining Congressional Seats have More Hispanics

From Hispanic Busainess:

States set to gain congressional representatives have larger Hispanic populations than other states, the Pew Hispanic Center said Wednesday.

The center analyzed 2010 Census data. Researchers found the percentage of eligible voters that are Hispanic in states gaining seats is 15.2 percent. Those states that are losing seats or remaining flat average 5.4 percent...

United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database

UN COMTRADE is the pseudonym for United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database. Over 170 reporter countries provide the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) with their annual international trade statistics data detailed by commodities and partner countries. These data are subsequently transformed into the United Nations Statistics Division standard format with consistent coding and valuation using the UN/OECD CoprA internal processing system.

The UN COMTRADE is the largest depository of international trade data. It contains well over 1.7 billion data records for 45 years and is available on the internet!

All commodity values are converted from national currency into US dollars using exchange rates supplied by the reporter countries, or derived from monthly market rates and volume of trade. Quantities, when provided with the reporter country data and when possible, are converted into metric units. Commodities are reported in the current classification and revision (HS2002 in most cases) and are converted all the way down to the earliest classification SITC revision 1. Therefore, if data is received in HS 2002 version, it is converted to HS1996, HS1988, SITC rev. 3, SITC rev. 2, SITC rev. 1 and BEC. The data are permanently stored in the UN COMTRADE database server.

State Govt Revenues Decline Nearly 31 Percent

Total state government revenue dropped to $1.1 trillion in 2009, a decline of 30.8 percent from $1.6 trillion in 2008, according to the latest findings from the U.S. Census Bureau. The large decrease in total revenue was mainly caused by the substantial decrease in social insurance trust revenue.

State governments received nearly $1.5 trillion in general revenues in 2009, a decrease of 1.4 percent from 2008. General revenue does not include utility, liquor store or insurance trust revenue.

Total taxes collected in 2009 ($715.1 billion), which accounted for 47.9 percent of general revenue, fell by 8.5 percent from $781.6 billion in 2008. This is the first year-to-year decline in tax revenue since 2002. Federal grants ($477.7 billion) increased 12.9 percent from 2008 to 2009 and accounted for nearly one-third of general revenue.

“The annual survey began in 1951, and every year since has provided state governments with a complete look at their fiscal condition and how their financial activities stack up against other states,” said Lisa Blumerman, chief of the Census Bureau's Governments Division.

These findings come from the 2009 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, which reports revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings for each state as well as a national summary.

Research on the Supplemental Poverty Measure

The Census Bureau is releasing the research paper, Who is Poor? A New Look With the Supplemental Poverty Measure, plus a number of other technical working papers on the topic. The research paper applies methodology recommended by a federal interagency technical working group to present supplemental poverty estimates. The supplemental poverty measure is based on a more comprehensive definition of poverty and provides an additional look at the impact of federal policies on those in or near poverty. These estimates do not represent the actual supplemental poverty measure because they use 2009 income data combined with 2008 poverty thresholds. Also, these estimates do not replace the official poverty measure released by the Census Bureau in September 2010.

Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011

Now available: U.S. Census Bureau's tatistical Abstract of the United States: 2011. The Abstract is perennially the federal government's best-selling reference book, but is also available online at the link. When it was first published in 1878, the nation had only 38 states, people usually got around using a horse and buggy, Miami and Las Vegas did not yet exist, and Franklin D. Roosevelt had yet to be born. The Abstract has been published nearly every year since then.

Contained in the 130th edition are 1,407 tables of social, political and economic facts that collectively describe the state of our nation and the world. Included this year are 65 new tables, covering topics such as insufficient rest or sleep, nursing home occupancy, homeschooling, earthquakes, U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, organic farmland, honey bee colonies, crashes involving distracted drivers and cities with the highest transit savings.

The statistics come not only from the Census Bureau but also from other governmental agencies and private organizations. The data generally represent the most recent year or period available by summer 2010. Most are national-level data, but some tables present state- and even city- and metropolitan-level data as well.

Some highlights include:
•Nationally, lottery revenue totaled $75.9 billion in fiscal year 2007. West Virginia collected the highest amount of any state, at $14.5 billion, followed by Delaware ($7.9 billion) and New York ($6.6 billion). (Table 447).
•Nationally, 76 percent of workers 16 and older drove alone to work in 2008, with 11 percent carpooling and 5 percent using public transportation. In New York, however, the distribution was far different: 54 percent drove solo, with 27 percent utilizing public transportation and 8 percent carpooling. (Table 1099).

Every edition of the Statistical Abstract dating back to 1878 is available in PDF or zip files on the Census Bureau's website.

Seven Billion People

Read the special National Geographic January 2011 issue about the seven billion people people on our planet.

