Bad news: Broadcasting Yearbook ceased publication. The GOOD news...

"A passing of a major institution in the broadcast biz: The Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook, formerly the Broadcasting Yearbook, was a dog-eared fixture on many broadcasters’ desks since probably before WWII." I found this book extremely useful in finding information about television, radio and cable, but the "2010 issue was the last.

"Over recent years, nearly all public and university libraries that held collections of Broadcasting weekly and yearbook issues have eliminated those resources upon analysis of usage; they were generally neither digitized nor microfilmed. Most libraries disposed of the Broadcasting issues." True, though painful. However -

"Because real information such as contained in publications like Broadcasting, Radio Daily, Television/Radio Age and R&R is needed by researchers and hobbyists alike, [David Gleason is] creating a 'virtual library' online with Broadcasting magazines and yearbooks and other industry publications... in an effort to preserve the availability for study and information retrieval of these diminishing resources."

Find The Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook HERE and other items HERE.

"Please treat this material as you would treat any library resorce and do not copy, print or misuse the material. By using this site you consent to respecting these usage guidelines. "

Ports around the world

World Port Source provides interactive satellite images, maps and contact information for 4,571 ports in 196 countries around the world. Quickly find any port using the regional map of the world. Or, if you're looking for a bit of fun, see if you can guess the day's Port of Call.

For instance, for New York State, here is a map, displaying relative size of the ports, and here are links to contact information.

For the largest ports in the Western Hemisphere, also check out the Seaports of the Americas AAPA Directory, with great detail about major ports such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Port of Albany.

Reports on Oral Health; Hypertension; Hospital Costs; Causes of Death

Selected Oral Health Indicators in the United States, 2005–2008 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Expenditures for Hypertension among Adults Age 18 and Older, 2009: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Components of Cost Increases for Inpatient Hospital Procedures, 1997-2009 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Deaths: Leading Causes for 2008 from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Census Bureau released 2011 housing units estimates

The Census Bureau released 2011 housing units estimates for the nation, states and counties.

It is important to note that the methodology for this series is different than before. From the methodology description:

"Our method of producing housing unit estimates is different this year than in years past. The Vintage 2011 housing unit estimates do not rely on the usual components of housing change (building permits, non-permitted builds, mobile home shipments, and housing loss), which we used last decade to produce the housing unit estimates. Instead, we created the Vintage 2011 estimates by extrapolating the average monthly change in housing units at the county level, then summing these estimates to create estimates for the states and nation. To produce subcounty housing unit estimates, we distributed the extrapolated county estimates down to each subcounty area within a county based on 2010 Census proportions.
We chose not to use the components of change model for 2011 since we are presently evaluating the 2010 housing estimates relative to the 2010 Census results, and considering improvements to the existing housing unit method for the new decade. We expect to return to the components of change model for the 2012 estimates."

This means that a version of the usual methodology will be used next year. Every series start from the last Census and the numbers in the just released estimates will be replaced with numbers using the 'old' methodology next year.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011

From the US Department of State:

The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and a say in their own future. Often they faced tremendous odds and endured violent responses from their governments. The resulting upheavals are still unfolding today in places like Syria, where the regime has brutalized its own people. In Burma, after years of repression, the government has taken preliminary steps to allow reforms to begin. This year’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices chronicle these dramatic changes and the stories of the people defending human rights in almost 200 countries around the world.

Congress mandated these country reports more than three decades ago to help guide lawmakers’ decisions on foreign military and economic aid, but they have evolved into something more. Today, governments, intergovernmental organizations, scholars, journalists, activists, and others around the world rely on these reports as an essential update on human rights conditions around the world – where we have seen progress, where progress has come too slowly or at great cost, and all too often, where it has been rolled back.

Section-by-section links in PDF format

Link to web version for additional functionality, such as viewing topics across multiple countries

Census Bureau Releases New Version of TIGERweb

The U.S. Census Bureau announces the release of a new version of TIGERweb, a Web-based map viewer from the agency's Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System (TIGER) database.

TIGERweb allows users to view and query census geographic areas and features such as roads, railroads, rivers, lakes and other larger bodies of water. It currently displays boundaries, names and codes for 2010 Census legal and statistical geographic areas, such as counties, cities, towns and townships, census tracts and urban areas. In addition, TIGERweb contains population and housing unit counts from the 2010 Census for each of the geographic areas.

For more info, go http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-tps30.html

Health and Insurance Status, Health Care Use, and Expenditures for Male Veterans, 2008

In 2008, there were 21.5 million veterans in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population, of which 20.2 million were men, accounting for 18.1 percent of the adult male population. Based on data from the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC), this Statistical Brief compares the health status, use of health care services, insurance status, and health care expenditures for veterans to that for non-veterans in 2008. Because these measures vary greatly with age and the average age is substantially higher for veterans than non-veterans, estimates are shown separately for elderly (65 and older) and non-elderly (ages 18–64) men.

The Condition of Education: 2012

To help policymakers and the public monitor the progress of education in the United States, Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual report, The Condition of Education. This year’s report presents 49 indicators of important developments and trends in U.S. education. These indicators focus on participation in education, elementary and secondary education and outcomes, and postsecondary education and outcomes. The report also uses a group of the indicators to take a closer look at high school in the United States over the last twenty years. Since 1990, there have been many demographic and policy changes that have affected our high schools.

Using the New American Fact Finder, Version 1.1

American FactFinder (AFF) is the Census Bureau’s primary dissemination tool for many Census Bureau Programs, including:
Decennial Census
American Community Survey
Population Estimates
Economic Census of the United States
Economic Census of the Island Areas
Survey of Business Owners
Commodity Flow Survey
County & ZIP Code Business Patterns
Nonemployer Statistics
Annual Survey of Manufacturers

These programs listed above account for more than 60 datasets and publish data for over 12 million different geographies.
To accommodate this large amount of data, AFF follows a topic based approach. You build a search by selecting keywords and filters from different search menus. As you add additional keywords and filters, the search results become limited to only the tables that meet the criteria. Once you have refined the search results to a suitable level, you can either download or view one or more tables. The table(s) will display the data selected.

The Unique Building Identifier file is designed to capture the complete inventory of multifamily buildings on which funds from subsidized housing programs have been spent. This file is intended to capture all multifamily units ever subsidized by either HOME or LIHTC, without duplication. The buildings in the file are unique according to their address and are identified by a key variable based on the building’s location, the programs under which the building has received subsidy, and date on which the subsidy began. This data set has been requested by organizations interested in preservation of the affordable housing stock, and should be useful to researchers both Federal and non-Federal.

Characteristics for selected race, Hispanic origin, tribal, and ancestry populations

The Census Bureau has released 2 new American Community Survey products. This is the first time this level of statistical detail has been available for groups since the Census 2000.

Also, The Population With a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2006–2010.

New York State Urbanized Area Maps: Area and Density

The Program on Applied Demographics (PAD) 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.

Check out this series of maps delineating population concentrations in the urban areas across the state.

Voting Hot Report: State-Level Maps and Graphs on Voting

The Census Bureau released a menu-driven, interactive Web page permitting users to access for any state a series of graphs showing percentages of adults who voted and registered in every congressional and presidential election between 1996 and 2010. In addition to graphs showing voting and registration trends over the period, users may choose a given election year and find separate graphs showing voting and registration by one of the following characteristics: age, sex, educational attainment, and race and Hispanic origin. Some analysis of the 2010 election is provided as well, as are thematic maps of states showing percent voting during each election. The statistics come from the Current Population Survey. To access this page, go to the Voting and Registration page and click on “Voting Hot Report.”

1940s New York City - a seriously cool website

Back in 1997, a copy of a 250-page document was purchased from a local bookstore. It was "NYC Market Analysis", published by four newspapers in 1943, "with photos, maps, data about each [city] neighborhood....it offers a unique window into New York [City] from another era.

