Link: http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14015

"The Department of Defense released today the fiscal 2010 Military Intelligence Program (MIP) appropriated top line budget. The total was $27 billion, which includes the base budget and supplemental appropriations.

The DoD determined that releasing this top line figure does not jeopardize any classified activities within the MIP. No other MIP budget figures or program details will be released, as they remain classified for national security reasons."

Link: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20101021_winteroutlook.html

"The Pacific Northwest should brace for a colder and wetter than average winter, while most of the South and Southeast will be warmer and drier than average through February 2011, according to the annual Winter Outlook released today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. A moderate to strong La Niña will be the dominant climate factor influencing weather across most of the U.S. this winter."

Link: http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/96-397_20100903.pdf

"Relations between the United States and Canada, though generally close, have undergone changes in tenor over the past three decades. During the 1980s, the two countries generally enjoyed very good relations. The early 1990s brought new governments to Ottawa and Washington, and although Canada’s Liberal Party emphasized its determination to act independently of the United States when necessary, relations continued to be cordial. In early 2006, a minority Conservative government assumed power in Ottawa. It was regarded as being more philosophically in tune with the George W. Bush Administration than the Liberals were; some observers believe that this compatibility helped facilitate bilateral cooperation. The election of President Obama November 2008 signaled a new chapter in U.S.-Canada relations; unlike President Bush, Obama is quite popular in Canada."

Link: http://www.archives.gov/fed-employees/constitution-day.html

September 17th marks the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Visit the Reference Desk on the 3rd floor to pick up a free copy of the U. S. Constitution, including Unratified Amendments and Analytical Index - while supplies last.

Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm59e0907a1.htm?s_cid=mm59e0907a1_x

In 2009, 20.6% of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years were current cigarette smokers. Men (23.5%) were more likely than women (17.9%) to be current smokers. The prevalence of smoking was 31.1% among persons below the federal poverty level. For adults aged ≥25 years, the prevalence of smoking was 28.5% among persons with less than a high school diploma, compared with 5.6% among those with a graduate degree. Regional differences were observed, with the West having the lowest prevalence (16.4%) and higher prevalences being observed in the South (21.8%) and Midwest (23.1%). From 2005 to 2009, the proportion of U.S. adults who were current cigarette smokers did not change (20.9% in 2005 and 20.6% in 2009).

Link: http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76v07

During the period covered by this volume, July 1970–January 1972, the Nixon administration expanded the Vietnam war into Cambodia and Laos as part of its strategy. This volume covers South Vietnam in the context of this larger war in Southeast Asia; therefore, the volume begins in July 1970 in the aftermath of the Cambodian incursion. At the time, a variety of topics dominated the policy discussions of President Nixon and his principal advisers. Among these topics were U.S. troop withdrawals, Vietnamization, negotiations in Paris (both the public plenary sessions and the secret talks between Kissinger and North Vietnamese Politburo member Le Duc Tho), and possible South Vietnamese operations in Cambodia, Laos, and North Vietnam. Throughout the rest of 1970 these themes moved forward on separate paths that occasionally intersected with one another. South Vietnamese operations, first in Cambodia and then in Laos, were seen in policy terms as providing South Vietnam additional time to develop a more effective military, to generate economic growth, and to achieve some degree of political stability. The operations were also to demonstrate the success of Vietnamization and justify the continuing withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Link: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/mpi/2010/pdf/mpi0810.pdf

From the Bureau of Economic Analysis:

Personal income declined in 2009 in most of the nation’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal income declined in 223 MSAs, increased in 134, and remained unchanged in 9 MSAs. On average, MSA personal income fell 1.8 percent in 2009, after rising 2.7 percent in 2008. Personal income growth ranged from 14 percent in Jacksonville, North Carolina to -7.1 percent in Naples, Florida. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, declined to 0.2 percent in 2009 from 3.3 percent in 2008.

Quick links to tables

Link: http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2009/index.htm

"U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation. This annual report is entitled Country Reports on Terrorism. Beginning with the report for 2004, it replaced the previously published Patterns of Global Terrorism."

Link: http://www.stat-usa.gov/hometest.nsf/ref/Message

STAT-USA/Internet will no longer be available after September 30, 2010. Access to USA Trade, a product of the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau will continue.

There are other government publications and websites that contain information previously available under the STAT-USA umbrella. If you need help locating information please contact Miriam Bridges, Business Reference Librarian, (757-683-4169, mbridges(at)odu.edu), or Judy Trump, Social Sciences and Government Information Reference Librarian (757-683-4484, jtrump(at)odu.edu).

Link: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/GFA21/#2010-7-8

From the Department of Agriculture's Economics Research Service - Food security in 70 developing countries is estimated to have improved between 2009 and 2010, in part due to economic recovery in many of these countries. The number of food-insecure people in the developing countries analyzed by ERS researchers is estimated to decrease about 7.5 percent from 2009 to 882 million in 2010. The number of food-insecure people at the aggregate level will not improve much over the next decade, declining by only 1 percent. While there will be notable improvements in Asia and Latin America, the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to deteriorate after 2010. Food-insecure people are defined as those consuming less than the nutritional target of 2,100 calories per day per person.