National Bureau of Statistics of China

This is a great source of business stats in China, including:

Monthly Data on
Growth Rate of Value-Added of Industry by Region and by Sector; Investment in Fixed Assets by Industry and by Region; Sales Price Indices of Buildings in 70 Medium-Large Sized Cities; Consumer Price Index (CPI) by Category and by Region; and more.

QUARTERLY data on
Output Value of Farming, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, and Fishery by Region; Producer's Price Index of Major Agricultural Products; Per Capita Cash Income and Cash Expenditure of Rural Households by Region; Income of Urban Households by Region; and more.

1 in 7 adults do not wear a seat belt on every trip

From CDC Vital Signs

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 5 – 34. Adult seat belt use is the single most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes. The percentage of adults who always wear seat belts increased from 80% to 85% between 2002 and 2008. Even so, 1 in 7 adults do not wear a seat belt on every trip. Primary enforcement seat belt laws make a big difference in getting more people to buckle up.* In 2010, 19 states--where 1 in 4 adult Americans live--did not have a primary law.

* A primary enforcement seat belt law means a police officer can pull someone over and issue a ticket to the driver just because someone in the vehicle is not wearing a seat belt. A secondary enforcement law allows a police officer to issue a ticket for someone not wearing a seat belt only if the driver has been pulled over for some other offense.

2010 3Q Summary of State,Local Govt Tax Revenue

Tax revenues grew in the third quarter, marking the fourth straight quarter of positive growth. Property tax, general sales tax and individual income tax revenues increased, while corporate income tax revenue declined. The decline in corporate income tax revenue is the third consecutive quarter of decline. This summary shows quarterly tax revenue data on property, sales, license, income and other taxes. Data are shown for individual state governments as well as national-level estimates of total state and local taxes, including 12-month calculations. This quarterly survey has been conducted continuously since 1962.

2011 Salary Tables and Related Information

View the latest federal pay tables from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

See also Fact Sheets on Salaries and Wages.

Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners

Source: Migration Policy Institute

While ELL students nationwide speak more than 150 languages, Spanish far outranks others as the most common first -- or home -- language. At the same time, although it is spoken in 73 percent of ELL students’ homes, Spanish is not the top language spoken by ELLs in every state.

New York 229,260

Spanish 146,702
Undetermined 12,821
Chinese 6,974
Arabic 5,915
Bengali 5,048

Percent ELL Students Speaking the Top Language 64.0
Percent of ELL Students Speaking the Top Five Languages 77.4

The World Renowned Information Resource for Research Participants

The FREE On Line Directory Service for Study Volunteers

I came across this site which says "Get Paid to Volunteer for Medical, Clinical, Drug Trials and Various other Research Studies, Throughout the UK, US, Canada and Europe."

Are you 18-85 years of age ? Help yourself financially by volunteering to be a subject in medical trials, paid clinical trials and various other research studies! Healthy persons of either sex are urgently needed. Volunteering for strictly regulated and ethical approved studies can be an excellent way to help to pay educational costs, supplement your income while working, or fund your travels while spending time in foreign countries. Healthy people who are eligible and comply with the study requirements, are always well informed of the significance and conditions of each study. Most clinic facilities provide a comfortable atmosphere where you can read, study, work on a project, relax, or watch TV and videos. Want to learn more? Follow the links on the menu bar and benefit from many years of experience as a study volunteer in the US and Europe.

Clinical trials, Medical trials ($100-300/day US, £70-150/day in UK.)
Sleep deprivation
Time isolation
Bed rest studies - simulate the effects of prolonged space travel.
Alcohol, caffeine & nicotine studies
Exercise, diet & nutrition studies
Psychology studies (personality, perception, etc.)
Cognitive studies (memory, concentration, etc.)
Sensory studies - testing taste, smell, etc
Visual studies
Vaccine studies
Dermatological (skin) studies
Brain wave studies
Brain imaging studies
Blood & plasma donation
Egg & sperm donation
Consumer product testing - sample new products (food, cosmetics, etc.) and evaluate them.


It APPEARS legit. Anyone have any experience with this?

Federal Statistics in the 2011 Budget

Source: Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics

Statistics produced by the federal government serve as a base for research in a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. Population and vital statistics are central to the work of political scientists and demographers; employment, financial, and production data are essential for economists; and information on education and crime is used by sociologists and psychologists. Responsibility for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of federal statistics is spread throughout the departments and independent agencies of the executive branch; each of some 70 agencies and departmental units annually spends $500,000 or more on statistical activities. Within this decentralized system that generates statistical information, a more limited number of agencies have the creation of statistics as their principal mission. It is these agencies that are responsible for producing statistics on major economic, demographic, and social developments and trends...