"The Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center is making the 1943 profiles available to provide context for the 1940 Census records and to offer a research aid to historians and anyone else interested in learning more about New York from the 1940s..."

The Welcome to 1940s New York website displays a map of New York divided into the 116 neighborhoods that are covered in the 1943 Market Analysis.

Monday's New York Times highlights the project along with some neat then-and-now photos and Census stats.

The Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center website has more background, and Steven Romalewski, Director, CUNY Mapping Service, has blogged about the project.

I thank Steve for previewing this site at the State Data Center affiliates meeting last week.

How Much Time College Students Spend Studying Varies By Major

From the press releases:

Findings show that on average, full-time college students study 15 hours a week. However, study time differed by academic majors, with seniors in engineering averaging about 19 hours per week, while their peers in the social sciences and business averaged five fewer hours per week.
Faculty expectations for study time by field corresponded closely to what students reported, but there were exceptions. Social sciences faculty, for example, expected four more hours per week than the average social sciences senior reported. Students who devoted at least 20 hours per week to studying did not always attend class fully prepared.
These findings, released by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), raise questions about areas where a mismatch may exist between the work asked of students and what they believe necessary to succeed, and also whether faculty expectations for study time may need to be recalibrated.

Note that 2012 will be the last year of the current survey. At some point even the best surveys must be revised and updated, affecting multi-year analyses such as trend studies or pre-post designs. Many measures on the current survey, including benchmarks and individual survey items, are likely to change in 2013. This means trend lines will be interrupted and multi-year results will be less comparable across the two versions.

Metro areas with the Most College-Educated Residents

As another college graduation season draws to a close, the New York Times reports the results of a small analysis Brookings conducted on college degree attainment rates in metropolitan areas. They examined the share of adults age 25 and over in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas who held at least a bachelor’s degree in 2010, versus in 1970. (The Times’ website provides a table with the key data.)

NYC is #10, Albany/Schenectady/Troy is #20, Rochester is tied for #22.

40% of Americans Who Rely on Public Transit Live in Rural Areas

From Treehugger:

Apparently, 40% of Americans who rely on public transit live in rural areas and small towns. And those folks—which include large numbers of elderly, disabled, and low income riders—typically have very few options for getting around...

That eye-opening figures come from a new report, Reconnecting America, that takes an in-depth look at how small towns are working to improve those transit systems, usually buses, to serve more people more efficiently.

Economic Mobility of the States

Economic Mobility of the States, released by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project, is the first time research has identified where in the country Americans are more likely to move up or down the earnings ladder. Eight states, primarily in the Mideast and New England regions, have higher upward and lower downward mobility than the nation as a whole, while states in the South have consistently lower upward and higher downward mobility. ... Economic Mobility of the States evaluates economic mobility in three ways, including absolute mobility – measuring residents’ average earnings growth over time – as well as upward and downward relative mobility – measuring people’s rank on the ladder relative to their peers.

Paycheck Fairness Helps Families, Not Just Women

The gender wage gap varies across states. While on a national basis, women’s earnings are 18 percent less than men’s earnings, women in some states experience much larger differences in pay. ... For example, in Louisiana and Wyoming, women earn only 69.4 cents and 70.4 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by men. By contrast, in California, women earn 91.5 cents for every dollar earned by men. Although some portion of the gender pay gap can be explained by differences in education, occupation or job tenure between men and women, a portion of the pay gap remains unexplained and could be caused by gender-based discrimination.

"Link Rot" and Legal Resources on the Web: 2012 Analysis

Access to web-published content can be lost as websites are routinely updated, reorganized, or deleted over time. In the five years since the program began, the Chesapeake Group has built a digital archive collection comprising more than 8,600 digital items and 3,700 titles, almost all originally posted to the web but captured and preserved within the group's digital archive.

Every year, the Chesapeake Group investigates whether or not the documents in the archive can still be found at the original web addresses from which they were captured. The group analyzes two samples of web addresses, or URLs, pulled from the archive's records. ...

In 2012, 218 out of 579 URLs in the sample no longer provide access to the content that was originally selected, captured, and archived by the Chesapeake Group. In other words, link rot has increased to 37.7 percent within five years.

Report on the Status of U.S. Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries releases the 15th Annual Report to Congress on the Status of the Nation’s Fisheries. This report documents our national journey toward ending overfishing and rebuilding the nation’s fisheries.

Since 1997, this annual report to Congress identifies the status of our managed stocks and complexes. It provides a 'snap-shot' in time of where our nation’s fisheries were at the end of 2011 in relation to their thresholds of overfishing and overfished. This report does not capture the dynamic nature of sustainability and the many factors that may influence a fishery and require harvests to be adjusted.

Young adult employment during the recent recession :

The recent recession lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, with the unemployment rate increasing from 5.0 percent at the beginning of the recession to 9.6 percent at the end. This article compares the labor market experiences of young adults (24- and 25-year-olds) over an 18-month period prior to the last recession to those of young adults of the same age over the 18 months of the recent recession. Many of these young adults had recently entered the labor market, and research has shown that workers who enter the labor market during a recession can see long-term negative effects on their employment and earnings.

New American Community Survey Data: Race, Tribal, Hispanic and Ancestry Group Data

This is the first time this level of statistical detail has been available for groups since Census 2000. The tables compile five years of data to produce detailed estimates at multiple levels of geography for hundreds of race, Hispanic origin, ancestry and tribal groups.

2006-2010 ACS 5-Year Selected Population Tables:
• Estimates of characteristics for selected race, Hispanic origin, tribal, and ancestry populations
• Based on sample data collected from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010

2006-2010 ACS 5-Year American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Tables:
• Estimates of characteristics for selected American Indian and Alaska Native tribal populations
• Based on sample data collected from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010

Driving and Road Trip Resources

Whether you're driving locally or taking a road trip, find helpful resources on USA.gov's Road and Train Travel page, including:

Gas Mileage Tips -- Find out how driving efficiently, keeping your car in good condition, and combining trips can help you save money.
Traffic and Road Closures -- Get resources to keep you informed about road and traffic conditions.
Scenic Byways -- Find scenic drives that you might enjoy while traveling on the road.



Wherever you're driving, make safety a top priority and keep in mind that most states have banned texting while driving. Learn more about distracted driving.

Are Healthy Foods Really More Expensive? It Depends on How You Measure the Price

Most Americans consume diets that do not meet Federal dietary recommendations. A common explanation is that healthier foods are more expensive than less healthy foods. To investigate this assumption, the authors compare prices of healthy and less healthy foods using three different price metrics ... For all metrics except the price of food energy [$/calorie], the authors find that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods (defined for this study as foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar, and/or sodium, or that contribute little to meeting dietary recommendations).

From the USDA

Mass layoffs at a more local level

Some asked if there are statistics below the state level on mass layoffs as defined by Bureau of Labor Statistics?

Here's an answer, provided by one of our Data Detectives:

They aren’t precise statistics, but the New York State Labor Department features on its website significant business expansions and contractions, as reported in local media.
Go to: labor.ny.gov/stats/index.shtm.
Click on “Regional Data” on the left hand side.
Choose your area of interest.
Some regions will have a section called employer or firm “expansions and contractions.”
It is in narrative form with statistics cited, but the information is by no means neat and tidy.

Older Americans Month

Older Americans Month is an opportunity to recognize the guiding wisdom and important contributions of our nation's seniors.

Here are a few resources that seniors may find useful:

Economic Security for Seniors -- Learn about reverse mortgages and job training; and find benefit programs to help pay for medications and other essentials.
Tips on Exercise and Healthy Eating -- Get ideas for meal planning and safely increasing your level of physical activity.
Facts about Older Americans -- Did you know that more than 16% of older Americans are in the labor force or that the fastest growing age group in the older population is 85-94? Learn more interesting facts about America's 65+ crowd.
Senior Resources on USA.gov -- Find a wide range of resources for seniors on topics that include health, money, housing, and more.

Latest national, state, and county estimates by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin

"The U.S. Census Bureau released a set of estimates showing that 50.4 percent of our nation's population younger than age 1 were minorities as of July 1, 2011. This is up from 49.5 percent from the 2010 Census taken April 1, 2010. A minority is anyone who is not single-race white and not Hispanic.

"The population younger than age 5 was 49.7 percent minority in 2011, up from 49.0 percent in 2010. A population greater than 50 percent minority is considered “majority-minority.”

"These are the first set of population estimates by race, Hispanic origin, age and sex since the 2010 Census...

"There was a small uptick in the nation's median age, from 37.2 years in 2010 to 37.3 in 2011. The 65-and-older population increased from 40.3 million to 41.4 million over the period and included 5.7 million people 85 and older. Likewise, working-age adults (age 18 to 64) saw their numbers rise by about 2 million to 196.3 million in 2011. In contrast, the number of children under 18, 74.0 million in 2011, declined by about 200,000 over the period, largely because of the decline in high school-age children 14 to 17..."

More HERE.

From Newsday:

"The data is ‘kind of what I expected,’ said Jan Vink, research support specialist at Cornell University's Program of Applied Demographics, which is a coordinating agency within the New York State Data Center.
The growing diversity of minority and ethnic groups on Long Island, and the aging of the population were ‘following the trends from the last decade,’ Vink said."

School district data profiles

Here are some school district data from Cornell.

See also the ACS profiles generated by the Missouri Census Data Center, which are nice as you can put profiles side by side.

Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues

The recognition of same-sex marriages generates debate on both the federal and state levels. Either legislatively or judicially, same-sex marriage is legal in seven states. Other states allow civil unions or domestic partnerships, which grant all or part of state-level rights, benefits, and/or responsibilities of marriage. Some states have statutes or constitutional amendments limiting marriage to one man and one woman. These variations raise questions about the validity of such unions outside the contracted jurisdiction and have bearing on the distribution of federal benefits. ...

This report from Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists) discusses DOMA [Defense of Marriage Act] and legal challenges to it. It reviews legal principles applied to determine the validity of a marriage contracted in another state and surveys the various approaches employed by states to enable or to prevent same-sex marriage. The report also examines House and Senate resolutions introduced in previous Congresses proposing a constitutional amendment and limiting federal courts’ jurisdiction to hear or determine any question pertaining to the interpretation of DOMA.

The Mystery of a Successful Marriage

What are the ingredients of a successful marriage? According to the National Center for Health Statistics report First Marriages in the United States, one of the most important ingredients--for women at least--is a college degree. Nothing guarantees a successful (i.e. long-lasting) marriage more than having a bachelor's degree. The percentage of women whose first marriage has lasted for 20 years ranges from a low of 39 percent among those who did not graduate from high school to a high of 78 percent among those with a bachelor's degree. The relationship between educational attainment and marital success is weaker for men, but still important, with the figure ranging from a low of 47 percent among men with no more than a high school diploma to a high of 65 percent among men with a bachelor's degree.

The answer to this mystery has nothing to do with love and everything to do with money. Increasingly, and almost exclusively, economic success accrues to men with a bachelor's degree. Women who graduate from college are far more likely than less-educated women to meet and marry a man with a college degree. Money--and men's ability to earn it--is the most important ingredient of a successful marriage.

Top 10 Baby Names for 2011

The U.S. Social Security Administration has just released the most popular baby names of 2011.

"Jacob" continued to top the list for boys while "Sophia" replaced "Isabella" as the #1 name for girls in 2011.

You can search the popularity of names over time (dating back to 1880). You can also search for popular names by birth year, decade, or state; popular names for twins; and popular names in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

In a troubling development, the male name Roger continued to drop, to 529 in 2011, down from 511 in 2010.

A New BLS publication: Beyond the Numbers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics this week premiered a new publication called Beyond the Numbers. This publication will serve as a source of timely, interesting analysis of BLS data and trends. Beyond the Numbers brings together the analyses previously found in Issues in Labor Statistics, Focus on Prices and Spending, Program Perspectives, Regional Reports, and OES Highlights. The first article in Beyond the Numbers, "International air passenger fares shrug off the recession," discusses how the price of international airfare changed during and after the recent global recession. The second article, "How new fees are affecting the Producer Price Index for air travel," examines how the introduction of baggage and cancellation fees affects the price of domestic airfare.

HOUSE VOTES to ELIMINATE the Census Bureau's American Community Survey!

From Terri Ann Lowenthal

The U.S. House of Representatives voted this evening (232 - 190) to eliminate all funding for the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which as you know replaced the traditional census long form starting with the 2010 Census. The vote essentially was along party lines, with all but 11 Republicans voting in favor and all but four (4) Democrats voting against. The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL).

Right before the House considered the Webster amendment, it approved, by voice vote, an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) to make response to the ACS voluntary, by prohibiting both the Census Bureau and the Justice Department from using funds to enforce penalties in the Census Act that make survey response mandatory. (The amendment had to be written as a limit on expenditure of funds in order for it to be ruled "in order" on an appropriations bill, FYI.) I suspect the subcommittee chairman, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), did not call for a recorded vote on the Poe amendment because he figured the provision would be stripped in conference.

Now, I cannot imagine that President Obama would sign a Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill that eliminates the ACS. But this is a truly cautionary tale. I do not think any of us were prepared for the House to approve such a drastic measure. The outcome demonstrates, in my opinion, that all census/ACS data users must be much more pro-active in conveying their support for this and other surveys to all Members of the House and Senate. What if the White House and Senate majority change hands next year? Conceivably, we could lose an awful lot of data in the future, and this won't just be a theoretical exercise in Census Bureau cheerleading any more.

I also recall, when the Census Bureau first began the transition from the long form to the ACS (with research, then testing, then implementation in 2005), with a shove from Congress (ironically!), that some business community stakeholders were worried that decoupling the long form from the census would put the data collection at risk. That worry is now becoming a reality. Rep. Lankford (R-OK), in speaking in support of the Webster amendment during the debate, said the ACS was NOT the long form and did not collect the same type of data. Of course, he is just plain wrong.

The Senate is expected to take up the FY2013 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill next week.

Annual Survey of Public-Employee Retirement Systems

The nation's state and local public-employee retirement systems had $2.7 trillion in total cash and investment holdings in 2010, a $257.2 billion or 10.6 percent increase from $2.4 trillion in 2009, according to new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. This follows a $722.2 billion loss the previous year.

These statistics come from the 2010 Annual Survey of Public-Employee Retirement Systems, which provides an annual look at the financial activity and membership information of the nation's state and local public-employee retirement systems, including revenues, expenditures, investment holdings, and number of retirement systems and beneficiaries.

U.S. trading partners and intellectual property rights

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual "Special 301" Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners' protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) [PDF].

The Special 301 Report provides a means for the United States to promote the protection and enforcement of IPR. In the Report, USTR announced that Malaysia has been removed from the Watch List after making significant strides, including passing copyright amendments that strengthen copyright protection, stepped-up IPR enforcement, and promulgating regulations to protect pharmaceutical test data. In addition, Spain has been removed from the Watch List because of its adoption of regulations implementing a law to combat piracy over the Internet. Ukraine is being moved to the Priority Watch List from the Watch List in light of serious and growing concerns relating to counterfeiting and rampant piracy, including piracy over the Internet.

Annual Pass for US Parks and Recreation Areas

Consider buying an Annual Pass if you enjoy visiting America's beautiful national parks and recreation areas. The $80 pass entitles the pass owner and accompanying passengers (or up to four adults at sites where per-person fees are charged) admittance to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas. Learn more about where you can use the pass and what it covers.

Other kinds of passes include:

Senior Pass -- $10 lifetime pass for U.S. citizens who are 62 years and older

Access Pass -- Free lifetime pass for permanently disabled U.S. citizens

Volunteer Pass -- Annual Pass awarded to volunteers who contribute 500 or more hours

Decline in Teens Talking on the Phone

Teens are texting more and talking less on the telephone, according to a study by Pew Internet & American Life Project. Only 14 percent of 12-to-17-year-olds talked to friends daily on a landline phone in 2011, down from 30 percent two years earlier. The percentage who talk to friends daily on a cell phone fell from 38 to 26 percent during those years.

per American Consumers Newsletter

United Stats of America - Series Premiere Tue., May 8 at 10/9c

From the History Channel:

Here’s a stat for you: The average American male is on earth for about 900 months, and in that time he will spend almost two months shaving, roughly five months on hold, and another five months complaining about his boss. He’ll also spend a whopping 198 months watching TV… but only two months having sex.

Randy and Jason Sklar were born a statistic: They're identical twins and stand-up comedians who also just happen to have an obsession with numbers and an amazing knack for finding the incredible stories behind the stats. The wisecracking brothers are the hosts of United Stats of America, which reveals the stories behind the most interesting and surprising statistics in American history—stories that tell us more about who we are as individuals and as a nation. Randy and Jason bring their irreverent brand of humor to locations across the country, uncovering hidden facts about America and Americans while engaging in stunts and experiments that help them uncover the story behind the stats. The Sklars will also utilize cutting-edge computer technology and visually stunning infographics to help bring these numbers to life.

Episodes explore the stats that help us understand how much money we make (and what we spend it on), how long we will live (and how we will die), what we do with our free time (and how to make more of it) and a whole lot more. In one episode, the Sklars explain how the deadliest animal in America is neither the snake nor the shark but rather the deer. In another, viewers learn that Americans waste 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic and that, in a nation with over 3.5 million square miles of territory, 99 percent of us are crowded into only 8 percent of the land.

No data on shootings by police

Within the Crime in the United States report from the FBI, one can find police employee data by status (sworn/civilian), among many other statistics.

However, national data on shootings by police is not collected: "The nation's leading law enforcement agency collects vast amounts of information on crime nationwide, but missing from this clearinghouse are statistics on where, how often, and under what circumstances police use deadly force. In fact, no one anywhere comprehensively tracks the most significant act police can do in the line of duty: take a life.

"'We don't have a mandate to do that,' said William Carr, an FBI spokesman in Washington, D.C. 'It would take a request from Congress for us to collect that data.'

"Congress, it seems, hasn't asked."

Subsidy Tracker: Discover Where Corporations are Getting Taxpayer Handouts Across the US

A growing number of state governments are disclosing which companies they are giving tax breaks and other subsidies in the name of job creation and economic development. Yet much of that information is being disseminated through hard-to-find reports and web pages. SUBSIDY TRACKER brings together the information from those far-flung sources--along with unpublished data obtained through open records requests--to create the first national search engine for state economic development subsidies.

Each entry identifies the recipient company and, depending on availability, provides data on the dollar value of the subsidy, the program and state agency involved, the location of the subsidized facility, and the employment impact of the subsidy. Each entry also indicates where the data came from, so the user can go to the original source for more details.

Measuring Financial Inclusion: The Global Findex Database

This paper (PDF) provides the first analysis of the Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) Database, a new set of indicators that measure how adults in 148 economies save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. The data show that 50 percent of adults worldwide have an account at a formal financial institution, though account penetration varies widely across regions, income groups and individual characteristics. In addition, 22 percent of adults report having saved at a formal financial institution in the past 12 months, and 9 percent report having taken out a new loan from a bank, credit union or microfinance institution in the past year. Although half of adults around the world remain unbanked, at least 35 percent of them report barriers to account use that might be addressed by public policy. Among the most commonly reported barriers are high cost, physical distance, and lack of proper documentation, though there are significant differences across regions and individual characteristics.

Link to publication website for Accounts and Payments and Savings, Borrowing, and Risk Management.

Evaluating State Tax Incentives for Jobs and Growth

A report by the Pew Center on the States (PDF) concludes that 13 states are leading the way in generating much-needed answers about tax incentives’ effectiveness. Twelve states have mixed results. Half the states have not taken the basic steps needed to know whether their incentives are effective. The study highlights a wealth of promising approaches states have taken to help lawmakers find those answers.

New York is in the middle group.

Press release.

Hispanic or Latino?

When asked whether they prefer the term "Hispanic" or "Latino," the 51 percent majority of Hispanics do not have a preference. One-third prefers Hispanic and 14 percent prefer Latino, according to a survey by Pew Hispanic Center.

This is a sampling of a post published in the past few weeks in Cheryl Russell's Demo Memo blog.

Fat Demographics

The percentage of Americans who are overweight varies surprisingly little by demographic characteristic--meaning the great majority of just about everyone is overweight, according to Obesity in America, an analysis of data collected by the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. National Center for Health Statistics.

Overall, 65 percent of the population aged 20 or older is overweight (a figure that includes the obese). There is almost no demographic segment in which the number of people who are overweight does not greatly surpass the number with a healthy weight. In fact, there are only two demographic segments in which being overweight is not the norm. One segment is "non-Hispanic other/multiple races," a group that includes Asians (48% overweight). The other is the youngest age group, aged 20 to 24 (45% overweight).

Whether you are man (72% overweight) or woman (59%), black (72%) or white (65%), middle aged (71%) or old (67%), high school dropout (70%) or college graduate (60%), rich (64%) or poor (66%), chances are you're fat.

per American Consumers Newsletter

Housing Stock: Year Built

Despite the flurry of construction during the housing bubble, the percentage of the nation's 132 million housing units that were built between 2000 and 2010 is only slightly greater than the percentage built during the 1980s and 1990s, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Take a look at the distribution of the nation's housing units by the decade they were built...

2000s: 14.8%
1990s: 13.9%
1980s: 14.0%
1970s: 16.0%
1960s: 11.1%
1950s: 10.9%
Earlier: 19.2%

per American Consumers Newsletter

Estimates for Multinational Companies: Employment, Sales, and Capital Expenditures for 2010

The following are 2010 advanced and 2009 revised summary estimates of the employment, capital spending, and sales activity of U.S. multinational companies (comprising both their U.S. and foreign operations) and the corresponding activity of foreign multinational companies in the United States.

Worldwide employment by U.S. multinational companies (MNCs) increased 0.5 percent in 2010, to 34.0 million workers, with increases in both the United States and abroad. Employment in the United States by U.S. parent companies increased 0.1 percent, to 23.0 million workers, which contrasted with a 0.6 percent decrease in total private-industry employment in the United States. The employment by U.S. parents accounted for roughly one-fifth of total U.S. employment in private industries. Abroad, employment by the majority-owned foreign affiliates of U.S. MNCs increased 1.5 percent, to 11.0 million workers.

Worldwide capital expenditures by U.S. MNCs increased 3.9 percent in 2010, to $621 billion. Capital expenditures in the United States by U.S. parent companies increased 3.3 percent, to $447 billion. Capital expenditures abroad by their majority- owned foreign affiliates increased 5.5 percent, to $173 billion.

Prison Happy

From the American Consumers Newsletter

Americans are singularly obsessed with imprisonment. No other country puts as many people behind bars. The number of people in custody in the nation's local jails and state or federal prisons more than tripled between 1985 and 2010, growing from 744,208 to 2.3 million, according to the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics. The rate of imprisonment more than doubled during the time period, climbing from 313 to 731 incarcerations per 100,000 population.

Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, 2009 - 2010

The U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, releases the report, A Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, 2009 - 2010 (PDF). It provides information on identified companies and their known export or import value. Identified U.S. companies are defined as companies that can be linked to import or export transactions. The known value is the value of export or import
transactions linked to specific companies. The increases in known export and import values correspond with the overall increase of trade in 2010; total export value rose by 21.0 percent and total import value increased by 22.7 percent. The
number of identified exporters increased by 6.0 percent in 2010 and the known export value increased by 21.0 percent compared to 2009. The number of identified importers increased by 1.0 percent in 2010 and the known import value increased by 24.4 percent.

U.S. Naturalizations: 2011

Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred upon foreign citizens or nationals after fulfilling the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). After naturalization, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote. This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Flow Report (PDF) presents information on the number and characteristics of foreign nationals aged 18 years and over who were naturalized during 2011.
Data were obtained from administrative records of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department of Homeland Security. These records consist of information from applications for naturalization.
In 2011, the total number of persons naturalizing was 694,193. The leading countries of birth of new citizens were Mexico (94,783), India (45,985), the Philippines (42,520), the People’s Republic of China (32,864), and Colombia (22,693). The largest number of persons naturalizing lived in California (151,183), Florida (87,309), and New York (76,603).
***
Unauthorized Immigrants: 11.5 Million
The number of unauthorized immigrants in the United States changed little between 2010 and 2011, according to new estimates by the Department of Homeland Security. As of January 2011, an estimated 11.5 million unauthorized immigrants were in the country, about the same as the 11.6 million in January 2010 (this figure has been revised upward from 10.8 million based on 2010 census weights). The number of unauthorized immigrants grew 36 percent between 2000 and 2011, from 8,460,000 to 11,510,000.

But the Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero—and Perhaps Less (PDF)

The largest wave of immigration in history from a single country to the United States has come to a standstill. After four decades that brought 12 million current immigrants—more than half of whom came illegally—the net migration flow from Mexico to the United States has stopped—and may have reversed, according to a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of multiple government data sets from both countries.

The standstill appears to be the result of many factors, including the weakened U.S. job and housing construction markets, heightened border enforcement, a rise in deportations, the growing dangers associated with illegal border crossings, the long-term decline in Mexico’s birth rates and changing economic conditions in Mexico.

State Government Tax Collections

The State Government Tax Collections (STC) report provides a summary of taxes collected by state for up to 25 tax categories. These tables and data files present the details on tax collections by type of tax imposed and collected by state governments.

Urban Population Up 12 Percent

Although Americans tend to think of themselves as small town or even rural in character, a look at the Census Bureau's newly released classification of urban and rural populations based on 2010 census data shows how wrong they are. In 2010, fully 80.7 percent of Americans lived in an urban area. Not only are most Americans urban dwellers, but the urban population is growing faster than the rural population. Between 2000 and 2010, the urban population grew 12.1 percent, more than the 9.7 percent national growth rate and far outpacing the 7.3 percent increase in the rural population.

Many people use the terms urban and metropolitan interchangeably. In fact, urban is a much more precise definition of city life. Metropolitan areas are broad brush, comprised of groups of counties, many of which contain rural areas. In contrast, urban areas are a far higher resolution of lifestyle, comprised of census tracts or blocks that are home to at least 2,500 people. Once the Census Bureau defines urban areas (which it does every 10 years), rural areas are the remainder. Despite our overwhelming urbanity, many Americans continue to think rural. That may be because 97 percent of the nation's land area is rural. Only 3 percent is urban. But 249 million Americans are crammed into that 3 percent.

per American Consumers Newsletter

The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation

Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research

From the report:

Women’s median earnings are lower than men’s in nearly all occupations, whether they work in occupations predominantly done by women, occupations predominantly done by men, or occupations with a more even mix of men and women. During 2011, median weekly earnings for female full-time workers were $684, compared with $832 per week for men, a gender wage ratio of 82.2 percent. Added to the gender wage gap within occupations is the gender wage gap between occupations. Male-dominated occupations tend to pay more than female-dominated occupations at similar skill levels, particularly at higher levels of educational attainment. Tackling occupational segregation is an important part of tackling the gender wage gap.

Link to full report

New Blogs from the Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched some new blogs or made changes to old ones.

It's Our Environment – This blog is the EPA's general blog for engaging all readers about a wide variety of environmental topics.
State of the Environment Photo Project – This blog collects images of our lives and our planet. Share your thoughts and your photos.
The Eco Student – EPA employees, educators, and students age 13 years and older blog about the great things students are doing and can do to help the environment.
It All Starts With Science – EPA scientists and engineers, their partners, and support staff write about their work to better understand the relationship between people and the environment.
Environmental Justice in Action – Find resources for educating and communicating about actions and ideas that advance the mission of environmental justice.

Find other blogs about the environment on USA.gov.

Federal Funds for Research and Development: FY 2008–10

This report...presents data collected by the Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development for the federal
FY 2008–10. In December 2009 the survey was sent to all federal agencies identified as conducting R&D programs, and 27 agencies reported R&D funding levels as of the second quarter of FY 2008. The basis for reporting is determined by fiscal year.
FY 2008 data are completed transactions
FY 2009 data are estimates of congressional appropriation actions and apportionment
and reprogramming decisions
FY 2010 data are estimates of administration budget proposals not yet acted on

More HERE (PDF)

Fertility of Men and Women Aged 15–44 Years in the US

This report estimates of different fertility measures for both men and women in the United States for the period 2006–2010. Fertility refers to the number of live births that occur to an individual. In 2008, there were 4.2 million births in the United States. The average fertility of women in the United States was about seven children at the beginning of the 19th century, it declined slowly and by 1960 it was 3.7 children per woman (2,3). Fertility in the United States dropped to its lowest point in 1976 at an average of 1.7 children per woman and has remained relatively stable at around 2.1 children per woman.
While fertility in the United States has remained stable since the 1970s, there is variation by subgroups including age, race, ethnicity, education, and measures of socioeconomic status. Researchers have often examined the intermediate characteristics that help to explain fertility such as fecundity (the ability to have children), timing of sexual intercourse, time spent in sexual relationships, and use of contraception. Others have looked at timing of fertility, the composition of those who have children, the number of children born, the union status at childbirth, etc.

More here (PDF).

The poorest county in each state

Most are rural, many are tiny, and a few are huge and urban. The median household income for these 50 counties also varies widely.

The number of Americans living in poverty has been on the rise since the onset of the Great Recession, as many households have seen their incomes drop and their debts mount during the past few years.

More than 15% of the population lived in poverty in 2010, the highest percentage since 1993, according to the most recent data from the Census Bureau. That means more than 46 million people fell below the poverty line, defined as $22,314 for a family of four.

MainStreet combed through the data to find the county in each state with the highest overall poverty rate.

New York's poorest county: Bronx
•Poverty rate: 30%
•Poverty rate of residents under 18: 42.2%
•Median household income: $32,674

One of New York's five boroughs, Bronx County stands out because of its high property values and low median household income. The median owner-occupied home value is more than $80,000 higher than the median state value, while the poverty rate is significantly higher than the state's overall rate.

Correlation or Causation? Statistics are easy...

Need to prove something you already believe? Statistics are easy: All you need are two graphs and a leading question

Correlation may not imply causation, but it sure can help us insinuate it.

Graphics here.

Readers value extra editing, women especially

Readers view well-edited articles as more professional, more valuable and of higher quality than articles that have been minimally edited, according to new data presented at the American Society of Copy Editors conference in New Orleans...

This was the latest data from a project Vultee began in 2010 as an ACES initiative to measure reader perceptions of the value of editing in online articles. (Read a brief summary of last year’s findings here.)

The continued loss of copy editors at news organizations due to layoffs and buyouts has created a need for organizations like ACES to collect data that helps convey the value of the people who focus on editing content, rather than creating it.

More HERE.

10 most expensive U.S. cities

People in these urban areas pay top dollar for practically everything. Is your city on this list?

(A bit of a cheat, since three of the "cities" in New York State aren't cities at all!)

Message from Dr. Groves

With mixed emotions, I am writing to let you know that I have been asked to become the next provost of Georgetown University, and I have made the difficult decision to accept that position, beginning in late August 2012.

While I am honored by this rare personal and professional opportunity to help lead Georgetown to even greater heights than it already enjoys, I must also tell you that I am enormously proud of the work we have accomplished together over the past three years.

Together, we have begun transforming the Census Bureau to better face the challenges ahead. I am confident that the current leadership of the Census Bureau is devoted to carrying the shared vision forward — that this agency will continue to provide the key economic and social statistical information the country so deeply needs, with cost-efficient excellence. For the next four months I will do all I can to continue the innovations we have together begun.

I have been honored to work with you. You are truly a set of talented, skilled, committed folks who are working to make this a better place for future generations.

There is much to do in the coming months here at the Bureau. I look forward to working with all of you.

Bob

The Internal Revenue Service 2011 Data Book

Letter from the Commissioner

The 2011 Internal Revenue Service Data Book [PDF] details IRS activities for Fiscal Year 2011 (October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2011). This annual report catalogs the many ways in which our dedicated employees serve the American taxpayer.

During Fiscal Year 2011, the IRS processed more than 234 million returns, including individual income, corporate income, and employment income tax returns. We provided nearly $416 billion in refunds to these taxpayers and collected $2.4 trillion in Federal revenue.
We provided taxpayer assistance through 319 million visits to IRS.gov and assisted nearly 83 million taxpayers via our toll-free telephone helpline or at walk-in sites. Of the more than 143 million individual income tax returns processed, 77 percent were filed electronically.

Death Sentences and Executions 2011

From The Use of the Death Penalty in 2011:

The USA was the only country in the G8 to have carried out executions in 2011. Three countries in the G20 carried out executions in 2011: China, Saudi Arabia and the USA.

The USA and Belarus were the only two of the 56 Member States of the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe to have carried out executions in 2011.

Information and Communication Technology Survey

These statistics, based on the 2007 North American Industry Classification System, estimate capitalized and noncapitalized spending in 2010 for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and computer software at the sector level, as well as for three-digit and selected four-digit industries.

Rapid advances in ICT equipment result in these assets having short useful lives and being replaced at a much faster rate than other types of equipment. As a result

First Marriages in the United States: Data From the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth

From the National Center for Health Statistics [PDF]- 

 This report shows trends and group differences in current marital status, with a focus on first marriages among women and men aged 15–44 years in the United States. Trends and group differences in the timing and duration of first marriages are also discussed. These data are based on the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 2012 Annual Report

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
From the publication web page:

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is pleased to submit to Congress its first annual report summarizing its activities to administer the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, during the past year. These activities represent the Bureau’s inaugural effort to curtail deceptive, unfair, and abusive debt collection practices in the marketplace prohibited by the FDCPA.

Politicization of Science in the Public Sphere: A Study of Public Trust in the US, 1974-2010

Source: American Sociological Review

This study explores time trends in public trust in science in the United States from 1974 to 2010. More precisely, the author, Gordon Gauchat, tests Mooney’s (2005) claim that conservatives in the United States have become increasingly distrustful of science.

New York among best prepared for climate change

A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council says New York is among the too-low number of states to have made substantial progress needed to address the causes and effects of climate change and its effect on water management...

"The effects of climate change can already be seen across New York in the form of warmer temperatures, more frequent extreme precipitation events, and higher sea levels. These trends are projected to intensify in the future, leading to reduced snow cover and increased risks of flooding, summertime droughts, and coastal inundation. Because the state has the second-highest coastal population in the U.S.,1 sea level rise is expected to be particularly damaging. New York has responded proactively to these challenges by reducing greenhouse gas pollution and planning for climate change impacts. A wealth of adaptation strategies have been identified by the New York State Climate Action Council, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s ClimAID project, and the New York State Sea Level Rise Task Force. While these planning efforts are a vital step in ensuring that the state is prepared for climate change, adaptation ultimately hinges upon effective implementation, and it is not yet clear how state agencies will move forward on implementation. New York should prioritize and support the implementation of adaptation strategies by state agencies across all sectors to minimize its vulnerability to climate change."

Summary of the report: Water Readiness Issue Brief
Full report (321 pages): Water Readiness Full Report

More HERE

Occupational Outlook Handbook

Welcome to the Nation′s premier source for career information! The profiles featured here cover hundreds of occupations and describe What They Do, Work Environment, How to Become One, Pay, and more. Each profile also includes BLS employment projections for the 2010–20 decade.

County-to-County Migration Flows

The American Community Survey (ACS) and the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS) ask respondents age 1 year and over whether they lived in the same residence 1 year ago. For people who lived in a different residence, the location of their previous residence is collected.

ACS uses a series of monthly samples to produce estimates. Estimates for geographies of population 65,000 or greater are published annually using these monthly samples.

Racing and Wagering Board releases two databases

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board released two comprehensive and searchable databases to the public: a detailed list of every horse that has broken down, died, sustained a serious injury or been involved in an incident at a track in New York State since 2009; and a list of every fine and suspension issued by the Board to licensees for nearly three decades.

Both databases - The Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database and the The Racing and Wagering Board Rulings Database - will be updated promptly as data submitted by field staff at each track is logged in by Racing and Wagering Board investigative staff.

State Personal Income 2011

State personal income rose an average 5.1 percent in 2011 after rising 3.7 percent in 2010, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. State personal income growth ranged from 3.4 percent in Maine to 8.1 percent in North Dakota.

Research @ Census

From HERE:

Keeping pace with our dynamic economy and society constantly challenges the Census Bureau's data collections. Our users want more data, and want it sooner. The cost of using our existing methods keeps going up, while statistical budgets are tight. We stay current by making research the basis of everything we do at the Census Bureau. Our researchers explore innovative ways to conduct surveys, increase respondent participation, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. They analyze the data we collect and uncover trends that give us a deeper understanding of our complex society.

This investment in our nation's statistical infrastructure enables our leaders to make decisions based on the best information available. We've designed these pages to give analysts, academic researchers and policymakers improved access to the data tools and research they need to move our country forward.

Census Bureau Releases First Information Since 2000 Census on Moves Between Counties

The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates from the American Community Survey showing how many people migrated from one specific county to another during the course of a year ─ the first such numbers published since these data were collected as part of the 2000 Census.

The ACS compiles data over a five-year period and asks people where they lived one year prior to being surveyed. The first five-year estimates released covers the years from 2005 to 2009.

The 2005-2009 American Community Survey County-to-County Migration Files provide tables for each county in the nation, showing both "inflows" and "outflows."

New media: increased news consumption; perils of classifying as public utilities

The State of the News Media 2012

A mounting body of evidence finds that the spread of mobile technology is adding to news consumption, strengthening the appeal of traditional news brands and even boosting reading of long-form journalism. But the evidence also shows that technology companies are strengthening their grip on who profits, according to the 2012 State of the News Media report by Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism.

More than a quarter of Americans (27%) now get news on mobile devices, and for the vast majority, this is increasing news consumption, the report finds. More than 80% of smartphone and tablet news consumers still get news on laptop or desktop computers. On mobile devices, news consumers also are more likely to go directly to a news site or use an app, rather than to rely on search — strengthening the bond with traditional news brands.

***

The Perils Of Classifying Social Media Platforms As Public Utilities

Are social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter "information monopolies" that should be regulated as public utilities? While calls for social networking regulation are on the rise, there are good reasons why policymaker should avoid the rush and rethink classifying them as "public utilities." Public utility regulation has traditionally been the arch-enemy of innovation, and this could have lasting effects on such a dynamic industry. Treating today’s leading social media providers as essential facilities threatens to convert predictions of "natural monopoly" into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

***

The Future of Apps and Web

The Web Is Dead? No. Experts expect apps and the Web to converge in the cloud; but many worry that simplicity for users will come at a price.

Tech experts generally believe the mobile revolution, the popularity of targeted apps, the monetization of online products and services, and innovations in cloud computing will drive Web evolution. Some survey respondents say while much may be gained, perhaps even more may be lost if the “appification” of the Web comes to pass.

Searching Your US Military Ancestry With Newly Released Records

by Cara Meadows
Following on from this important article on the release of the 1940 US Census here, Ancestry.com has paved the way for even more in-depth family history research with the release of a set of vitally important War Service Records dating from as far back as 1850. These records are a great and vital resource to anyone wanting to trace the more recent history of their ancestors and also trace the military pasts of their forebears much further back.
With Family History, Genealogy and Military History in particular becoming an increasingly popular hobby for many people, researchers are opting to take genealogical vacations in different countries rather than other pursuits such as going on a Mediterranean Cruise or a long beach vacation somewhere. This rise in popularity has seen a concurrent rise in demand for online services and also increasing access to archives and repositories all over the US.
New Record Releases
The US Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS (Beneficiary Identification Records Locater Subsystem) Death Records contain some 14,465,024 entries starting in the year 1850 and coming as far forward as 2010.

Celebrate Women's History Month

Visit WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn about generations of women who've made invaluable contributions to society. You'll find: Historical photos depicting women in the workforce from about 1916-1954. An interactive game called Flight to Freedom that allows you to take on the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old slave in Kentucky in 1848. A webcast of Annie Leibovitz's talk at the American Art Museum about her photo exhibition, Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage. And more...

TweetCongress

From the site:

We the Tweeple of the United States, in order to form a more perfect government, establish communication, and promote transparency do hereby tweet the Congress of the United States of America.

We built this site to scratch our own itch. While searching for our local congressmen on Twitter we were amazed at how many folks on the Hill aren't tweeting. This site is a grass-roots effort to get our men and women in Congress to open up and have a real conversation with us.

'World's Most Ethical Companies' Revealed

Turns out successful businesses aren't concerned only with their bottom line..

Ethisphere Institute, which compiled the list, says it based its rankings on the following factors: ethics and compliance programs; reputation, leadership and innovation; governance; corporate citizenship and responsibility; and culture of ethics.

(VIA here.)

Steve Morse Genealogy site

From SteveMorse.org

"In the 'old days' genealogical research was done by traveling great distances and then going through dusty archives or using microfilm readers. But the advent of the World Wide Web has changed that. Today much of the data useful to genealogists has been put on websites and can be accessed from the comfort of home.

"Unfortunately, many of these websites are not easy to use. And those that are don’t always offer all the versatility that is possible. For that reason I have created alternate ways of accessing some of these websites. In addition I have developed some of my own databases and programs to facilitate doing genealogical research. These are all collected together under what I call the One-Step website."

As a colleague noted, "It is not a sanctioned Census Bureau site, but the links it contains are very useful. In particular, if you click on the US Census Bureau, you will find a link to the 72 year rule, there is a great explanation of the reasons for it, and they are not what you are thinking."

Renewable Electricity and Nuclear State Profiles

The State Renewable Electricity Profiles 2010 present a summary of current and recent historical data for the renewable electric power industry. Presented are net summer capacity and net generation data for each type of renewable generator, as well as fossil-fired and nuclear power plant types, for the period 2006 through 2010.
The objective of this set of profiles is to provide a concise overview of the renewable electric power industry in each state. Data in this report are compiled from surveys filed by electric utilities and other electric power producers. It is prepared by the Office of Electricity, Renewables, and Uranium Statistics; Office of Energy Statistics; U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA); U.S. Department of Energy.

DocuTicker's description:
The Nuclear State Profiles report consists of data tables for the nuclear power plants in each U.S. state. Standard reported data includes a plant's summer capacity, net generation, share of the state's generation, and identification of the plant owners. For each state, the report provides a breakdown of the state's primary energy sources, such as nuclear, coal, and natural gas.

Income Inequality and Economic Mobility

by Steven Aftergood

Income inequality in the United States is more pronounced than in other developed countries, a new report from the Congressional Research Service finds, while the possibility of economic mobility is more constrained than commonly believed.

“Based on the limited data that are comparable across nations, the U.S. income distribution appears to be among the most uneven of all major industrialized countries and the United States appears to be among the nations experiencing the greatest increases in measures of inequality.”

“Americans may be less concerned about inequality in the distribution of income at any given point in time partly because of a belief that everyone has an equal opportunity to move up the income ladder. A review of the literature suggests that Americans’ perceptions about their likelihood of changing position in the income distribution may be exaggerated,” the CRS report said.

More here

8 states get 'F' on corruption

From Politico:

Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota and Georgia received failing grades in the State Integrity Investigation – an analysis of all 50 state governments conducted by the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity and Public Radio International.

With not a single state getting an A grade, just five states earned a B: New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, California and Nebraska; while 19 states received Cs and 18 [including New York] earned Ds.

Leading U.S. Metro Areas in Optimism (my hometown is dead last)

From here:
"While the vast majority of Americans express satisfaction about the community or area where they live, residents of some metro areas are highly optimistic about where their community is headed, whereas residents of other communities are largely discouraged. Across 190 U.S. metro areas, residents of Provo-Orem, Utah, are the most likely nationwide to say their city or area is getting better as a place to live (76%), while residents of Binghamton, N.Y., are the least likely to say this (27.8%)."

From here:
Gallup and Healthways produce a biannual report on the Well-Being of each of the 50 U.S. states and their respective cities and an annual report on each of the 435 U.S. congressional districts. Here's the New York State report.

Household Income Inequality Within U.S. Counties: 2006-2010

This report [PDF] presents measures of household income inequality for counties in the United States, based on data pooled from 5 years (2006 to 2010) of American Community Survey (ACS) data. For example, the data show that the more unequal counties were also more populous. Thirty-four percent of Americans lived in a county that ranked in the top 20 percent of U.S. counties by Gini index (the Gini index is a measure of income inequality).

In every region, the counties in the most unequal fifth of U.S. counties accounted for a disproportionately large share of that region's population. For example, only 8 percent of Midwestern counties had Gini indexes ranking among the top fifth of U.S. counties, but they contained 26 percent of the region's population. Also, the South region had a disproportionately large number of counties with high income inequality, while counties in the Midwest had lower levels of income inequality. Specifically, 32 percent of the counties in the South had Gini indexes ranking among the top fifth of U.S. counties, while 31 percent of Midwest counties ranked among the bottom fifth of U.S. counties.

Comparing International Criminal Justice Systems

"This briefing was prepared for the House of Commons Justice Committee to provide an international dimension to its inquiry into the budget and structure of the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales...

"We selected a range of advanced democratic nations for our detailed work, including some common law and non-common law jurisdictions, countries from the European Union and the Commonwealth, and some with reputations either for liberal or punitive justice systems. To enhance our understanding of the United States of America, for which only limited data are available at the federal level, we also included the state of California within our analyses."

Cartoo - how far, by foot, bicycle, or car

Webapp Cartoo uses Google Maps to predict how far you can travel by foot, bicycle, or car from a given point and specific window of time. Put in a city, or street address, and it maps it out !

Where gold comes from

Statistics from the February Smithsonian.

Top 10 gold producers - 2011 estimate in tons:

China 391
Australia 298
United States 261
Russia 220
South Africa 209
Peru 165
Canada 121
Ghana 110
Indonesia 110
Uzbekistan 99

NYPL Eases the Way For Searching 1940 Census

The National Archives releases census records once a decade, and on April 2 it is making available the information from the 1940 census. But the records won't immediately be searchable by name.

For those whose relatives lived in New York City, the New York Public Library is aiming to make it simpler to search this holy grail of information about what life was like during periods such as the Great Depression and the lead-up to World War II.

The library is launching an online tool to allow users to type in names and, potentially, locate census forms listing a host of details on every person living in the family household at the time of the census.

More HERE.

Old Maps Online

A collection of historical maps from around the world has gone online. The JISC-funded website is described by its creators as “the broadest single collection of historical maps.” The site will act as a central repository to a collection of maps held by institutions across the globe. The free resource, oldmapsonline.org, will provide a single entry point.

Read more HERE.

test

Follow this blog

The Law of Incorrect Tweets

Initial, inaccurate information will be retweeted more than any subsequent correction.

The goal should be to make the correction as viral as the mistake. But that’s a challenge, and Tuesday at Harvard’s Truthiness in Digital Media conference, {Craig Silverman] saw (for the first time) what it looks like when we fail...

If you understand the dynamic, you may be more likely to change it. One cause: Incorrect information is bound to be more provocative and interesting than a correction. The other cause is that too little attention is paid to making corrections on Twitter.

More HERE.

Press release on (the potentially disastrous) Voluntary ACS bill

March 5, 2012
Honorable Trey Gowdy, Chairman
Honorable Danny Davis, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia,
Census and National Archives
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Gowdy and Congressman Davis:

We are writing to express our strong concern about proposals to convert the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) from a mandatory to a voluntary survey. We believe such a change would significantly increase the cost of the ACS; at a time of fiscal constraint, lack of sufficient resources could diminish the quality of ACS data to a point where the information is not useful for a myriad of critical public and private sector purposes. We know that your panel will review this issue at a hearing on March 6, 2012, and respectfully ask that the subcommittee include our letter in the official hearing record.

The Census Project is a non-partisan, ad-hoc, broad-based coalition of census stakeholders. The Project’s participants include data users in the business, housing, civil rights, academic and research, civic participation, child advocate, state and local government, and marketing sectors. Our common purpose is simple: To
educate policymakers and the public about the importance of high quality, cost effective and appropriately comprehensive census data for sound decision-making at all levels of government and in the private and non-profit sectors. (The ACS is part of the decennial census.)

Concerned about respondent burden and the propriety of the questions, Congress directed the Census Bureau to explore the possibility of making the ACS voluntary in 2003. In two reports1 and several more recent analyses, the bureau concluded that mail response rates to a voluntary ACS would drop "dramatically," by more than 20 percentage points. That decline, in turn, would force the bureau to use more costly modes of data collection, such as telephone and door-to-door visits, thereby increasing the cost of the survey by thirty percent ($60 million at the time of the 2003 field test). Congress, in the current fiscal climate, is unlikely to increase funding for the ACS by the amount necessary to overcome low initial response rates, leaving the Census Bureau with insufficient response to produce reliable data for smaller (e.g. rural communities; towns; urban neighborhoods) areas and population groups (e.g. people with disabilities; veterans; immigrant groups). The consequence would be greatly diminished quality of ACS data. The test also showed that the percent of completed interviews (conducted if a household fails to mail back a form) fell significantly if the survey was voluntary, adding to the problem of data reliability.

Perhaps not surprisingly, cooperation in traditionally low mail response areas (which tend to equate with hard-to-count communities, such as people of color, low income families, and rural households) declined even further when ACS response was voluntary. Interestingly, a significantly higher percentage of traditionally easier-to-count populations, such as non-Hispanic Whites, failed to respond during the mail and telephone phases of the ACS. These findings suggest that the quality of estimates produced from a voluntary ACS would be severely jeopardized for all segments of the population and all types of communities.

The importance of high-quality, objective, and universal ACS data for public and private sector decision-makers cannot be overstated. The federal government alone allocates more than $450 billion annually in program funds to state and local governments based in whole or in part on ACS data.(2) Federal law, directly or indirectly, requires all of the information gathered in the ACS (i.e. Congress requested the data directly, or created a program that relies on data for implementation, enforcement, or monitoring, and the census or ACS are the only sources). We should not jeopardize the fair and wise allocation of limited taxpayer dollars by undermining the only source of reliable data to guide those allocations, not to mention decisions on whether even to continue certain programs.

In addition, the Voting Rights Act relies on ACS data to make determinations under section 203, which requires jurisdictions with a high percentage of people who are not English language proficient to offer bilingual voting materials. Both the government and business sector rely on ACS data to help ensure appropriate employment opportunities for racial minorities, disabled persons, and veterans.

Equally important, businesses of all sizes rely on ACS data every day to make vital decisions about where to locate and expand, what goods and services to offer, the scope of employee training needed, and long term investment opportunities. Nonprofit organizations use the ACS to guide services to those most in need and to measure the success of their programs.

For these reasons, we urge your subcommittee to view any proposal to make the American Community Survey voluntary with great caution. Such a change would have serious adverse consequences that could leave the nation in a precarious decision-making vacuum and hinder its economic recovery and future growth.

Sincerely,
American Association of Public Opinion Research
American Sociological Association
American Statistical Association
Asian American Justice Center, member of Asian American Center for Advancing
Justice
Association of Population Centers
Association of Public Data Users (APDU)
Charlotte (N.C.) Chamber of Commerce
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Council for Community & Economic Research (C2ER)
Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics
CREW Network
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Marketing Research Association (MRA)
National Association for Business Economics
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational
Fund
National Congress of American Indians
National Education Association
National Multi Housing Council
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
Population Association of America
Population Reference Bureau
Prison Policy Initiative
Project Vote
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Southeast Michigan Census Council

1. “Meeting 21st Century Data Needs - Implementing the American Community Survey, Report 3: Testing the Use of Voluntary Methods” (Dec. 2003) (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/Report03.pdf) and an update,
“Report 11: Testing Voluntary Methods -- Additional Results” (Dec. 2004)
(http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/Report11.pdf).
2. Reamer, Andrew, “Surveying for Dollars: The Role of the American Community Survey in the Geographic Distribution of Federal Funds,” The Brookings Institution, July 2010.

A project of the Communications Consortium Media Center
401 Ninth Street NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20004
202.326.8700
www.TheCensusProject.org

Pew Hispanic Center Statistical Portraits

Statistical Portrait of Hispanics in the United States, 2010
and
Statistical Portrait of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 2010

These statistical profiles are "based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey (ACS). Users should exercise caution when comparing the 2010 estimates with estimates for previous years. Population estimates in the 2010 ACS are based on the latest information from the 2010 Decennial Census; the 2005 to 2009 ACS estimates are based on the latest information available for those surveys—updates of the 2000 Decennial Census."

What we thought we knew about income and happiness

DESPITE global economic gloom, the world is a happier place than it was before the financial crisis began. That is the counterintuitive conclusion of a poll of 19,000 adults in 24 countries by Ipsos, a research company. Some 77% of respondents now describe themselves as happy, up three points on 2007, the last year before the crisis. Fully 22% (up from 20%) describe themselves as very happy—a more important measure, says Ipsos’s John Wright, since whenever three-quarters of people agree on anything, “you need to pay attention to intensity in the results.”

All such polls come with a health warning.

More HERE.

Transparency: New York State Payroll Updated on SeeThroughNY

New Yorkers can now search the complete 2011 state government payroll on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center's government transparency website. The database includes names, titles, base pay rates, and total pay received by 288,539 employees...

To read the full release, click here.
To view the database, click here.